who made it first ?

ok, who made the very first production american overhead valve v-8 engine ?
was it cadillac ?
i know it was 1955 for pontiac and chevy, not sure about olds, mopar and ford.
i seem to recall cadillac engines older than 55 that had overhead valves.
you can discount the flathead o.h.v. conversions, because that wasn't factory production as far as i know.
thanks.

 

how's this?...

Driving David D'.s Original Design.

By: Katz, John F.. AutoWeek, 7/3/2006, Vol. 56 Issue 27, p37-37
<!-- querybold:begin --> The article presents information on Buick automobile which was designed by David Dunbar Buick, inventor of the porcelain bathtub in the U.S. Buick started making stationary and marine engines in 1899. The first overhead-valve engine was developed by Buick's associates Walter Marr and Eugene Richard in 1903. The first Buick automobile was sold in 1904. One of the Buick Model F made in 1909 was bought by collector Joe Conroy from Massachusetts. He restored and maintained the car. He fitted the car with an electric starter, which wasn't there in the original car. The car has two levers on the right side of the steering wheel, which act as the throttle and spark. Reading Level (Lexile): 1140;

 

cool thanks !!
i totally forgot about buick !

 

Chevrolet had an OHV V8 in 1917.

 

big number production was cadillac in 1949 or i could be wrong.

 

Was the First Buick a V8? I didn't think so. I had heard about the '17 Chevy. Cad and Olds caqme out with OHV V8s in '49. Stude and Chrysler in '51. Lincoln in '52. Packard in '55. Amc, who had bought Packard motors in '55, came out with their own in '56. First Buick I think was '53.

 

Ford's first OHV V-8 was 1954----Don

 

Childe Harold Wills left Ford and designed the Wills St. Claire with a Overhead cam V8 in 1919.

 

wasn't that first Chevrolet V8 an air cooled V8?

 

No. You're thinking of the ill fated air cooled 4 cylinder in 1923.

 

Ford made and sold lots of 1943 DOHC 4 valve V8 engines. Came from the factory with 2 Stromberg two barrel carbs and two four cylinder Bosh mags. Bruce Lancaster says they were installed in off highway vechicals

 

What about the tank engine? Where is that mustang post when you need it...

 

See above

 

Buick, Olds and Cadillac had OHV v8's prior to 1950, but they were far from the first.

FRank

 

I have seen Buick OHV 4s and sixs and inline eights. I have not seen a Buick V8 before 1953. Dosn't mean they weren't there. Just means i never saw one. When, prior to '53, did Buick make a V8?

 

wasn't this the L head? Does the L head count? It is only one valve over the piston and one in the block? If I remember correctly

 

Richfox, your right about the Buick. they didn't make one before '53. Another senior moment took posession of my typing fingers.

Frank

 

To my knowledge there were alot of companies comin out with ohv motors but the first major production ohv v8 was the 1949 331 cadillac.

 

You've described an F head, but Ford never made one. Hudson and Willys made F-heads. The '54 Ford was their first true OHV engine.