The Plymouth Weslake DOHC Motor from the 60's

-
brian6pac said:
I have a set of heads that as I understand were from Tom Hutchinson from the early development of the indy motor before the weslake, and sents they didn't use them they made stock, superstock cheater heads for the 1969 season. They are a set of X heads 11-68 date code and were built in 2-69, they have 5/16" hemi style tulip valves, guides are drilled 5/16" not bushed .100" longer 2.02 1.60, BB battleship springs, hemi retainers and locks, hemi style 3/8" push rods,
pedistals milled down and drilled offset for the longer valves, and the T/A rockers shown in the picture. Here is a artical from Motortrend 7-69.

View attachment 1715006948

View attachment 1715006949

View attachment 1715006950

View attachment 1715006951

View attachment 1715006952

View attachment 1715006953

View attachment 1715006954

View attachment 1715006955

View attachment 1715006956

View attachment 1715006957

View attachment 1715006958
Click to expand...

Notice how the motor posted by Hyper_pak from the speedway museum has very square like ports. Those are the 1969 Indy heads.

The engineer working on the project was Pete Hutchinson working out of the Keith Black shop in South Gate, CA.

Some of this development info went to 1970 Trans Am. Bob Tarozzi knew Pete through Chrysler.
 
Last edited:
STRorange said:
Hi Brian,
Loving the pre Weslake X heads you have there!
I have a few Mopar Weslake heads here too, a pair of 340 J heads and a complete 440ci engine with W2 style ported heads.
The Big Block W2's are not modified standard castings but unique heads cast from scratch!
Seems that Harry must have been involved with Mother Mopar in 68-69 to develop Chrysler engines?
When they shut down in Rye, some of the engines were sent back to the USA and some stayed here.
I know of a 426 hemi and my own 440 nascar engine that have been 'unknown' for many years.
It was only recently that the 340 'Weslake ported' Small block heads have come to light.
Best wishes from England, John

View attachment 1715549095

View attachment 1715549096
Click to expand...

Westlake was involved with the Hemi D-5 in early 70’s. Was not successful.

There was some discussion of W-2 style big block head on Moparts years ago. Someone posted comments that had been around them in Detroit back in the day.
 
autoxcuda said:
Westlake was involved with the Hemi D-5 in early 70’s. Was not successful.

There was some discussion of W-2 style big block head on Moparts years ago. Someone posted comments that had been around them in Detroit back in the day.
Click to expand...
Nice seeing vintage Chrysler technology !!!!
Just this week I obtained a set of Bob Mullen Direct Connection race LA heads and they are beautiful and will heading to cyl head specialist in N.GA
Flow numbers soon.
 
1Badcolt said:
Nice seeing vintage Chrysler technology !!!!
Just this week I obtained a set of Bob Mullen Direct Connection race LA heads and they are beautiful and will heading to cyl head specialist in N.GA
Flow numbers soon.
Click to expand...

Pics of Mullen head and development are all over the Larry Sheib book.

A friend had set done by Mullen’s place on a 70 T/A with T/A heads of course. He restored it to stock. So with stock exhaust manifolds, stock crank, and XE268 cam. In reality too much head for that combo. I’m sure that book brought in business to Mullen.
 
autoxcuda said:
Pics of Mullen head and development are all over the Larry Sheib book.

A friend had set done by Mullen’s place on a 70 T/A with T/A heads of course. He restored it to stock. So with stock exhaust manifolds, stock crank, and XE268 cam. In reality too much head for that combo. I’m sure that book brought in business to Mullen.
Click to expand...
I googled the name and or book by him could u tell me where I could the book or online so I could print out info pertaining to my Mullen heads ???
Trying to educate myself with what I have etc - thank you Chris
 
1Badcolt said:
I googled the name and or book by him could u tell me where I could the book or online so I could print out info pertaining to my Mullen heads ???
Trying to educate myself with what I have etc - thank you Chris
Click to expand...


I don’t have the book in front of me right now, but it was a book about building chrysler engines and IIRC it was written by Larry Shepard. If you google larry Shepard you should find the title of the book.
 
yellow rose said:
I don’t have the book in front of me right now, but it was a book about building chrysler engines and IIRC it was written by Larry Shepard. If you google larry Shepard you should find the title of the book.
Click to expand...
Ten 4
Thank you

20200619_125535.jpg


20200619_125424.jpg
 
yellow rose said:
I don’t have the book in front of me right now, but it was a book about building chrysler engines and IIRC it was written by Larry Shepard. If you google larry Shepard you should find the title of the book.
Click to expand...
When time permits can u send me a picture of front cover of said book !!!!
I looked and the ones I seen look to modern etc
Thank you Chris
 
yellow rose said:
I don’t have the book in front of me right now, but it was a book about building chrysler engines and IIRC it was written by Larry Shepard. If you google larry Shepard you should find the title of the book.
Click to expand...

Its by Larry Schreib. Sorry I spelled that wrong before.

88B2D8E4-9B54-478E-8329-E98AC7865B0A.jpeg


5219207B-D70D-4FA4-9063-1913A6EF58D7.jpeg


F5616439-A456-44DF-9519-EBBD115396C0.jpeg


260C4496-80DE-40BC-BAB1-1AB33165E085.jpeg


EC21C288-CC7A-4A2B-8B4E-B54AE8C3FCE4.jpeg
 
These pictures will probably all be rotated. But you can download them a fix them.

It took me some time just to take them now.

47D2C47E-12D3-4333-ACB2-F5568D9074CC.jpeg


5A6FD1DC-822A-4E21-8035-DF1B4F8D0F61.jpeg


B5F24B41-B86D-4460-A360-335C05BA7470.jpeg


4C94A11B-00D2-403A-8D06-65D571DD3F63.jpeg


0E1FB773-1DF3-4A76-9B33-E2B61F06481C.jpeg


EE3B7F03-472A-43E0-B08D-02CDEDAFF031.jpeg


2BEFDE5D-73AB-4E78-A4ED-13088509CD73.jpeg


5C83E8CF-6B09-48E2-86D8-263436F37ED9.jpeg


E6E238DF-51ED-4586-B034-CC99C12B926D.jpeg
 
TrailBeast said:
1969 Plymouth Weslake DOHC V8

It’s unknown whether this project was purely for racing, or Plymouth had the intent to offer the motor in a street car at some point. Keep in mind that the entire Chrysler group witnessed the excitement and positive impact on the brand when the previously race-only 426 Hemi was offered in production cars.

Following the 1968 season, Richard Petty announced he was leaving Chrysler and going to Ford for the 1969 NASCAR season. The money allocated for Petty was used to develop the Plymouth Indy DOHC V8. Design work began in February 1969 and running engines were provide to Andy Granatelli’s STP race team less than 90 days later.

The designer of the special cylinder heads was Harry Weslake, a British engineer best known for his expertise in gas flow through internal combustion engines. If you recognize the name, it may either be for his V12 engine in Dan Gurney’s 1967 Belgian GP winning Eagle, or the Gurney-Weslake cylinder heads used on GT40 Fords.

The engine lacked top-end horsepower necessary to compete at the high speed oval tracks, it had plenty of bottom-end torque which made it quite competitive on the short oval. In fact, Art Pollard drove the Plymouth-Westlake engine to victory at the 200-mile Indy car race at Dover, Delaware on August 24, 1969. This would turn out to be the only victory for Plymouth in the history of Indy Car racing.

View attachment 1715006937
Click to expand...
I love the old school hi-tech stuff.
Keep posting
Thanks
 
And this is the end of the small block head section

7BEE2D9C-C3E4-4C38-9ED1-3B914F3C6F2B.jpeg


317DE70A-A672-4E76-9BAB-B9BEEA713A69.jpeg


6BDC3766-6E98-48D4-867E-8AFB16672DDB.jpeg


41EB1089-4A44-46D1-821D-EE6ECA2D804F.jpeg


723166B1-D99C-4B7A-9D94-ECB6BBF46B0A.jpeg
 
This references the work done by Bob Tarozzi at Keith Black. Same person that was the team manager at Gurney for the ‘70 Cuda Trans Am race effort.

And Bob also designed the 1st and 2nd Keith Black aluminum top fuel blocks...and designed the 68 Super Stock Hemi A-bodies... and 69 Super Stock AMX’s, and Brad Anderson TF head... and mid 70’s small block mopar can-am car.......

D4ED5B03-FC6F-446E-B4BC-71CD4BBD557C.jpeg


7EC8507C-50F7-469E-8040-65DB20EA9D29.jpeg


B780460D-A81B-44F7-A1DA-6FB1AB0CD0D1.jpeg
 
Here’s the only mention of the prototype “W-2” big block heads

No mention of Westlake involvement.

1C43DABA-55E1-4F2C-97F9-59E7ECF7AA1C.jpeg


09FAF287-3CF2-4EC6-9708-324D2BFA29A3.jpeg
 
Here is the original cover of the book by Larry Schreib.
I'm not at home to check, but I thought this original was published by HP Books.
91zAbOIhxOL.jpg
 
1Badcolt said:
WOW thats not going to be easy to find if u sale yours one day please let me know thanks Chris
I bought Super Stocks springs and other items from you last year.
Click to expand...

Might be able to find an old cover version on Ebay or Amazon.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top