Posted by Bob Fetters on December 09, 1998 at 13:13:01:
In Reply to: Re: Improvements to 230/251 flatheads during rebuild? posted by Chris on December 09, 1998 at 06:44:15:
We recently picked up a Desoto that had been rebuilt for a dirt track race car a number of years ago. Dad was not racing (or driving) any more and his son was cleaning out the garage. The engine is a "Big Block" flathead 6, but only 236 cubes. The big block is 2" longer than the Dodge 230 but looks pretty much the same and many of the parts interchange. This engine had a crank damper that came with the basket of spare parts. There were many steel cranks with these larger engines, but some had cast cranks. This 236 is steel. The HP of the 236 is not much more than the 230, but the torque is noticeably higher. The stock military engine is designed to run on fuel with an octane rating as low as 68. Increased compression with the same ATDC timing does not detract from off road operation and boosts torque as well as HP. (watch the rods) I will try to find the neat pictures I got from the Inliners contact. Finned heads, dual carb, dual exhaust with geared cam - have to reverse the distributor rotation - and marine cam. Do you have an email address? BOB