Posted by Tim on Sunday, September 29, 2002 at 9:57PM :
In Reply to: Re: HP as a function of compression ratio posted by George on Sunday, September 29, 2002 at 9:28PM :
Dick Landy improved a Flathead Ford V8 to achieve 300 MPH at Bonneville, a world record.
L-head motors can be made to perform very well. Landy is the Mopar expert on big blocks and Hemis. I wish Landy would attempt this with a 265 L-head Chrysler!
A Mopar L-head doesn't have some of the problems which had to be overcome in the Ford flathead, such as the exhaust passages that pass through the cylinder block. The FlatFire team looked at the flathead as a "underhead cam" motor which had a very light and simple valve train, ideal for high RPMs (no rocker arms etc), but had to overcome the inherent air flow problems, which they did very well indeed! A Formula 1 racer doesn't have a more efficient valve train than a flathead.
The key is overcoming the L-head breathing problem is a supercharger or turbo.