Don Terrill’s Speed-Talk

The Buick and Oldsmobile 215 aluminum blocks were semi die-cast using tooling originally designed for aluminum transmission cases and were poured around ribbed cylinder liners. The ribbed liners do not slip. GM's problem was a relatively high rejection rate on the castings due to core shift during c...

As far as the original type pistons go, it turns out ring sets are available for the common over-sizes of the 252.6 CID OHV 6. Also, the Nash club has pistons and rings for 234.8 CID OHV 6 in standard and oversize. It's only the standard bore 252.6 that you can't get rings for. That said, I'd still ...

Thanks Jack. I'm excited. After I've got the Dual Jetfire running and in the chassis, I'll probably get the 1936 engine running too.

Thanks for the replies guys. I found some documentation from Nash that it's safe to bore the 3 3/8" block to the 3 1/2" bore of the later 252.6 inch Nash OHV 6 engine. Also, the Nash club store sells the larger bore pistons for a reasonable sum ($330) but they don't have the matching rings...

Egge doesn't list pistons for the Nash 6 but Kanter does list them for later Nashes (mine has a different ring pack but I'm not sure if there are any other differences yet. In any case, rings and pistons are $827.37 for a set. I'd certainly pay the delta for custom high compression pistons with a mo...

> By the way the pistons made for an Ardun may fit the bill. Ooh, the domes on those look promising. I've not seen a 1934 to 1937 Nash OHV combustion chamber yet but the period advertisements touting the twin ignition suggests it is basically a cylinder. Trim the dome to get the desired compression ...

Are custom pistons available for the smaller bores and tall pin heights typical of older engines? I've got a 1936 Nash Ambassador with OHV I6 (3 3/8" bore x 4 3/8" stroke = 234.8 cubic inches) that I inherited more than a decade ago and I'm starting to consider my options for the restorati...

The physics is straightforward and easy to derive. Torque is what accelerates an automobile but it's the torque at the rear wheels that does it, not torque at the crankshaft. To maximize acceleration, you want to maximize the average torque at the rear wheels between shifts. It just so happens that ...

> I found the original write up with enough detail for me to simulate it. So I substituted the port areas and flow bench numbers for the Scott Cook heads I have, increased the stack height, used the Comp HR cam specs and used representative dimensions for the long tube dyno headers and Dynomation pr...

For the low profile set up that fits under a stock Pantera decklid, the injectors are mounted very low. The TWM style throttle bodies are a few inches farther away. In the attached picture, the IR EFI assembly has 55mm IPSCO throttle plates and the injector bungs are cast in the base of the runner. ...

> What's going on the Roush manifold, or did I miss that ? For the dyno testing with the Roush intake, the carb will likely be a Holley 4779-6 750 CFM carburetor that I have on hand. Coincidentally, a different Holley 4779 (supplied by the customer) was used in the other 610 HP build referenced. > D...

Does anyone have any experience to share comparing IR EFI to single 4 barrel induction on a V8? I'm helping a local Pantera owner with a 351 Cleveland build. The engine is being stroked to 408 cubic inches and I'm supplying the heads and designing the camshaft. Cylinder heads are old (1984 date code...

> How good or bad is the 351C edelbrock torker for street/strip? I didn't see anyone respond to your question so I'll take a stab. Dave McLain and I have dyno tested the Torker on a 351C (iron closed chamber heads) and a couple of 408C (iron closed chamber 4V and CHI 4V). The Torker was never the be...

> So, here we are 9/03/2020 and to my knowledge, no one has made a hyd. roller for the B.O.R. ? I've had one made. It was for a friend who subsequently passed away. I have the parts to his engine here, including the cam and link bar hydraulic roller lifters. I don't have the cam card handy but the s...

I've also got a complete set up for an MGB V8 swap that could use a home. 266 cubic inches, Olds 215 block, Buick 300 crank, Eagle 5.7" small journal H-beam rods, Venolia forged pistons, hydraulic roller cam, choice of ported Buick 300 heads (lower compression) or small chamber late Rover heads...