1950-1966 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
The official output for the 1500 motor was 65hp. The base 1740cc rally motor with a Weber 40 DFI-2, Saabs "7,6" cam and around 11:1 was 128 reliable hp at a reasonable 7100 rpm. Reasonable in large part due to the combination of very short stroke (66.8mm) and a very short stiff crank with journals the size of small block Fords.
There was a manifold I had once which was an intermediate one which nobody liked which had two 40mm down draft Solex carbs, although I used two 42mm Weber DCNFs, but the main stay was the wonderfull crossflow manifold for 2 Weber 45 DCOEs. Tractable and trouble free if you jet them as SAAB said to and with this and the same cam and compression and 1740cc the output was 145hp, jumping another chunk to 165hp when the dual exhaust port heads finally came available and another 4-5% when bored to 93mm for a 1815 motor. Since the International Rally rules and Swedish National rules did'nt allow stroke increase, this was the practical safe limit to bore the block with out todays sonic testing of cylinder wall thickness. Variations included the horrible Lucas controlled leak "alledged injection", bore size 94mm for 1854cc and in rallycross where things were looser, stroked steel crankshafts with 71 or 72mm stroke for a full 2 liters and just a little over 200hp although there the block was starting to squirm.
My own personal car as it sits now is 1965cc with 94 bore x70.9 stroke, dual exhaust port heads with 44.5mm intake valves vs 37mm std, 38mm exhaust valves vs 32 std. 11.1: comp, "8,3s" camshaft, crossflow manifold with 2x45DCOE with 38mm venturis, a high volume oil pump, forged J&E pistons, and is so torquey and flexible that it's no problem to let my sweetie (5'3" 107lbs) drive it in Boston and Cambridge stop and go trafficwhen I have to work on her 87 900 Turbo.
Remember, rally cars have to be really torquey AND reliable and in those days an event might have 1800 miles total mile and 450 miles of competitive stages unlike the short things today,especially pansy SCCA National Rally series with total stge mile of around a max of 110or so. And sevice was far from what it is today. So the cars had to be quite reliable. Crownwheel and pinion failures and drivshaft breakage became the biggest problem, and in fact it was ring gear failure that put me out in all but two or three DNFs I've had.
With the commonly available parts around today the most common motor I do for people is the 1740 (or 1730) 128hp spec, the cars go like stink and stay up with modern traffic, and cruise at comfy 75, or 80 if you do as I say and install an oil cooler. Certain people say it's (and it's always the exact same phrasing, so I know they heard it someplace) "too much" for the street. Too much fun?
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