wagoneer Posted February 11, 2021 Report Posted February 11, 2021 According to the flathead wiki , in the early days the 6s and 8s were humongous! The 6 got as big as 310 cu in's ( 5 liters ), and the 8 as big as 385 (6.3 liters). Somewhere on this forum was a discussion on how to get the block displacement so large, and it was a copy-cat block. Seems there are beefier versions of our venerable flathead all the way back to 1926-1928 that have disappeared, or become so rare that few have them or the parts to fix them. Anybody have one of these older blocks? Are they very different? I am constantly amazed at the variety of uses the Chrysler 4, 6, and 8 have gotten through the years. The same block can power everything from a generator to a military land or marine transport. That 1928 Imperial Series 80L is super sharp. I wouldn't mind having that as a second car with its drop top. 1 Quote
DakotaFrank Posted February 12, 2021 Report Posted February 12, 2021 (edited) In the 40s - 50s Dodge trucks had inline 6’s as large as 331 and 413 cu in. Image copied. Edited February 12, 2021 by DakotaFrank Quote
wagoneer Posted February 12, 2021 Author Report Posted February 12, 2021 Wow! That image is a bit low res, but those blocks must have had a full inch extra in height in stroke! Would these bigger engines be drop-in replacements for our humble "regular" engines? Everything else seems the same (compression). With so much combustion volume, you'd think there would be a lot more horsepower generated. They are super torque-y. In comparison, the 400 cu in small block chevy made 265 gross, and nominal 150. Why don't these engines generate a ton of horsepower? Quote
Sniper Posted February 12, 2021 Report Posted February 12, 2021 7 minutes ago, wagoneer said: Why don't these engines generate a ton of horsepower? Because HP is a function of rpm and torque. If they rpm'd more you'd see more HP or a rod fly out the side of the block. 1 Quote
plymouthcranbrook Posted February 12, 2021 Report Posted February 12, 2021 Engines like those were designed for torque and low revs. Truck engines need torque to get the load moving and keep it going. As Sniper alluded to the reciprocating mass of these engines is large and really cannot do the higher rpms needed for increased horsepower although I expect with changes improvements could be made. Quote
Frank Elder Posted February 13, 2021 Report Posted February 13, 2021 @wagoneer Those big engines would be in the engine compartment and in between the seats, and the transmission will be in the rear seat and a 2 inch drive shaft. They are longer than a straight 8 and heavy! @Dodgeb4ya has a good picture that will show you the difference. Quote
tom'sB2B Posted February 13, 2021 Report Posted February 13, 2021 1 hour ago, Frank Elder said: @wagoneer Those big engines would be in the engine compartment and in between the seats, and the transmission will be in the rear seat and a 2 inch drive shaft. They are longer than a straight 8 and heavy! @Dodgeb4ya has a good picture that will show you the difference. You mean this one? 1 Quote
Dodgeb4ya Posted February 13, 2021 Report Posted February 13, 2021 (edited) This is a pic of a DT 413 six.... The engine block has extra lower reinforcement to support the crankshaft journal webbing. Also adds extra stiffness to the block in general. Seven main bearings. Tocco hardened crank, Nickel Chrome Molybdenum block/head etc. Hydraulic lifters. The design of this engine looks similar to the large displacement engines of the 30's that Chrysler built. The Chrysler straight eights... 323, 385 are designed very similar to the above moly block 413. The 385 had nine main bearings...the 323 had five. The 413 shown above has seven main bearings. 3" main journals. This engine weighs right at 1100 lbs. When I can get to it I'll load some pics of the Chrysler eights... Edited February 13, 2021 by Dodgeb4ya 3 1 Quote
HotRodTractor Posted February 13, 2021 Report Posted February 13, 2021 I'd love to find me a 413. Add some wheels and a seat and have a hot rod. lol Quote
Plymouthy Adams Posted February 13, 2021 Report Posted February 13, 2021 is that a mechanical tach drive adapter on that distributor....? Quote
HotRodTractor Posted February 13, 2021 Report Posted February 13, 2021 2 minutes ago, Plymouthy Adams said: is that a mechanical tach drive adapter on that distributor....? It sure looks like it. Quote
Plymouthy Adams Posted February 13, 2021 Report Posted February 13, 2021 (edited) little OT for this page but one that does display a monster 4 cylinder ......kinda fun video to watch....if you impatient, drag to 1:49 into the video... beast of turin - Yahoo Video Search Results Edited February 13, 2021 by Plymouthy Adams Quote
Dodgeb4ya Posted February 13, 2021 Report Posted February 13, 2021 1 hour ago, Plymouthy Adams said: is that a mechanical tach drive adapter on that distributor....? It is a cable tach drive. This engine has the cast housing adapter tach drive. The other style tach drive is built right into the distributor like in my "Big Red" truck. Quote
wagoneer Posted February 14, 2021 Author Report Posted February 14, 2021 Those truck engines are monsters. I found a great set of articles on the imperial club pages - http://www.imperialclub.com/Articles/26-28Sixes/index.htm on the six, it’s the last 300+ Cu in car engine. in theory it would fit our “latter-day” models. Quote
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