I just saw an episode of American Musclecars that investigated horsepower ratings of some vintage factory engines. Horsepower then was reported at the flywheel so this program used an engine dyno and factory ratings as a benchmark. The ground rules for the "competition" were that the engines had to have standard displacement, actual stock blocks, the same cfm carbs as came from the factory, cams that were blueprinted to factory specs, factory heads, and be as close to how they came from the factory as possible. The results were:
Chevrolet 409 rated at 409 HP 406 HP/430 FT LBS Torque
Ford 427 rated at 425 HP 637 HP/554 FT LBS
Pontiac 421 rated at 405 HP 488 HP/470 FT LBS
Hemi 426 rated at 425 HP 820 HP/689 FT LBS
Chev L88 427 rated at 425 HP 527 HP/461 FT LBS
All except the L88 had 2x4 carburation which had one 4 barrel. I was amazed that the Hemi and Ford had such high numbers but thought the L88 would produce more (although it did have one less carb). Anybody out there know how to estimate what those flywheel numbers would equate to at the rear wheels?
It was a pretty cool show. Lots of car footage. Catch the re-runs if you can.
Chevrolet 409 rated at 409 HP 406 HP/430 FT LBS Torque
Ford 427 rated at 425 HP 637 HP/554 FT LBS
Pontiac 421 rated at 405 HP 488 HP/470 FT LBS
Hemi 426 rated at 425 HP 820 HP/689 FT LBS
Chev L88 427 rated at 425 HP 527 HP/461 FT LBS
All except the L88 had 2x4 carburation which had one 4 barrel. I was amazed that the Hemi and Ford had such high numbers but thought the L88 would produce more (although it did have one less carb). Anybody out there know how to estimate what those flywheel numbers would equate to at the rear wheels?
It was a pretty cool show. Lots of car footage. Catch the re-runs if you can.