Twin Engine Coupling (How Do You Get Two V8's In-Line?)

If the cranks were connected with gears, the cranks would turn in opposite directions.

 

This:


is what he was talking about, not two meshed gears.

Shawn

 

Yep, a fun thread for sure. I had the same question as Tony, how are the starters hooked up? Do you just use one and on which motor? Is one enough to crank both at the same time?

Don

 

This one was built just to prove it could be done; a 302 Ford and a 327 Chev in an Oliver tractor - named Oliver Twist.

 

You can get the male and female couplers from http://www.markwilliams.com/ the other bits you have to machine yourself

 

You could use one starter IF it was powerful enough and IF the ring gear would stand it. In practice it is easier to use 2 starters, wired through a solenoid to work at the same time.

If one engine fails it won't kill the other if it keeps turning. If it locks up it will skid the tires before it tears up the other engine. So probably not. If you use the flex coupling, the coupling will shear before it breaks anything.

 

You need to check out Rocky's great thread:

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=533613

Edit: sorry, Rocky's FED is not in-line, my bad. Still, just slightly OT.

 

I think all he used the Chevy for was to pump gas to the Hemi.

 

This is from the Massillon, Ohio ( Blue Angels )twin engine dragster restoration. Check it out on Two To Go Twin engine drag car history.

 

It's an old thread, but if anyone is interested check out this one built by a local LA guy...
It's stoopid fast. I followed him home after a show a couple years ago, when he first got it running. Its way Off topic for this forum, but the engineering is pretty amazing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZOl-VE5wew&list=PL944527CD0F6A10D0&index=1

 

This is a cool thread but i want to try something different i want to try to tie two inline sixes together would that work like the v8s

 

Like Sissel's car? Or to make a v12?

 

This was always confusing to me. The thought of how one bigger motor (Hemi/SBC in a dragster) would possibly be bogged down or held back by the smaller

 

Have you ever seen a freight train? Do you think all the engines are helping to pull the load? Or some are working against the load? Are all your cylinders doing their best? Or are some trying to slow the car down? 500 hp and 300 hp = 800 hp. not 200.

 

I'm sure there's more than one school of thought here. Take a V-8 with a dead hole. You lose the power of the dead hole PLUS some power is lost from the other 7 holes from dragging the dead piston/rod around. Something like that comes to mind when I see a blown Hemi/carbureted SBC combo. Maybe it's just some sort of illusion.........

 

To make an inline 12 I guess I haven't seen sissels car

 

Think of a large NFL offensive center pulling a rope. Now the quarter back jumps in to help him. Will the center have to work harder? Or will the QB lighten his load? PS do you work at UA?

 

Don't know how you missed it. When I was a kid i saw Jazzy Nelson's twin flathead car at Half Moon Bay. The engines were side by side with two clutches and two drive shafts and spools. I was pretty impressed, but I thought it was pretty wide, and I really wasn't a big flathead fan amyway. So I came home and told my dad about the car and said it would have been a lot better with two 270 GMC or 320 Buicks side by side leaned out to sort of make a V. My dad being a pretty cool guy said "if you want a V12 or 16 why not just buy a Cad V16"? He knew a guy at work that had an old Cad 16 sedan he wanted to sell for $125. So I said "Great idea. I'll take it." The guy was going to Tahoe for the weekend with his family and wanted to use the cad as it had room for his family and stuff. he would deliver it on Monday. Of course it threw a rod during the trip and he left it where it broke. Boy would that worth lots of money now.

 

That makes sense that way. It's still a weird illusion to see odd combos. Remember the Bustle Bomb? No on the UA

 

Beautiful car! I think it travels with a single 6 cyl roadster that's as nice.

 

I saw one where the front motor had a clutch and bell housing on it and the rear motor had an input shaft attached to the snout of the crank. That way you could disengage the front motor and only use it when needed. Each motor could be started separately also.

 

A friend of mine just finished up this project w/ dual S.B.C.'s. He tells me that he used a
Tractor Pulling Set Up. I don't have any close ups of the coupler, but here are a few images that you can take a look at.





This set up is really cool since you can drive around with the rear engine only when the coupler is uncoupled.

VR&C.

 

Not trying to hijack, but a local guy has a 29? Studebaker with 2 350 chevys,side by side,with 2 transmissions and 2 9" centersections in the rearend.He drives it on the street,and can use one engine or both. He's an old dirt racer,and did all his own fabrication.

 

Unfortunately I missed a lot due to only being 18 growing up in the wrong era but am die hard for classic hot rods and unique ideas

 

This is what we had in the late 60's

 

I used a ZURN electric motor coupler rated at 800 HP. It has seals and 2 pucks with 72 teeth that ride inside a 4" sleeve which contains the grease. I felt that while chain couplers were OK for drag racing where lubrication can be applied between rounds, but I wanted this setup to be drivable and not fling the grease around.

Between the motors I built a box out of 1/2" steel plate and directly mounted the rear motor to a 61 bell housing with a mid engine mouts. Each motor also had 2 mounts and the tail housing of the tranny has one as well.

To help transfer the power the rear crank was double keywayed with a second 1/4" keyway and I broached a Fluidamper balancer to match.

I also machined a spacer with a V belt groove to turn the water pump and the alternator was used to tension the belt.

 

didn't ed roth build a car with two 390 fords two c6 trans going into a single rear axle with two diffs? I am ate up with two engines in line. I read an article where a racer installed a chainsaw engine to the front of his FED engine to qualify as twin engines.
http://twotogo.homestead.com/index.html

 

Yes he did and it was a bad mistake! By using 2 torque tube Ford rear axles welded together he made it impossible for the rear suspension to twist. In other words, the rear wheels could go up and down together but not separately.

This meant any unevenness had to be taken up by the front suspension and when the spring bottomed out, by twisting the frame.

The car broke its frame several times. They even gutted the engines to lighten the front end but it didn't help since that was not the problem in the first place.

 

Ok, i understand you use a coupler attached to the crankshafts of the two engines to connect them, and run them in tandem. Then you connect the transmission to the back of the back engine. Y'all stated that it was unnecessary, however recommended to run a starter on both engines. That i understand. What i don't get is, how do you setup the radiator? Is there like a "in one, and out the other" thing where they connect to the same one, or do you have to put two radiators in there, and connect them to the seperate engines to cool them separately?

 

You could do it either way. 2 standard rads would probably be cheaper than 1 giant rad. The rear rad would not cool as well because it would be getting hot air from the front rad. But, if they were decent size and had a good fan should be ok.