War Hemi: The Story Of The GAA V8 - 1,100ci of aluminum WWII Ford grunt

[@Aerocarene]

When I was about 12 years old I was riding my bike around my neighborhood and happened to see into my neighbors open gate that he had one of the biggest engines I had ever seen. Of course with my mechanical obsession I had to go take a look. Turns out it was a ford GAA tank engine that my neighbor Barry was building to put into a car hauler to move his show cars. became my friend for many many years god rest his soul. We never did end up finishing that project but hearing that engine start up for the first time with its coffee tin sized pistons when I must’ve been around 15 years old was an amazing experience. I learned so much getting the opportunity to work on such a specialized engine at an early age just by chance. He was a really cool dude. Also worked a lot on his stutz race car another experience I’ll never forget.

[@Mikefngarage]

That is what engineering is capable of when you dont have a budget but want it RIGHT....Most car manufacturers have a budget that does not allow this kind of engineering.

[@chrishay8385]

A really informative video sir, always been mightily impressed by that engine

[@johnjelinek-g7b]

You were one lucky kid . :)

[@curry6961]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing.

[@JohnMclaughlin-fb5qp]

nice memory

[@kevinkirk4285]

GAAs were popular irrigation engines where I grew up in the Texas panhandle in the late 70s. One of our neighbors used one about a mile away and the exhaust was pointed straight at our house. That thing would shake the ground and I would fall asleep every night to the drone of that big V8.

[@seanwieland9763]

Fall asleep to the drone and the carbon monoxide… 😴

[@kevinkirk4285]

Well, it was a mile from the house.

[@wildcoyote34]

@@kevinkirk4285 it's ironic the GAA was born out of fords desire to build an aircraft engine ,,,on the opposite side the rolls royce meteor was born out of britians need for a tank engine ,,the 1100CI GAA made 500HP with 8 cylinders and the RR Meteor made 600 with 12 cylinders and 1650CI and had a similar torque number,,,funny that the GAA is only 200 pounds heavier than a modern cast iron big block chevy which weighs 900+ pounds fully dressed

[@jamesmooney8933]

​@@seanwieland9763Better than being burnt to death from an exploding RV

[@tuck6464]

@@wildcoyote34 A big block chevy never weighed more than 750 pounds in its fattest dress. Cast iron block, heads, intake, and exhaust manifolds. For that matter neither did Mopars hemi.

[@Louis-kk3to]

My dad now 85 years old and doing well was a tank mechanic in Korea no combat , thank God but he kept the tanks on TRACK he was an excellent automatic transmission rebuilder in the 60s and 70s retirement in the late 90 s and now we brothers and my son have a job rebuilding automatic transmissions called Edwards Brothers transmissions ROANOKE RAPIDS NC

[@garyvon1736]

😊

[@johncaldwell-wq1hp]

"hydra-matic"-the greatest transmission ever made !!--even "Rolls-Royce"-grudgenly used it to 1996 !!--AND MY "ROCKET 88 "

[@Louis-kk3to]

@@johncaldwell-wq1hp yes 👍 the 400 was a really great transmission ,I don't have the pleasure of seeing them in my shop very often ,and hard to find

[@RobertFothergill-u1z]

​@@Louis-kk3to how far from Washington NC are you guys? I am looking for a decent trans shop

[@Louis-kk3to]

@@RobertFothergill-u1z well, I think Washington NC IS near the southern coast I'm on the Virginia border on I - 95 ROANOKE RAPIDS NC , I'LL BE GLAD to help you out with any automatic transmission needs

[@soldierski1669]

The shaft & Gear cam drive combo just.. feels good.

[@georgegundersen562]

It’s way better than a long timing chain that could most definitely fail under heavy loads

[@bradc32]

thats what i thought

[@neilmchardy9061]

The skew gears were a source of problems throughout the life of RR engines. They have very high pressure contact points. P.S. Ducati used bevel gears in their camshaft drives and were considered to be completely fail safe.

[@paoloviti6156]

@@neilmchardy9061 very true I was racing with various Ducati and never had any problems with the bevel gears, confirmed by my Ducati friends! But the pistons and the roll bearings are stressed crankshaft and is considered a bit weak. Regarding the Rolls-Royce Merlin the bevel gears required very careful precision work...

[@MC202zipper]

@@neilmchardy9061 But at the same time, well designed (helix angle, tolerances) skew gears are inherently more durable than straight cut gears. I totally agree that Ducati's "coppie coniche" bevel gears are fantastic in their engines (heck! as an italian biker a Ducati was/is a prime choice also for the desmodromic valve train design!), but in the end it's a very different engine with different acceptable maintenance timetables from a V8 Tank engine

[@S_M_360]

Wow!? WWII nerd here, but also engine building nerd. What a great, fresh and new story to watch! Well done on the content, sir.

[@karltauschen9561]

Think back to the movie, PATTON, starring George C. Scott ... In the early scenes of the movie, he's standing on a hilltop in N. Africa, lamenting the disastrous losses that an American tank group suffered at the hands of Rommel's Panzer division. At one point, he opines that the American tanks have 88mm guns, the German tanks 100mm guns. The American tanks are gasoline-powered, the German tanks are diesel powered. Yet, in this video, the narrator praises the use of the GAA because it runs on 80 octane gasoline vs. the British Merlin on 100 octane. Seems to be somewhat of a disagreement to historical facts.

[@moefuzz5909]

Hey Brian, That's a picture IN MY GARAGE of the Ford Flathead V8 at the 17:56 mark in the video. I took the picture in the early 2000's and posted it to the Wikipedia Ford Flathead V8 page sometime after. I was quite surprised to stumble upon a picture from inside my garage while watching your video! But honestly, that picture (among others) has been viewed many millions of times and shown around the world in many magazine and web articles edging on 20 years now but needless to say, it sure woke me from my half slumber when I saw it during your video. Right now that same Flathead V8 engine sits in my living room fully dressed with Offenhauser Aluminum heads and a Joe Abbin Blower bolted on top. At one point I had 3 Ford Flathead V8's sitting inside my house all dressed up with different race intakes and heads. Great video by the way, Cheers, moe of the north

[@michaelstarr5861]

Oh man do I love flathead Ford v8s. If I put $4,000 into one I can almost hit 200 horsepower!

[@AJ-jy6lb]

@@michaelstarr5861 - OUCH!,...that one smarted. YIKES! (don't know whether to up or down vote, 'cuz although true, it's kinda mean,..LOL) Friend of mine has a Harley hog with a $10,000 racing motor, for his DAILY BIKE! I said "that's for TWO cylinders? I could build a really decent LS Chevy V8 for less!" He agreed, but said he doesn't care. Must be nice to have lots o' $. That bike is a chugger though,...you can HEAR that it's not a run o' the mill Harley motor.

[@biglongcadillac]

It is a great photo.

[@colossae3241]

Maybe indycar offenhauser engine should be next video. It's cool how this engine still competitive until the late 70s

[@brianlohnes3079]

Two legendary lumps!

[@wiseass86straight6]

I vote for the offy

[@keithstudly6071]

I'd love to know how many full size Offy engines were built because I'm sure the number would be shockingly low. The block was notoriously hard to cast and it's said that only one small foundry on Oakland cast all of them. Others tried but no one claimed success. What I really would love to know is what was the Offy that started the Indy 500 the most times. My bet is at least 10. I consider the DGS engine an offy and the last time a Offy/DGS started it finished third. They dissipated so quickly because the Cosworth DFX was more economical than trying to make more Offy parts. Of course the same could be said for the FOYT/FORD V8 which powered AJ to his fourth win in 1977 and was gone from AJ's car in 1978.

[@xmo552]

@@brianlohnes3079 Jayne Mansfield?

[@erniemathews5085]

That was based on a 1904 Peugeot engine.

[@jasonstinson1767]

Brian, you have managed to capture the innate curiosity of the ever wondering gear head mind combined with enthusiasm for interesting historical context translated into video form for another awesome watch.

[@MC202zipper]

As a mechanic technician and WWII tank nut since my childhood, I enjoyed this video immensely. A real masterpiece, Brian, thank you!

[@sfbfriend]

One of the best engines that almost no one has heard of! What I like best about the engine, well besides the sound it makes, is the lack of chain drive for the camshaft. Todays engines, including Ford, some of the weak points are the chain drive. This is a fantastic engine. Kids today have no idea what came out of WWII and how it is benefiting them in their rice rockets. You can definitely tell that the Merlin was the inspiration, but Ford did what Ford does best and that was to make it cheaper and faster to build. Europe today still over engineers their engines, making them costly to build and repair, however they do produce some nice machines. Great video, thank you.

[@Dave5843-d9m]

Cam chains are fine, but they need small links to handle the inertial forces at the crank sprockets. Duplex or triple row to handle the loads and adequate oil jets.

[@Dave5843-d9m]

Right-angle spur gears are notorious for rapid wear. The thumping of camshaft springs would seriously take their toll.

[@ohger1]

Timing belts are a problem, chains are not. Properly spec'd, a timing chain will outlive the engine. My wife's Ford Edge is a DOHC with phasers and has the original chain at 260K miles. I changed the pump 5 years ago and cheaped out and just changed the pump. Still running.

[@busterdee8228]

I was a mech in the late 70s and early 80s. Each major car brand had a quirk that, once mitigated, could easily double the engine life. For Pontiac, it was the timing chain.

[@mikecurtis2585]

Love hearing these stories. The War created a lot of great engines . Always love hearing the history of how they where created! Thanks for sharing!!!

[@MC202zipper]

War, or, better said, the military, are behind the modern evolution of so many things in automotive, weapons (duh!), aviation, engineering, metallurgy, medicine, pharmacy, communications, electronics, etc. Without the power of states and the immense dedicated budget (a good chunk of which isn't even in the public knowledge) we would not enjoy the world as it is today. Just saying... internet was originally a military project (in 1969, at the peak of the Cold War, the US DoD’s Advanced Research Projects Agency started building a network of computers before universities and other government research centers were eventually looped into the network. It was ARPAnet, from which, after many years, the world wide web evolved

[@MC202zipper]

@@stevemilo6935 Goodness me! How? HOW will I recover my self esteem after such a harsh blow from an unknown username on YT?

[@ohger1]

My dad was a GM man before the war and a Cadillac man in the 50s,60s, and 70s, but he always bought Ford trucks for his business. Dad was with the Third Armored Division and he said the Ford powered tanks never let them down ever. He was glad his tank had the Ford V8 during the Bulge.

[@KICKINCHICKIN-wr7yj]

Bs

[@hendo337]

Heidrich Performance is the KZbin channel with the GAA Mustang, it used to be called the Locomotive Breath channel or something like that. Cool stuff.

[@GregoryClark-u3b]

The sound of them in unlimited tractors pulling in the old Nassau Coliseum is what i remember as a kid. Great to finally see pics of inside them.

[@bulbchangingmonkey]

10:52 was a point of the video that I knew I had to comment. Thank you for the engine sound. I absolutely loved the sound!!!

[@RANDOMNATION907]

Thank you for the time stamp.

[@g.n.b.3351]

Wow, this is the best video of the Ford GAA I've ever seen. With regard to how Ford came into possession of the Merlin blueprints a little known fact is that Ford produced Merlin engines for the British War department in a plant in Birmingham England. On a trip to England I visited a Birmingham museum that was mostly dedicated to the history of the textile industry. But there was a display of a Ford built Merlin (not a GAA) in the museum, because the plant had been located in Birmingham. In the description in front of this engine was the story of the British government reaching out to Ford to produce the engine because Rolls Royce could not produce engine in the quantities needed. The British War department paid for the plant, and the machinery Ford needed to be able to produce the Merlin in the numbers required for aircraft production. That description with the display included the fact that Ford had to take the RR blueprints, and rework them for mass production, as the RR blueprints were overly reliant on the craftsmanship of their regular rank and file employees.

[@edwardpate6128]

Amazing how you had engineering talent from Rolls-Royce, GM and Ford ending up coming to together to produce such a critical part of war equipment.

[@alanfitzgeraldsr2201]

Don't forget Ford andGM also helped the Natzis too 😢

[@vehdynam]

Now that is quite a story , and very much appreciated! Your research is unbelievable and well done. Many thanks Brian.

[@andyharman3022]

I saw a couple of GAA's on pulling tractors in the late 70's/early 80's. People weren't modifying them for power back then, and naturally aspirated big block Chevies could beat them. I had a friend in Phoenix, AZ about 15 years ago that had one he was going to put in a street car. I visited him and he showed me the innards. It was quite an achievement of design that was far advanced from Ford's typical flathead 4's and V8's.

[@Parents_of_Twins]

Yeah if they weren't modified at all from original it makes sense that a modified big block could beat them.

[@michaelgautreaux3168]

Perfect. Hit every point. Oh, the Merlin did wind up in Cromwell tanks as the Meteor. Many thanx for another GR8 👍👍

[@brianlohnes3079]

Thank you! A story that had much more depth than I ever understood before digging into it!

[@Skorpychan]

Centurion tanks as well! Steel block instead of aluminium, chargers removed, and derated for durability.

[@ldnwholesale8552]

Meteors were in a LOT of Brit tanks. And associated vehicles, APCs, engineering vehicles etc.

[@neilmchardy9061]

@@ldnwholesale8552they also made a V8 version, my friend Pete Grieve is working on one for a drag racing Land Rover. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eZi5aqahgr5_rtEsi=uI8dTF4DcrORb4Qn

[@neilmchardy9061]

The Meteor had an 8 cylinder version too. My friend Peter Grieve is working on a turbocharged one for his drag racing Land Rover. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eZi5aqahgr5_rtEsi=uI8dTF4DcrORb4Qn

[@cpoosch]

Correct on the pulling use The only one currently running (in the US anyway) that I know of is Doug Roberts of Carthage, MO called The Patriot. Twin turbo on alcohol.

[@mattfarahsmillionmilelexus]

There was a GAA on display at a local Mesa AZ auto paint shop for 20+ years. I haven't been there in a while, but it still may be there.

[@allareasindex7984]

Brian, I’ve been a gear head my entire life and never knew anything about these engines. I’m 68 now and love learning from every one of your videos! The podcasts, too. I read an “alternate” reason why Ford refused to build the Merlin: supposedly he said he couldn’t produce it to Rolls-Royce’s high precision standards, and Packard said Ha! Hold my beer and watch this. This story was told by a Packard enthusiast who evidently got the story wrong. It figures Henry Ford was on the wrong side of history. I daily a restored 1931 Ford Model A Roadster, and love it, but that Henry Ford was a really bad guy. Keep it up Brian! I can’t wait for your next history lesson!

[@russellmills4878]

It was the other way round, the Americans were into high volume production and parts interchangeability. They couldn't believe how low the precision standards were on the Merlin and effectively blue printed it. i.e. built it to much higher tolerances than Rolls Royce ever could with their older machinery. The RR Derby engines were originally virtually hand built with parts matched by tolerance, so yes, you could end up with a precision engine but it took too long to manufacter each one. When I worked in the drawing office at JCB excavators in the mid 80's our chief engineer who was about to retire saw war time srevice in the merlin factory and was charged with checking component tolerances and went into great detail about this.

[@g.n.b.3351]

@@russellmills4878 You are absolutely correct. Ford expertise was of course Mass Production and that requires high precision. With a capital intensive operation such as say the Rouge plant you cant afford to have the assembly line go down. If the parts coming into that line are not consistent the line stops and you are now burning money, in wages and the idle machinery you paid millions for. On a trip to England I visited a Birmingham museum that was mostly dedicated to the history of the textile industry. But there was a display of a Ford built Merlin (not a GAA) in the museum, because the plant had been located in Birmingham. In the description in front of this engine was the story of the British government reaching out to Ford to produce the engine because Rolls Royce could not produce engine in the quantities needed. The British War department paid for the plant, and the machinery Ford needed to be able to produce the Merlin in the numbers required for aircraft production. That description with the display included the fact that Ford had to take the RR blueprints, and rework them for mass production, as the RR blueprints were overly reliant on the craftsmanship of their regular rank and file employees.

[@DoktorBayerischeMotorenWerke]

Rolls-Royce was still hand building merlin engines using obsolete methods of fitting individual parts to an engine, with no interchangeability between one engine and another... completely unsuitable for American standards and production volumes. Britian desperately needed more engines and looked to America for a solution. Ford turned down the Merlin offer for good reasons. Packard had excess capacity and won the contract. the rest is history.

[@g.n.b.3351]

In my first reply, I tried my best to keep it as short as possible but there is yet more to know about this story for a full understanding. First of all, Henry Ford was a pacifist who absolutely detested war of any kind. So, prior to Pearl Harbor and the entry of the U.S. into the war, Henry Ford was not open to the production of any war material. That explains his refusal to produce the Merlin in any of his North American factories. After Pearl Harbor and formal declarations of war of course Ford plants were duly converted to the production of any number of critical components for the American war effort. These included Jeeps, and most famously the B-24 bomber built in Willow Run in an entirely new plant designed expressly for bomber production. However, prior to Ford Motor Companies' reorganization of their international operations which took place in the 1960's the overseas operations were separate companies with a mixture of ownership between the Ford parent company and local ownership. Henry wanted local ownership of significant amounts of the stock so that their operations would not be regarded as outsiders in each of those countries. That is how Ford came to produce Merlin engines in Birmingham (see my previous comment with the details of that) and why the British war department had to pay for the plant and the tooling so Ford of Britain could build those Merlin's in the quantities needed. Henry would not have allowed the production of Merlin's in the Dagenham plant.

[@dwaynesullivan-qo2iz]

That's one bad ass engine. Thanks

[@matthewf1979]

Add some variable valve timing and you have a modern engine. Absolutely fantastic design, especially for the time.

[@rayleehylton8427]

Sounds like a beast of a engine. Thanks Brian !!

[@gregedmand9939]

The other main advantage of the Ford design: 80 octane fuel. Compared to the 100+ required by the Merlin and Meteor tank version. Cheaper and a whole lot safer to operate, especially in combat vehicles.

[@WilhelmKarsten]

The Ford aero V-12 would have been supercharged and require 100 octane AvGas.

[@TheJMan1K]

The Merlin engines were really cool tho. I think it’s cool that the spitfire and P51 were eventually designed around at the time was one of the hottest motors period. Late war 65 serious had close to 2800hp

[@WilhelmKarsten]

@@TheJMan1K Unfortunately Rolls-Royce blundered by not developing the Griffon instead of the Merlin, the Merlin was too smaller by the time the war got going. The P-51 was a generation ahead of Spitfire.

[@georgesheffield1580]

A tually the Meteor used 80/87 fuel ,and there is no difference in their explosive issues .

[@georgesheffield1580]

​@@TheJMan1KDetroit/ Madison Avenue Poney power

[@kyleteal5888]

Nicely put Brian I thought I had a decent handle on this motor then you dropped that bomb of a military document on me. I still continue to drool over this motor after finding out about it as a teenager in the mid to late 90s. Thanks for telling its story.

[@dbmail545]

I remember being surprised to discover how many tanks were powered with aero motors until I realized that power-to-weight ratio is as important in a tank as an aircraft.

[@WilhelmKarsten]

Best comment on this video, you are absolutely correct in your assumptions.

[@chesspiece81]

A Barra turbo 6, Whipple Coyote, and GAA are the Ford engines I've always wanted to swap. If you could get one of these to fit in a 32 5 window or 4 door Lincoln Continental with a pair of 91 or 98mm turbos it would be just so damn cool.

[@GMCOGRE]

those are nice, but GM LS engines build more power and are way more reliable.

[@bigredc222]

@@GMCOGRE LS engines make more sense, but hot rodders are known for not always doing things that make sense.

[@r000tbeer]

LOL.. there's always some chevy ball slurper to chime in.

[@bigredc222]

@@r000tbeer That's not nice.

[@GMCOGRE]

@@r000tbeer no need for any "slurping", just pay attention to what people are building and you see all you need to.

[@thesquirrelchroniclesakare7808]

Lohnes you’ve done it again. Nice piece brother 👍🏻

[@joeedwards627]

The GM sign at the entrance to the building! We will never see great things like this again!

[@Flussig1]

I too marveled at that.

[@leonardhirtle3645]

A great history lesson. Thank you Mr. Lohnes.

[@dazaspc]

Apart from the use of gears surprisingly modern. One thing for sure they fitted a true range of weird and unusual engines to tanks during WW2. From the twin Caddy flatheads, the dual 671's the crazy Chrysler flat head radial thing there was some creative desperate stuff going on.

[@killerkane1957]

Now that is a cool video. I knew about this engine but this video covered it all and very well! Thank you!

[@robertdavis6708]

At the Ohio State fair ,1969 tractor pulls. Back then, modified tractors were powered by BB Chevrolets and other auto designed equipment. The Modified's pulled the best distance was 240 feet. Then this Minneapolis Moline 1000 that had been pulled around all day staged. When he started that monster, it had a low roar that one knew something great was going to happen. He pulled 287 ft. and the only thing stopped him a water line had blew off and the driver was getting scalded. After he returned to the pits, we ran down to see what powered it ? The driver said it was a Sherman tank engine. For a bunch of 18 year old's that was better than any ride at the fair! I'll never forget the torque that thing made.

[@WhiteKnightCutlass]

Awesome vid as always, many thanks for bringing us this history

[@aafcdriver]

Brian your channel is pure pleasure ! thanks very much

[@mattheide2775]

Just incredible casting technology, metallurgy and engineering for even today!

[@HaroldSilva-l3h]

This is such a great American story by a ruthless business man. This was very well narrirated and explained. I really enjoyed listening and watching it. Thank you for sharing.

[@alanquintus2069]

Imagine that thing in the hands of Keith Black or Ed Pink.

[@Soacwiththaface]

As someone who likes outlaw dirt winged sprint cars mechanical direct methanol injection direct drive V8s... and also a fan of history this is pretty cool🤩

[@Maulzy23]

Great video Brian, I love this information.

[@brianlohnes3079]

You and me both, thank you for watching!

[@caesar1295]

Just found your channel and that was extremely thorough explanation of this engine and I enjoyed every minute and subscribed. Thank you.

[@revvyhevvy]

You been missing out!

[@glenns5627]

The starting and idle of the engine at 10:52 was awesome! I'd ten times rather hear that kind of purring engine than some smarmy music track, and not even voiced over. In fact I replayed it a dozen times ...🥰

[@gregorygolden1296]

I really enjoyed this video. Got to hand it to the guys who designed and built these motors. Someone suggested a video on the "OFFY" engine, That would be another Great video. Thanks for this video.

[@NITROCYCLES]

Absolutely brilliant, technically precise information as always...love it !!

[@Airsally]

I dont know where you find this stuff...but really cool history, and love all the technology and specs you reserch and share.

[@thamesmud]

Leyland in the UK built an 8 cylinder version of the meteor. This was used in tank transporters and was named the meteorite.

[@strykerentllc]

Yet another outstanding presentation Brian. Admittedly, this piece of history is brand new to us and as such, we wished there was more to soak up like a sponge. All the best to you and we'll be watching and listing to your colorful and always entertaining commentary coming from Pomona. Cheers!

[@NewRiverRoots]

Love these vids man!

[@brianlohnes3079]

Thank you!!!

[@justinyoung109]

So this is the grand daddy of A: most drag motors and B: The 572 Ford Hemi (and World Products Merlin I guess?) that Bob Chandler’s Bigfoot raced to dozens of championships in the 80’s,90’s, and 2000’s? Unreal! Also it kinda sounds like a monster truck or early dragster in that sound clip. Showing this to my friend who loves WW2 history and tanks.

[@jarm7726]

Dude you're awesome these videos are impressive 👍💪😎

[@imtheonevanhalen1557]

When you consider the early Sherman's had air cooled rotary aircraft engines, this is truly amazing.

[@DoktorBayerischeMotorenWerke]

Radial engine

[@leneanderthalien]

Rotary engines was only use in WW1 on aircrafts , the Sherman had a radial engine Wright R975 Wirlwind

[@DasE30Cuz]

I know it was an experimental aircraft engine that barely existed, but I'd love to see a video on the Rolls Royce Crecy. Arguably the most advanced piston engine of all time.

[@woopimagpie]

Ooh yes! Flight Dojo and Curious Droid have both done pretty good videos on the Crecy. What a monster. That and the Napier Sabre are about as good as big piston engines got.

[@terrygarvin1392]

Mr. Lohnes,your research and storytelling are amazing. I thought I knew the history of hot rodding and early American cars until I started watching your shows. I don't know how many there are but I will watch them all, it's just a matter of how many times.. Thank You again Sir..

[@cjespers]

Thanks for the video. Great job.

[@jonowigz8242]

I enjoy the way you introduce and explain the genesis story and mention just enough technical information so as to illustrate the clever thinking applied by Ford's people. I've now learned about a great NA gasoline engine. Thank you!

[@keithstudly6071]

Yes, you have got the story. I have tried to spread the story M. Ollie told in his book but who would expect such a story from a book with that title? My personal opinion was that Ford thought they could build better than the R-R engine and were trying to get the Pentagon to except the Ford engine as a substitute for the Merlin and they failed. Interesting that Knudsen was the former president of GM and it leaves the question in my mind, was he looking out for Allison by blocking the Ford V12? Also interesting that the Mustang was built by North American Aviation which was also majority owned by GM. So many interesting things to investigate here. The Mustang was built at the British request but not with the Merlin, though they wasted little time in installing Merlins in Mustangs when they had them. The British also ordered P-38 lightings without the counter rotating turbocharged engines they normally had, which brings the question 'were they just wanting Lighting airframes that they would install Merlin engines in? I can only wonder.

[@revvyhevvy]

Aha! Some industrial intrigue!! I love the way you think!

[@robertbihn3005]

except the Ford engine ? you mean accept Merlin engines were not in stock, just waiting to be used, it took time to make them

[@keithstudly6071]

@@robertbihn3005 Yes, accept, as substitute for Rolls Royce engines the contract was written for. Ford thought they had "a better idea" about aircraft engines. All indications were that they may have been right but they tried to sell it the wrong way.

[@patrickshaw8595]

They had asked Depression-Era America to pony up taxes to pay the huge sunken investment in aero engines so they were not to be discarded lightly. Folks back home heard a breath of scandal about procurement - it could be Administration-Ending.

[@brianhearon1191]

Excellent points.

[@stevecallagher9973]

I need one of those, no...everyone needs one of those! I saw a tunnel hull speed boat that was powered by a supercharged Merlin at a race meet once, it was incredible to hear but the boat driver seemed to have some problems and it sank slowly as it went around the circuit. The Merlin was powerful enough to keep propelling the boat even when it was mostly under water with just the engine and cockpit above the waterline, I was impressed!

[@hendo337]

I always wondered why they didn't use a cross plane crank in these or open up the bank angle to 90°. It also seems crazy the valves floated with an OHC setup at such low rpms and that they used such a large ex valve size relative to the intake valve size for such low rpm operation where you would want TQ. I would imagine that with modern technology you could make 2,000hp with boost on a GAA with no sweat for short bursts. You would probably need some tall gears to use it though. Like a 2.26-2.73 axle ratio with a 28"-34" rear tire and gears similar to a close ratio T-56 magnum with the 0.50:1 6th gear. So much for saying a flat plane V8 can't be larger than 5.2L like the claim was years ago about the GT350 having the largest production flat plane V8.

[@ZacLowing]

"V8 can't be larger than 5.2L like the claim was years ago" I thought the same thing when I saw it was flat!

[@michaelthompson1110]

They were set at 60 degrees because this engine initially was designed to be a V12. The narrow bank angle though was a blessing in disguise because it fit more easily in the cramped quarters of a tank. The vibrations were dampened out by a heavy flywheel and vibration dampener.

[@johnstuchlik5828]

Large ex valve is a benefit for low compression engine like this one.i wonder about valve float too.the valves are probably heavy and stiffer spring may have caused reliability issues with the oil of the day.maybe served as rev limiter for 6in stroke cast crank.

[@senioraces]

Great bit of engine history man. I really enjoyed it... I've always loved American made vehicles, from all the brands. It's too bad Ford doesn't have that kind of work ethic these days... None of them do.

[@beekeeper6109]

Thanks Brian, love the content.

[@brianlohnes3079]

Thanks for watching it!

[@corporalpunishment1133]

Great overview of the Ford GAA, it is one of the missed opportunities of WW2 that the V12 didn't make it into a P51 mustang. The ford V12 would have been more powerful, more fuel efficient cheeper to produce, more reliable and have much lower part count than the RR Merlin. It would have been one of the greatest aircraft engines of WW2 no doubt.

[@DoktorBayerischeMotorenWerke]

Good point, the Merlin was actually an obsolete design and was too small, thus the need to create the Griffon

[@TheDistur]

It's funny you mentioned the tractor pulling because that first sound clip sounded very tractor engine to me anyway. Interesting story!

[@brianlohnes3079]

The flat plane crank gives it a unique sound for a V8 for sure!

[@scottw5315]

The USA produced more war materiel in WWII than the remaining Allies and Axis combined. Henry Ford had produced and sold about 20 million Model Ts and Model As by the outbreak of WWII. We hit a peak of 90,000 planes per year produced in 1944. We started winding down in 44 because the war was essentially won. Staggering numbers produced by the good old USA.

[@bobroberts2371]

If you do a story on a Merlin, which turned into the Meteor tank engine, look up Charlie Broomfield / Rover SD-1 .

[@simoncullum5019]

The Meteor was a Merlin without the supercharger

[@11bravo18]

There was another flaw with the RR Merlin. Its lack of performance at high altitude. Packard in the US added fast production, a supercharger and other refinement and those engines functioned perfectly in the US Army Air Corps P51 Mustang. Best fighter of WW2.

[@delbertmcfinklestein8576]

RR developed the 2 stage supercharger which made it's way onto the later Packard built Merlin's.

[@gafrers]

Interesting and well made as always. I didn't know this engine at all.

[@brianlohnes3079]

Thank you for taking the time to watch it and glad it was fresh material to you!

[@benrossbach6501]

Great as always. I saw a couple of these in a barn as a kid in the late 80s. Wish I knew what they were at the time. Ah missed opportunity? Thanks as always great work.

[@brianhearon1191]

What a great video. More information than I have ever been able to glean on my own. Henry Ford produced a better airplane engine than the Merlin but was rebuffed by the military as they wanted to simplify logistics. Ford was justifiably upset and refused to participate in making the Merlin engine which then was produced by Packard. Aluminum block, double over head cam with 4 valves per cylinder. Absolutely incredible.

[@ValleyRock13]

I need one of these engines Brian, I've known of them for many years but have yet to come across one

[@charlieromeo7663]

Another gem, Brian. Thanks for what you do!

[@stellingbanjodude]

“Hand built with surgical care” while showing photo of guy standing over engine smoking a cigarette

[@richardletaw4068]

This was in a day and age when doctors were recommending one brand of cigarettes over another as easier on the throat: “It’s Toasted!” (From an old Camel ad.) But, yeah-I take your point. ; )

[@strength365]

Indeed that was "surgical" in the day... WOW!

[@DwightA.]

Smoked just like the Doctors of that time......

[@lynchingacers]

The ciggarett was to steady his hand after 12 hours and 20 cups of coffee

[@drewbiedoobie1416]

Ahhhh... the good ol' days...

[@geoffmcnew5863]

OUTSTANDING video! Ford's chopped-down Merlin was an awesome piece of engineering and manufacturing!

[@arthurjennings5202]

Great Content as usual.

[@brianspangler3771]

An 1100 cubic inch Ford engine. As a Ford guy that statement just thrills my soul.

[@Sleeperdude]

Very cool

[@barbequeiguana1457]

Thank you Brian. Every time you post you have my attention.

[@ThomasELeClair]

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,amen......same for me..............................................

[@wizardshome9686]

Jocko's Streamliner started life with one of GAA Engines m

[@jeffreybellman7250]

Very well done research and presentation. Thoroughly enjoyed this video.

[@davidpawson7393]

What's a computer? Here's a 6 sided piece of wood with numbers on it. Good luck. The pencil sharpener is over there.

[@donut8284]

Incredible presentation. Well researched, excellent editing, superb narration.

[@THROTTLEPOWER]

Great vid!!!!!!!

[@brianlohnes3079]

Sincere thanks!!

[@THROTTLEPOWER]

@@brianlohnes3079 🤜🤛

[@nateshaffer775]

I learned a lot in this, it didn't occur to me that they were doing dual overhead cam and flat pain cranks back in those days. I want to learn more about this 30 cylinder Chrysler engine, that sounds nuts.

[@luvmydeck]

Now Ford makes engines that have wet belts that fail in under 30k miles, water pumps in the oil jacket - so that when the pump leaks the water is in the oil and destroys the engine. The drive train is so convoluted that mechanics need tons of hours just to get to the problem. Lets get back to the car manufacturers of the 1940's.

[@jacktheaviator4938]

Awe, poor boomer doesn't understand modern tech... 1940s engines had 50hp and got 10mpg out of a 6 liter displacement ,so I don't think anybody wants to go back to the 1940s.

[@joemckenzie312]

Fords better ideas.

[@rolandonegron]

Yeah poor boomer who understands modern tech and wants to revert back to the 40’s when things lasted more than 5 years. I’ll take the 50 hp that I can expect reliability out of. I’ll pay the extra money in fuel. Thats cheaper in the long run. That’s the cheat code us smarter millennials learned. Never underestimate wisdom. Can’t learn that in college. Oh how’s that working out for you. 😂 It’s not that’s why you want us to pay for that as well. That boomer you’re talking about…That built the in infrastructure we still use…That we wouldn’t have with your mindset…he didn’t have his hand out expecting anything.

[@billbailey55]

I read an article some years back (wish I could remember who wrote it) They were talking about why the automotive industry can't find enough qualified mechanics They blame it on mechanics not keeping up with modern technology I blame it on the "labor guide" not keeping up with modern technology!!!

[@glenmclendon9209]

Must own a Gay Man Cruiser.

[@mmoly-cj4bd]

Love this story. Incredible technology for this time frame. There were some really smart people working on this stuff. Amazing! Great job Brian! Keep 'em comin'.

[@greggc.touftree5936]

WWII was the final war. All civilized mankind had to build their machines to win. It was won by American engineering and watch/instrument accuracy alone. Germany had no chance.

[@rogerdodrill4733]

Russians helped as well

[@Mr.inky213]

It was won more by how productive we were during then, we could churn out equipment much more faster than Germany.

[@Toysuzu]

Fantastic video! Masterfully complied and narrated. Very informative. 10/10

[@stephenhans189]

Could you imagine with the camshaft technology today what this monster could dooooooo ! Oh man KING KONG INTERPERSONAL COMBUSTION ENGINE ❤❤❤❤❤❤ JUST ADD TURBOS 🥳🇺🇲🏁💯🏆

[@stevej4922]

GAA was so ahead of its time and very successfully so. Great video!

[@Boxpok]

Another video worth watching……..

[@THROTTLEPOWER]

I agree

[@brianlohnes3079]

Appreciate you saying that!

[@brianlohnes3079]

Appreciate your support!!!

[@TORQUELAND]

Brian; Love theses unique & refreshing stories from you ! Keep it up man! Regards; Derek

[@jamesdeath3477]

"Largest production V8 of all time"? You know Rover made a V8 version of the Merlin/Meteor, called the Meteorite, that I imagine would have been the same displacement. Used in tank transporters.

[@brianlohnes3079]

And it was….1,099ci. Hahah - great engine

[@bobbofly]

Ford was literally decades ahead of the curve in his world view.

[@higbeedoug]

31k subs but 17k views in 5hrs............????????

[@brianlohnes3079]

Your guess is as good as mine but I am thankful people are seeing the video and enjoying it.

[@marksearcy9708]

Awesome video, makes you wonder how much of the tech gained then is moved forward in the modern engine's like coyote and other ohv engine's👍👍

[@p0intdk]

Where there any similarities to the 427 "Cammer" and the GAA? 😄

[@boydovens4180]

What a guy Maurice Olly was , The problem is that there were Thousands of guys and women like him whose effort helped turn the tide in the second world war , that were never personally thanked for what they achieved . I think we should all say thank you .

[@ejgrant5191]

Great details of a amazing motor. My father was a WWII P-38 Pilot....They say....The GREATEST GENERATION.

[@TurboWorld]

This is glorious. Thank You for making this.