article comparing V-8s of the fifties

[stall]

I found this very interesting

http://books.google.com/books?id=sdwDAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA140&pg=PA141#v=onepage&q&f=false

Enjoy, Murray

[Nelsen Motorsports]

If you scroll down a little ways you will find a weasel.

[JeffDeWitt]

That is interesting.

Scroll down the pages and there is an article "Taxi up Misery Mountain" about a guy who runs a year round taxi service up Mount Washington. He's got a bulldozer, a Sno-Cat and and Weasel. The Weasel is the fastest (and there is a nice picture).

[benaslopoke]

Oh yes,, Those were the days !!

Anyone wanta guess the makes of the engines on the opening page ??

My guess counterclock wise from the top:

Buick nail head
Dodge red ram
Ford passenger car
Caddie
Chrysler fire dome
Chrysler (again)
Ford truck
Stude
Then further down the awesome Helio Courier (flies backwards if you're so inclined)

Oh in the engine picture , Oldsmobile Rocket

[Turbopackman]

I absolutely love Popular Mechanics from the '50s and '60s, it seemed that nothing couldn't be solved without the application of some sort of atomic material!

"Radiation slows fungus"
"Fuel costs slashed by Atomic Heater in Plutonium-Plant buildings"
"Radioactive tire test quickly measures wear"
"Mock up watches tell time, date and radioactivity level"

Incidentially, if you go to page 92 you'll see "Studebaker adds new line"

You just gotta love the '50s!

[rusty nut garage]

During the 50's in the southwest specifically the 4 corners area it was a raging fad to own a geiger counter and hunt for uranium. This was before my time but my dad tells stories of taking his 49 plymouth (remember this was long before everyone had a 4X4) and a geiger counter loading up mom and the in-laws for a picknic in the backcountry and hunting for uranium.

I absolutely love Popular Mechanics from the '50s and '60s, it seemed that nothing couldn't be solved without the application of some sort of atomic material!

"Radiation slows fungus"
"Fuel costs slashed by Atomic Heater in Plutonium-Plant buildings"
"Radioactive tire test quickly measures wear"
"Mock up watches tell time, date and radioactivity level"

Incidentially, if you go to page 92 you'll see "Studebaker adds new line"

You just gotta love the '50s!

[jclary]

Thanks for posting this. It took me a while to get around to reading it and clicking on the link. After a little wading through the pages (and many side trips down memory lane) I managed to get to page 252 to read the rest of the article.

I sure would like to find a bucket full of those $65 four barrel carburetors that would give you an extra 10 horse power the article mentioned. However, back then $65 was a lot of money.

It was about a year or two after this article that my older brother went to a Sheriff's auction and bought a '48 Mercury two door sedan with a blown flathead V8.(I mean blown-up, not supercharged.) I think he paid only about $35 for the car. The car had been confiscated in a chase. Story was that the car was on a bootleg whiskey run with 100's of gallons of fresh brew in the trunk and back seats. The suspension was beefed up like a truck. The engine let go during the chase on the winding mountain roads. I went with my brother to old man Horton's combination trailer park, coal yard and junk yard. He negotiated Mr. Horton down from $30 to $20 for another flathead V8 that supposedly came from another wrecked bootlegger car.

This was my first exposure to engine swaps as I was the helper handing my brother wrenches and stuff. In a few short days, including a few annoying visits from some of his highschool buddies, my brother had a hot new ride.
For less than the cost of one of those new four barrel carburetors mentioned in that article, my brother had a whole car. It was a few steps up from the A model Fords, 39 Plymouth coupe, and old '30's Willis he had drug home in the past. Great memories!

[stuuder]

Lotsa good reading here..........

http://blog.modernmechanix.com/covers