What is a cool vintage engine to use??

I'm starting to build a rod that I hope will be like no other. (I know, everyone says that) It will have an aluminum body with a mid engine design with the driver in front of the engine built along the V-16 AutoUnion Grand Prix car format and layout. I used to own the car in the top photo and as a rodder I always wanted to make a rod out of it but it was too rare for that. So now that it is long gone I want to buils something along the lines of the car below it only with bare aluminum body, exposed rivets, a lot of nickel and polished stainless, etc.

I'd like to use a cool and unusual engine but of course I can't afford a Vintage 30's Grand Prix engine. Can anyone make any suggestions of what kind of engine I might be able to find that I could use that would actually run decent and not pose too much of a problem finding parts? I doubt that I'll be breaking any speed records. Probably just reliable cruising with a nice sound would be great. I'd like to have more than four exhaust pipes coming out of each side of the car too.

Lincoln flathead V-12's, a Jag v-12, on old straight 8 with all pipes coming out one side, etc. are some of the engines I've considered. Anyone here have any better suggestions??

 

Find an outlawed turbine from an old indy car.Sounds like you want to build a kind of a sporty road racey thing like one of the old english club cars or the like. I'd look for something light that has revving capability that pretty much does away with the lincoln flatty or a straight eight. Maybe an aluminum buick/olds?Just a thought.

 

I see that and I think "Jag V12"...don't know if it's in the cards for you or not, but that's what came to mind when I read this post and looked at the pics...

 

Not sure what this is, but it's from the U.K. so I'm guesssing it's a Jag. This would give you plenty of pipes to stick out the sides.

 

A first-gen Cosworth sounds cool, and they aren't terribly hard to find, but probably too much $$. After that, maybe a Pontiac OHC six, Tempest style...or maybe as Pork mentioned a Rover/Olds/Pontiac aluminum V8...lots of power & liiiightweight.

 

What about one of the baby jap Hemis? Can look the part, aluminium block.......

Man Rootie, that would be a bitch to tune all them carbs!

 

No doubt... enough to pull your hair out!

 

The OHC 6cyl is a neat engine, but I'm looking for something with a little more "wow" to it than a 6 banger. I can find a Jag 12 pretty cheap, but I was hoping to use something that most people might not readily indentify making it a little more interesting. That's why the post asking here. If there is such an engine that would work perfectly, these guys on HAMB will know about it!

 

Make a V-16 out of two SBC's. Cadillac had a show car back in the sixties (I think) that was a V-16 made of two 283 SBC's bolted together. More recently, Chrysler had a running show car with a straight 8 that was two Neon fous welded together. Maybe cobble up something from two BOP/Rover aluminum V-8's. GMC had a V-12 truck engine that was two V-6's on a common crank/pan; it was a torque monster but thirsty. OTW, I know, but ...

 

A Jag V12 is a cool engine, but with roughly 50% more moving parts than any other production engine, they can be a real pain to work on... You have been warned!

Have a look under the hoods of some of the European stuff, BMW, Merc etc. The limos sometimes ran V12 and W12 engines, and you should be able to 'vintage' them with some creative use of older parts.

Looks like a great project, I've always thought a 30's chassis (Chev perhaps) with a handmade alloy and wood boat tail roadster body and a straight 8 under a loooooong hood with outside pipes would make a great 'vintage' rod.

Cheers, Glen. .

 

...

http://www.oldrhinebeck.org/collection/engines/Fairchild Ranger V-770.htm

 

Mmmmm. Merlin

 

If you're going to the trouble to custom fab this, and plan to do it with aluminum like the Auto Union, you really want to focus on space efficiency and power to weight. In a car that probably won't weigh more than 1500 lbs you could go with a sexy 4 cyl like a Coventry Climax, or an old Formula Ford/Formula Continental 1600 or 2 liter. Plenty of them around. A Cosworth would be the ideal, but spendy. If you're dead set on a big power, a Buick/Olds 215 or 300 would be an option, but they aren't really that light. And if you really want to be different, maybe a rotary. Stu

 

What about an Alfa Romeo 2600 6 cyl?


or even a Alfa 4

Seeing this engine makes me want to rebuild my Alfetta GT

 

Allison,or similar WW II monster motor.

Check Blastolene.com for ideas.

 

A pair of later inline 6 cyl would be cheap and "easy".

One Chevy,and one Ford,mounted side by side.
That way,your carbs are in the middle,and the exhausts
are on each side.

Coupling them together,and mating to a transaxle,might be interesting.

 

The V8 engine from a 1950s-60s British Daimler SP250. Small, compact, powerful & looks cool too!

 

I like the Jag v-12 idea, but I don't think anyone could outdo this local guy's V-12 CORVAIR!!! The guy that built this used to come by the shop I worked in. I really admire him.

http://www.corvaircorsa.com/V-12-01.html

He also has a mid-engined V8 60 powered special that has the Auto union type layout. I know that guys are building LS-1 powered sand rails with VW based transaxles, so as long as someone will make an adapter, the sky is the limit.

 

Why not go crazy and use a radial?

gary

 

Ferrari anything in a Vee configuration or a Cadillac flathead 150HP.
Probably the a hotted model A style 4 banger would also be respectable with the right tranny. Trannys are more important than most folks think.

 

allison v-12
or, how about going a TOTALLY different route, and getting an old detroit diesel 8v-92 ?
some are supercharged, AND single or twin turbocharged (meaning they have a turbo that blows into a roots style blower)...AND they are 2 stroke v-8's.
sure, the engine and trans would be huge but these things make gobs of torque...and they sound cool through straight pipes. plus, they rev pretty high for being a diesel. alot of firetrucks, older greyhound busses, have them with automatic transmissions (allisons i think). or there is the small cousin, the 6v-92, which is a v-6 , but they don't sound or look as cool as the 8v-92's. and then there's the 16v92, which is a HUGE 16 cylinder 2 stroker.

 

How about something with a blower?

 

Not vintage but more within reason than some would be either the Ford or Dodge V10 pickup truck motors. Also Segrave used V12 engines in thier fire trucks for years and years. Jag would be cheapest. Other euro exotic V12 are around, No way to beat a Cad 16 for a cool engine. Bring lots of coin.

 

I think the straight 8 would be neat and would definitely have a truely different sound. Maybe supercharged??

Sound something like this.
If I remember correctly the guy is a member on here.
He revs it a little in about the last 20 seconds and there is another video of it on the street.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opJilgQDZyo&feature=related

 

You know this thread gets reborn quite often so you might wabt to just read the old threads and see what was already up. It's all there.
But if you really want to be cool then you will need an upside down Ranger airlane engine or a Miller V12. Or one of those huge Ford Hemi SOHC tank engines.

 

Space and weight are a consideration for me. If I was building a 20's era GP type car I'd just go with the biggest damn engine I could get my hands on, which was the formula for the day. But by the 30's aerodynamics and PTW ratios started to be a strong consideration which is what helped shaped these beautiful designs of the late 30's. So the really big dogs will have to stay on the porch.

I once saw someone mate two alfa 4cyl's together to make a 8V replica engine and that was pretty cool. The two chevy v-8's together has been done but again I worry about weight. My body/chasis design allows for some good length and moderate width so I'm not too confined there. Hopefuly in a few days I'll post a pic of my body so far.

 

A 49 Cadillac and make up some pure bullshit story about some mythical hotrodder that built it in the early 50s in his garage.

 

How about an early hemi adapted to a th4500 cad trans axle and rear mounted?

 

A Lycoming from a Cord or Auburn. Supercharged of course

 

Well how about some engines that you guys might have stuffed under your work benches??