Posted by George on Tuesday, December 31, 2002 at 9:26AM :
In Reply to: Red Line for 230 Flathead posted by John M on Monday, December 30, 2002 at 10:28PM :
I am not certain what is meant by "redline"....the rpm just short of the engine blowing up, or the highest sustained rpm you can run it .... or ??
Since the peak HP on these engines (flathead 6s in general) is usually listed at 3200-3600, Chrysler had to expect them to be run at this speed, at least briefly, without coming apart. But that doesn't necessarily mean they are meant to run this speed continuously.
Another clue comes from the top max speed listed on various PWs and M-37s...this tends to work out to about the same rpm range. And even on cars of that vintage that used these engines, 55mph gives rpms around 3000 or a little more.
Without Chyrsler's test data on how long these engines last as a function of load and rpm, we are really all just guessing.
My guess is that running at 3000-3200 continously is probably ok, but slower would give longer engine life.
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