Inliners International Forums General Discussion Hi Performance Hopping up a 1928 Chevy 4 banger

Hi all,
I have a 1928 Chevy Truck whose engine I want to soup up. I want to keep the modifications 'of the era'. According to the 75 Years of Chevrolet book (page 5), the old dirt track racers hopped up these engines with Olds 3-port heads, Nash rocker arms, hot magnetos, Jewett high-volume oil pumps and Durant connecting rods. I have the Olds head, Winfield intake manifold and carb, and a two-point Mallory distributor. What year Durant rods and Nash rocker arms will fit in this engine? Where can I get the Jewett oil pump? What should I do (if anything) to the bottom end to handle higher speeds and stresses? Any help/advice is appreciated.

Dean Meltz

In one of the Peterson books,they had a story called The Forgotten Four Banger if I remember correctly.I beleive they put the block in a hole in the ground that was full of charcoal.They heated the block for several days,then welded in mass amounts of metal to beef up the main bearing webs.I just found the story listed above.It is in the 1973 Peterson book titled,The Complete Chevrolet Book.The car held a speed record for about 7 or 8 years of 140 MPH in it's class.I don't have time to read the story again right now.The part about pre heating the block might not be in this story,but I did read about doing this sometime in the last 35 years.I did meet Duane Steele back in the late 1960s or early 1970s.He was nice anough to take me in the back of his shop and show Me alot of 4 and 6 cylinder speed parts He had.I have always liked the Chevy inlines,both early and late.Goodluck,
EvilDr235

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Two types of people drive old cars.Rich people because they want to and poor people because they have to.
Remember EvilDr235 has a cure for Your sixness.

Thanks for the pointer. I'll have to find that article. Is Duane Steele still around? If so, do you think he'd sell some of those 'extra parts'?

Cheers, Dean

In the story is does say that the 1925 and older engines are a better one to hotrod because of the distributor location.I met Duane Steele the first time over 30 years ago,so I am sure the goodies are long gone.The last time I saw him was about 15 years ago at a swap meet in Portland,Oregon.He was getting up in years.I am not involved in old cars as much as I use to be,but he may still be around.I think has a company that deals in rubber parts for old cars.
EvilDr235

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Two types of people drive old cars.Rich people because they want to and poor people because they have to.
Remember EvilDr235 has a cure for Your sixness.

ok,...time to revive this old thread!!

Anyone ever find that article "the forgotten four banger"?? I'd like to know myself so i can get a copy of it.

Also, is it a fact that the 1925 blocks really IS a better block, or is it just rumor? thanks guys,..take it away!!!

You should contact Northwest Vintage Speedsters. There are a number of cars in the club that run that engine (I think)
http://www.nwvs.org/

Good Luck
Leif

thank you,...much appreciated!!! I'm still looking for a good chevy 4 banger to play with somewhere near me here in PA! Either a 1925 chevy block and a '28 head, or a complete running '28 engine.....

1920s 4 cylinder chev engine sitting on Victoria road , township of Ameliasburgh , Pr Ed County Ontario. It belongs to Mrs E Young. She is now in a home for the aged. Bob Bosma would be who could get it for you. He is a into vintage toys and hit miss engines. Has an ebay presence but i dont know his ID. He knows her best. He can be found by searching his name on "Canada 411" phone listing. under Ontario Listings. It might be under Belleville. Motor does not run I am sure but it is there with the head and rockers and part of the car as well.
Don

Don-
thanks,..I came across a '25 engine,..thanks for the help everyone!

I also met Duane back in 1973 when a friend and I were visiting from Australia. He was a real gentleman and we stayed with him and his family for a week. Unfortunately Duane passed away (he was in plane and had a heart attack I believe)back in 1991.

Gerber built everything for that motor including a block with extra mains and heads. I had one those motors till about a year ago when I sold it at the Turlock swam meet. They do pop up at swap meets. His rods were tubular and probably copied from an aircraft engine at that era. The motors were designed to compete with HAL and other motors at the time. Bob Roof’s car had one of these motors and with Bob Carey at the wheel won the AAA national championship in 1928.

Also much rarer, is the head that Lee Chapel of Lee’s Speed shop fame built. He set a record at 111.11 at Muroc Dry Lake in 1930. Like the Model T motor there is a lot of speed parts that were developed for that motor from the simple to the wild.

$UM FUN
Would the Gerber that you mention be John Gerber from Davenport, IA?

I believe it’s the same John Gerber. One easy way to tell his block is it says Gerber on the side in about one inch letters. Dick McKee in Pennsylvania owns parts of the engine from Bob Roof’s car and last I heard they were for sale. He had the ultra rare water pump/magneto drive. A picture of this car and the drive is in the Pop Dryer book as this was one of his first cars that he built.