Maybe, but for decades they ran SBCs. As far as 'period correct' and a Henry J, well I think the 60s to early 70 was their heyday wasn't it? That said an AMC would be kinda kick*** if the dollars make sense. Howzabout a "Kelvinator" g***er...might be kool. Like I said it could be as a bit of a goof. I recall some seriously fast Rebel Machines and S/C Ramblers, not to mention the Javelin/AMX cars. There was a 10sec full size Javelin or 2 here in Motown in days past. Not really out of the question. Still hard to top the SBC for every reason you can muster.
Same deal with the 455 Buick. Bone stock these two engines have more gut wrenching torque than a sbc could ever dream of. .
"traditional" correct motor for that era would have probably been a 301sbc ,chrysler hemi, or an olds $$$ spent and fun to be had.... pretty hard to go wrong with a chev..
Love 'em, but I'll reserve that idea for that barn find 69 Dart GTS that I'm going to discover one day. I've had a lot of good ideas come up that I hadn't thought about. I appreciate it. I'm surprised no one suggested a ****el (They did come out in the fifties).
The SBC is a great motor, bang for buck ratio is awesome. But its prolly not the coolest, most original way to go. Try a 331 / 354 or 392 Hemi. Just my opinion.
215 buick or olds there all-alluminum so they arent have, a lot of people dont even know about then, and they were made in the early sixties
I was trying to salvage a 215 once for a motorcycle project but my buddy beat me to it. Olds made a turbo version that was water and methyl (I think) injected to cool it as it had like 10 1/2 to 1 comp.
I know, I know. I can even get parts at 7-11. They are so practicle they are hard to resist. I have a 350 ZZ3 and a 350 ZZ4 in my motorcycles. 502/502 in another.
Definately a 302 GMC 6 cyl, powerglide will bolt up ,tucked a little bit under the dash, beautiful sound . If you want different there is always the 1100 or 1200 cc motorcycle engines.
A built Rotary... OMG!!!!!!! But if I was gonna go with an import mill It'd be a monster RB series Nissan 6cyl or a JZ series Yota 6cyl.... I can hear m***ive turbos screamin' right now........ Of course that would probably change the direction of your Henry though... It'd make a bad *** corner carver!
I agree...'specially about the 301 chevy...I've been collecting all the parts to ***emble a 301, 4 speed and now all I need is a donor body...somethin light like a Henry J!
In 1955, the small block chevy or mouse motor dethroned the flathead right off the showroom floor and became the #! engine for rodders. The flatheads, Nailheads, Rockets etc.....etc... are fine traditional engines but the mouse motor is not only traditional, its design is not outdated and is still in production, 55 years strong You can't say the same for those other traditional engines.
During the 60s, in addition to a few flatheads, I ran 2 Olds, a Buick and a Plymouth 6 in various cars. I cannot once remember going up to some guy in his car and saying "OH a flathead. Geez, Those have been done to death. I'm tired of looking at them" You started out pointing out all the valid and real good reason to use an engine that with a little investment in time and money will rip your lips off from a stop light. And then start trying to support reasons to doubt your good sense. What JCMARZ said. Go with good performance, little up keep, reasonable cost, and fun to drive. Your car is already unique enough.
understandable, but the SBF is the ugliest motor ever made as far as I'm concered. If you want to get it on the road, and drive it quick go SBC, if you want to to have a bad *** mill , and you don't care how long it takes go Nailhead,Hemi, Y-block, etc. my 2 c
Sorry in my post I said I ran those engines in the 60s. Not so it was the 50s, by the 60s I got smart and aside from one 421 Pont. I ran only sbcs. Did 'em to death.
everybody got or had a sbc, way too many like the population of china and they all look the same and are all good and i wouldnt want to go to war with them either, but if you can go with something different and save some rare iron from irreversible death so we can have them around as long as possible. myself i like the high deck desoto hemi, scary fast with little work esp in a light hot rod, wudnt be afraid of the smaller desotos either now that i know what kind of power they will make and they rev like a blown sbc. so please, think outside the smallblockchev. possibly the best demolition derby engine tho and is what i recommend the best to "brick test"
I love the look of old hemis but I'm intrigued by one of our members saying an Olds 455 with an aluminum intake weighs in about the same as a small block. I live on a nasty dirt road that could double as a 4 X 4 course in the winter and decided a sky high g***er style car would be a good option. I don't want a lot of weight way up in the air. Now, where did all the old junkers go? Even junk yards don't have junk anymore!
what do you want from the Hj? high or lo buck? performance? what motors have you used in the past?.......
Small block chevy is the best bang for your buck ,Olds ,caddy ,pontiac are just more money to rebuild .Id go with s smallblock chevy .Fords are lighter ,302 's are ok But all the raceguys put chevy's in there mustangs.Thats the only way they got faster ET'S
I got a 394 Olds here. It weighs about 700 lbs if I recall. But it would fit. Look for a '62 to '64 Rocket. We put a 427 Chevy in a J when I was in highschool. They are a little long in the snout but the SBC motor mounts and the big block land in the same place so going to a small block at any point would be pretty easy. The car was a pig with the big block but it would stand up and cut a straight line. So even though it would have never won a Can/Am event it did what it was intended for going very fast for a very short distance. The reason I know that a big olds will fit BTW is that I drove a 9 second Allstate for a couple of p***es once; it was running a 394. The Allstate was just a poor mans J.
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