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Autoshite's Iconic Engines


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(Am waiting for Bo11ox to mention his fave VM multipot diesel range!)

 

 

 

In the meantime another vote for XUD, my flavour is the intercooled XUD7.  I just got on well with it for upteen thousands of miles.

 

Fiat twinks in my Betas went on and on even though the Solex and Weber carbs always messed about and idled when they wanted. So blip throttle, and drive it.  With injection, a lot of the spirit was lost.

 

Proper soft spot for the Alfa boxers. Had a few of those ever since age 19, revved the nuts out of them and never threw one, not ever.  Even the twee earlier units are lovely. 1350 on carbs is my favourite and preference has always been the 1490 over the 1712.  Hell, I even liked the late one in the 146i I had last year and I'm in me forties.

 

2011_NEC_Classic_Car_Show_Alfa_Romeo_Arn DSC05328.jpg

 

Still keep one though, it's what the 33 came with and a spare QV engine is out there on the decking under a tarp. Just in case.

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Ford Kent, rev the bollocks off it, fix it with a hammer. lived on for 44 years in various styles but original 997 oversquare in the 105e englia was amazing for smooth revvy little unit.

 

Rover v8 3.9 on stainless exhaust in my Range Rover. Makes me go all unnecessary at idle and get wet :shock: and cold because the window has to be open while I drive.

 

Triumph V8, well I have to dont I  8) the sound it makes at 7k rpm is worth all the hassle. A good one will last way over 100k between rebuilds and that was outstanding for a mid 60's design. They sound completely different to Rover v8. Plus it destroyed Triumph didnt it? </Saloon Bar bore>

 

Definately not shite but BRM v16 makes the hairs stand up on my neck, as does the Mazda 787Rb rotary

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The A series is a wonderful thing, but only if it has a jingling timing chain and a rumble from the mains when it's time to change up a gear. Jags V12 is probably the greatest engine ever, they're like a fucking turbine, but as 6 foot bonnet lengths aren't always viable, my vote goes for straight sixes, any straight six, their dimensions enforce body design in the right direction, unless the wankers put them in sideways.

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The A series is a wonderful thing, but only if it has a jingling timing chain and a rumble from the mains when it's time to change up a gear. Jags V12 is probably the greatest engine ever, they're like a fucking turbine, but as 6 foot bonnet lengths aren't always viable, my vote goes for straight sixes, any straight six, their dimensions enforce body design in the right direction, unless the wankers put them in sideways.

 

In theory a V12 should be the same length as a straight six.

 

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I'm sure it's worse in real life, but it amuses me that Volvo can fit transverse straight 5 and 6 cylinder engines in their car with more space to work on them than most cars with transverse straight 4s.

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The Rover/Buick v8. It's fair to say Rover got every penny of moneys worth out of it. Pity they fucked it all up near then by over boring it, fitting liners that didn't stick to the block and letting quality drop top that of a cold war era Russian tractor factory. 

 

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So much as I like them in standard form they are a bit over rated. Not a great deal of power as standard, tuning goodies expensive, larger capacity motors have a shit load of issues.

 

If I was looking for a V8 to transplant I would use something from the US of A.

 

Not a car engine but the motor in my hayabusa is something else - you dont think it can keep on pulling, but feck me, it does.

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After yesterday's antics the PSA TU engine has earned my respect as the wee TU9 in the biscuit tin did 70+ at very noisy RPM for hours and happily did the A road fun too.

Why has no one mentioned the Volvo OHC Redblock? Bar the odd head gasket they'll run pretty much indefinitely.

See also the Gardner 6LXB.

 

Agreed.

 

See also the Cummins L10, M11 and N14

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VW aircooled flat four.

 

You can fix them with a couple of different sized spoons, they go and go and parts are abundant.

 

Seemingly there's a programme on Quest just about to start all about it. Engine Addicts. I notice your XUDs don't get a TV show.... ;-)

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we are just listing engines, aren't we?

 

Fords Flathead V8, starting point for a hot rod. Ardun conversion for added win but not strictly necessary.

 

Chevy stovebolt 6, the 235ci in full oiler spec. Fit one with twin Carter carbs and a Fenton exhaust, at full chat it makes a sound like an angry Nordic god tearing up sails.

 

Cadillac 331ci. A proper aristocrat of an engine but stunning to look at and smoother than my tinder profile.

 

Ford 292 y-block. heavy, hard to tune, and has it foibles (oil feed to rocker shafts can kill them) but is also a stunner to look at when detailed properly. another traditional hot rod motor.

 

Fiat twink, 1600 or 2000, the one we used to snot into Moggy Minors. I would have one in my living room.

 

pre Xflow 1500, café racer of an engine.

 

The K series in the F is growing on me, and I have managed not to break it.

 

A couple I don't like.

 

Small block chevy. the starter motor needs to be shimmed to engage correctly. The first SBC I had was in a hot rod and the set up meant  the engine needed to come out to shim the starter motor correctly. I have irrationally hated them ever since.

A series. vastly over rated, weak & easy to burst. I previously found them easier & cheaper to replace than repair, no shortage of the things in yards.

Pinto. Lets spend vast sums of money on really, really small power gains

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All Volvo engines apart from the PRV turd (far better in Pug guise with totally different top end)

Fiat twin cam esp 1756cc mated to rwd- no Lancia fwd shit.

Toyota 4AGE powered all the old Corollas and Mk1 MR2, reliable and very tuneable.

Lotus 900 2 litre engines, boat anchor reliable....unlike some of the turds they powered.

Citroen 2CV flat four- has no gaskets! Testing was something like 100 hrs at peak revs!

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I find it hard to believe that the Cologne V6 hasn't been mentioned yet.

The same goes for the Jag V12. Shiter or not, once in life a man must have fathered a boy, planted a tree and owned a V12.

And what about the Renault Ventoux and Sierra engines?

 

Isn't the Cologne V6 a bit "meh"? I've had a couple, nothing wrong with them at all but nothing to shout from the tree tops about either. They are just engines?

 

The only V12 I've ever been responsible for was in a Chally 2. Went ok, sounded good

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Chrysler Slant 6 aka the Leaning Tower of Power. A 40 year production life and t'interweb says they made over 13 million of them.

 

post-3927-0-42789800-1441803702_thumb.jpg

 

The very definition of bullet proof, however adjusting the rockers on non-hydraulic lifters is an essential part of the routine maintenance as I found out.

 

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My vote also goes for the A series, it's small (so bits of it, or even the whole engine are not big and heavy to work on), it's simple (even I can understand it and work on it), and it will keep on running when it's absolutely knackered  even if it uses as much oil and water as petrol (as I have found out many times in the past)

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