Art & Inspiration Engines: Lying in Wait

I wonder how many will get sent to scrap when the horder dies and the family can't be bothered with them. Or doesn't know what they are or even care.

 

Hello,

From the time that my brother asked how the Willys Coupe was and if the motor was ok, I felt a little troubled. Our Willys Coupe work was now sitting in a local scrapyard and the 671 SBC motor was sitting in Atts Ono’s garage under a canvas tarp. So, what was I to do? Atts Ono and I talked about what to do with the parts. He said that it was up to my brother as far as going forward.

Everyone knew our 671 292 Chevy motor was built to the hilt and was powerful enough to move to the next level of racing. But, now, the scene was a little dark. As much as my brother was trying to keep a good appearance and light feeling in our conversations, I knew it was coming. He mentioned another hot rod build in a different class with the same motor. An RPU for the street roadster class and/or a modified roadster for the drags only. Those brought on a bevy of smiles and more happy chatter.

But, it is/was hard to come back from such an experience and still have the “go get them” attitude while doing something that caused you such disappointment and pain. I did have a close friend with a 57 Chevy Bel Air hardtop that was always ready to do some changing and the motor would fit right into his car with no problems. He had the most done to his car, in our teenage group, to make it fast and this installation would put him over the top. But, we just could not run a hood.

Jnaki

So, for the next two years was a recovery mode and more talks. Those talks were not normal brother talks. It was heading one way. He was worried that our mom would go berserk if the motor were in the backyard garage as a symbol of the accident and his injuries. He being the first son and all…

I was still in high school and there were plenty of ways that 292 SBC 671 motor could be used for our continued drag racing/hot rod adventures. Every time I went out to the backyard garage and saw the motor covered with another full canvas cover so our mom would not see it, it was disheartening.

One last choice was not the most enduring one for our mom. We could have the 671 292 SBC motor installed in the 58 Impala with minimal changes… But, as my brother laughed at the scene of our mom driving around in a C&O Stick Hydro 58 Impala with the 671 sticking out was hilarious. Ahh, no…

So a fully functioning, potential record setting motor will have to go…waiting in the shadows for someone to see the ad in the 1961 January Drag News for one last time… Within a month, it was headed for a Midwest racer’s next adventure. (in a boxed crate tied down on our custom rolling cart)
similar photo
It was “Lying in Wait,” so to speak, for me to do something with the powerful motor. But, our future was heading another way…

62 years of what if… Also, what has it been doing for those long years of drag racing history? MIDWEST? Street usage? Drag roadster class? Highly polished and chromed in the car show circuit?

 

Oops, something happened. Mercy.
Anyways, I’m thinking your brother didn’t want what happened to him, happen to you. He was looking out for you.
I really enjoy your posts. Love the history you bring, old films you put up, and so on. Just thought I’d share.

 

Everybody needs a 750dp man lol. I want a set of stock stamped valve covers for mine, I'm a simple man

 

They're yours. I can send 'em soon or you'll see them in October.

 

That's where it's going as soon as the weather warms up a bit.

 

I've got a bunch of engines hanging around, a couple 383 B Chryslers, a 305 SBC, a 292 Y block, and a bunch of first-Olds (one 394, two 324s, two 303s).

I try to only keep engine families that I have in cars, which I've done a pretty good job of with the exception of the Y block.

I'm a custom guy first and foremost, but even I'd like to build a hot rod at some point. I came across a hoard of early Olds parts several years ago and picked up this engine as part of the package. It's a 1950 303, though I'm unsure of its exact displacement because the fellow I got it from said the crank had been offset ground. It has a solid Engle cam in it, Isky rockers, the heads have been ported. The intake is a old chrome Weiand with Rochesters, and it has a Ronco magneto, Fenton headers, plus the cool knuckled valve covers.

The package also included a couple Lasalle transmissions, a 37 top shift and a 39 side shift, but I'm leaving my options open in that department.

 

Hell there ain't nothing gonna happen with that 454 until next winter, trying to do some stuff to momma's truck, but mainly spending every dime on the new house. I can wait lol...

 

Bring them to Bowling Green in June to the Holley Hotrod Reunion

 

Does Steve come to the reunion???

 

You might be able to shame him into it! LOL!!!

 

Hell I can't even shame you into coming down man! Did you get the intake from him?

 

I'm workin' on it Bro... I'm workin' on it!
Whatta 'ya mean you can't shame me into coming down? I'll be there in October, just don't know if I'll be bringing the car or not!

 

Can't shame you into climbing your ass out of that crane and coming to the hot rod reunion lmao!

 

If the HRR wasn't in the middle of prime work season, I'd be there too! Gotta make hay while the sun shine's to make up for working2-3 day's a week during the winter. Hopefully in 7 more year's I'll be done with this work Bullshit!

 

More stuff than I can recall. A couple 302s, a 351W short block, a stroked 422W, a 5.8W a couple off topic OHC 4 cylinders, one OT OHC 6 cylinder. 4 of them have cars awaiting, several were just too good to pass up, one was part of a parts hoard I bought. To my credit I did throw one unbuildable SBF in the trash. Plus a 5hp Briggs, a couple race kart engines and other junk.

 

People think it makes them cool to call an SBC a belly button or generic. On this board flatheads are belly buttons.

That said 413s and tall deck 383s are pretty cool motors.

 

You keep beating this drum here and on Facebook about how the Y block is a superior engine to the Windsor, but both anecdotal and empirical evidence seems to dictate otherwise. Without resorting to internet memes, can you please provide some actual evidence that the Y block is superior engine platform than the Windsor? I can't find a single instance where, when built to comparable specifications, that the Y block puts up superior numbers.

For example, these two engine builds.
337 ci Y block
http://www.ford-y-block.com/337pumpgas dyno.htm

and this 347ci Windsor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=wMUToQSys98

Both;
-10:1 compression
-naturally aspirated
-have a high rise aluminum intake
-a 600-650 cfm 4 barrel
-long tube headers,
-aluminum heads
-high lift cams
-Stroker rotating assembly

So these engine builds are very closely matched spec for spec, including displacement. Yet the Y block has less (though comparable) torque, well over 100 hp less, has a substantially lower red line, and still weighs abut 150 lbs more. Even adjusting for the ~3% ci displacement difference the HP numbers are still over 100 hp less.

Granted this is just one example, but I can't find any examples where when a Y block is built to similar specs to the Windsor that the Y block comes out ahead. Anecdotally, I've been watching guys build fast street cars out of Windsor based platforms like the Mustang 5.0 since I was in high school. I've never once heard someone say, "damn, I need to dump this crummy Windsor and find a Y block".

That's not to say the Y block's numbers aren't respectable. They are. But they're not better than the Windsor, and that doesn't even factor cost, which is probably the biggest difference of all. Can you point me to some evidence the the Y block is actually a better engine all things being equal, or is this just some dumb crusade you're on against HAMB-relevant engines? Because again, like it or not, the SBC and Windsor ARE HAMB appropriate.

 

SBC=default engine

 

Is that why hot rodders started "defaulting " to it even when it was still a new design, and both difficult to find and expensive when they did find one?

 

Bingo. We say that looking at it through the lenses of the current time. In reality, there is nothing more mid-late 1950s traditional that pulling out some tired flathead and swapping in a SBC.

 

SBC=cheap, plentiful, and simple

 

We are the old timers now...LS crap is everywhere , its becoming hard to find good rebuildable 327 and early style 350s anymore.

 

I have built and raced both. Successfully. They both have good attributes for example the Y block had the pan rails below the crank centerline and that makes for a more stable lower end. The Windsor (especially the 302) breath better.

Here is an interesting side note. The Aussies must know that the Windsor motor has superior breathing capabilities, they manufacture heads in Australia that are basically 302 heads that will bolt to a Y block short block. Everything from the deck up is 302.

 

That's interesting about the Aussie heads, I would love to see a set of those. I know that the Y block with the deep skirted block had a very strong bottom end, but it also seems that the engine platform won't support the power to break it, especially NA, so it's a moot point. On the other hand, the Windsor can be made to rev to very high RPMs and can breathe extremely well, and can produce more than enough power to blow itself to smithereens.

 

Y blocks can be good motors but you are correct unless its wore slap out you are not going to explode one without a power adder.

I have not seen a set of the aussie heads in probably 10 years or so. They are slick and give you lots of oprions that otherwise you would not have.

 

Had to bling it up some more.

 

My 351W with a righthand-side water pump outlet and custom-made alternator bracket awaiting the rebuild of the AOD transmission before putting it into the '29AA. I've got the water pump pulley but it is OT billet and I haven't scuffed and painted it Ford blue yet, which is what I'm planning.