This topic is way to broad- it shoulod be narrowed down to like the best GM small block, or perhaps the best Ford engine. As for the GM small block- the Olds 350 without any question (and excluding the overpriced LS engines). GM big block is a toss up between the Buick 455 and the Caddy 500- both make crazy power way too easily. My favorite Ford engine is my Edsel 475 which is actually an FE engine of which very few were produced. The best Ford was the Boss 351 IMO. And well...I'lll never build a Mopar...but if I did...318- cause no one else would.
I had a 1969 Skylark with a true BUICK 350 V8 - besides having tons of torque on tap & an external oil pump (loved that :thumbup: !!!) that thing ran like a striped *** ape !
xntrik I found this regarding the Edsel 475 you were asking about. I kinda question the validity of it seeing as how the person that wrote the page compares its torque out put to the V-12 turbo diesel found in the new Dodge Ram pickups. I didnt know Dodge put a V-12 of any kind in their pickups. At any rate, scroll down toward to the bottom of the page under "What size is the motor in my Edsel?"
xntrik I found this regarding the Edsel 475 you were asking about. I kinda question the validity of it seeing as how the person that wrote the page compares its torque out put to the V-12 turbo diesel found in the new Dodge Ram pickups. I didnt know Dodge put a V-12 of any kind in their pickups. At any rate, scroll down toward to the bottom of the page under "What size is the motor in my Edsel?"
That is the 410 cube MEL series engine (not an FE) that came in 383, 410, 430, and 462 cubes later. The 430 and 462 were used in the suicide door Lincolns. They were torque monsters, and in those days there was hop up stuff for them, and they did fairly well when not in a land yacht.
That is the 410 cube MEL series engine (not an FE) that came in 383, 410, 430, and 462 cubes later. The 430 and 462 were used in the suicide door Lincolns. They were torque monsters, and in those days there was hop up stuff for them, and they did fairly well when not in a land yacht.
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additional FYI in case anybody cares.....
the 58 Mercury had a 383 MEL Turnpike Cruiser that had a 500 cfm Motorcraft 2 bbl. that I specifically remember because we took a new 64 Fairlane 260 and put that carb on it and it dropped 1 full sec in the quarter. The 500 cfm was so big we had to have a machine shop mill out the throttle bores to install the carb. It bolted right on and looked just like the stock carb on the 64 and I swapped ID tag to the new carb... and tech inspection never caught it. The only car that ever beat us was a silver blue 62 Impala 2 dr ht with 283 four speed. Oswego Raceway, Aurora IL, 1964
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additional FYI in case anybody cares.....
the 58 Mercury had a 383 MEL Turnpike Cruiser that had a 500 cfm Motorcraft 2 bbl. that I specifically remember because we took a new 64 Fairlane 260 and put that carb on it and it dropped 1 full sec in the quarter. The 500 cfm was so big we had to have a machine shop mill out the throttle bores to install the carb. It bolted right on and looked just like the stock carb on the 64 and I swapped ID tag to the new carb... and tech inspection never caught it. The only car that ever beat us was a silver blue 62 Impala 2 dr ht
with 283 four speed. Oswego Raceway, Aurora IL, 1964
this series ford engine had combustion chambers in the cylenders, a flat head same as 348 409 gm.the top of the block was on a angle to the bore a perfect wedge, like the 348s it was costly to build and to rebuild required some spesial tooling to bore the cyls.
this series ford engine had combustion chambers in the cylenders, a flat head same as 348 409 gm.the top of the block was on a angle to the bore a perfect wedge, like the 348s it was costly to build and to rebuild required some spesial tooling to bore the cyls.
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Thanks Cliff. I am not sure I ever saw one apart.
Here's more:
ap72 said:
Well, I can't really tell you more than you'll find on the internet, but its an Edsel and I ended up with it through dumb luck. It was originally going to be used for an old Ford project truck, but it never happened and after sitting for a decade it was given to me. I'll eventually freshen it up a bit with new rings, valve guides, and bearings, not to mention a port ad polish job, but what I'm really interested to know is which parts can be swapped over from other Ford bigblocks. I'd like to make a decent hotrod engine out of it- maybe like 600 horse NA.
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ap72 = Thank you for the information.
MEL 410s are very very very rare. It is a totally different engine design. Nothing fits. Sell it to some Edsel guys or keep it as a curiosity, don't junk it.
Speed parts were made around 59-64 but finding something will be next to impossible. These were not popular then. They never were more than torque monsters, especially the Lincoln 462, with limited rpm capability due to the internal weight. Kanter or somebody might have internal parts.(?)
Think of this: the FE and the MEL came out at the same time (1958) = the FE survives, the MEL didn't. The 385 series (429-460 cubes) replaced the MEL.
Sell it to some Edsel guys.
Skip the whole MEL idea and do a newer 385 series 429/460 from an early 70s car or maybe a 390 FE, depending on how many cubes you want to feed.
Judge your cube desire and start with a factory engine of that size. A factory 460 is much less expensive than stroking a FE to 454.
If i see another 350 or crate engine hotrod i think i will get sick.....I think the concept of hotrodders is to be different so ditch that 350 and be original
OK. The choices were limited. But, when I saw "FE" Ford, and thought about the Hot Rod Magazine cover shot of the SOHC 427 back in the mid sixties (was it '64?), I thought, nothing more exotic or down right brutal has EVER come out of an American Automobile Engine Factory. Certainly not in the catagories listed. Nothing. For it's time, it was unbeatable. Today, it still would be . . . . . But, I'm still a Chevy guy. Who can afford a cammer motor??
with the no of share holders and retired employees who would buy any thing gm makes they never improved the small block until recently , that does not prove they ar any better tha ford or chrysler
with the no of share holders and retired employees who would buy any thing gm makes they never improved the small block until recently , that does not prove they ar any better tha ford or chrysler
i think that is a big key for the 350's success. such huge parts availability and interchangability because GM kept it relatively the same for so long. Smart move in my eyes.
And I think the new smallblocks are just as nice. The LT1's are good motors, solid, and can make great power. The LS1's are even better. Easy power, great mileage, hard running motors that take abuse, and while a little strange at first are still very simple and effective designs. Even with fuel injection.
I read in the past few years how some people even claim Chevy is "low tech"... But the simplest route to the same solution without fault is always the better decision for anything else, so why is it a problem with an internal combustion motor?
The interchangeability of the smallblock chevys is what it all comes down to. You can build one heck of an engine for cheap money compared to other brands.
Guess im all by myself, but i loved the 283 chevy. Back in my day they were easy to beaf up,cheap,easy to work on, and i could go on and on. Also loved the 327.
They Rev And Stay Together. Their Oiling System Is Second To None. Tough As Nails, You Will Find Them In Winning Race Cars, Indeed Vehicles Powered By These Engines Hold Countless Records On Land ,In The Air, And On Water. Wanna Play With A Different Cam? No Problem These Engines Have Adjustable Valve Trains And A Virtually Infinite Number Of Profiles To Choose From. They Are In Dump Trucks, Combines, And Can Be Found Under The Hood Of Every Other Brand Of Vehicle. Ya Want Horsepower? They Can Give You More Than You Can Handle. Gas Mileage? They Can Give You That Too. Durability? They Are Legendary! From Day One The Engineers Pulled Out All The Stops To Make This Engine Better, And Better. For Fifty Plus Years Speed Shops, Performance Equipment Manufacturers, Engine Swap Kit Suppliers Put Together Their Offerings For This Engine Before Any Others-Sometimes Instead Of Any Others. AND THEY ARE STILL THE ONES TO SHOW YOU TAILLIGHTS!!!! If There Can Only Be One King Of The Hill And Indeed There Can Be Only One- You Already Know The Answer. THE SMALL BLOCK CHEVROLET
PS If You Want Even More, Have Room For It, A Driveline That Will Handle It, And Want Such An Engine To Have A Similar Criteria To That Engine Listed Above-You Guessed It THE BIG BLOCK CHEVROLET
'The Other Guys' Have Had Over 50 Years To Prove Otherwise And Failed Miserably In Their Endeavours. And The Only Thing They Have To Look Forward To Is The SBC, The BBC, And Yet Another Engine That Will Eat Their Lunch -THE CHEVROLET LS SERIES. Hmmm, I Seem To Notice A Pattern Here! M
You Forgot Real 1st Oldsmobile True OHV 304 c i V-8 Engine.
10-28-05
In 1948 Oldsmobile Created 1st True OHV 304 ci V-8 Engine ---In 1949 Cadillac Practically Sued Olds In Courts To Get Rights To This Exclusive Engine,i.e. All Engines Were Patterned After Olds OHV 304 c i V-8!
Oldsmobile Stock 304 c i V-8s Held All NHRA Drag Strip Titles 1949 Thru 1952!
I Owned 3 Olds -- Stock 49 2 dr Cp 304 c i V-8 And, Modified -50 Olds 2 dr cp 324 c i V-8 Tri-Pwr--No Thing Could Come Close To Even Beating Me ! And, I Still Own Radical Modified 54 Olds 2 Dr H T 371 ci V-8 Tri-Pwr.
Oldsmobile Has Become Extinct--Chevy Takes All Credit For OHV Engines & Chevy Did Not Have Its Own OHV V-8 Created Until 1955-- G M Even Copied Olds Rocket Body Styles!
Olds Hidden-Covered Up in Anals Of Time,i.e. Was Separate Car Manufacturer Sucked Up By (Greedy Politics Included) G M Corp - Olds If Not Small Car Maker Probably Would Have Become Another Tucker... To See More Information...
Dollar for dollar you cannot make another run as hard or as cheaply. Olds was good. My first car was a '57 Rocket 88 with the 371 / 4 barrel engine. The weight of them was the killer. Olds did have the interchangeability in that from 1949 through 1964 you could swap engines between cars and the transmissions also were just bolt in swaps. The small block chevy is lighter therefor less mass to get moving. 283's and 327's are getting scarce since they stopped building them around 1970. The 350's and 400's are a little easier to find. I will try to find a donor car for the driveline for my '56 Chevy. I'm not planning on modifying the engine or trans from stock configuration for reasons of dependability. Ill look for a 350/350 combination to use.
In 1948 Oldsmobile Created 1st True OHV 304 ci V-8 Engine ---In 1949 Cadillac Practically Sued Olds In Courts To Get Rights To This Exclusive Engine,i.e. All Engines Were Patterned After Olds OHV 304 c i V-8!
Oldsmobile Stock 304 c i V-8s Held All NHRA Drag Strip Titles 1949 Thru 1952!
I Owned 3 Olds -- Stock 49 2 dr Cp 304 c i V-8 And, Modified -50 Olds 2 dr cp 324 c i V-8 Tri-Pwr--No Thing Could Come Close To Even Beating Me ! And, I Still Own Radical Modified 54 Olds 2 Dr H T 371 ci V-8 Tri-Pwr.
Oldsmobile Has Become Extinct--Chevy Takes All Credit For OHV Engines & Chevy Did Not Have Its Own OHV V-8 Created Until 1955-- G M Even Copied Olds Rocket Body Styles!
Olds Hidden-Covered Up in Anals Of Time,i.e. Was Separate Car Manufacturer Sucked Up By (Greedy Politics Included) G M Corp - Olds If Not Small Car Maker Probably Would Have Become Another Tucker... To See More Information...
studibaker had a ovhv v8 engine befor olds,tho it had cam problems as did the olds, the 1st chev v8s had ther share of greaf flat cams broken cranks, poor lube system, no fullflow filter, the 55 and up ybloks wher not as fast as the 283 but they wer a lot more dependable, they owned the industrial market untill the 350 came along.
If I am not mistaken the Studebaker V8 was built by Packard. A car manufacturer from way back.
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