[tomtronhp]

Guys
I hope you don't if I ask for help again but you had all the info I needed earlier today on a 1963 195ci to 326ci so I hope you can help me again.

I am in contact with a guy who has all equipment from the engine (including the crossmember) to the rear-end & trany for $400. At first I thought that this would be an easy swap. You know, just engine and drive shaft. Then I found out that I also include the transaxle. I figured this is beyond me. I'll just keep the 4cyl. So I called him back and told him I was passing on buying the parts. He asked why and I told him that the swap was way too complicated. When I was done he told me that it was very simple. Just a few bolts back at the rear wheel wells & with a jack under the trany just let it down. He also told me that I would not be happy with the 4cyl. Noisy and vibrates.

Here is where I could use your help. First let me tell you a couple of things. I owned a 63 convert back in 1966 when I was a teenager. I never worked on it, just cruised in it . Later I got a 1968 OHC with the sprint package which I did worked on and raced at the local drag strip. I have some reasonable mechanical ability.

Two questions if you don't mind. How easy (or hard) is the swap and how bad (or good) is the 195ci 4cyl? I know it won't perform like a V8, but how bad is it ?

Pete, if you are still around I would appreciate your imput as you have both cars. Thank you in advance for any help you guys can give.

Tomtronhp

[tomtronhp]

Guys
I hope you don't if I ask for help again but you had all the info I needed earlier today on a 1963 195ci to 326ci so I hope you can help me again.

I am in contact with a guy who has all equipment from the engine (including the crossmember) to the rear-end & trany for $400. At first I thought that this would be an easy swap. You know, just engine and drive shaft. Then I found out that I also include the transaxle. I figured this is beyond me. I'll just keep the 4cyl. So I called him back and told him I was passing on buying the parts. He asked why and I told him that the swap was way too complicated. When I was done he told me that it was very simple. Just a few bolts back at the rear wheel wells & with a jack under the trany just let it down. He also told me that I would not be happy with the 4cyl. Noisy and vibrates.

Here is where I could use your help. First let me tell you a couple of things. I owned a 63 convert back in 1966 when I was a teenager. I never worked on it, just cruised in it . Later I got a 1968 OHC with the sprint package which I did worked on and raced at the local drag strip. I have some reasonable mechanical ability.

Two questions if you don't mind. How easy (or hard) is the swap and how bad (or good) is the 195ci 4cyl? I know it won't perform like a V8, but how bad is it ?

Pete, if you are still around I would appreciate your imput as you have both cars. Thank you in advance for any help you guys can give.

Tomtronhp

[tom s]

While I was gathering all the parts to covert mine to a front trans/solid axle,I drove my 4cyc 1bbl auto as a daily driver.Very noisey and vibrates a lot,low HP but great gas milage.If you get the complete setup,engine on the X member,TQ tube hooked to it and it to the trans axle it should be a very easy swap.

[Peter Serio]

I have been driving my 4 cyl convertible for about 3 weeks now, every other day. At first I thought the 4 cyl engine would be neat, but being that the cyl bore is actually larger in diameter than the stroke of the crankshaft, the engine vibrates at idle.
It used to be worse but...........
I have replaced both pairs of motor & transaxle mounts to make it better & with the new rubber parts in-place there are a LOT less vibrations.
It still gets a little annoying after a while.
(I confess I am used to modern cars & fuel-injection, etc.)

Anything above idle & the vibration goes right away. At 10 to 70 MPH the engine runs very well, & is smooth. The transmission(transaxle) seems very well matched to the torque curve of the engine in my car. The 4 cyl does not have much get-up-and-go, from a stop light. Now I see why they released the 326 as an extra cost option in 63.
On the plus side, My 4 cyl car is getting almost 20 MPG from normal driving which I hear is about the norm for the 2 speed automatic cars.

[Peter Serio]

1963 stock 4 cyl engine:

[White Warrior]

I believe a properly updated 4 cyl would be a lot of fun on the street using either a T-5 5 speed with a conventional rear or the Tempest 4 speed with gears from the later Corvairs {don't know for sure if they will fit}
Using an aluminum d-port [KRE ] or an E head would lower the octane requirement. A good set of headers and a small AFB on a modified 4 cyl 4 bl intake would give it some good punch.
I am in the process of building a 4 cyl for my race car with an E-head . I should have it down the track in a week or so. Dave Johnson

[Metal]

SWEET !!!!!

[Stuart]

That's pretty cool. It appears you're running a V8 intake manifold, yes? Did you just bolt on some sort of blockoff plate on the driver's side?

[tom s]

Dave,did you weld off the entrance to the drivers side ports under the plenum?Tom

[White Warrior]

The drivers side ports are filled in. I have a SD aluminum 4bl intake but the ports are kind of small and it is meant to work with a 540306 head and would require rework for the water passage. The manifold is too valuable to butch up.
I hope to find a head comperable to what I had on the 446" engine and will then use a Wentzler Gutsram with half the ports cut off and a plate welded on.
The carb on that manifold in the picture is a Carter 3bl,which is what worked best many years ago when my friend Ray ran that intake. Dave

[White Warrior]

Here are a couple more pix. My friend ,Ray Bisig and I both raced 4 cyl years ago and he started to work on this engine about a year ago. We used pistons and rods from a 427" motor I ran and other parts we scrounged up.

[Metal]

White Warrior,

Where did you get the camshaft for that motor? What type of camsaft is it?

Thanks

[White Warrior]

The cam is a roller with .700" net lift and 278deg @.050" in and 288deg @.050"
I had BOP Engineering make it for us using their full circle billet blank. The blank has 16 lobes so the unused were just ground down.

[White Warrior]

Here is another picture.

[Metal]

White Warrior,

Too cooool. How much horsepower do you think it will make? Is it going in a standard or automatic car?

Thanks

[White Warrior]

I believe it will make 300+ hp with the unported E-head. With a ported head and more displacement,[ It's at 207" now,I will have it out to 222" in the future]I hope to make over 400hp.
I am using a Jerico 4 speed now with a 6.14 rear
end. We have a Doug Nash 5 speed we will probably try at some time.

[White Warrior]

Finally got the White Warrior down the track with the 4 cyl engine. Best of 3 runs was a 12.78@102.44 mph. The other 2 runs were in the 12.80s.
Anyone know of any other 4 cyl Tempests and how fast they ran?

[mechanickeith]

There is a guy up in Canada that has a Blown 4 banger in a home made rail, Calls it the "Rapid Fire", runs in the nines!!! Go to. www.littleindians.com & search the news letter archives for a great article about him. Lots of pictures. Mickey Thompson also did a lot of Tempest stuff. He put a 4-71 on a bone stock 61 with a 3 speed & ran a flat 14 in the 1/4. He also cut a 4 in half & had over 200 HP out of 2 cylinders!!!
Ken Freeman of East/West Auto parts, Tulsa Ok. has a Tempest superduty 4 bolt main 4 cyl in the back seat of a Corvair, mid engine style, his is turbocharged,about 500 Hp!

[White Warrior]

Thanks,I knew about them. I was wondering if anyone else has run a naturally asperated 4 banger in a Tempest lately and how fast.
The interesting Tempests were the 62's that were set up by Ray Nichels and Smokey Yunick in 1962. Smokey said he got 240hp out of his 4 cyl SD. It was rated at 184hp [half of the 368 SD 389 rating]There are surviving pictures of the cars but none with an open hood.

[sdbob]

Years ago I supplied some 4 cyl blocks to John Herslow for his dragster. He told me the 4cyl non 4bl blocks were actually heavier duty than the 4bbl blocks(I had one). Just thought I'd pass this on.