Non Corvette Question

[Jerry C.]

A buddy of mine just showed me a picture of a rat rod with what he was told by the owner it was a late 1930's six cylinder motor from a two ton truck. This motor had two distributors and twelve spark plugs. Did Chevy ever make such a critter? Thanks in advance.

[Domenic T.]

Re: Non Corvette Question

Jerry,
With out a picture it's hard to ID, but I don't think chevrolet 6 cylinder engines ever had 12 plugs and 2 distributors.

BUT,
Aircraft engines did have dual ignition systems and plugs.

I have a 6 cylinder, dual distributor, 12 plug blimp engine from 1914. The later engines mostly had dual magneto's.

Sounds like a aircraft engine to me and I have seen them at the strip back n the 60's.

DOM

[John H.]

Re: Non Corvette Question

Jerry,
With out a picture it's hard to ID, but I don't think chevrolet 6 cylinder engines ever had 12 plugs and 2 distributors.

BUT,
Aircraft engines did have dual ignition systems and plugs.

I have a 6 cylinder, dual distributor, 12 plug blimp engine from 1914. The later engines mostly had dual magneto's.

Sounds like a aircraft engine to me and I have seen them at the strip back n the 60's.

DOM

Dom -

Here's the first "Green Monster" Art Arfons built, which most people have never seen - I took the photo at the Akron dragstrip in 1957. It had a 6-cylinder Ranger aircraft engine, mounted inverted as it was in airplanes, with dual magnetos; note the primary chain drive sprocket, right next to your head.

[Domenic T.]

Re: Non Corvette Question

John,
Nice picture, I thought it was going to be the jet he ran as the green monster.

I saw it run at US 30 dragstrip (Indiana) back in the 60's.

I didn't know he had more GREEN MONSTERS untill I saw your picture.

DOM

[John H.]

Re: Non Corvette Question

John,
Nice picture, I thought it was going to be the jet he ran as the green monster.

I saw it run at US 30 dragstrip (Indiana) back in the 60's.

I didn't know he had more GREEN MONSTERS untill I saw your picture.

DOM

Here's the second one Art built, with an Allison V-1710 and a Greyhound bus transmission; he brought both of them to the strip that same day in '57. His feed mill was just up the road.

[Domenic T.]

Re: Non Corvette Question

John,
Nice picture, I thought it was going to be the jet he ran as the green monster.

I saw it run at US 30 dragstrip (Indiana) back in the 60's.

I didn't know he had more GREEN MONSTERS untill I saw your picture.

DOM

I also saw the Allison run back then and if I remember they had 2 linked together and only one made it thru the 1/4 mile.

The RPM's were very low and still are in the gas recip engines so they must have had a tall gear.

Some of the old radials ran about 1500 rpm's at cruse settings and most today in the flat engines are 2700 rpm's & below.

I guess they were thinking all bottom end when they ran them at the strip.

DOM

[Domenic T.]

Re: Non Corvette Question

Here's the second one Art built, with an Allison V-1710 and a Greyhound bus transmission; he brought both of them to the strip that same day in '57. His feed mill was just up the road.

John,


Did he run the dual allison dragster or was it someone else. I saw one run in the early 60's around the same time I saw the jet dragster he had.

DOM

[Clem Z.]

Re: Non Corvette Question

A buddy of mine just showed me a picture of a rat rod with what he was told by the owner it was a late 1930's six cylinder motor from a two ton truck. This motor had two distributors and twelve spark plugs. Did Chevy ever make such a critter? Thanks in advance.

a lot of fire truck engines used dual ignitions. some nash 6 cylinder engines use a dual dist with 12 spark plugs

[Dick W.]

Re: Non Corvette Question

National Fire Codes at one time required dual ignition on class A pumpers. My guess it that he has a Waukesha, Continental, or Hercules engine. They were predominant engine suppliers for the fire service

[Duke W.]

Re: Non Corvette Question

Some of the old radials ran about 1500 rpm's at cruse settings and most today in the flat engines are 2700 rpm's & below.

Takeoff power was usually rated in the mid-2000 range.

Duke

[Dick W.]

Re: Non Corvette Question

I forgot Lycoming and Mack. I have never seen anything but a V-12 Lycoming, but Mack did have a dual ignition gas engine or two

[John D.]

Re: Non Corvette Question

Notice the 39 Buick behind old Art's dragster. First car I ever wrecked was a 39 Buick back in 1946.