1954 308 HP?

Lee ODell

This is my first stepdown. I have a 54 308 iron head engine in my 52 Hornet. The 53-54 Mechanical Procedures Manual list two HP engines. One is 160 HP at 3800 RPM and the other at 170 HP at 4000 RPM. Both are listed with aluminum heads and both with 7.5 compression ratio.

Is the difference in HP because of the extra 200 RPM or is the 160 HP engine suppose to be listed with an iron head?

Or is the HP even lower than 160 HP listing because it has an iron head?

Will someone please clear this up for me?

Lee O'Dell

Lee ODell

Hudson308 wrote:

Single 2bbl vs. Twin-H, Lee.

Thanks for your response Hudson308.

Single 2bbl. I should have looked at the foot note. The 170 HP is with Twin-H.

Did all 54 308 engines come with aluminum heads?

That still leaves the question. What is the 54 308's HP with an iron 308 head?

Lee O'Dell

dougson

There was never a factory produced 308 hp 308 cu in. engine. Maybe you typo'd. The '54 2 bbl. engine was listed at 160 hp regardless of head. Hudson never distinguished hp ratings based on head material even though the aluminum was a higher compression head early on. By '56, the last year of the 308, all production heads were 7.5:1 compression ratio.

Lee ODell

Dougson,

Thanks for catching the typo error. I edited it a little to make better sense. 1 HP per cubic inch would be nice though.

And thanks for the information about the 160 HP being the same between the iron head and aluminum head on the 1954 308 CI engine.

I wonder what changes Hudson made to the iron head to make the same 7.5 compression ratio the aluminum head has.

Lee O'Dell