V8-60 Hop-Up Secrets....

SUHRsc

SUHRsc

Well-known member
Just picked up an old midget race car that had a V8-60 in it in 1947/48.
With the car came a stock 37-39 engine.
I didn't see a post on here about hopping up these little engines.

So... anyone have any thoughts, ideas, secrets?

Also any advice on cam's for dirt track racing.

Thanks
Zach
 
Another moderately obscure source there is a V8-60 build in Hot Rod, probably by Don Francisco, around 1950 when they detailed a different engine in each issue.
 
thank you both!

John,
I came across that post earlier, unfortunately his book it temporarily out of stock.

Bruce,
I will look up the articles
My Hot-Rod Magazine collection hasn't made the move to Grantville yet...
 
Just be cautious when building these engines too hot. Parts are very pricey and hard to find. Rich Willams book is very informative but leans a lot toward racing. One reason these little motors are so scarce is that midget and hydroplane racers used them up building them too hot. From what I have heard a lot of midget guys nowdays are running stock cams in order to save their engines. No one goes all out any more due to the expense of replacing a blown engine
 
A friend runs a stock 60 in his midget, and she goes real good as is. Power to weight ratio. A little more compression would help coming out of the corners, and little more carb in the straightaways.
 
I believe many of these little 60's were yanked out of '37-'40 vehicles and replaced with 85's. Many of these were probably just trashed after removal. In more recent times some were being used in motorcycles built by Honest Charlie.
Somehow I managed to get three of these little 60 HP engines in my collection along with a supply of nos replacement parts for rebuild, but not sure why I have them or what I will do with them :D. Maybe I should start looking for a Midget Racer or a Hydroplane :).
 
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I've got (5) of the V8 60's I'm keeping to myself...

My 37 still has the original 60 and with the stock 4:44 rear end, gets around town just fine.
 
3738 said:
My 37 still has the original 60 and with the stock 4:44 rear end, gets around town just fine.
Click to expand...

Good for you! If I was fortunate enough to find an original car with a 60 HP engine that's exactly how I would keep it. That little engine will get you anywhere you need to go.
 
JM 35 Sedan said:
I believe many of these little 60's were yanked out of '37-'40 vehicles and replaced with 85's. Many of these were probably just trashed after removal. In more recent times some were being used in motorcycles built by Honest Charlie.
Somehow I managed to get three of these little 60 HP engines in my collection along with a supply of nos replacement parts for rebuild, but not sure why I have them or what I will do with them :D. Maybe I should start looking for a Midget Racer or a Hydroplane :).
Click to expand...

John they fit real good in a model A G.M.
 
I agree with John, when I was a kid I cant count how many V 12's my father
replaced with crate 8BA's, as well as the 60hp tin sides.
 
How to Build Classic Hot Rod V-8 Engines
By George McNicholl
This book cover 4 engines and the FORD V8-60 is one of them.

http://www.motorbooks.com/books/How-To-Build-Classic-Hot-Rod-V-8-Engines/9780760327777
How To Build Classic Hot Rod V-8 Engines
George McNicholl (author)
Paperback, 192 pages, 8.25 x 10.625 in.
Illustrations: B&W Ill: 8, Color Ill: 400, Chart/Graphs: 12
Item Number: 144195
EAN (ISBN-13): 978-0760327777
Publication Date: January 15, 2007
Series: Motorbooks Workshop
Publisher: Motorbooks
IN STOCK

$18.71

The classic V-8 engines that got so many hot rodders started-the legendary Ford flatheads and Chevy 348s and 409s-are igniting a whole new generation. This hands-on, how-to guide is the first to give thorough, detailed, and clearly illustrated instructions for a complete buildup of these classics, including the Chevrolet 348-ci V-8 engine, the Chevrolet 409-ci V-8, the Lincoln flathead V-8, and the Ford flathead V-8/60 H.P. Longtime automotive enthusiast and writer George McNicholl offers in-depth and hard-to-find information on engine components and alternative parts, along with parts numbers, current prices, machining procedures, assembly directions, and dynamometer information. His book, illustrated throughout with color photographs, finally puts some of the world's great engines within reach of this generation's hot rodder.
 
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