Hard vs. soft engine blocks

Posted by su8overdrive On 2013/4/14 17:35:16

No rush on this one, but we've searched and asked all manner of veterans to no avail, and would still like to find out once and for all, WHY did some cars, Hudsons, and to a lesser extent, Chrysler and Ford products, in the '30s and '40s, have hard blocks (Hudson through their end in '54), chrome, nickel, etc., while
GM, Packard, Pierce, Nash, Studebaker, Continental (who supplied various automakers), Lycoming (Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg) and the rest of the industry, use what machinists call "soft" blocks?

I don't think much of Fords, but Chrysler i always had respect for as they were an engineering company, had overdrive for '34 on all lines but Plymouth, Dodge, while Packard and the rest of the industry except GM didn't offer it 'til '39 model year. Chrysler was also ahead of the curve on hydraulic brakes, modern insert bearings, and their "Super Finish" in the mid '30s was more than marketing hype.

Hudsons were mainly medium and lower-priced fare, but they deservedly had a reputation for quality and performance, the Hudson 254-ci flathead straight 8, bone stock, powering Railtons, Augie Duesenberg, as mentioned, in 1940 selling a marine version.

We recall those alive and driving on the East Coast in the '30s and '40s using Amoco unleaded gasoline reporting no problems, tho' many of them were driving Ford, Chrysler, Hudson products. But then as today, unless you're racing in the mountains pulling a trailer, valve recession is oft overstated, but i don't want to reopen that
thrice-told non-issue here, unleaded Amoco in the '30s, '40s, '50s mentioned strictly as adjacent aside.

We already know Packard had the industry's best manufacturing machine shop, something even the engineers and executives at Clark Street (Cadillac) knew and admitted, certainly the powers that be at Derby and Crewe, R-R still having dirt floors in some of their buildings in the '40s.

So....anyone have any old SAE papers or vetted inside information as to soft vs. hard block?

We're conjectured out, would like to stay on the news, not op/ed pages, on this one, so please, "Just the facts, ma'am."