Classic Mopar Tech, Nascar!

[polyjohn]

The 'W1' Big-block head WAS NOT a race head...
It has full heat cross-over for the STREET car engine!

2.250 intake valves and extra cooling passages like the later Motorhome heads.

 

[Slap Stick]

I would say Weslake influenced Chrysler, which is what Chrysler paid em to do and Chrysler influenced Maurice and Dale. After all, PEI was basically the factory team.
And na$car style heads are crap on a street car.
A friend had a set of Pontiac na$car heads for his SBC dirt car. They were terrible inder 4-5k rpm. After that they were better than the best SBC heads of the day.

 

[polyjohn]

Well said Slap stick!
Most Nascar engines are not good street engines!
But there is a place for them if they have ben cast with crossovers.
I assume the 413/426 MaxWedge heads were a PIG on the street especially if you lived North of SanFran.
Although most cars built today could NOT 'pull the skin of a ricer pudding', we still build Hellcats and the like!
Back in the 70's there was a strong Market for Muscle cars but the Fuel crisis, 'killed it off'...
If that had not happened the Muscle car industry like the Superbike Industry would have carried on regardless.
So what I'm thinking with this Nascar engine is, what was it like 'low down'?
With the STR-14 it would be 3000rpm and above but a hipo 'dual plane may have been the 'golden ticket'.
Only once the engine is dynoed and the torque/hp curve assessed, then we shall know...
Best wishes from John

 

[moparedtn]

@Nick Panaritis

 

[Slap Stick]

The huge ports would still make it a pig on the street.
The old Buick "nailhead" was a torque monster in its day due to its small ports.
Not much up top but at street rpm it moved those big cars effortlessly.
Also, the big ports worked with cams that could take advantage of those ports but they were designed to work at sustained high rpm. Small track engine es got different cams and heads because of the rpm variation.

 

[polyjohn]

The ports are only slightly bigger than the W2 as per the 'porting plate' reference.
I would guess that the 'Powers to be' at Mopar were going to invest in a performance head in the 70's.
If we call this head the Weslake-1 and the smallblock the W2 then that would make sense?
But outside forces and the looming 'oil crisis' put performance to bed 'in a big way'.
Even talking about performance and gas guzzling was frowned upon for many years.

Then came the 80's and it was like the 'roaring 20's' all over again but Bigblocks were history by then...

 

[polyjohn]

Hi Folks,
I would have thought that some 'more interest' was forthcoming from engine builders.
The mighty 426 HEMI has been and gone in preference to the more affordable wedge engines...
I'm sure that more progress could be made with an Ovalport WEDGE-head, if the technology works?
There are plenty of companies casting Ali heads all around the World now.
I must find someone willing to forward this head design, before the 'sands of time' run out...

 

[polyjohn]

Hi Guys,
A lot has happened in the last few years!
Maybe its time to get things moving again?

So what with Nick happily restoring Eugene’s Charger 500, l am considering donating the 426ci Harry Weslake engine to another English legend ‘David Vizard’...

His recent work on ‘double-hump’ Chevheads has blown me away!!!

 

[dvw]

It would be interesting to see flow numbers on them. To bad they still have the poor combustion chamber design.
Doug

 

[polyjohn]

Hi DVW,

Many thanx for the interest in the Nascar Weslake heads and engine.

These are not the same as the ones in the Mopar Performance book with the strange chambers!

They are in fact a copy of the 906 head 'open chamber' with additional waterways for plug cooling.

View attachment 1227741 View attachment 1227743

 

[polyjohn]

The pistons were removed from the engine and used for another race motor in the 80's.

Old school pop-up's that were common back then. (frowned upon now lol)

The valve train is also unique as they are heavily offset as there are no 'pushrod-pinches'.