Art & Inspiration The Ultimate Hot Rod Motor

Buick Nailhead -53 thru 65 is my vote- Strong, Reliable, Fast, and Lovely to see.

 

Love the headers

 

And then there is THIS 6 banger

 

383 SBC roller motor....great running, WAY more hp than needed for a 1700 lb roadster, but there it is.

 

No argument with all the candidates offered above. But just can't bet over this.

 

Yeah, the car sounds bitchin'. If you were to look up "hot rod" in the dictionary, this car should be there as a description.

 

Caddy and BBC

 

That radiator hose sticks out like a sore nose.

 

As the owner of the B.B. Cabriolet, a car which held 3 different flatheads in its berth and ended up with a '57 283 Chevy, this discussion is dear to me. I sometimes wish she still had a flatty in her because you just don't put a Chevy in a Ford. But after time I realize that's wrong.
If it's 1961 and you want something that runs like a tricked out flathead, and you found a '57 vette engine at a yard for $225.00 it might make a lot of sense. So, if I stick with the period of time, yeah the '57 283 in a 32 Cab in '61 was a thing of beauty and a performance champ.
If I think today, SBC's are kinda ho hum to me. But not if they don't have side mounts......

All that being said, I dig Y-blocks and nailheads for the looks and sound. But any vintage engine with a blower is king.

 

If I was to go the inline 6 , it would have to be a slant six. Cuz I know a guy....

 

@Ryan

Hello,

Having owned the two style of motors discussed in the story, I have come to the conclusion many times. It is pure power driven by what is available for money at the time of making the decision. My Flathead 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery had once been powered by a 348 Chevy motor. That made me want the sedan delivery. What I got was a lower cost, but a Flathead motor in place. So, from possibly the fastest hot rod in Bixby Knolls, I was now in the lower echelons of the teenage sedans and cruiser cars in the area and high school.


But, look at the detailing on the Flathead motor vs the simple finned aluminum valve covers of the Chevy motors at the time. When we visited Reath Automotive for our hot rod parts/motor/advice fix, we saw a Flathead motor sitting in the shop. It was a famous, stroked Reath kit and bored to race specifics. Two carbs and it was ready to go for a price. They even said they would install it in my Flathead sedan delivery. As things go for a teenager, the cost far surpassed the available funds.

Jnaki

The detailing on the Flathead motor was very nice. We still debated whether the Flathead motor could equal the output of the 57 Chevy 283 that had modified accessories to make is one of the fastest cars in So Cal at the time. Dual quads, 4 speed, ported/polished heads, Duntov Cam, Hedman Headers, and a set of Traction Master bars underneath.

Despite what was told to us about the Flathead power and simple installation into the 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery, it just was not going to happen to a thread bare pocket and savings account for this teenager. So, thousands of road trip miles all over So Cal coastal surf spots and into Baja, Mexico road trips gave me some satisfaction of money well spent or not spent on a more powerful Flathead motor. YRMV

Note:
When we built the 283 SBC from bare bones to a 6 Stromberg carb motor for our initial power in the 1940 Willys Coupe, now, we were talking power in all gears. The smooth acceleration was there the instant the pedal was pushed down. A simple Isky Cam, lifters, ported/polished heads, Hedman Headers, and Jahns Pistons and rods. It ran well for the time it was in the B/Gas class competition. The multiple carbs were difficult to adjust and get right, but, it was a street legal set up and ran well during our Friday night adventures.

 

Not the ultimate but a looker. 302 Jimmy

 

I believe this to be the ultimate 47 Ford 6. A boat racing engine. My headers and billet side plate. I think it was built by Clay Smith. Way too many modifications for me to type.

 

4 carbs on a 2x4 intake. My progressive linkage. Headers. NOT a S B C kit.

 

Studebaker. Cast aluminum intake. Smoothed and coated exhaust manifolds. Unknown valley cover cut down to fit.

 

Absolutely not!.....

 

That's a beautiful motor....

 

I like all first gen OHV V8's, but I'm partial to Caddys because that's what I'm building currently.
The allure of a flathead has long come and gone.

 

It goes away?
Dan

 

Though not the ultimate, The Olds is pretty cool...

 

I'm with Jack, pretty cool is right.
when built and set up right they are very reliable, run cool, have plenty of torque and are easy on the eye.

 

...and since they were so popular in their time, there's still more old speed equipment floating around for them than any other early (pre-Chevy) OHV V8.

 

My hate for the LS has replaced my hate for the small block there just another old hot rod mill. The YBLOCK has to be the nastiest sounding best looking mill ever made and since I started messing with my 303 olds 20 years ago there pretty cool also.

 

I'm partial to the "Rockets", and it's easy to see why.....