Smokey's Six

[Lazy JW]

The P-38 was reputedly one of the smoothest and most comfortable of the WW2 fighters. Lindberg actually flew about 50 combat missions in them as a civilian when he was showing the Army pilots how to tune them for better fuel economy. Roosevelt got wind of it and yanked him back to the states. The extra range enabled them to intercept Yamomoto and shoot him down.
Joe

 

[fastback69]

The Brits ordered some Lightnings but didn't want the counter-rotating props or turbochargers. I guess they weren't much for newfangled gadgets. You can imagine the outcome.

 

[Lazy JW]

But they did accept the Allison powered Mustangs. And when they realized thow fast the Mustang was at low altitude they wondered how it would perform with a Merlin engine, the rest, of course, is history.
Joe

 

[fastback69]

The Allison Mustangs needed a turbocharger to provide better air at altitude like the P-38's, P-43's, and P-47's (along with the big bombers).

 

[boston774]

But they did accept the Allison powered Mustangs. And when they realized thow fast the Mustang was at low altitude they wondered how it would perform with a Merlin engine, the rest, of course, is history.
Joe

The Brits were also very fond of the P40, and used it extensively in Africa against Rommel. On an interesting note, the Mustang was originally designed as a dive bomber, the A-36.

 

[Lazy JW]

Actually, the Mustang was designed when the Army approached North American Aviation about building P-40's under license because Curtis was unable to keep up with orders. NAA looked at the P-40 and decided they could build a complete new fighter by incorporating upgrades that would enhance performance, particularly the cooling intake utilizing the "Merideth Effect". They designed and built the prototype in 100 days, but the Army wasn't interested in a different type of fighter, wanting to keep things simple. However, they were interested in dive bombers. Viola' The P-51 instantly became a dive bomber The Brits bought a few and discovered that it was quite good low/medium altitude performer, actually outrunning their vaunted Spitfires. Before long, Packard was building Merlins for American use, and the rest is history.
Joe

 

[blueroo]

Wasn't the Mustang prototype built in a hotel suite or something. I know it sounds strange, but I'm almost 100% sure that a WW2 fighter prototype was built in a hotel suite and I'm pretty sure it was the Mustang. Anyone heard of this?

 

[Lazy JW]

That's a new one to me. Could be true I suppose. Dunno.
Joe

 

[Anonymous]

NASCAR"s unofficial motto:

If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying.


Seems like when I was way little I read in Popular Mechanics that Smokey as the one that put a basketball liner in his fuel tank.

 

[mutt]

lindberg was teaching P38 (the worlds most elegant killing machine for gentlemen) pilots fuel management- ie, boost & throttle settings for most economical fuel use, which extended range. Indeed, he went on fighter sweeps, & was straight up credited w/ three Japanese fighters, til he was pulled out.

 

[boston774]

Lindbergh (fellow Darien, Connecticut resident )) also showed them how to put 2 2,000 lb HE bombs on p-38s and F-4u-4s and just raise hell with the Japanese fleet and bases. Basically, attack planes that dropped their loads, and then pounded the s**t out of the fighter cover.

Lindbergh also believed that best way to teach was to lead by example. I was told by someone who was there (my grandfather) that Lindbergh occasionally flew missions wearing starched shirt and tie. I think the phrase he used was "I don't know how big his balls were, but they made loud clanging noises when he walked."

And at the end of the Pacific war, the US (and ANZACs) had P-51Hs and P-47Ns, which are perhaps the ultimate "t*ts machines" for prop planes. Even F-14D pilots doff their caps when those planes are mentioned.

 

[Lazy JW]

Indeed. The pilots who flew those airplanes were Real Men. The P-47 had to be about the best fighter/bomber of the prop era. Not until the F-4 Phantom did we see such a versatile warbird again.
Joe

 

[Anonymous]

These pics are from Smokey's Hudson engine that is currently housed at the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing in Ocala, FL. I went down there with the kids this past fall & snapped these.

 

[Thad]

Great pic, Don Garlits' museum ------- FANTASTIC
There is a 300 dragster there, did you get a pic of it also?

 

[Stubby]

Did they get the bore and stroke backwards???

 

[Thad]

Calculates: Pi x (R x R) xstroke x 6 cylinders

3.1416 x (1.92 x 1.92) x 4.50 x 6 = 312.69

They got it right, for it's day it would have been considered a "winder".

 

[Lazy JW]

Did they get the bore and stroke backwards???

I noticed that too. Gonna have to dig out my box of old books. Just doesn't seem right to me, that's a pretty big bore for no longer than the engine is.
Joe

 

[Stubby]

IIRC there was another discusion about stroking a 300 compared to that six and they refered to that 4.5 stroke.

In the late eighties we had the pleasure of restoring a Hudson Hornet dual carbed six and it didn't have a 4.5 bore.

I would jump up and down and say that is wrong but SMOKEY had his hands on it, so :roll: You never know We might have discovered how he did it.

 

[Crosley]

I've been to the Garlits museum.

They have a Crosley engine there , claimed to be the "back up" engine for the Sebring race Crosley car number 19 in 1950.

There was no such extra engine for the Crosley car.

I wonder if that is actually a Smokey built Hudson engine

 

[Lazy JW]

Did they get the bore and stroke backwards???

I noticed that too. Gonna have to dig out my box of old books. Just doesn't seem right to me, that's a pretty big bore for no longer than the engine is.
Joe

Just re-read the thread in Orphan Inlines about Hudson engines. There are some photos of the same engine, Hudson Nut pointed out the specs being reversed. I am certain that those engines were undersquare.
Joe