Hot Rods So, what do you think is the coolest hot rod engine ever?

Studebaker V8. Different & visually pleasing.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/studebaker-289-pics-wanted.394915/
Post #11........

 

Chrysler Fire power or Desoto Fire Dome with a 6x2 manifold would be my vote!

 

While I'm a Ford guy so my tastes run to FEs, I always thought a blown 394 Olds had the perfect lo-key 'Don't !#$@ with Me' look.

 

Early hemi followed by any flattie with vintage speed equipment!

 

NAILHEADS, 49-64 Olds, 55 on up Pontiac V8s, 49 -76 Caddys, 265,283 ,327,348,409,396,427 Chevys. I am a GM guy, can you tell?

 

jimmy 6 with crossflow head fentons tripower ect.

 

A '36 Ford pu has roughly the same engine compartment of a '39/'40 car. I bet you've seen the one in this pic at Dewey. It might have been at MoKan, too. A nailhead would fit the narrow confines of your pu pretty well. I don't remember the owner of this car or have the photographer's name. I would give props to them if I knew.

 

A 389 or 421 Tri-Power Pontiac engine would be my choice.

They look pretty darn good with the factory chrome dress-up pieces on them, '64 421 HO pictured in the foreground.

Definitely one of the unsung heroes of the hot rod world, once you own one you'll understand why they're such a great engine.

Four 1959 389s (engine in the background) powered Mickey's Challenger to 406 MPH back in '59.

 

I am kinda partial to the early nail heads, 54 Roadmaster 322.

 

I think it must be the firing order, but nothing gives me a motor boner quite like an FE with a decent cam in it.

 

That's sexy.

 

Early OHV Caddy, Olds, Nailhead Buick, an Ardun, of course but those are kinda unobtanium.

I think if I had the $$ I'd go Cadillac in the 40, like Moriarty. I had a brief fascination with flatheads but I'm kinda over it now.

 

Dayum' !! Nice choices so far ..... ditto on all of the above. I like the late 40's to 50's lakes racers ..... so many are a tad too heavy for my choices ... if I can get a oval track Offy' with a four speed electric overdrive ... I would be in heaven. Most are in museums, and way above my pay grade though.

Having said that .... something lighter and cheaper comes to mind .... aluminum Buick V8 215 into the later Rover derivatives would be fun ..... although can be very pricey, and then again ... not so.

To really get murky .... something about the Jaguar six from the late 40's to late 50's would be fun. I dunno' how that rings well with others, probably won't ..... but the pictures are too cool to look at.






...self explanatory formerly mentioned engine ... Fred and his Offy engines.


Buick 215 ^^ .... its British cousin has increased displacement and parts interchange ($$) ...



Jag' 6 in an XK6 vintage race car. Squint a little and it says Offy to me ..... carbs' are on the wrong side .... yeah, yeah .... not so cheap, and the electrics (?) well they wouldn't be over the pond variety for this guy. The Saloon four door sedans share drivetrains .... found a running '60 this winter in Fort Worth for 2600 bucks/didn't buy it ....Jag' 6/4speed/electric overdrive/four doors/rat's nest ....would be fun in a channeled Phaeton track nose.

In any event ..... blah blah blah .... right ?

 

One of these lumps in any old Ford would work for me.

 

The one in whatever car I have right now.

Ben

 

Damn, I have a extreme illness as well. I like every engine posted! After looking at all these pictures, I wont sleep for weeks. Thanks alot! LOL

 

I feel your pain Mikey. I had a plan, but that went out the window. I am now leaning towards Buick Nailhead, but depending on what I have for lunch, that could change.

 

love the bangers...cant afford an overhead conversion, none of them! At roughly $250.00 you can buy 20 SBCs for the cost of just the conversion kit. In fact, you can buy probably 95% of the engines listed on this vine AND all the dress up goodies to make them purty for less than just a banger overhead conversion. Prices on these things are WAY beyond my pocketbook.

 

I am real partial to the one that's in my Car right now-

 

This one:



Gawd I suppose it depends on what day it is and where my mind is currently wandering. My problem is that while I am considered to be a died in the wool SBC guy I like and either do tune or have tuned a lot of different motors. Today my mind is wandering toward a well dressed Y block Lincoln, good sound good torque, but floating in the background is a well dressed V8-60 Marine motor (proper rotation half of a twin screw) that I once owned. Tomorrow I may wonder about the 331 Caddy in my old '46 Coupe and next week I may want to play with a blown Study.

 

hands down sbc 327....... for me !

 

Y block, FE or SBF.

 

A 4 cylinder Lycoming if it is going in a rear engine rod. One would look pretty funny up front I would think.



Like @31Vicky with a hemi I would really like to have a Coyote to play with, not traditional but doesn't mean that I don't want one.

For some reason perhaps because of availability these guys get over looked a lot. This one would be pretty rare it is the 413" version of the of the 426 Max wedge.



But they also came this way:





And the smaller version was a tall deck 383 also a good motor, perhaps not considered cool by most but screw most that is what I say.

 

Early nailhead...angry sounding and tons of torque.

 

Ya know I have to agree with this statement. ^^^ There is nothing in the world that sounds more like a hot rod to me that a baby nail growling though a pair of Smithys.

Nice looking motors Wex.

 

Any suggestion what to put in my 48 Pontiac?

 

Pancho in a pancho, says I.

 

Wow, great attention to detail. This is why I lean towards the Nailheads. They look so sexy dressed up.

 

What do ya like and what will your budget support? I like big Ponchos too, 389, 400, 421.

If you could find and afford one if these backed by a Super T10 or an M22 that would be tits.


Of course I would probably just throw whatever my budget would handle and call it good.