History Aftermarket rods in the "Odd ball Engine" entry

Well, it runs. Ok, it doesn't just run, it runs awesome. Has piston slap like a forged slug BBC, revs like a roller cam small block. That caught me by surprise, how fast it zipped up with a tickle of the throttle. Still have to fill it with coolant, swap out the tires,some other blah, blah, blah, but definitely a stellar moment and well worth the effort. I'll figure out the video gig later bit some final pics. Wow, Duesenberg, *****in. I included a copy of a 29 Vanity Fair ad too.
All ***embled:

Oil pan in place looks just as kool as ever:

Oil level and drain valve, yup, full:

A proud company, and rightfully so:

I'll end this with a video next week. Hope you enjoyed the ride so far.

 

Sorry, but I can't seem to load video files. I'm not giving up, just sayin...

 

You bringing it to town?

 

Not sure what my/our ACD plans are yet. Also not sure how to get a short video from my phone to a reply. I'm about to just say screw it, which ****s because it runs pretty fuggin good...

 

Weps that 155HP sounds very real to me. That was about what the top luxury cars had in the thirties and 25 - 50HP more than most.

Duesenberg was a custom built automobile and that went for the motor as well as the body. You had a choice of low, regular, and high compression pistons. The cams were infinitely and individually adjustable. There were 3 different intake systems ( 1 carb, 2 carbs and supercharger) and two exhausts.

You could build anything from a rip roaring speed demon roadster motor , to a super smooth quiet limousine motor using all stock parts.

I believe this is why the motors were shipped from the Lycoming engine plant in a semi finished condition, partly taken apart and re***embled at the Duesenberg plant. Each engine was hand fitted for a specific car.

This is all a long winded way of saying the advertised 265HP may be accurate, but only for the max HP version with high compression pistons, dual carbs, cams adjusted for high speed use, and generally tuned to the ***s and running on the dyno with no mufflers, air filter, fan or generator. The average motor for the average sedan, limousine or touring car was probably a lot closer to the 155HP you recorded.

 

Maybe stating the obvious, but how mind blowing that you can read a thread on a Duesenberg engine rebuild on a traditional hot rod forum! As a guy that was around both the cl***ic car and hot rod scene in the sixties and seventies, MAN have times CHANGED!!!!

 

Not such an odd couple actually, these early cars set the stage for the lifestyle we hold so dear.

 

If you were around the cl***ic car scene in the sixties/seventies, boy IS IT EVER. Kinda like finding a LGBT fundraiser dance being held in the ba*****t of a southern baptist church!

 

This might work...


And Rusty, I believe weps is talking about his Auburn 12, not a J-Duesy. FWIW, the few I've driven compared to Packard 12s, Cadillac 16s, and Auburns, and let's not forget our lowly and loved Ford stuff, well yeah it's a ton of HP and TQ. It's fast for what it is, accelerates and rolls with modern traffic, and for just about 3 tons handling and braking are pleasant to say the least.

 

I want a ride in one before I die.

 

List the complement of gauges it has if you would. I believe I saw an Altimeter, and a "brake" gauge. Does the brake gauge measure temperature of something, or fluid pressure?

Such a sweet engine, I absolutely love the engineering in these beautiful old beasts!

 

I noticed the altimeter as well. Cool stuff.

 

Awesome work, Jocko
You need a shelf and one of my "Offerings to the God of Speed" signs for the shop down there

 

Come on down, I'll fix ya up!
Not to step on Jocko's thread, but since you guys are interested in this, if you noticed the shaft driven generator (with the cool coupling) this shaft, conveniently driven off of the timing chain, is what was used on the Supercharged cars to power the Switzer-***mins unit.
I am not sure about the brake gauge, but I will ask to find out. I am thinking that it is pressure, as I do not recall ever seeing any type of "RTD" (temp probe) on the cars that I have worked with.
Jocko- what "J" number is this car in the video?

**Fun Fact** on the "Dual Cowl" cars, there was an additional Speedometer in the back so that the riders there could see how fast you were going!

 

It won't be this year, but I might take you up on that!

 

The updraft "Schebler" carb is straight out of the "Rube Goldberg" compe***ion. We often joke that the 'Marvel' is that they worked at all! note the lack of any filter...
I might have some pics of the one we had apart this spring. (to help with re ***embly)

 

What 'Rusty' said is pretty much true. We often think of the "Racy,***y" looking cars when in fact more than half of the Duesenbergs were "Town Cars" for the elite banksters in New York and Boston (other areas of course) The automatic transmission had not been invented yet. Imagine being the driver ('cuz I'm a bluecollar dirtbag) and rolling through New York traffic, back then, and your boss not liking the 'jerk' between shifts in stop and go traffic.
The mighty Straight Eight is a lugging S.O.B. and could be left in 2nd gear and start/stop that way.
Sorry, I can talk about this stuff all day...

 

The ability to slow down to a walking pace in high gear and pull away without bucking or knocking was the test of a quality car in the twenties and thirties. Given the road conditions of the time, hill climbing and slowing down for towns and curves were more frequent than the opportunity to do more than 50 MPH for long stretches. The most expensive cars were expected to outdo the cheaper models at all times and under all conditions. In those days you could really see the difference between a cheap car and a quality car in the materials used to make it, to the design, finish, performance, in short everything.

 

Weps, it's J-239. hadn't seen the light of day from 1969 to last year when we took it to be certified. Turns out she still has all of her major parts including axles, radiator, trans, and obviously the engine/frame/firewall/body.

The list of gauges:
Speedometer (barrel type)
Tachometer (also barrel type)
Oil pressure
Brake system pressure
Temperature
Altimeter
Chronograph (clock)
Edit: forgot to mention the ammeter. Interesting gauge in that it indicates charging by going left vs right. This car is also negative ground while the majority of it's contemporaries are positive. I figured the company just printed the gauge face "backward" to avoid making one that would read conventional.
The clock has a stop watch feature and also counts the days. The altimeter, while mainly a luxury addition/function, could also alert the diehard enthusiast to changing conditions should they wish to make a carb adjustment. Sort of a moot point with the Shebler carb. That plunger drops based on demand and enriches the fuel delivery. While it has the nuts to roll off in higher gears I'd think too much of that would tax the main bearings a bit. This also has a muffler that can be opened with the twist of a lever on the floor for "country" operation. That feature was also on the Auburn 12s, or at least the speedsters. Check out this sewer drain size exhaust manifold:

That's about a 4" outlet that tapers down to about 3" before the muffler. Yeah, the marvels are plenty on these. George, you really do need to ride in one. In fact every red-blooded hot rodder in the country, hell the world, ought to go at least once. All I can promise is you'll never forget it.

 

After a $1500 weekend for deuce days and five weeks in Vietnam, the travel budget is a tad thin right at this moment!! But yes, I really do want a ride in one of these some day. When I was a kid, I had a ride in a Cadillac V-16 and a Packard V-12 Victoria, but never the ultimate. Gotta rectify that before I die!

 

Great thread, have really enjoyed the pictures.

The Schebler duplex (2-barrel) was used by Duesenberg from 1928 to 1931 on the normally aspirated engines. Strombergs were used on the supercharged engines. Duesenberg went to all Strombergs in 1932.

Don't see too many of the Scheblers anymore. One of the Duesenberg enthusiasts re-cast the later manifold for the downdraft Stromberg and many of the Schebler updrafts were replaced by their owners.

Interesting (at least to me) that when Duesenberg went to the 2-barrel downdraft Stromberg, they specified 1 3/8 inch venturii, the only 1 3/8 venturii Stromberg made in the EE-3 model. Stromberg did make a 1 5/16 for the Packard 12, which is what has been retrofitted by the enthusiasts replacing the Schebler. All of the feedback I have received is that the slightly smaller carb produced as much horsepower as the larger carb, with somewhat better driveability.

EDIT (for clarity): the 1 3/8 in print looks like 13/8. Actually 1.375, likewise the 1 5/16 is 1.3125

Jon.

 

Great thread, thanks for sharing it with us. Back in the early 70's we were at a cl***ic/antique car event in Waco Tx where the br*** T guys were carefully pulling their Model T cars out of enclosed trailers and there was a two tone green Duesenberg blasting up and down the street giving rides to folks. The sound still sticks in my mind 45 years later.

 

Ive always wanted to ride in one of those. I saw one on the road in new brighton a few years ago, just a guy driving down old highway 8 at 10 am on a tuesday for no reason. The sound and sight of the thing mixed in with all the normal weekday traffic will never leave me

 

Now that is sweet.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

 

Cool,work Highlander. A few years back'helped restore a firetruck with a duzy in it. They had two broken motors to work with,to make one runner,I did the balance work for them so all was happy,turned out OK,but they only do praids with the truck.