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Back about 1962 or 1963 I bought a Popular Mechanics (I think...) magazine and it had a story in it about an experimental engine.
The car or the engine was also on the cover as I recall.
The engine used was a flathead six, the experiment was to do with using extreme cylinder swirl in conjuction with fuel injection to allow the engine to run on a wide range of fuels.
Does anyone have any details on this? The article from the magazine, perhaps? Or even another article from elsewhere?
Even if you remember it and don't have details, please post.
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One or two more things...
The engine was in a mid-fifties Dodge or Plymouth, as I recall.
And this thread is not about the immediate post-war experiments by Chrysler that used the hemi combustion chamber on the flatheads.
This was a totally independent experiment, done, as I recall, totally outside of Chrysler's realm.
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What a memory, Ray! I can't remember what I ate for breakfast this morning! However, you guys are really giving me the bug to build an old MOPAR flathead! I'd love to have one with an S-10 5-speed that I've stored under my work bench! Now, if my buddy will sell me his '49 Dodge pickup...............cheap!!
Lord, let me live long enough to do all the projects I have planned!
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Unfortunately the only thing I remember about it is that girl (MiMi?) in the cut off cover alls. Made quite an impression on my tender young mind.
I can rememember a number of "one-off" Head set ups over the years..I've been thinking that you could do something useing older porsche 911 heads. They are individual so spaceing isn't an issue and there where lots of variations with different bores you could mill off the fins and then you would just need to form a wall around the top of the block to keep the water in. This idea is probably a sign I need to have my medication checked.
Leif
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Especially as you try to juggle head stud spacings...
I'm really only interested in this one project as far as this thread goes. It always fascinated me and now that I'm getting more into research I'm keen to get more detail on it.
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That's sweet, as the kids say these days, Bondo! I always wanted something like that...thanx!
Lord, let me live long enough to do all the projects I have planned!
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Hmmm... didn't get anywhere with that... maybe it wasn't Popular Mechanics... either that or the cover looks nothing like I remember.
Whatever mag it was, it's the only issue I ever bought.
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Ray,
There's always more in the index, inside the front cover....they never could put every subject on the front page. Wouldn't it be nice if they had a program where you could search for subjects from the beginning? I love those old magazines...not so much in the last few years, though.
Lord, let me live long enough to do all the projects I have planned!
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Hi Ray I've been thinking about this; you might try one of the library's associated with an auto museum. Here are 2 that I know about... I'm sure there are more. http://www.blackhawkmuseum.org/library.html http://www.automuseum.org/NAM_research_library2.shtml Also it seems to me that back in the days before computers, the reference desk at the public library had an index to perodicals that listed articles by subject for all magazines by year. If you have an older library around, you might giveit a shot. (An older librarian might help too) That article is out there some where waiting for you, it just might not be as good as you remimber it. Leif
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From Allpar page talking about testing the hemi head on a Chrysler 6. A double overhead camshaft arrangement driven by a dual chain had to be made to accommodate the Hemi shaped combustion chamber. Once that was done, and suitable modifications made to the Chrysler 6 cylinder engine, it was installed in a Chrysler car. The test vehicle went to Wallace Zierer, who was in charge of getting results in actual road test conditions.
Mr. Zierer reported significant power increases. The engine ran easily on the 80 octane fuel that was standard for the time. Roughness, which was the current theory about hemispherical heads, just did not exist under any condition. The Hemi head 6 cylinder engine actually being smoother than the flathead 6 cylinder, with a nearly undetectable level of noise and vibration at idle speeds.
I would sure like to know what those 'suitable modifications' were.
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I hasten to add here, this is definitely NOT the conversion I'm talking about...
Suitable mods, I would think, would be to the oil system to feed the rockers and to the camshaft followers, the removal of the ports so that the pushrods could go up from the followers to the head, that sort of thing.
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If you could do the same searches in Popular Science, their sister magazine. P.S. had a large selection of automotive stories as well.
You Learn More Listening than Talking
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Did see a four cylinder 1932 PB series Plymouth block running a Ford Y-Block head complete with an early aluminum ..Thunderbird Valve cover running at Bonnieville few years back. Think there was an article in an early Inliners Bulletin about it. Builder said he had to fill two bolt holes in the PB block and redrill them and the head bolted right on then. I have laid the two head gaskets on each other and it is right on the money. Thimking about doing one on my 1930 Plymouth four cylinder.
Home of the "Texas Beast" Cummins Turbo Diesel powered 1949 Chevrolet One Ton Pick-up and numerous other trucks, cars & mosikles. Inliners # 1564
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What a great plan!
But what an ugly head!
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Ray,
It was a really neat little engine, he had holed a piston and was waiting on replacements from Arias I think, but as I recall he had turned in the 150 MPH range it was in an Ford "A" roadster? The PB engine is much stronger than the early Q or U series engines and he had made bearings out of two Chevy main bearings, Lots of unbelieveable things are seen at Bonnieville. If you have never been there you have missed a lifetime thrill if you are a gearhead.
Leroy
Home of the "Texas Beast" Cummins Turbo Diesel powered 1949 Chevrolet One Ton Pick-up and numerous other trucks, cars & mosikles. Inliners # 1564
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Yeah, I'm just sorry it's so far from home...
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On the experimental multi fuel engine. I remember at least 2 such articles. One was from the early 50s and was about an experimental engine made by one of the major oil companies, Shell I think it was. They were working on ways to improve fuels and get more out of the fuel.
The other article came about 10 years later, probably 1962 or 63. It featured a similar experimental engine being tested by the US Army. They wanted an engine that could run on various fuels because in military situations it would greatly simplify problems of supply, if all their engines could run on the same fuel, or if their engines could run on whatever fuel was available.
Don't remember if it was Popular Mechanics or Popular Science but it was written up in one of them.
I'm pulling for you. We're all in this together.
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It was fitted to an early or mid-fifties car as depicted in the pics on the cover and in the story.
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