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Curbside Classic Question of the Day: Are we at Peak ICE (Internal Combustion Engine)?
Posted on January 6, 2024 | 99 CommentsOver the past few years, there has been some writing on the wall that the internal combustion engine, or ICE, is living on borrowed time. Regulations in Europe and California […] -
Engine History: Audi’s (and VW) EA827 Engine – The Inline Four That Could!
Posted on December 10, 2023 | 39 Comments(first posted 12/9/2017) Sometimes, great engines are applauded and commended from day one, like the small block chevy engine. But other times they are equally as good, […] -
Forgotten Engines: 1964-1965 Pontiac 215 Six – Built by Pontiac or Chevrolet?
Posted on September 1, 2023 | 98 Comments(first posted 8/30/2017) One of the more forgotten engines is the Pontiac 215 six, available on the Tempest and LeMans in 1964 and 1965. It has of course […] -
Engine History: Lincoln’s Two-Barrel Carb MEL 430 Engine – Taming The Thirsty Beast
Posted on April 19, 2023 | 67 Commentsimage source: hemmings (first posted 5/18/2012. updated 4/18/2017) The 1958 – 1960 Lincolns were all about superlatives, especially in size. These were the biggest (non-5 mph bumper) Lincolns ever made […] -
CC Literature: Secret Classified Documents Revealed–“The Comet Story” (1960)
Posted on February 15, 2023 | 31 CommentsI classify these documents as “secret” because I have searched the internet for “The Comet Story” several times over the years and have never found any reference to it. -
The Atkinson (And Miller Cycle) Engines – Not Exactly What They Started Out To Be
Posted on January 31, 2023 | 63 Comments“Atkinson Gas Engine Animated” by MichaelFrey – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Atkinson_Gas_Engine_Animated.gif#mediaviewer/File:Atkinson_Gas_Engine_Animated.gif (first posted 10/15/2012) Let’s start by stating the obvious: Apparently, the […] -
The (Almost) Forgotten Engine: 1980-1981 Pontiac 265 CID (4.3L) V8 – Why Did They Bother?
Posted on January 15, 2023 | 209 Comments(first posted 1/3/2013) As part of my ever-diligent fact-checking, I wanted to confirm that the 1980 Pontiac Firebird really did come with the Buick V6 as the base engine. Quite […] -
Engine History: The Ford 4.6 liter V8
Posted on January 12, 2023 | 213 Comments(first posted 1/11/2013) Events at Ford Motor Company have been silently spelling the end for their bread-and-butter V8 of the last two decades. With the cancellation of the Panther platform […] -
Opinion: Len’s Top Five Engines That Don’t Get No Respect
Posted on October 21, 2022 | 67 CommentsOne of the things that gets in my craw about vintage cars is how every Chevelle was a Big Block and every Coronet had a 426 Hemi. Coming from someone […] -
How Many “Real” Horsepower Did The 1971 426 Hemi Really Make? A Look At The Gross vs. Net HP Games
Posted on October 13, 2022 | 89 Comments(first posted 10/13/2016) 1971 was something of a watershed year for the great performance/muscle car boom that had been building ever since the “horsepower wars” of the mid fifties. Two […] -
CC Tech: The Operation and Tuning of a Holley Carburetor – a Modern Twist on Old Tech
Posted on October 12, 2022 | 40 CommentsMany of us contributors and commenters lived through the era prior to electronic fuel injection. This meant that most of us have had the “pleasure” of owning and driving cars […] -
Automotive History: The Small Ford Flathead V8 (V8-60), Part Three – The Simca Years
Posted on October 5, 2022 | 37 Comments(first posted 10/5/2016) In 1955, flathead V8s were no longer powering North American cars. The creator of this legendary engine, Ford, had moved on to more modern designs. Side-valves were […] -
Automotive History: The Small Flathead V8 (V8-60), Part Deux – The Post-War European Fords
Posted on October 1, 2022 | 36 Comments(first posted 10/1/2016) When Henry Ford II replaced his grandfather as president of the Ford Motor Company in 1945, he immediately saw that Ford was becoming a zombie corporation. But […] -
Curbside PSA: Ford Pushrod V8 Oil Pump Driveshaft Orientation – Put Away Your Telescoping Magnets
Posted on August 5, 2022 | 40 CommentsThere are few sounds in the garage that are more heart-wrenching than that familiar “thunk” a Ford oil pump driveshaft makes when the distributor extracts it from its home in […] -
Automotive History: 1957 Chevrolet Fuel-Injected 283 V8 – Ahead Of Its Time And The Competition
Posted on June 15, 2022 | 129 Comments(first posted 10/12/2012) Chevrolet dropped a bomb in 1955 with its all-new small block V8, one that blew the Ford flathead V8 and other engines out of the water, off […]