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Message |
    
larry_from_maryland
Senior Member
Username: larry_from_maryland
Post Number: 202
Registered: 07-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 01, 2005 - 11:59 am: | 
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There is a fellow getting rid of an Iron Duke engine 1970 on another site.Does anyone know what hes talking about?I left a message for him to come here.He says it came from a boat. |
eddie
Advanced Member
Username: eddie
Post Number: 44
Registered: 04-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 01, 2005 - 12:15 pm: |
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Iron Duke was an advetising name given to an engine used in sub-compact GM cars to differentiate them from the earlier Chevy Vega aluminium engines which were a disaster. The aluminium Vega engine did show some inpressive proformance characteristics as modified by Cosworth but was hopeless as a practical economy engine. |
doug11k
New member
Username: doug11k
Post Number: 2
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 01, 2005 - 09:15 pm: |
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Larry,
I think the Iron Duke was a 4 cylinder engine used in the early Pontiac Tempests(maybe others) & was based on the 389 cubic inch V-8 cut in half length wise. |
eddie
Advanced Member
Username: eddie
Post Number: 45
Registered: 04-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 01, 2005 - 10:25 pm: |
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Doug,
You're half right. The early Pontiac tempests offered a slant 4 which was, as you said, vitually half a V-8. Actually a great little engine. In the 1960s it along with other smaller engines were over-shadowed by the more exiting V-8s. Early Tempests also featured a combo transmission/diferential theoretically providing weight balance to the engine in front. Sort of a poor man's mid engine car. The Chevy Vega in the early 1970's had an aluminium engine block.An engineering nightmare. GM was quick to point out that later 4 cylinder engines had cast iron blocks and emphisized the point by coining the nickname "Iron Duke" in their advertising. Later advanced engineering allowed engine blocks to be made of aluminium with great success.
I saw the thread that Larry is talking about. The guy was looking for a next to nothing solution for a cracked block in his 4 cylinder Mercruiser.
Eddie from Oregon |
ernie
Senior Member
Username: ernie
Post Number: 475
Registered: 01-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 02, 2005 - 07:12 am: |
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The iron duke was the late version of the original 4 cylinder Chevy II engine. (1962 vintage)It is a plain chevy 6 194 ci 230 ci 250 ci 292 ci missing it's rear 2 cylinders. The iron duke name came out in the late 70's when it showed up in the Monza's and Sunbirds with a cross flow head. It also ended up in the Fiero. Yes the iron in the name was so it wasn't confused with the Vega engine. Actually the Vega engine was real good at the end. GM put iron sleeves in it (finally) and that solved it's problems. Yes there was the Cosworth version too. However the stock Vega was also real nice with real cylinders. I worked for a machine shop and we sleeved 2 or 3 of these a week for quite a few years back in the 70's
Mercruiser used the Iron Duke as an IO. They actually ran real good. However they didn't have a real long life in salt water. |
larry_from_maryland
Senior Member
Username: larry_from_maryland
Post Number: 203
Registered: 07-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 02, 2005 - 12:18 pm: |
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Thanks for the answers. |
butch malo
Visitor
| | Posted on Sunday, January 29, 2006 - 07:10 pm: |
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In the early 80's I built an iron duke turbochrged engine for the purpose of high mileage. There was a future fuel ralleye using alternative fuel.
The engine was installed in a 1973 caddilac fleetwood broaughm (5600lbs).It dominated the field getting 45mpg and producing 450hp running on methanol.
The competition was canceled and no prize money nor any recognition due to the promoter leaving with all proceeds.
You can find some mention of the ralleye on mother earth news web site.Othernames in the feild Brock Yates,Lynn StJAMES,ETC.
Manufacturers included Ford,Chevy,GM,etc.with millions of dollar budget and lots of r&d.My endeavor started with a donated car and six weeks to build with no time to test but ended up overall winner with no recognition or money to market my ideas but it was fun .
Reply for more info.thank you. |
Robert Winternitz
Visitor
| | Posted on Friday, April 06, 2007 - 02:50 am: |
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Butch,
I'd love to hear more about that turbocharged Iron Duke pulling a '73 Cadillac and getting 45 mpg. The idea of getting a piece of classic Detroit iron to get that kind of mileage appeals to me. Besides, servicability must have been excellent with a small 4-cylinder motor in that enoumous engine compartment.
Rob |
thomas
Senior Member
Username: thomas
Post Number: 271
Registered: 07-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, April 07, 2007 - 01:39 pm: |
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I can't help but wonder about the MPG claims. I did a search of Google and the latest Audi RB with a (dare I say hi-tech?) 420HP aluminum engine in a 3439 lb car got 16 city and 20 hiway.
The car costs $109K. This sounds like somebody got access to the Krell data base and (after the brain boost) just timkered the '73 Caddy together....... |
brad widstrom
Visitor
| | Posted on Monday, April 30, 2007 - 02:34 pm: |
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Yes, but I see this is a marine engine website. There was an outboard motor in the early 70's that had been nicknamed "The Iron Duke" by its manufacturer. At least that was the name used in some of the print advertising. Believe it was a 150 hp Mercury. We had a Johnson 115 at the time which we thought was pretty sweet so the Iron Duke really caught my eye. |
jose de hoyos
Visitor
| | Posted on Saturday, June 16, 2007 - 10:44 pm: |
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where can i find a carburetor for an old slant 6 marine chrysler engine{has the intake upside down} |
Hman
Visitor
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 17, 2007 - 10:04 pm: |
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Thomas,if your doubts from your April 2007 about fuel ratings haven't changed,check this out. I picked up an Olds 98 Regency Elite fully loaded,mfd 1996. powered with a 2.8 supercharged V6.At 55MPH I got around 22MPG,and at 70MPH I got 38+MPG according to the onboard computer.All factory components. No joke! |
Capt Jack
Visitor
| | Posted on Thursday, July 31, 2008 - 10:51 am: |
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I have an 89 4winns that used to have a 2.5 l inline iron duke buy gm was wondering if anyone knew where i might find a higher output 4 cyl that i could replace the old dead one with |
Will from seattle
Visitor
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 23, 2008 - 02:55 pm: |
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Hello, I am looking at purchasing a glassply boat from my boss, it has a 4 cyl, chev "iron duke" with a blown motor, apparantly heat exchanger went out and killed the motor. What is availability of the motor? could I get one from an old car, and use it in the boat? any advice is appreciated!
Will R. Seattle, WA. |
fastjunky
Visitor
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 07, 2009 - 07:01 am: |
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I use to work for a boat dealership, and using a car motor in place of a boat motor is not a good idea . Much more heavy demand is required of a boat motor. But my ? is the crank built heavier in a GM 2.5 marine motor then the automotive version? And if it is can it be a direct swap to upgrade the lower end of my 2.5 for my fiero motor }}}} |
