1932 - The Invention of The Ford V8 Engine

[Model A Canuck]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RB3z1er9Sw

[ThirstyThirty]

a comment and review from a previous 'tuber's watching: "What a wonderful film!"

Thanks!, I think i will watch it. maybe later today after the ball game!

always admired pattern work...making, mold set ups, core work, pouring metal alum/cast. been there done that! final parts, tooling fixtures and then the machine work! a lot goes into the thinking side of it all, too!

[Brendan]

Nice video, are there any of Henry or Edsel speaking?

[38 coupe]

Funny how little things jump out and annoy some of us. The V8 was not "invented" by Ford, it was developed. The V8 engine design dates back to the early 1900s, and the first recognized successful mass production V8 engines were brought out by Cadillac in 1915. What made Ford's V8 special was it was the first V8 developed for the low price field (note: Chevrolet's 1917-1918 V8 was definitely not in the same price bracket as the Model T).

[L-head]

Not only for the "masses", the low price field, it was the one piece V8 casting that made it unique.

[petehoovie]

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Originally Posted by L-head

Not only for the "masses", the low price field, it was the one piece V8 casting that made it unique.

Yup!

[Tim Ayers]

I really enjoy these old time movies. After watching the video, maybe we've all be worrying too much about fitting full floaters. The video shows worker spinning them back and forth, once or twice and that seemed good to go. LOL!

[38 coupe]

Originally Posted by L-head

Not only for the "masses", the low price field, it was the one piece V8 casting that made it unique.

Well, no. As much credit is due to Ford Motor Company and to Henry Ford for the 1932 V8, we have to give credit where credit is due. General Motors produced two V8 engines with one piece cast blocks before Ford got in the game. Ford's innovation was in making the engine small enough and affordable enough, more innovation in the manufacturing side of engineering an engine, less so in the engine itself. Ford's innovation was making the V8 available in the low price field.

The first one piece cast block V8 produced that I am aware of is the 1929 Viking engine. More information here: https://www.macsmotorcitygarage.com/...-motors-brand/
Picture of Viking engine:


Picture of Viking V8 cross section showing one piece casting:



The second one piece cast block V8 produced that I am aware of is the 1930-1932 Oakland / Pontiac engine. More information here: https://www.macsmotorcitygarage.com/...pontiac-eight/

Picture of Oakland / Pontiac engine:


Picture of Oakland / Pontiac block showing once piece casting:

[Zeke3]

Thanks 38 coupe for posting those pictures. The thing that I find really interesting is that the cylinders and the valves are not on the same plane. It looks like that made for some interesting valvetrains and cylinder sealing challenges.

The video gives a good appreciation of how bad the market conditions were in 1932. I especially liked the shots of the testing the 1932 cars on the “proving grounds.”

[38 coupe]

The Oakland / Pontiac head sealing surfaces look strange to me too. That looks like a maintenance nightmare, how do you surface that and keep the bolt holes lined up?

The Viking engine design is more typical with a flat head sealing surface, but with the more complicated roller rocker valve actuation.

Ford did well in making a relatively simple V8 engine design while maintaining good (for the time) breathing capability.