Art & Inspiration The Ultimate Hot Rod Motor

Im just a bit partial to a small block Chevy. I will say though I will really only take a 265,283,302 or 327. I especially love 302's and 327's. The early LT-1 350's are great but once the 70s hit you can toss pretty much every small block out for all I care.

 

The BBC just starts in the HAMB era,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_big-block_engine
same with the cammer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_FE_engine
and late hemi.
If you are going to have a part that screams hot rod and be unique to an engine family, the BBC has this, but it's too new here.

 

My opinion, any engine with plug wires going into the middle of the valve covers looks great in a hot rod. Early Hemi is hard to beat. Best with multi carb intake, or better yet a supercharger.
I do think a SBC dressed properly is a great look. Some rams horn exhaust manifolds and multi carb intake just looks perfect in a hot rod. Plus from cost effectiveness standpoint you can't beat SBC.
Spending a bit more money, the Buick Nailhead is a great looker, Same with early Cadillac and early Olds. Any of these three get my attention for longer when viewing cars at a gathering.

 

Cold War Motors is currently building a nailhead, BTW.

 

Too Tall's, kick ass G.M.C. 6 banger with the Wayne head, has always been one of my favorite engines.

 

I've been kinda jonesen for a straight 8 lately. Packard? Buick?

 

Hmm, I don't usually agree 100% with anyone, but I believe you hit the nail on the head with all 3 counts. Flathead..most beautiful dressed up. SBC, most iconic hot rod motor. And Buick, gorgeous and as you stated, symmetrical. If I changed the engine in any of my hot rods, I would want to replace it with a decked out Nailhead, dressed out in Buick Riviera GS accoutrements .

 

Hey, if I was showing off my period drag build with this get up installed I doubt even "Master Sgt" Moriarity would delete it. They figured this out in the early days of the MK IV BBC. It became a staple of the mid-engine cars our fearless leader has been on about a time or 3 when BBC equipped. For the unhip, the "calliope" injectors matched the odd pairs of ports for length and equal flow.

 

BBC=More cush for the push.

 

There is an Olds Straight 8 with a three speed transmission for $500 in Strawberry point Iowa it on Dubuque Iowa Craigslist. I could deliver to you for a minimal fee
Dan

 

I have a friend with a 32 Chevy coupe and it's got a built 351 Windsor in it! He has so much fun pissing off the Chevy guys at car shows lol

 

I'm clearly partial to many things Packard. Any hopped up straight 8 won't be twirling more than about 4K and even that takes work. The Buick is obviously OHV and that could be an advantage, and there's battalion strength numbers of Buick loyalists. The 2 carb Fireball is pretty close power-wise to the big Packard 8s from 41-49. Just chin music...

 

For me, Hot Rodding is about building a light weight, fast car
the SBC fits the that to a tee

after all, the old time hot rodders didn’t spend a lot of money on their rods
and
How many of all of the other old US old motors can be made to rev to 8000 rpm without braking the bank?

I haven’t own a SBC in over 45 years
I have a flat head, a Yblock and one of Henry’s bangers

the banger is my favorite, anyone who has had one will understand why.

 

A friend raced a Buick straight 8 back in the day he said he ran 6000 rpm and sometimes more I know he removed the damper (sounds crazy) one cool engine!

 

How many of all of the other old US old motors can be made to rev to 8000 rpm without braking the bank

Breaking the bank and the crank go hand in hand here.

 

One man’s gold is another man’s fools gold.
I’ve been into inline 6s, air cooled VWs, I’ve even got a Jeep Tornado six in the shed for a someday Willys project. But my go to for easy cheap hp that are easy on the eyes are the Windsor Fords and 440 Mopars. If we had the heads back in the day we have now for the Fords I wouldn’t know about them Mopars.
I’ll take a 289 with four Webbers or big block Mopar with a Max wedge cross ram for me please.

 

As I pondered this question and read the replies so far, it got harder and hard to pick one "ultimate hot rod motor". Finally, I decided that the ultimate hot rod motor is not definable. At best it's a moving target tinted by the glasses of the viewer. But to best describe it, I'd say it's the engine you have access to, the money to modify and the know how to improve. For me it's the SBF.

 

The "Ultimate Hot Rod Motor" Has to be the SBC, but that doesn't mean I want one! After attending a Drag Week event, It's probably shifting to the LS-they're everywhere!. For ME, the ultimate Hot Rod is a Top Fuel dragster, so then the Ultimate is the 426 Hemi. Hopefully the "ultimate" won't ever truly be a "motor". I guess no one knows, as long as this thing keeps evolving.

 

@aussie57wag this is how it's done

 

SBC, hemi, nailhead, w motor, BBC, Cadillac, hell I love them all except fords!

 

And the Boss asks; How long is my piece of string? To answer that question, must we not know more information about exact time frame, application, and other factors that take us down the Rabbit hole? My go to answer used to be one of each, but, that seem to have evolved in to stacks of each. It reminds me of the time my late father walked up, looked in the back of my pickup, and said:" You seem to have an affliction for engines. That said ,Caddy is my earliest Mistress and I usually knock on her door..

 

Have been in love with the Ford Y block since I first saw the T’bird valve covers as a kid! Had to put one in my Coupe.

 

You can get good power out of a 289/302 there is a lot out there.they sound sweet with a nice cam and not a huge motor to put in a coupe.

 

Hear! Hear! I currently own 3 Nailheads and am trying to get this one finished up. I just love the way they look when dressed up and you don't see them often. This one is going into my 37 Packard, when I get around to it.

 

Nothing uglier than any kind of flat head.

 

Maybe not the ultimate but cool looking

 

By my figuring, the "best of all worlds" hot rod engine is the 1949-56 Olds V8. Not common like a small block Chevy, not as pricy as a Ford flathead, not to mention the fact that you won't be going through ten engine blocks before finding one that's useable as is. Even a 303 will make as much or more power than anything but an all out $$$$$ flathead without getting exotic, and even a stock '56 324 was rated at 240 horsepower. Another plus is that, in its day, it was very popular amongst hot rodders (Ak Miller loved 'em), and therefore there is still more used speed equipment floating around for them than any other early OHV V8. I easily see twenty times the speed gear out there for early Olds engines than for the '49-'62 Cadillacs.

 

NO you can’t be serious

 

The ultimate hot rod engine would be a flathead version of the SBC. SBC crank, bell housing, flywheel, oil system, water pump, pan, timing cover, cam, timing gears...Then make the top end a flathead. Great looks and cost effective with the looks of the Ford V8.