Some of these things had a stroke barely long enough to qualify for the name, 48mm. I mean, I think I've seem some bigass aftermarket camshafts with more lift than that. #1960s
My first car, a '71 Pinto, had a 1.6L with FOB (Ford of Britain) cast on it. POS burned #4 piston after a year of abuse. I did a quickie rebuild on it. A year later it burned #4 piston. I rebuilt it again by the book. Bored, new pistons, new valves and surfaced every gasket surface I could including the manifolds. A year and a HALF later it puked reverse and burned #4 piston within a week of each other. Tossed that hateful beast in the weeds and installed an FOG (Ford of Germany) marked 2.0 engine and trans and never had a single problem after that.
Is it because I didn't use Whitworth wrenches? Or did the non-paraffin oil I used damage the British alyoominium in the pistons?
Novaload promoted this comment
Edited by joneez wants the clunkers he paid for at 11/01/09 8:04 PM
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Ford Racing recently announced that they would be selling a reengineered Kent crate engine to meet the needs of the thousands of Formula Ford racers who are starting to have trouble finding replacement parts. #1960s
@Novaload: The Consul Capri was actually sold by Ford in the US in the early '60s. The scarcity today reflects what Americans thought of it then. After all, for the price of this thing, you could buy a Falcon Sprint. Oh, and it did 0-60 mph in 22.6 seconds according to Motor magazine. That alone made the Sprint more compelling of a buy.
The twin fender mirrors on this car were not normal fittings. They look more like the mirrors once seen on Japanese home-market cars. Wonder if this Capri lived in Japan?
Damn, two out of three cars on the list (M30 and Sirius/4G63). If you would get off your ass and induct the Audi 2.7 Biturbo, I'd have a full sweep! #engine
@Rupunzell: The small-block Chevy, Chrysler Trans Four, and all Honda engines have been terrible at LeMons. Ford Modular, Volvo Red Block, Toyota A, and Mazda B have done very well. #engine
I'm working on an All-Time Engine Survivors post, sort of the engine counterpart to the All-Time Automotive Survivors post. Small-block Chevy, Toyota R, AMC Six, VW air-cooled, etc. Suggestions welcome. Assume 20 years as the minimum age. #engine
@Murilee Martin: Rootes 4-cylinder, baby... introduced in the 1954 Hillman Minx in 1390cc form. Switched to 5 main bearings in 1965, when it was stretched to 1725cc. It lasted for a couple of decades in Europe, and longer in the Iran Khodro Paykan. #engine
As an LS-series kind of guy, I don't often realize that there are other great engines out there, and rarely can I name them. But, there they are, in all their glory. Each of them great for a different reason.
One thing that I have noticed, though, is a lack of contemporary (or at least semi-contemporary) small engines.
I would like to nominate the Mazda K engine.
It was an interesting engine from the standpoint that it is the smallest V6 engine ever developed, and all that well known, it was competitive, reliable, powerful for its size, and was known for being silky smooth. It also featured the unusual and interesting Variable Resonance Induction System (VRIS).
With a life span of roughly ten years, it isn't in the same class as some of the other grizzled elders presented above, but it's combination of novelty, innovation, and reliability are worth a look. #engine
My two personal choices for post-apocalyptic powerpants.
The ChryCo slant-6 until all gasoline has turned to varnish ('bout 12 months after production ceases), then the OM617 to roam the Earth with the cockroaches. #engine
Now for the Ford Tempo Fact of the Day! The HSO (High Specific Output) version of Ford's 2.3L I4 was the slightly more powerful version of the HSC (High Swirl Combustion) engine used in lesser Tempos. Introduced in 1985 following minor, petty criticisms regarding power, speed, performance, et cetera. The HSO utilized a multiple port, electronically controlled fuel injection system, revised intake system allowing for more breathing room, and most important: hemispherical combustion chambers.
That's right, I could slap a 'Yeah, its got a Hemi' bumper sticker on, and it wouldn't be a lie! #engine
Imagine, if you will, an articulated bus of some length, powered by one of each of these. This road train would travel the nation, stopping for every Jalop so inclined, and scouring junkyards for automobiles to resurrect with them.
Mid-mounted Audi 4.2-powered Prius? How stealthy!
OM617-powered Camry? Talk about reliable!
Packard Inline Eight-powered Phantom? What prestige!
Nailhead-powered Pulsar NX? What... just what!?
We'd come on the night train and leave in the best cars ever "engineered". What could go wrong? #engine
I have to admit, this is a reliable engine. My parents have had 2 Buicks and a Bonneville over the years, all with this same engine. They've had few issues, the first Buick going to 180k miles. The other two cars are nearing 150k. And my parents aren't particularly meticulous about maintenance.
11/02/09
Official engine of the Anadol, Turkey's first mass-production car. #1960s
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Is it because I didn't use Whitworth wrenches? Or did the non-paraffin oil I used damage the British alyoominium in the pistons?
11/01/09
11/01/09
Oh, Ford. If only you'd shared this with the US. (I believe this Capri also packed the Kent.) #1960s
11/01/09
@Novaload: Or as seen here in later production form. #1960s
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The twin fender mirrors on this car were not normal fittings. They look more like the mirrors once seen on Japanese home-market cars. Wonder if this Capri lived in Japan?
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I also think it was used in some Renault tractors well before that, but I can't confirm that to be true. #engine
10/18/09
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@Armand: Wikipedia says that there were 4 different displacements over the history of the 2CV, but I would think they're all based on the same block.
I also found this boatload of awesome. I think they even have the 2CV engine on the outboard.
10/17/09
One thing that I have noticed, though, is a lack of contemporary (or at least semi-contemporary) small engines.
I would like to nominate the Mazda K engine.
It was an interesting engine from the standpoint that it is the smallest V6 engine ever developed, and all that well known, it was competitive, reliable, powerful for its size, and was known for being silky smooth. It also featured the unusual and interesting Variable Resonance Induction System (VRIS).
With a life span of roughly ten years, it isn't in the same class as some of the other grizzled elders presented above, but it's combination of novelty, innovation, and reliability are worth a look. #engine
10/17/09
10/19/09
10/17/09
The ChryCo slant-6 until all gasoline has turned to varnish ('bout 12 months after production ceases), then the OM617 to roam the Earth with the cockroaches. #engine
10/17/09
Now for the Ford Tempo Fact of the Day! The HSO (High Specific Output) version of Ford's 2.3L I4 was the slightly more powerful version of the HSC (High Swirl Combustion) engine used in lesser Tempos. Introduced in 1985 following minor, petty criticisms regarding power, speed, performance, et cetera. The HSO utilized a multiple port, electronically controlled fuel injection system, revised intake system allowing for more breathing room, and most important: hemispherical combustion chambers.
That's right, I could slap a 'Yeah, its got a Hemi' bumper sticker on, and it wouldn't be a lie! #engine
10/17/09
10/17/09
1. Acquire 2.3L HSO I4 from Tempo GLS, AWD, or Topaz LTS, XR5, AWD.
2. Put in Toyota Prius.
3. Profit.
Or just put in one of Dodge's faux Hemi V8s. #engine
10/17/09
Mid-mounted Audi 4.2-powered Prius? How stealthy!
OM617-powered Camry? Talk about reliable!
Packard Inline Eight-powered Phantom? What prestige!
Nailhead-powered Pulsar NX? What... just what!?
We'd come on the night train and leave in the best cars ever "engineered". What could go wrong? #engine
10/17/09
Oh, wait, you didn't. May did.
That is quite a dream you had there, or that is quite a lot of something you had there. :) #engine
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