McGurk Performance Upgrade - 53 to 54

[Russ U.]

Has anybody come across the McGurk performance upgrade stuff while restoring a 53 or 54 Corvette?

McGurk apparently claimed that a 53 or 543 Corvette could be hopped up from 150 hp to 220hp by using a 261 cubic inch 6 cyl truck block, porting the heads, and adding several other modifications. The McGurk stuff makes for an interesting read. But I wonder how many 53 or 54 Corvettes were actually converted to McGurk specs.

Thanks

Russ




More McGurk Info - Brochure and 1955 Article

[Clem Z.]

Re: McGurk Performance Upgrade - 53 to 54

i had mcgurk stuff in my 53 chevy back in 53/54. it was a 261 truck engine that was put in under warranty when i blew up the 216. my friends dad was the service manager at the chevy store.

[Loren L.]

Re: McGurk Performance Upgrade - 53 to 54

Charles Krause of Phoenix has a 261 with a 3 speed in his '54; CK has owned the car since 1955.

[Dave Suesz]

My Dad and

several of his buddies had 54-55 Corvettes, and one of them did this conversion, at least to some extent. My Dad always kidded him about the bulge needed to clear the water pump or something, instead of modifying the engine to clear. Said it looked like there was a turtle on the hood.

[Mike McKown]

Re: McGurk Performance Upgrade - 53 to 54

A dealer's son had a new one in '54. He had a 270 GMC truck engine in his. Might have been a 4 speed Hydra-Matic behind it. I don't know if the PG would bolt to the GMC. Don't think it will but you have to be really old to know for sure.

I think some even used the 302 Jimmy.

[Clem Z.]

Re: McGurk Performance Upgrade - 53 to 54

we used both the 270 and the 302 "jimmie" in our dirt track cars. wayne horning used one with his own 12 port head to try and quailify at the indy 500. read about it here. http://www.waynemfgco.com/history.html

[Russ U.]

Re: McGurk Performance Upgrade - 53 to 54

That's a neat story about Wayne and his 12 port head. And I see that Wayne Mfg now owns McGurk, and is reproducing some of the McGurk stuff.

I gather that the V-8 pretty much killed off the performance upgrade market for 6 cylinder cars by the med to late 50s.

Russ

[Mike M.]

Re: McGurk Performance Upgrade - 53 to 54

might be worth mentioning the GMC 6 bangers are not a direct fit in a 37 to 54 chevy or 53-54 vette as they are about 2" longer and yer radiator won't like that extra two inches of fan contact.the sound of a hopped up Jimmy with headers is domething one doesn't forget easily.sweet. mikie

[Joseph T.]

Fast 54

George Moore transplanted this 57 Eb Rose/Carroll Shelby black widow former Sebring engine into his 54 in late 1957.

I just removed it this summer to display at the Bloomington Special collection. It is connected to an all cast iron Borg Warner T-10 4 speed with experimental casting #.

I like the way George remounted the 54 overflow tank.

Joe

[Clem Z.]

Re: McGurk Performance Upgrade - 53 to 54

i had home made headers with dual exhaust on my 53 chevy with chevy truck mufflers and the sound was sweet. i had great fun blowing off the V-8 OHV fords in 1954 with my 6.

[Doug Flaten]

Re: My Dad and

Maybe it was Yertle the Turtle under the hood. When I read McGurk, it reminded me of a Dr. Suess character. A quick search turned up young Morris McGurk in "If I Ran the Circus". Sorry for digressing.
Doug

[Russ U.]

Re: Fast 54

Joe-

Wanna trade? I will give you my genuine McGurk upgrade for that junky V8 spoiling your car. That way your 54 will at least look correct.

Russ

[Joseph T.]

Re: Fast 54

Russ

When this car was advertised in hemmings as a 15,000 mile one owner fuel injected four speed...only one other guy wanted the mongrel and he couldn't come up with the money..so I was next in line.

Thank heavens.

The transmission alone is worth more than I paid for the entire car.

The car is still on the original title with all new registrations from 1955 to 1967 stapled together. Talk about paper work!

The bonus in buying the car was a complete collection of Corvette News starting with Vol. 1 #1 for the first 20 years...that George Moore received as a new Corvette owner.

The history of this car, the Sebring drivetrain thats in it, George Moore, his owner driver friend Eb Rose, Carroll Shelby, Lloyd Ruby and more would fill a book.

Regarding the McGurk performance equipment. I wasn't aware of McGurk when I owned 54 #814...years ago. I remember talking to a previous owner that had the engine worked on and he said he had the car road tested at some high MPH..but I don't think the car had any special Mcgurk equipment.

Thnaks for your hard work in digging this stuff up..before it lost forever.

The McGurk aluminum valve cover looks similar to the big block Davis fuel injection plenum that was in the Greenbay muscle car parts collection a couple years ago. ( a picture of that Davis FI unit is in Kaysers new book. The original wooden molds were with the unit...and some business cards from Davis engineering in Bellflower, Ca.

Joe