Why would someone do this?

[37 Coupe]

To meet class requirements and still be able to use available high performance equipment. A local guy cuts Chevy V8s in half (ends up a v4) to use in midgets and you can bolt on all the Chevy HP stuff.

I think Pontiac did this years ago not cutting but casting the 326 Tempest V8 engine in half for the 4 cyl standard engine in early Tempest.Quick engineering.

 

[Walt Dupont--Me.]

Back in the early 60's I built a Chrysler Spit Fire,6 cyl inline flathead, I think it was a 261, I bored it 1/8 and used Chevy pistons, cut .030 of the top off each piston, cut the cam in 2, turned one end of the cam .180 degree, and welded it up in the block, fired 1-6 and 2-5 and 3-4 together, used a 12 cyl dist, dual points, dual coils, used 6 plug wires and grounded the other 6 wires, used a dual carb intake and split headers from a army truck, wicked low end torque but at high rpm it would spit up the carbs, it needed single intake ports. But it was fun. Walt

 

[scooder]

Could it be a 337 flatty?

I wouldn't think it is a good idea to spark into an open cylinder, what with crankcase fumes being potentially explosive, especially if they are running on "fuel"!

Ross,
Spark plugs firing into a blind hole is what I said. So no crank case fumes in the blind hole, as its a blind hole, not an open hole.
You see?
Martin.

 

[SofaKing]

You are correct. This is SofaKing weird.

You get it.

 

[SofaKing]

You get it.

Here is the other side. I don't know what class or speed. I was too busy taking in the sights and sniffing the nitro to track any numbers.

 

[V12Bill]

Don't look like a Flathead block, it's all different. Ignition placement, shape of the back of the block, head bolt pattern, all different.

The sparking plugs in the blank side I'd think do spark, but nothing in there to burn. No rods or pistons in that side. Just some plugs firing into a blind hole in the plate, thats how I think I'd do it.
If it has a flat crank (180 degree) it'll run like a four cylinder inline, with both heads on and a full set of pistons and rods, it'll run like two four cylinder inline engines.
If it has a 90 degree crank, it won't be a smooth engine no doubt, but it's the level of trying for two completely different class records with one car and one engine.
Martin.

If the pistons and rods were removed and the spark plugs working, I would think that the crankcase oil would be exploding.

 

[Mart]

I know nothing about this, but the plugs probably have the tips grounded. It's somewhere to hook the unused 4 plug wires while being ran as a 4 cylinder. I'd guess that the ignition is probably also used on an 8 cylinder, possibly the same motor.

Mart, just guessin'.

 

[SofaKing]

One of things that struck me about Bonneville is the amount of money being spent on cars that only run at a couple of events per year. The idea put forward that it allows the same car/engine to be run in multiple classes seems like a plausible explanation for getting more use out of the car. Once you have gone through the expense of building and bringing the car there, might as well drive it as much as possible.

I do enjoy it from the mechanical free-for-all perspective.

 

[oldford2]

Back in the early 60's I built a Chrysler Spit Fire,6 cyl inline flathead, I think it was a 261, I bored it 1/8 and used Chevy pistons, cut .030 of the top off each piston, cut the cam in 2, turned one end of the cam .180 degree, and welded it up in the block, fired 1-6 and 2-5 and 3-4 together, used a 12 cyl dist, dual points, dual coils, used 6 plug wires and grounded the other 6 wires, used a dual carb intake and split headers from a army truck, wicked low end torque but at high rpm it would spit up the carbs, it needed single intake ports. But it was fun. Walt

Walt, you amaze me with the backyard engineering you guys did back then. Probably too busy to get interested in girls

John

 

[Stretch Cab]

I did a Google search on the name Ted Olson as seen on the car and came up with this info which may be correct. It is half of a Chrysler hemi. Sorry I'm on my Kindle and couldn't cut and paste web address.

 

[JSeery]

Teb runs in F/FL class, it is 1/2 of a Chrysler hemi and runs on Nitro. He ran 213 MPH.

"The S&E posse just set another world record (their 3rd - they hold 2 prior records at Bonneville) at El Mirage Saturday in their Lucas Oil Products home-built lakester running the innovative "Half-a-Hemi" 150 cid engine in F/FL. They run one bank of an early 300 cid Hemi Chrysler, normally aspirated, injected...and...of course for S&E...on a whole lot of nitro.

The record was 201 mph and has stood for years. One the first pass of the day they ran 213 mph. They will try to up it Sunday.

Ted Olson drove this weekend with Al Eshenbaugh and Jamie Steinegger spinning the wrenches. They started racing together in '58 in the dragster they built in their garage when they were 18 years old."

This was from 2014.

 

[Marvin/TN]

When I was in the USAF in Germany back in 1963-64 one of the guys on base drove
a 49 Chev in line 6cyl. One of the rod bearings failed so he removed that rod and piston as well as two others to sorta balance things out. He also removed the valve push rods so the valves stayed closed. It ran just as fast, just took a little longer to get up to speed. Wouldn't the flat head work the same as the Chev, no rods, pistons, valve lifters, etc?

 

[JSeery]

That's basically what the compresser motors are doing, running on half the cylinders. If you removed a rod(s) you would have to attach something to the crank throw to maintain oil pressure.