Don Terrill’s Speed-Talk

I was just over here so have to ask why Ardun never made a SBC Hemi head conversion?

Too early time-wise?

https://www.hotrod.com/articles/modern- ... -ferguson/

pdq67

Ask directly; I am sure you would not be the first:


CONTACT
ARDUN ENTERPRISES
Don Ferguson
P.O. Box 205
Wilmington, CA 90744
(310) 872-9286

D2DFerguson@gmail.com

At least the SBC got Zora's cam.

Just to review the history, the Ardun OHV conversion was developed to get more power from the flathead V8 in Ford medium trucks. That rodders picked it up later was an unanticipated consequence.

For those who've never seen one up close, the Ardun hemi OHV conversion makes the engine hugely wider and taller.

The story I heard, was that at the start of WW2, some of our smaller tanks were built with the flathead Ford V8, and that more power was needed because of the weight of the tank. The Ardun heads evidently took care of that problem.

Hey pdq
Have you ever considered it would be easier to put a newer drivetrain in something.
You know motor and trans mounts
Than to Frankenstein an old junk pinchport pooch thats neutered by a 3" stroke?

Have you ever seen an LS7? In person?
Do you know how much you would have to spend on a gen 1 turd to truly get it to match?
Ok its not that hard to get it to match a stock one powerwise. But to get the raised/large cam and the orderly intake location, your talking an aftermarket block and symmetrical heads.
Why not just start off with one that comes that way?
Afraid to make motor mounts???
Someone already makes them
Whats the excuse now?
Why don't you go down the the junk yard and buy yourself a junk LS and pull it down and see for yourself that there's just about nothing better about a gen 1

NormS wrote: ↑Mon Sep 07, 2020 12:23 pm The story I heard, was that at the start of WW2, some of our smaller tanks were built with the flathead Ford V8, and that more power was needed because of the weight of the tank. The Ardun heads evidently took care of that problem.

Better re-check that story. The M24 Chaffee US tanks used two flathead Cadillac V8s, not Ford.

The Ardun was developed because in trucks high continuous high load applications, the constant flow of hot exhaust through the block caused the entire engine to overheat; the overhead-valve conversion routed the exhaust out more directly, and away from the block. That it also produced more power was a plus.

Moser built DOHC 4-valve heads for SBC. Harvey Crane was involved.

Made the front cover of Hot Rod magazine. Perhaps others, too.

https://s908.photobucket.com/user/mojo_ ... t=2&page=1

A version of the Ardun heads were factory-installed in vehicles in South America.

PackardV8 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 07, 2020 4:16 pm ,,, The M24 Chaffee US tanks used two flathead Cadillac V8s, not Ford.

...

I think early Shermans were switched over to a radial which had problems with oil aeration.

why Ardun never made a SBC Hemi head conversion
It's a business, not a hobby.

Thank goodness it was garbage truck motors and not fire engine pumps.

As a bit of trivia, In the 60's Ed iskenderian made several sets of single cam (per head) desmodromic heads for the SBC. They were very successful in tests.
He advertised them in several magazines for a brief period but apparently the market was not ready for them so he didn't persue it. That would have been far better than Ardun's. Next best thing to F1 valve train....
I was building desmo Ducati's at the time so was very interested in that project. I talk to Ed once in awhile so next time I will see if I can get more info.

GLHS60 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 07, 2020 7:09 pm This is one story on why the Ardun Heads were created

https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbsid ... mca-years/

Story of Simca taking over the V8-60 when they bought Ford of France's assets.

If you scroll down far enough, they talk about putting Ardun-copy heads on some of the v8-60 style engines sold in Brazil starting in '66.

Schurkey wrote: ↑Mon Sep 07, 2020 4:23 pm Moser built DOHC 4-valve heads for SBC. Harvey Crane was involved.

Made the front cover of Hot Rod magazine. Perhaps others, too.

https://s908.photobucket.com/user/mojo_ ... t=2&page=1

A version of the Ardun heads were factory-installed in vehicles in South America.

Richard Moser was a friend of mine.

Those heads were the best conversion head for an SBC, but still had a lot of limitations.

Very few were ever sold, in fact they never even machined all of the first run of castings.
There never has been much demand for heads that change an engines configuration.

As others have mentioned, an LS7 would have much higher performance.

There is a car in the speedomotive museum with one in it.

Would have been quite something if someone had made a quad cam 32 valve conversion for the old flatty, something along the lines of the Frontenac head for the Model T.

https://www.museumofamericanspeed.com/frontyforddo.html