Engine Ideas

[olschoolkid]

Hi everybody, I am looking for some engine ideas for a few builds. First is an engine for a 37 Ford I want to build as a gasser style. I also would like to build a 66 Fairlane in a Pro Touring or restomod style. Next is a 66 El Camino. I'm thinking about possibly a different engine for my 99 SVT Cobra but I may stick with stock. Finally is for a 1992 Firebird. 1992 is the year I was born and would like to build it as sort of a dream car/ birthday gift.

[LDO]

Use the Lincoln 4-cam V8 out of the AMT '32 Phantom Vicky for your '66 Fairlane. Reliable horsepower and a Ford in a Ford. Or use a GT500 engine for more horses.

[Ace-Garageguy]

I agree with Lee about the powerplant for your Fairlane.

Stick a Vortech-style blower on the Mustang.

A 427 Ford would seem to be a natural for your '37 gasser. These can be had pretty cheap, and come with a blower. They build up into beautiful engines.

                                                         

Chevy LS engines are the natural (and very popular in reality) engines to swap into your Elky. The LS1 engine and entire drivetrain swapped from a cheap (but excellent) Corvette C5 (Revell) kit would work well.

                                                                            

 

There are a lot of LS engines going into old Firebirds too these days, though I think the Firebird would be a lot cooler with a back-dated 3X2 carbed Poncho engine. In many jurisdictions, the cars no longer have to comply with emissions regs, so the old hi-po engine could be perfectly legal...and fast. Again, the Revell parts-pack engine has you covered:

                                          

 

 

[Fat Brian]

Check out Clearly Scale for all kinds of engine options. I've got a supercharged 1UZ Toyota engine on the way from them for an upcoming project.

http://www.clearlyscale.com/category/engines

[olschoolkid]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I really like the idea of a 427 for the 37 Ford. I also like the LS El Camino idea. I'm thinking about a 455 for the firebird.

[landman]

And....... For additional options, Ron Olsen has a whole herd of interesting Ford engines on Shapeways: https://www.shapeways.com/shops/3d-model-specialties?section=Boss+429%2F600&s=0

[Ace-Garageguy]

44 minutes ago, olschoolkid said:

Thank you all for your suggestions. I really like the idea of a 427 for the 37 Ford. I also like the LS El Camino idea. I'm thinking about a 455 for the firebird.

The Pontiac V8 engines all share the same external dimensions (unlike several other manufacturers, there were no "small block" and "big block" different designs), so the Revell parts pack kit showed above would also make an excellent starting point for a highly detailed 455. The 455 is just a bored and stroked 421 in reality anyway, and all the real differences are internal.

In production cars, there are, of course, minor variations in the specific carbs, air filters, and accessory drives (belts and style of AC compressors, etc.), but a hot-rod Firebird would very likely use custom parts for these anyway.

[blunc]

24 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

The Pontiac V8 engines all share the same external dimensions (unlike several other manufacturers, there were no "small block" and "big block" different designs), so the Revell parts pack kit showed above would also make an excellent starting point for a highly detailed 455. The 455 is just a bored and stroked 421 in reality anyway, and all the real differences are internal.

In production cars, there are, of course, minor variations in the specific carbs, air filters, and accessory drives (belts and style of AC compressors, etc.), but a hot-rod Firebird would very likely use custom parts for these anyway.

Actually, the Pontiac 301cuin and 301-turbo "may" be called small block due to reduced deck height of the block.

[Jantrix]

The 37 Ford is a 1/24 kit. I recommend a 427 as previously mentioned or a hemi. Something wide so that the 1/25 engine doesn't look too small in the engine bay.

AMT does a vintage hemi in a parts pack.\

[Ace-Garageguy]

1 hour ago, Jantrix said:

The 37 Ford is a 1/24 kit. I recommend a 427 as previously mentioned or a hemi. Something wide so that the 1/25 engine doesn't look too small in the engine bay.

While the Revell '37 is in fact listed as 1/24, many of the dimensions are fractionally off, as is typical in "scale" models where the measuring-and-dividing-challenged have been at work.

The "1/24" Chebby engine that comes in these kits is identical dimensionally to several so-called 1/25 versions of the same engine.

The overall scale discrepancy overall is very small in reality, and 1/25 parts mingle quite happily with 1/24 parts in this instance.

Visual proof here:

 

[Ace-Garageguy]

2 hours ago, blunc said:

Actually, the Pontiac 301cuin and 301-turbo "may" be called small block due to reduced deck height of the block.

Well, sorta...but the big-block and small-block entries from most manufacturers are entirely different designs, ala Ford and Chebby. 

More exact terminology would be to call the later-model small-displacement Pontiacs "low deck" engines...but they're two engines I was never able to take seriously anyway. 135 HP from the normally-aspirated 2bbl 301, 150 from the 4bbl, and only 120 from the 1980 265? Wow. Impressive numbers.

While the turbo 301 did have some nice internal parts like forged pistons, its output was staggeringly un-awesome too, at only 210 HP. A look under the hood at the induction system explains why...and it's just not making the grade when 1 HP per cubic inch had been surpassed by normally-aspirated production engines much earlier. Yeah, emissions and fuel economy, I know, but still, it was a dog in a heavy car.

The racing 303, on the other hand, was a different thing entirely, and also a "low deck" version of the basic Poncho design.

Edited June 6, 2018 by Ace-Garageguy

[Oldcarfan27]

On 6/6/2018 at 12:15 PM, Ace-Garageguy said:

Well, sorta...but the big-block and small-block entries from most manufacturers are entirely different designs, ala Ford and Chebby. 

More exact terminology would be to call the later-model small-displacement Pontiacs "low deck" engines...but they're two engines I was never able to take seriously anyway. 135 HP from the normally-aspirated 2bbl 301, 150 from the 4bbl, and only 120 from the 1980 265? Wow. Impressive numbers.

While the turbo 301 did have some nice internal parts like forged pistons, its output was staggeringly un-awesome too, at only 210 HP. A look under the hood at the induction system explains why...and it's just not making the grade when 1 HP per cubic inch had been surpassed by normally-aspirated production engines much earlier. Yeah, emissions and fuel economy, I know, but still, it was a dog in a heavy car.

The racing 303, on the other hand, was a different thing entirely, and also a "low deck" version of the basic Poncho design.

Parts interchangeability was the Pontiac's hallmark. The only part that wouldn't interchange was the crankshaft between small journal blocks and large journal blocks. Exterior physical dimensions were the same. Heads were different specs, but most could bolt on any block. Open and closed chamber heads were the defining factors. 

The final "small displacement" Pontiac engine blocks were just hogged out castings, done to make the engines lighter to pass emissions standards of the day. Most earlier parts will physically bolt on, but the blocks are too weak to handle the same power output. That's why they are the shunned orphans in the Pontiac community. 

[1972coronet]

RE : 1966 El Camino : 

How about an L-79 instead of the kit's 396 ? There was no such an animal as a Super Sport El Camino until '68 (hence , the flat bonnet on the Revell kit) , so an L-79 would be perfect . The engine from the AMT '66 Nova / Jenkins' Grumpy's Toy would be quite right in that El's boiler room ( oil pan is different ; the sump had to be swapped to fit that 360hp small block into the X-Body Nova) .