History and Reason for the 60 hp v8 engine

[MGG]

In 1937 and 1939 my grandfather bought two General Electric welding sets which were powered by 60s. They seemed to do well in that application. The welders were used by my father well into the 1970s and I learned to arc weld with them.

[mhsprecher]

Didn't some people but the V8 60 in Ford tractors, too?

My friend's father had a 37 Ford V8 60 that he bought used. He was from West Virginia, so I suspect it was a real dog there. He hated that car and never bought another Ford as a result.

[V860too]

Originally Posted by Bruce Lancaster

The earliest 60's (built here, used in England and Europe only) '35-6 were STRANGE.
Four main bearings, two siamesed exhaust ports on each side and totally different spacing on intake ports, and electric fuel pumps.
I saw one of these blocks in a French junkyard around 1970, and I had trouble believing my eyes! I could tell it was a Ford from its general engineering, but the features noted above absolutely did not compute in my mind. Kind of like finding a candy apple Zebra with antlers...
I only found documentation on those things many years later, helping me to pretend I wasn't crazy when I saw the lump.

Look like this???

[V860too]

The 60 was also KING of the water.
Perfect for the APBA 136ci (2.5L Stock now) & 145ci (2.5L Mod now) classes.

[Kurt in NJ]

When I bought oput the NOS 60 parts collection from a boat racer he told me that in the boat with a stock bottom end that at 7000 rpm the engine would be good for 2seasons between rebuilds---but at 7500 rpm it wouldn't go 1/2 a season

so how fast do you spin it up in the boat---or midget racer now

[Bulligen]

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There is a 60 in my 29 phaeton that someone installed in the late 40's!

[1952henry]

A

Originally Posted by mhsprecher

Didn't some people but the V8 60 in Ford tractors, too?

My friend's father had a 37 Ford V8 60 that he bought used. He was from West Virginia, so I suspect it was a real dog there. He hated that car and never bought another Ford as a result.

There were kits by Funk to put the 239 and six holers in the 9/2/8Ns. No kits for the 60s. That would be a step down from the factory four.

The Thieman Harvester Co offered tractor kits that were commonly powered by Model A engines. You could get different models that would use Ford V8s, including the 60. In addition you could use chubby and fiat (dodge) sixes.


http://m.tractorhouse.com/ListingDet...ategoryID=1110

[Ol' Ron]

It's been said that the engineer in charge of the Ford flathead six, worked for Hudson. Probavly why it had more power than the V8

[4t8v8]

I was told many years ago by a retired Ford engineer that Ford engineering including Edsel wanted a 6 to be more competitive with other brands. Everyone did not want a V8 as it had had some real teething problems at first. The 60 was a compromise as Henry hated inline 6 cylinder engines and at one time claimed he would never ok one. Edsel eventually won out.

[mhsprecher]

Originally Posted by 4t8v8

I was told many years ago by a retired Ford engineer that Ford engineering including Edsel wanted a 6 to be more competitive with other brands. Everyone did not want a V8 as it had had some real teething problems at first. The 60 was a compromise as Henry hated inline 6 cylinder engines and at one time claimed he would never ok one. Edsel eventually won out.

Poor Edsel. Not literally, of course, but to have to put up with his father's tyranny. A different person, brilliant in his own way, but constantly put down by his father. Ford made a 6, but in the last years of his life. He won, but at great cost to himself.

[Jembow]

My Coupe is one of the first cars fitted with the 60, the Model 62 car wasn't ready in late 35 for the annual Motor Show where new models for 36 were announced so Ford put the motor in the Model 48 and called it a Model 60. Haven't yet got it running well enough to comment on performance, waiting on a distributor from Bubba.

The motor is not the original 4 main beast, it was a bad design and most of them were exchanged under warranty in 36/37, but I am on the track of an original.

[Kube]

Originally Posted by JSeery

My dad drove a 39 (I think) with a 60 in it. He was always talking about having to get a running start to try and get over a hill with it. And this was Kansas! Also heard him talk about having to back up some inclines because reverse was a lower gear

I have had only one 1940 Ford with a 60 in it. That was back in the early 1980's.
That car, although a fine runner, was painfully under powered. It is no joke that the car would just barely make it up a fairly steep hill under its own power. That's in first gear and that's with a 4:44 differential. The car was frightening in traffic.

I had a '39 coupe with a healthy 60 in. that was just about eight years ago. Same experience. Frightening in traffic.

[JSeery]

Originally Posted by Kube

I have had only one 1940 Ford with a 60 in it. That was back in the early 1980's.
That car, although a fine runner, was painfully under powered. It is no joke that the car would just barely make it up a fairly steep hill under its own power. That's in first gear and that's with a 4:44 differential. The car was frightening in traffic.

I had a '39 coupe with a healthy 60 in. that was just about eight years ago. Same experience. Frightening in traffic.

My dad has always disliked older Fords and could never understand why I would have an interest in them. I think a lot of this was based on having several with the 60 in them and it also being the war years and service and gas being a problem. It would be interesting to know how much damage these engines did to the Ford brand in the 40s?

[blucar]

In 1947 my father bought a '39 Ford 1/2 ton pickup with a V8 60 engine. In 1947 cars and truck were still very hard to get and quite high in price because of the shortages caused by WWII. The truck was in excellent condition, hardly a mark on it. The only problem was the V8 60 which was really under-powered for a pickup.
On many occasions I heard my father describe the truck as being so under-powered "it would not pull a sick Lady of The Evening out of bed".
Dad only kept the truck a few months, traded it for a '39 Dodge 1/2 ton.. That truck was a bigger piece of junk than the Ford.
Until just a couple of years ago a good friend of mine had a '48 MG which he bought new. Hal raced the MG and could not keep the engine together. Very common with the MG's. In the early '50's Hal put a well built '40 V8 60 truck motor in the MG. He never had an issue with the V8 60. Hal gave the MG to his son in 2013.

[V860too]

7600rpm all day long in the Hydroplane and would bump 8000rpm when it hopped out of the water.
In the AARA a few of dad's 60s would go all season turning 7500rpm but would need RINGS by the fall (dirt tracks are hard on rings & cyl).

[MARVIN, CT]

I put a 60 in my mgtd a few years ago, still runs and sounds sweet. Marvin, ct