Re: Why didn't Continental make an OHV V-8?

Posted by 58L8134 On 2012/7/23 18:52:03

Hi

I spoke with a Kaiser-Frazer enthusiast about the V-8 Kaiser was developing and dropped to fund the Henry J. He told me the Kaisers insisted the engine have major commonents made from aluminum. In this case it was to be aluminum block, cast-iron heads. Apparently there were considerable issues which eventually nixed the project. Why they wouldn't simply use cast-iron throughout until the aluminum difficulties were overcome is unknown. Interesting, the two engineers who designed the Kaiser prototypes were later large responsible for the AMC's own new V-8 engine in 1956.

Postwar, Continental was down to Checker and Kaiser for customers. Truckmakers preferred big displacement in-line sixes, seeing no advantages in the emerging OHV V-8 for their purposes. The industrial equipment makers were the focus of Continental's business at the time. Their engines were well-engineered and built, were held in high-regard throughout that industry.

Continental-engined Full-Classics are some of the more interesting low-production offerings of the time. Though, I imagine at the time, some people still looked down on them as "assembled cars"!

Steve