I was reading El Cab's other OT post about his new Sub, he said He had an 82 Caddy with an aluminum V8? Then there was that buick in the 60's right? Details? What other cars are hiding aluminum V8's under the hood? Thanks,
In the early 60s, there were some Olds F-85s, forerunner of the Cutlass, that had an aluminum V-8. I've seen a number of them used in experimental aircraft. Shoe
ZL-1 Camaros and Corvettes had Aluminum 427 cid Big Blocks in them. Of course, good luck finding one... GMPP was reproducing them, I think.
The Buick/Rover 215 ci are plentiful over here and are used widely and are taken out to 5 litres and well over 300bhp.They are very light and dress up well, in fact me and my brother bought one complete with trans and ancillaries including cast iron headers and we picked it up and put it into the back of my van...try that witha smallblock!!
The Aluminum Caddy V8 are pre Norstar.Available in different sizes,I think the largest was 4.9 Liter,almost 300 cubes.They used cast iron heads,don't know if they came as RWD or not.Supposed to be smaller and lighter than a SBC.Used the same bellhousing pattern as the 60 degree V6.
World products makes them... GM perf prolly still can sell you one... Why do you need one? Add more horsepower an call it a day!
The early 60's Pontiac Tempest, Olds F-85, and I think the small Buick all came with that engine. You could even get it supercharged. I had 3 F-85's. 2 were 215's in coupes and the other was the supercharged 185 in a red convertable. Wish I still had that one. I think the aluminum 427 was the best engine Chevy ever built from the factory. Hell on head gaskets, but it would wind like a 327 and pull like a big block should. Best of both worlds.
I really like the little Buick/Rover aluminum V8s. They're tougher to find and more expensive here than they are overseas, though. Hey, didja know that a small block Ford 289/302/5.0 with aluminum heads, intake manifold, and water pump is only about 60-70 lbs heavier than a Buick/Rover aluminum block V8? Gotta love those thin wall castings!
Incidentally, how are aluminum V8s off-topic? V8s and old cars with optimized power-to-weight ratios are the cornerstones of hot rodding in my book!
And dont forget the Mopar aluminum slant six with Hyper pak and a 4 speed in a 64-65 dart.Guys were makin em go 13-0s---FEDER
It's only half a V8, but I've been giving a lot of thought to Mercruiser 3.7 four cylinders. They look pretty hard to adapt to a real flywheel and bellhousing, but at 180 hp stock they might be worth doing up right. Did Ford ever make an aluminum big block? Specifically a 429 or 460?
Dont think Ford ever made an alum block cresent motor but the aftermarket does. I saw a mercruiser with a Boss 429 head on it .It was for some kind of sprint car-- wild!! FEDER
arent all the new GM V8's all aluminum???...LS1 is ,right? LEXUS is, BMW too???? BUT maybe ive been living in a FANTASY land ,but what about a ALUMINUM FLATHEAD FORD????? yes,they made them,then the french guys retooled them,.i think halibrand(correct me if im wrong)is offering french replicas of them still
I think pretty much every recent V8 that you can find in a car (not trucks) is aluminum. Often overhead cams too. First one that comes to mind is the 4.0 32-valve DOHC in Olds Auroras. They're all laterally mounted, of course, but it can't be too hard to adapt a transmission to one, right? Auroras are really gorgeous cars too. A lot of them come nosed and decked from the factory for some reason... I couldn't even identify the first one I ever saw until I found a parked one and peeked through the windshield and saw the VIN plate.
Alfa Romeo Montreal, All aluminum V8, 4cam,Hemi Head, Mech Fuel Injection. Triumph Stag, Crappy engine, most survivers have Rovers in them now. And there was an English Drag racer ( I beleve his name was Russ Ward ) That used an english ( Daimler?? )Hemi V8 in his Rail.
[ QUOTE ] ,but what about a ALUMINUM FLATHEAD FORD????? yes,they made them,then the french guys retooled them,.i think halibrand(correct me if im wrong)is offering french replicas of them still [/ QUOTE ] actually i got my wires crossed, i was thinking of two different flat head stories and combined them alzimers kicking in... ford did make some all aluminum flat head v8s though for aircraft use i believe,one made it on to the cover of hot rod mag back in the 50's. the french flathead is a different story all together
How about "All aluminum", intake, water pump, vavle covers, and pan. The fine print on the block says "Keith Black" yummy.
For a small lightweight and easy to tune V8 you can't beat the Rover V8, which is why it's the prefered choice in great britain for all sorts of cars. You can find them in Rovers, Land Rovers, Morgens, MGB V8s, and TVRs to name a few production cars. They're so light that they're often lighter than the four cylinder engines you're chucking out. All the modern V8s from BMW, Mercedes, Jaguar etc are aluminium. Interesting note for all you guys on the far side of the atlantic: The big premium brands in Germany, BMW, Mercedes, Audi and Volkwagen are building aluminium V8 diesels with amazing power. Normally twin turbos. The BMW for instance, develops over 700 Newton meters of Torque. God knows how that translates into lbs/sq", but it feels good. Their advantage is that you can drive like a madman all day and only require half the fuel. Saves money and means you only have to tank up once a day.
At one time Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati made high performance aluminum V8s. Just go down to your local Ferrari/Maserati/Lambo junkyard and ask what they have for "deals" in nice used Aluminum V8s. I'm sure they'll hook you right up.
[ QUOTE ] At one time Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati made high performance aluminum V8s. Just go down to your local Ferrari/Maserati/Lambo junkyard and ask what they have for "deals" in nice used Aluminum V8s. I'm sure they'll hook you right up. [/ QUOTE ] If only that were true. A nice 3 liter V-12 Ferrari block and assorted parts--one that needs rebuilding--can cost around ten thousand dollars. A very pretty car with complete everything, like a 250 GTE, can be $50,000. The engine makes the car. I'd give anything to rebuild a 3 liter Ferrari engine. Except for the entance fee. The coolest part about those engines? They ran an easy 300 BHP (net) with three downdraft carbs, and weighed, complete, about 300 pounds. As an aside (and to give you actual helpful advice) you can get new blocks from Chevy, but they aren't cheap.
I've been offered a Masarati V8 from a '60s Masariti that was used in a Museum exhibit. The Museum needed the body only and the exhibit builder has offered me the engine and trans. We've got to come to an acceptable price, but he's talking in the sub $1000 range.
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