Something I love about the Autopian community is that everyone is an expert in something. Seriously, we have a little bit of everyone here from plumbers and teachers to former car journalists, engineers, and maybe even corporate executives. The wealth of knowledge here could fill several books. Thus, I’m not at all surprised to learn this obscure fact about vintage Ford flathead V8s.
Today, Jason’s Cold Start involved showing us a brochure for the Ford-Köln Versailles, Régence, and Marly. In it, Jason talked about what the “eclair” button does. But wait a minute, there are some shenanigans going on here.
Check out the photo of the 2.3-liter V8:
Nathan Gibbs asks a good question:
How come the engine illustration from the brochure looks like it has V6 exhaust manifolds instead of V8 ones? Like, is that artistic license or is there some funky valve positioning going on?
Terry Mahoney gives us a fun fact:
On Ford flathead V8s Ford had the two center cylinder exhaust ports share the block exit port to the exhaust manifold. So the V8 has what look like V6 manifolds.
Meanwhile, Captain Muppet is giving us a new way to say “bump stop”:
I just showed this to a suspension designer and he says that a gummipuffer is what we call a “bump stop”.
Although he may start calling them gummipuffers from now on, because whimsy is viral.
StillNotATony:
I believe that henceforth, this website should refer to bump stops as gummipuffers. Each instance should have a link to this article.
I’ll slip one in one day somehow.
Today, we wrote about how we respect Nissan for how it has always championed the cheap car. And you know what? There’s absolutely nothing wrong with buying a cheap new car. From 4jim:
Also let us not crap on the people who buy new cheap cars. Many automotive websites are full of comments that are incredibly harsh mean, cruel, bordering on threatening to people who actually buy new cars and especially new cheap cars. Some people know that they don’t need all kinds of luxury in a used car that they may not be able to physically maintain themselves and they need a reliable warranty car and a small car is just fine. It’s just transportation for a lot of people. So a little respect for people who buy just what they need. Also if people do not buy new cheap cars. They will not be any used cheap cars until the expensive ones are used to the point of being total garbage.
Absolutely, 4jim. I would have bought a Tata Nano if such car existed here in America! Have a great evening, everyone.
Why do you think the Small Block Chevy has 1-2-1 style exhaust manifolds, along with most contemporary GM engines? I’d guess it’s the same reason.
Flathead Fords use the 2-into-1 style center exhaust because the exhaust ports in the block actually pass between the two center cylinders – that’s one reason they tend to overheat and crack when overbored by hot-rodders.
Many if not most early OHV V-8’s -SBC’s, Pontiacs, Y-block Fords, SB Mopars, Olds V8’s – tend to use a siamesed intake/exhaust port setup where the cylinders alternate intake/exhaust port location, causing there to be large gaps/small gaps between ports. I think it was easier to design cooling and head bolt location that way, but it’s only a guess. This style of port doesn’t actually mix the exhaust flow from the two ports like the old Ford flathead does, except Pontiac(very slightly).
My point being that it was likely a copied initial design feature from the flathead, and it stuck. Copying the head design cylinder to cylinder is much easier than mirroring, especially in the days of drafting boards with integrated ash trays.
I think the first V8 was produced before this….but
Anyone remember the D series V8 in 1917? By Chevrolet?
I think it would make for a good Autopian story.
They were made back in 1902, but I think Cadillac had the first one made in any quantities starting in 1914. Ford’s innovation was the single-piece casting block, rather than cylinder jugs that were attached to the crankcase, allowing mass production at low cost
I tried a gummypuffer last night.
It just melted and clogged up my bong…
YMMV.
On another note, hey what a great speech last night!
I know America is back, and on the right track. Right?
LOL.
LOL, good memories of my old ’98 Passat 5MT with Eibach suspension. That was my first lesson in how modding a car can make it a little less useful for normal everyday tasks, such as the time I had to drive 2 miles home from Lowe’s with about 1,000# of paver stones in the rear floorboards and trunk, bouncing lightly off the gummipuffers the whole way. Thankfully it was all local/residential.
I’ve seen the V8/V6 mistake in major magazines back before the internet.
I have a pair of new-old-stock Ford flathead heads that lived 60 years in the attic of a car dealership and were never used. Found them on eBay. I’m going to use one as a toilet tank lid when I build my garagominium.
Well a better and legit mistake was the Detroit Free Press calling the new Stellatis hurricane a V6 in the headline.. I mean you might be able to excuse the Columbus Dispatch, but the Freep? before someone flames me, I read it on line from a remote bunker across the stateline
I’m usually fairly opportunistic when it comes to cars and so I don’t put much planning into what I might get next but I have been waiting patiently (mostly patiently) since these were new for them to become legal here.
Combined exhaust is something I know well as pre ej Subaru motors had them. Current cars have a resurgence of it thanks to heads having the manifold cast in.
“Also if people do not buy new cheap cars. They will not be any used cheap cars until the expensive ones are used to the point of being total garbage.”
It’s worse than that, actually. Expensive cars are more likely to age into very expensive to maintain garbage.
Exactly! An old BMW or Mercedes costs about the same to maintain as a new one. An old luxury car is just a cheap ticket to join a club where you will count the money to decide if you drink or eat because having both is too expensive,
An old one costs significantly more to maintain than a new, leased one.
This is why I’m stuck in the Dubya era. After 2010 or so is when things started to get crazy.
I’m currently holding the line at 2016, and even that is very select list of vehicles. Mid 2010s is really peak car for me. Source: I own 03 and 13 Civics, the 13 makes the 03 seem like it’s from the 70s.
Plus what happens when the computers and diagnostic tools that you need to work on basically any new cars age out? I know there are always stories about the McLaren F1 and having to keep those old computers running, but even for the ordinary cars now. And also the onboard computers. Look at the issues car companies are having with 3G networks going down and disabling features.
Its not just going to be the hardware that is expensive to fix and replace