Iron Dukes??

[Tom P]

Isn't it the same engine with minor mods that came out in the 1962 Chevy II ?

[FED 387]

No--first year for a 2.5L 151 Cu In engine was 1977--- it has been installed in millions of GM vehicles usually cars like Astre/Vega Nova/Fiero/S10 pick ups etc. etc--- largest car it was installed in was Camaro/Firebird in 82-84---the Super Duty 4 is a 151 in design only--- much beefier and totally performance oriented unlike the Stock 151 engines---

[Hemi Moose]

Jason Coan...

[Billy Nees]

Originally Posted by FED 387

No--first year for a 2.5L 151 Cu In engine was 1977--- it has been installed in millions of GM vehicles usually cars like Astre/Vega Nova/Fiero/S10 pick ups etc. etc--- largest car it was installed in was Camaro/Firebird in 82-84---the Super Duty 4 is a 151 in design only--- much beefier and totally performance oriented unlike the Stock 151 engines---

Actually, they are pretty much the same motor. The early ones didn't even have a cross flow head and looked just like the ChevyII motors.

[Rich Biebel]

I always thought the early Chevy II motor was the same basic block as the later Iron Duke.....

Pontiacs used the Duke and I changed a lot of blown exhaust manifold gaskets....The first ones in about 1977 had both intake and exhaust manifolds on the drivers side. Seemed to me like the heavy weight hanging on one side was making the maniofld gaskets fail.....
The next model year had the "crossflow" head......New and improved.....Right......

Boats used that 4 banger a lot......Mercruiser 120 I think it was....

I have seen some small standby generators that had the same basic GM 4 banger......and the castings usually say Hecho in Mexico

Generator builders used many common GM and Ford engines long after they were not used in cars anymore.....

Big and small block Chevs.....and Fords.

Add a small turbo and boost the HP for greater output.....

[bill dedman]

The NHRA bent over backwards to ensure the success of the Iron Dukes in Modified Eliminator racing in several different ways: They made the Modified Compact a class like Pro Stock... 2,350 pounds and..... 151 cubic inches. No pounds-per-cubic inch. That "formula" just HAPPENED to fit the Iron Duke to a "T." The Ford engine (2,300 c.c.) was only 140 cubic inches and would need to be stroked ($$$$$$$$$$$$) to get the 151 cubic inches, discouraging a lot of potential Ford racers. When you've only got 151 cubic inches to work with, you can't afford to give any of 'em away...

The current rule book page, at the time, that described the requirements for a legal engine in a Modified Compact-classed race car, stipulated that the car had to have the original engine. The Pontiac T-1000 was a re-badged Chevy Chevette, a car that had its own engine. The T-1000 that Larry Nelson used to dominate the class never came with an Iron Duke, or anything like it. It came with a Chevette engine.

NHRA gave Pontiac the T-1000/Iron Duke combination under the "corporate engine" umbrella. Nobody else had a chance.

Another factory "GIMMEE."

No disrespect to Larry Nelson; he just took advantage of what was legal. Smart!!!

[goinbroke2]

No, no ,no! C'mon Bill, only ford has EVER received a gimme with the cobra! Everyone KNOWS that poor gm never received ANY love from nhra........oops, I accidently hit the sarcasm button! LOL!

Like they say, don't hate the player, hate the game.

[Mark Yacavone]

Originally Posted by goinbroke2

No, no ,no! C'mon Bill, only ford has EVER received a gimme with the cobra! Everyone KNOWS that poor gm never received ANY love from nhra........oops, I accidently hit the sarcasm button! LOL!

Like they say, don't hate the player, hate the game.

Pontiac was a major sponsor at that time...Do you see a pattern here?

[NWDragracing]

Originally Posted by bill dedman

The NHRA bent over backwards to ensure the success of the Iron Dukes in Modified Eliminator racing in several different ways: They made the Modified Compact a class like Pro Stock... 2,350 pounds and..... 151 cubic inches. No pounds-per-cubic inch. That "formula" just HAPPENED to fit the Iron Duke to a "T." The Ford engine (2,300 c.c.) was only 140 cubic inches and would need to be stroked ($$$$$$$$$$$$) to get the 151 cubic inches, discouraging a lot of potential Ford racers. When you've only got 151 cubic inches to work with, you can't afford to give any of 'em away...

The current rule book page, at the time, that described the requirements for a legal engine in a Modified Compact-classed race car, stipulated that the car had to have the original engine. The Pontiac T-1000 was a re-badged Chevy Chevette, a car that had its own engine. The T-1000 that Larry Nelson used to dominate the class never came with an Iron Duke, or anything like it. It came with a Chevette engine.

NHRA gave Pontiac the T-1000/Iron Duke combination under the "corporate engine" umbrella. Nobody else had a chance.

Another factory "GIMMEE."

No disrespect to Larry Nelson; he just took advantage of what was legal. Smart!!!

The same happened when the engine was used in a Firebird in Modified Compact. The rules stipulated "No Sports Cars Allowed".

I called Danny and and asked him if someone could run certain body styles in the class and he said "No" because they were Sports Cars.

So when I brought up the Firebird body, he said it was not a Sports Car; that the only Sports car GM had was the Corvette...

[Ed Wright]

Is a Mustang a sports car?