It's generally acknowledged that the origins of hot rodding were spawned in the early 1920's. I suspect there are some who might contend that it started when the very first motoized vehicle was built, and I suppose there is some validity to that. But the creativity of enterprising inventors not withstanding, the popular participation of "normal" motorists in the pursuit of higher performance didn't start until inexpensive, and plentiful, raw material became readily available. So it's no surprise that the most popular basis for early rodding projects was the Model T. They were durable, available, and most important, affordable. In those days top speed was the holy grail. Out west dry lake beds were frequently used to test performance. On the east coast, particularly Florida, the beach was used. In some other areas tracks were fabricated from inexpensive, readily available materials. Most notably, wood or dirt. Yes, track surfaces in the early twentieth century were made of wood. But for all out top speed it took space, thus the dry lakes were the place to be. And since they were in the western part of the country, it's natural that most rodders started in that region.

As demand grew for performance parts the entrepreneurial spirit kicked in. Crafty folks developed, and then produced, cylinder heads, carburetors, modified cam shafts, etc. to increase horse power. And style, often in the name of aerodynamics, prompted the offering of "speedster" body kits to give the Model T a sleeker profile. Modified suspension kits that lowered the stance became available. And custom wheels that mounted wider tires came on the scene. Sound familiar? Hot rodding was born, and began to grow. While the Model T was the most popular, there were still some who had loyalty to other brands, but the majority of rodders voted with their pocket books. The Model T gave the most "bang for the buck" and was the easiest to modify for performance. That's why it rose to the top of the popularity pole.

When Ford finally upgraded their design to the Model A it was easy for the rodders of the earlier era to make the transition. The Model A engine, while much sturdier than the Model T, especially in the crankshaft, was still fundamentally the same design. It was easy for the hot rod component manufacturers of the period to revise their designs to apply to the Model A, B, and C engines. And the Ford four cylinder engines continued to be the engine of choice for hot rodders and speed merchants. These engines even found their way into other makes of cars. Simply said, in hot rodding tradition, the best (in terms of adaptability), most cost effective engine was used regardless of the vehicle. These Ford 4 bangers remained the hot rodder's choice into the mid 1930's because they were affordable, and familiar. Now some of you might be wondering why the four banger remained popular even after the famous flathead V8 was introduced.

In 1932 Ford Motor Co introduced the flathead V8 in their model 18 cars. The choice of the V8 was made by ol' Henry because he wanted to one-up Chevrolet who had introduced their ohv inline 6 in 1929. Yes, it was a numbers game, the good old "more is better" program. Since this was somewhat a reactive decision, the engine was rushed to market, resulting in the early '32 engines having a number of durability problems. Because of these issues, the hot rodders didn't embrace the new engine right away. The speed equipment suppliers had tooling and experience invested in their 4 cylinder products, and the racers were reluctant to give up the success they'd enjoyed from the bangers. This attitude prevailed for a few years until the reliability, availability, and popularity of the V8 increased to a point where it's superiority to the earlier 4 cylinders became apparent. Once the rodding public gained confidence in the V8 design, and enterprising rodders began developing parts to increase power, the infamous flathead V8 became the engine of choice. As before, Ford V8's began appearing in all manner of cars. Not just in cut down earlier model Fords, but also in purpose built vehicles (Indy racers, "streamliners", boats, and so on), as well as competing brands. I can remember rooting through a wrecking yard in 1964 and saw a Chrysler Airflow over in the corner. The body looked pretty good, and I had never seen one before in person, so I went over to inspect it. I thought it was a pretty cool looking car. I had read that they weren't real popular in their day (mid '30's) because the aerodynamic design was too different and enjoyed only limited appeal. When I lifted the hood, there was a flathead Merc V8! Not really a surprise considering that the car was probably modified in the '40's or early '50's. In that time period it was very common for Dodge, Chevrolet, and any number of lesser brand roadsters and coupes to be modified into rods with flathead V8's. It gave the most "bang for the buck" and was the easiest to modify for performance.

The old Ford 4 bangers enjoyed their dominance in rodding circles for nearly 20 years. The flathead V8, like it's cousins before it, also enjoyed a run of about 20 years as the dominant choice of rodders. To be sure, there were devotee's of the "Stovebolt" Chev 6's, and to an even lesser degree some of the other large engines of the period, but none came close to the popularity of the Ford V8. Simply put, the Ford flathead V8 was the most rational choice for the hot rodder. Even when GM and Chrysler introduced their ohv V8's just after WWII the venerable flathead V8 held it's ground, again most likely due to familiarity, size, and cost. Those alternative engines began to creep into the higher end rods and customs of the early '50's, and as drag racing began to gain popularity, the horsepower developing capabilities of the larger ohv engines, especially the Hemi, began to be discovered and appreciated.

Then in 1955 the rodding world was rocked on it's butt! Stodgy old Chevrolet unveiled new body styling, and even more shocking, a brand new ohv V8 engine. For those not familiar with this point in time, this was a major event. Just as Ford shocked the popular priced market place in 1932 by intoducing a V8 after years of blind devotion to the 4 cylinder engine, so too Chevrolet astonished the auto world after 26 years of faithful commitment to the six cylinder design exclusively. (Those of you historically literate might remember the first Chevrolet, ohv V8's of 1917-18, but they were not a market success and therefore don't apply here) The new Chevrolet V8 became an immediate success, and why not? First, it was a near revolutionary design. Unlike it's corporate cousins, it used new casting techniques (much as Ford had done in it's time at the birth of the flathead V8) that made for a lighter and physically more compact size externally. Innovative valve train design allowed the engine to rev more freely and to a higher level without valve float. As such, in the power to weight arena, the engine was miles ahead of it's competitors, including the newly introduced replacement for the beloved flathead V8 that Ford introduced in 1954 (the Y block) which was designed with already aged technology. Second, it was readily available right from the beginning. Though not all Chevrolets in 1955 had the V8 option, with a 28% market share for the entire line, there were engines available in wrecking yards almost immediately. And third, while the flathead V8 had been released in the depths of the Great Depression, the Chevrolet V8 came to market in the midst of a tremendous economic boom period, ensuring a relatively more affluent marketplace in waiting.

It didn't take rodders of the period long to catch on. Here was a leading edge engine design that was compact dimensionally (important for fitting in those older/smaller engine compartments without major modification), weighed only about 20 lbs more than a comparable flathead V8, and responded very well to both the traditional modifications as well as revealing some new ones. As these rodders began yanking out their flatheads to drop in the Chev they discovered some additional benefits. As serendipity would have it Chevrolet had designed the engine with a rear oil sump, which cleared most front crossmembers handily, and had put the starter on the passenger side where it would not interfere with most steering boxes. Talk about blessed bonuses!! So responsive to hop up tactics was this new engine that before long virtually every form of motor sport made it their favorite application, especially wherever power to weight ratio was important. As with anything else, even though the engine was an immediate hit, trends do have an evolutionary cycle. But it only took a couple years before the flathead became a rarity rather than the norm. It was the most rational choice.

Continued
copyright 2004