[Steve Hoog]

Here is an old email I got from the Goatfinder that I just ran across:

"Hi Steve: I wrote that stuff a few years ago. I don't remember it all personally, but as you know, I am very concerned about authenticity and accuracy. In other words, whatever Bill Knafel told me during our many talks is what I wrote, verbatim. I used to tape record our talks just to make sure I was accurate in what I wrote.

I don't know much about Mickey Thompson. If I recall correctly Knafel told me that the hemi porcupine-head engine was used in the '70 Bird, not the JUDGE, but who knows...


John

[bobzdar]

There may be some more info on the 303 sohc developed by brabham. It was based on the 3 liter Buick based f1 engine he used in '66 and '67 which made around 350hp in '67. Brabham actually won both championships despite competition from Ford, Ferrari, Honda, Maserati, and BRM even though the repco-brabham was down 50-75hp, mostly due to dead on reliability and an extremely light car. Interesting that they could only get another 25hp with a 2 liter increase in displacement, though I suspect it was nowhere near finished. I believe that was not the only Pontiac engine produced by brabham, if you look on www.repcobrabham.com, you can see the reference to it in their parts listing (740 series, 5 liter engine). The timeline seems about right, the prototype produced in 1967 before they worked on the raV and IV variants. May be worth a call or e-mail to them to see what block the 5 liter is based on and what it was used in, as they indicate they have some spares (though that might only be the 3 liters) and it was a 'production' engine (meaning they made a few for racing). If one of those could be pieced together you'd have one rare Pontiac. The FI system was most likely indentical to what was used on their f1 cars, and info and parts should be available. Doubt any of it would be anything approaching cheap.

[Geoff]

Bobzdar,
GMH [ Holden ] introduced a 308 cu in [ 5 litre ] V8 here about 1968. It shared virtually nothing with the GM 307 cu in V8. The 308 had an external oil pump, like the BB Mopar, & the heads had equally spaced ports, like the Cleveland. It was produced well into the 90's & somewhere along the way the cubes were reduced to 304, possibly when it went to fuel injection. Some Pontiac V8 engineering was used in the 308; the rockers are interchangable & the dist is very similar in length & design. I believe the 308 block was used by Repco, along with other parts like conrods, in the Repco Brabham engines. There were factory hop up parts available for the 308, because it was sold in semi race form in light weight bodies, the 'A9X' & 'L34' Toranas.

[johnta1]

Here's a pic of a DOHC engine from Fred Teufert's website.

[Steve Hoog]

John

That look like it's mounted on a dyno to you?

[johnta1]

Can't really tell.
Might be a 'run-in' or break-in stand.
Looks like they were running it though.

[Steve Hoog]

Yes it does look like a running engine, and I like this one. Could you just imagine getting your hands on it now, and setting it up in say a 69 GTO kinda like Mac's SOHC. WOW

[younggto]

This was the one with an idling carb on the far side of the intake. I think I read somewhere that the V-belts kept flipping off, "never reaching its full potential", or something like that. -Jesse

[Jack Gifford]

"V-belts"?? Huh??

[RUDOLFSSON]

Originally Posted by Tom Vaught

Long head bolts going well into the block. (Ford's are over 9" long)

If you look closer you can see that it supports (bolts to) the main caps! Like a splayed main cap.
That motor is so brilliant in every detail, imagine how it would have been if it would have been produced!

[pro-tour79]

ever see a Caddy 4.1 the head bolts also go on the outside of the block and ty into the low end of the block.