I remember when most car guys wanted big cubic engines. For the obvious reasons. But I read a story about engine design in the late 40 early 50s. At that time the militery was experamenting with fuels for rockets. All of the car makers save one decited to make the new V8 engines so the cubic inchs can be in creased later with out having to redisgin the whole casting. But Studabaker thought that the fuels will completely change the power from the new V8 engines. And was betting on better fuels for street cars. And the main casting they design would not work for bigger cubic inches. The biggest studabaker V8 I could find was 352 ci, 1956.

 

I find the automotive history starting in the '30s then through the second world war fascinating. The development of the V8 and moving from flat heads to overhead valves, from long inline engines and the shorter V8,s is just so interesting how they made the corporate decisions before there was just the big three.

 

good point "Coronet". i have often wandered how far the american OHV V8 would be if ww2 had not came along. your point about the shorter crank is well taken. ill bet a lot of people dont under stand what the shorter crank OHV V8 did for a better engine.

 

Great subject Moe.

I like reading about the first horsepower wars through the '50s.

Oldsmobile 303, 324 and 371.

Cadillac 331, 365 and 390.

Chrysler 331, 354 and 392.

The other thing I love is the names they would call their new products. It's like they could add -O-MATIC after any word and it would sound modern, be it an ice machine, vacuum cleaner or automotive transmission.

I've got this image of a bunch of guys in a room throwing around bizarre new words hoping it would describe and then sell their new product.

 

i think the first american engine to make 300 HP is the 1955 chrysler 300. and the car beat up on NASCAR that year so bad some record books list ONLY the chrysler 300, for that year. and if you look at chrysler 331 and the Cadillac 331 the front motor mounts look like the same mount. ???? all so in the 50 chrysler had a lot of engines with long stroke cranks compared the bore. i have taken a lot chrysler hemi 354--392 apart. one time i bought a 56 354 hemi that had not had the oil changed like it should. the guy i bought it from said that a bearing had spun and he drove it for 50 mile like that. when i took it apart only one main had a spun bearing. ALL the other bearings miked at nominal size.