Cost of Running Burtz Engine

[BIG KEV]

Originally Posted by California Travieso

Big Kev,

Welcome to the Barn. Is that a Thomas Head? I’ve been thinking of getting one, primarily for the visual coolness factor of the fins, but I assume the fins help dissipate heat.

David Serrano

Thanks for the Welcome Dave.

Yessir, sure is.. 7-1 Thomas... The pulling power on hills is down right stunning... Yes the cool factor of the fins is always some eye candy under the hood but yeah they dissipate some heat also..

[BIG KEV]

Originally Posted by RickInVA

There comes a time when many will be confronted with installing a Burtz engine or have a trailer queen that is just polished. My engine has been bored .100 over and the crankshaft has been ground .020 under. To buy a rebuilt engine I must supply a rebuildable engine in return. To try to repair mine I am faced with a crank that has had the nitride hardning ground off and the the cylinders sleeved. I will also would need to deal with the head studs and loose heli coils. I end up with an unreliable, short lived, engine. The Burtz engine is the way to go.

Rick,

There are many engines with sleeves in them that run long life spans without issues... The crank you can buy a repop crank with counter balancing and will be a vast improvement. The motors can be saved, and many will choose to save their motors due to keeping the vintage tin together with the vintage steel, But I do agree with you...

There will be a point where people will cross that bridge of ditching the babbit motor and installing brand new, with the serviceability of the A platform, A new block less prone to cracks and fatigue isnt a bad idea... In 100 years they will be still driving A's hopefully.

The Burtz block vs the normal rebuild isn't too far off money wise, and like many probably are doing, they are building a spare block while they drive their car till the day the motor is needed to replace a failing block, or just doing it for a huge upgrade in power or just dependability.

I see both sides of the coin for sure... But End of the day... Its your money, spend it how you want to spend it... I find it more fun myself personally to run old motors that have history... How many motors and cars were made into tanks in WW2? ALOT... I find it a pleasure to play with motors that survived the steel drives and all the other dumb regulations and programs to this day... But thats me.

[RickInVA]

Big Kev
Thanks for your insight. I also see both sides of the coin and I agree it is a matter of personal choice, based on individual wants and needs. There isn't a binary right or wrong answer, we all love a very special car.

[daren007]

Crossing that bridge…I don’t think so. I bought a model A because I wanted a modelA.

[Jim M]

Me too!

[Bruce of MN]

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Driving cars in 100 years! Too bad we won’t be around to see that! Except for some of the stubborn ones?

[grumpyjo45]

Where can I purchase a Burtz long block?

[Bruce of MN]

https://burtzblock.com/collections/all

[Bob-A]

I just got an email from Burtz advertising a deal for Model-A local clubs. If you buy 3 at once they would go for -$5,000- a piece plus free shipping. They are long blocks with the HC head, flywheel, etc. There are no local clubs around where I live and the "B" block in my '31 roadster runs good.
However, if I was a member of a local club. I would think seriously about buying one an "pickling" it until needed.


Bob-A


"Skirts are for Women not Car Fenders"

[JayJay]

To be fair, "long block" generally includes pesky things like valves, lifters, pistons, rings, oil pump, crank/timing gears, etc. which are not included in any offering directly from Burtz as far as I know. And "long block" generally includes assembly, ready to install. To obtain a long block you would need to either have the additional parts yourself (all standard Model A parts, BTW) or else have an engine builder provide them. Steve Becker offers a "Burtz Long Block". Other engine builders same deal. The Burtz website does give a list of engine builders but many others have successfully built up Burtz engines as well.

[Bob-A]

Originally Posted by JayJay

To be fair, "long block" generally includes pesky things like valves, lifters, pistons, rings, oil pump, crank/timing gears, etc. which are not included in any offering directly from Burtz as far as I know. And "long block" generally includes assembly, ready to install. To obtain a long block you would need to either have the additional parts yourself (all standard Model A parts, BTW) or else have an engine builder provide them. Steve Becker offers a "Burtz Long Block". Other engine builders same deal. The Burtz website does give a list of engine builders but many others have successfully built up Burtz engines as well.

My bad on using the words "long block"! I still think it is a pretty good deal.


Bob-A