Using information he obtained from various sources about the P-38, Jim drew up a set of plans in CAD and began building the plane 15 years ago with only his wife Mitzi aiding him in the construction of the aircraft. He first flew his plane in July of last year, and has just completed flying it in its first cross-country trip.

It looks like we've now got a new member to add to the home-built hero club started by Ken Imhoff and his homemade basement Lamborghini. (Hat tip to Ilari!) [OshKosh365]

The "2220" stands for its displacement in cubic inches (actually, it was 2,219.35 CI, or just over 36 liters). That's right, an engine with well over a cubic foot of displacement. Oh, but it gets even better! More than ten feet in length, hemispherical heads, aluminum block, single overhead cam, inverted-V configuration, and the power was sent to the propeller reduction gear via the middle of the crankshaft (technically, the IV-2220 was two V8s joined in the middle, with an output shaft extending to the propeller beneath the crankshaft). It was developed for installation in the P-47 Thunderbolt during World War II (the P-47, as you may recall, had a godawful complicated remote-turbocharger setup), as an alternative to the P-47s standard Pratt & Whitney radial, and made an impressive 2,500 horsepower. By the time the IV-2220 was ready, however, the war was just about over and jet engines were the flashy new trend for aircraft power. All that effort wasn't wasted, though, because Chrysler had learned a great deal about hemispherical head design, and you know the rest.
[Allpar, Wikipedia]

Now, we admit that this engine was never intended for use in a car, but tanks are certainly related to cars and so we say this engine qualifies for the Engine Of The Day series. The deal with the A57 was that Chrysler needed to whomp up a tank engine in a hurry, so as to put the kibosh on the Thousand Year Reich and the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. The easiest way to do this was to grab as many existing components off the shelf as possible, so Chrysler used the 201-cubic-inch Plymouth flathead six as the basis for the new engine. Five crankshafts driving a common center shaft via individual ring gears arrayed around a central gear, five heads, five carburetors, five distributors… and 30 cylinders! It was heavy as hell, but it got the job done and was used to power M3A4 Lee and M4A4 Sherman tanks. Here's a video that gives you an idea of this engine's sound:


[Autospeed]

"During World War II there were many kinds of rationing including food, shoes, coffee, fuel oil, gasoline and tires. Donald Gilmore, CEO of Upjohn Pharmaceuticals and founder of this Museum, felt that there must be ways to find alternatives to these precious commodities. Mr. Gilmore experimented with a number of ideas including having a 1927 Model T Ford converted to electric power and these "wooden" tires. He instructed a local craftsman to fabricate four wooden tires and had them installed on his 1940 Cadillac to show that a person could get by with alternatives during this time of great need in the country. After some experimentation, Mr. Gilmore discovered that it was quite dangerous trying to drive with four wooden tires due to the lack of traction. He then returned the car's original rubber tires to the rear wheel and continued using the wooden tires on the front. It was reported that his employees very much liked the new wooden tire idea because they could hear him coming from a mile away!"

"To see these tanks crossing country at speed was a thrill which seemed inexhaustible — many times it encouraged us, and we were very proud of our Crusaders; though we often had cause to curse them."

Where do you fall in?A Tank? An Amphibious Vehicle? An Armet Gurkha? We're partial to the DUKW ourselves. What's your all-time favorite military land vehicle?

Last night, we were considering the Loverman and thought about his old band, Tarawa. Now, Tarawa circa late 1943 is no place for a Loverman. In fact, it was more appropriate for his inverse, the Fighterman. And verily did the Fightermen arrive courtesy of the Japanese and American armed forces. And when it came time for the American soldiers to re-take the small island in a brutal battle of attrition, some came ashore in The LVT — also known as the Amtrac — an amphibious, tracked troop carrier able to carry 24 soldiers. And while the Amtracs didn't fare so well at Tarawa, they went on to play a role throughout the next two years of the war, seeing service in both the Pacific and European theatres. We want one with a howitzer. – Davey G. Johnson

Landing Vehicle Tracked [Wikipedia]

Related:
The Sherman DD: America's Floating Tank [Internal]