Speedway Motors Museum of American Speed
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        • 1935 Miller-Ford
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        • #8 Blue Crown Spark Plug Special
        • #45 “The Pup” Champ Car
        • Wolfgang #4 Sprint Car
        • #4 LeFevre Dirt Champ Car
        • Opperman's 4x Sprint Car
        • #1 Dunseth Sprint Car
        • #5 Randol Offy
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        • #57 Plymouth STP
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        • #1 Kodiak Special
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        • #54 Chicago Rawhide Special
        • #81 Central Excavating Special
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        • 1953 Corvette
        • Hedy Lamarr's 1958 Cadillac
        • 1920 Model T Ford Hot Rod
        • Lady Luck T-Bucket
        • 1949 Kurtis Sports Car
        • Jack Beck's Alfa Romeo
        • 8 Ball Hudson
        • Ariel Square Four Motorcycle
        • Turbine Powered Daytona Boss
        • 2003 Honest Charley's Flathead Motorcycle
        • #2 Harley-Davidson Motorcycle
        • Coors Extra Gold "32
        • The Dale Car
        • Eric Zausner's '32 Roadster
      • Land Speed >
        • MacKichan-Schulz Streamliner
        • Rossi's 1927 T Cosworth
        • Eelco Wee Eel II
        • #494 Model A Streamliner
        • #43 Creel Streamliner
        • Ron Main's Flatfire Streamliner
        • HAL Dry Lakes Roadster
        • Art Gerrick's Dry Lakes Car
        • 1933 Chevy Streamliner
      • Safety >
        • Jack Petty Ford
      • Show Cars >
        • Bergler's 'More Aggravation'
        • Red Baron
        • 1934 "Sweet Dreams" Ford Roadster
        • "Big Daddy" Roth's Outlaw Tribute
        • 1937 Studebaker Extremeliner
        • Boothill Express
        • Fahrner's X-Ray Roadster
        • Goldbrick
        • Venus
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        • Duesenberg Model J
        • Essence of Bucciali
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        • Shelby Series 1 Roadster
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        • GMC Dragter
        • Tony Nancy Wedge II
        • 303 Roadtser
        • Smaldino & Yates "Fargo" Dragster
        • E.J. Potter's "Whizzer" Drag Bike
      • NASCAR >
        • #21 Pearson Mercury
        • #26 Curtis Turner 1956 Ford Sunliner
        • 1956 Pontiac Sedan
        • Robert Yates Racing Ford
        • #9 Kasey Kahne
      • Le Mans >
        • Cadillac LMP Le Mans Prototype
      • Model T >
        • Montier Ford
        • 5 Millionth Ford
        • Lloyd Fisher Fronty Race Car & Hauler
        • #6 Voboril Brothers
        • Craig-Hunt T-Powered Race Car
        • The Galvanized Bullet
        • Twin-Engine Model T Speedster
        • Spruce Deuce
        • Mercury Speedster
        • Edsel's Hot Rod
        • Fronty-Ford #27
        • 1908 REO
        • 1886 Benz Replica
        • 1912 Indian Board Track Racer
      • Model A and B >
        • ​1931 Model A Coupe
        • Hy-Point Special
        • Red Devil Pickup
      • Flathead Ford V-8 >
        • 1950's Roaring Roadster
      • Orphan Engines (Misc.) >
        • #26 Miller Fertilizer Special
        • #60 Super Modified
        • Arnold's Auto Wrecking Jalopy
        • #2 Ranger Sprint Car
      • Quarter Midgets >
        • Micro-Sprint #95
        • 1959 Moss (1/2) Midget
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        • Elvis's Quarter Midget
        • Dreyer Junior Racers
        • #8 June Bug
      • Midget Racers >
        • Lloyd Axel #5
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        • #97 Henderson
        • #46 Kurtis Kraft Offenhauser
        • #1 Edmunds-Kenyen
        • #10 Lynch Offy
        • #1 Bardahl Special
        • #4 Ramada Inn Offy
        • #76 Honker
        • #4 Rex Mays Offy
        • #44 Ed's Auto V8-60
        • Lewis-Yeley Midget
        • Wilke-Pak Mopar
        • #8 Reichenbach SESCO Midget
        • #78 Red Caruthers Midget
    • Engines >
      • Miller Room >
        • 272 ci Miller DOHC v-16
        • 1932 Miller 308 c.i. DOHC V-8
        • 1953 Studebaker DOHC V-8
        • Miller DOHC 200 c.i. 4 Cylinder engine
      • Open Wheel >
        • Moser
        • Rodeck 406 Engine
        • 220 Offenhauser
        • Robert Roof SOHC
        • Rajo-Lencki 4
        • Gallivan DOHC
        • 1913 Chalmers
        • Plymouth Weslake
        • Voelker 6
        • Foyt DOHC Indy Engine
      • Indy Pit >
        • 2002 Toyota RV8F CART engine
        • Cosworth DFX Indy Engine
        • Mercedes Indy Engine
        • Brayton V-8 Indy Engine
        • Drake V8
        • Fronty-Ford "DO" Engine
        • 1935 Studebaker Straight-8
        • Fueling Oldsmobile Indy Engine
        • Weslake Chevy Conversion
        • Gurney-Eagle Ford Indy Engine
        • Supercharged Offy 110
      • Bill's Garage >
        • 1915 Wilbee V-8 Engine
      • Land Speed >
        • Ron Main's Flat Fire
        • MacKichan-Schulz 302 CID Chevrolet
      • Luxury Car Engines >
        • 1930 Cadillac V-16
      • Legends in Racing >
        • Yunick Twin Turbo
      • Model T >
        • HAL Akron-Hed
      • Model A and B >
        • HAL SOHC
      • Flathead Ford V-8 >
        • V-8 60 Ardun OHV Conversion Display
        • Tornado OHV Conversion
        • Robertson Flathead
        • V-8 Ford Birner
        • Ford Alexander
      • Orphan Engines (Misc.) >
        • Hudson Twin H-Power 6 Cylinder
        • 1923 Chevrolet Series M
        • Sweet 16 Chevrolet
        • Hispano-Suiza Engine
        • 1911 Reynolds Rotary Valve 4-Cyl. Engine
        • Alfa Romeo Twin Cam Engine
        • Bugatti Type B Engine
        • Scheel Rotary Valve Head
        • The "Cheater" Manifold
        • Chevy Twin Turbo
      • Midget Racers >
        • SESCO Engines
        • V-4 Cylinder Chevrolet Wilson
        • 2-Cylinder Offy
        • Stapp Engine
        • SCAT Engine
        • V-8 Cylinder Oldsmobile 215
        • Popp SOHC
        • Marchese DOHC
        • Simonek Engine
    • People >
      • Famous Builders >
        • A.J. Watson
        • Harry A. Miller
        • Ed Iskendarian
        • Stu Hilborn
        • Mickey Thompson
        • Smokey Yunick
        • Carroll Shelby
        • Vic Edelbrock Sr.
        • Robert Roof
        • Leo Goossen
      • Speedway Motors Drivers >
        • Jan Opperman
        • Doug Wolfgang
        • Joe Saldana
        • Cheryl Glass
        • Tiny Lund
        • Lloyd Beckman
        • Cliff Sealock
        • Don Brown
        • Keith Hightshoe
        • Bob Coulter
        • Tim Schulz
        • Grady Wade
        • Larry Dickson
        • Howdy Williams
        • Jay Woodside
        • John Wilkinson
        • Ray Lee Goodwin
        • Don Droud Jr.
        • Frank Brennfoerder
        • Woody Brinkman
        • Bill Utz
        • Ed Bowes
        • Harold Leep
        • Thad Dosher
        • Roy Bryant
        • Dick Sutcliffe
        • Don Maxwell
        • Danny Wallace
        • Lonnie Jensen
        • Jerry Stone
        • John Gerloff
        • Bob Burdick
        • Shane Carson
        • John Larson
        • Ed Leavitt
        • John MacKichan
        • Bill Smith
        • Greg Weld
        • Gordon Woolley
        • Kyle Berck
    • Toys, Etc. >
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   The Ardun OHV conversion for the venerable Ford flathead was designed by Zora Arkus-Duntov and his brother Yuri as the “Ardun Engine Company of New York” in the late forties.  By then the “old flatty” had become the engine of choice for the burgeoning hot rod craze but was also popular for commercial use as well with less than desirable results.  As trucks became larger and heavier the 239 cubic inch V8 failed with increasing regularity under the heavy loads.  This is due in part to the Siamese center exhaust port on each bank that cooked the coolant.  If the engine was going to produce significantly more power, it would have to be with overhead valves and short exhaust ports. 

   The Duntov Brothers (and others) sought to solve this problem with OHV conversion kits, some being more successful than others.  After Ardun completed 200 castings and parts, Ford recognized  the need for a larger commercial engine and modified the big Lincoln V8 (337 cubic inches, Model 8EQ) for truck application beginning in 1948.

   The Ardun (an acronym for ARkus-DUNtov) was too wide for passenger car installation and they were now in trouble before the new castings had barely cooled. 
   However, since the casting work was done in England, sports car builder Sidney Allard, creator of the now famous and expensive Allard/Ford V8 cars took note and installed a few Arduns in his roadsters.  There were problems because the conversion kits had not been debugged, creating havoc for Allard and they turned to Cadillac and Oldsmobile engines for their cars. During this time Stevens Motor Company of New York noticed what was going on and saw an opportunity to represent the Ardun Engine Company and became the sole US distributor.  Zora and Yuri washed their hands of the whole project. ​

   About the same time, dry lakes racers, Clem TeBow and Don Clark saw some drawings of the Ardun kit and recognized the potential to extract lots of additional power from the flathead Ford.  They installed a modified converted engine in Don’s HiBoy Deuce and in 1950 made wide eyed believers of SCTA (Southern California Timing Associatioin) crowd.  In 1951 they took the black deuce to Bonneville setting a C/Street Roadster record of 162.61 Mph and the unofficial title of noisiest car on the salt!  Later that year an engine dyno test recorded 303 Hp @ 5250 rpm with 25% fuel.  

 
   A small ad in Hot Rod Magazine, May 1950, told of a new OHV conversion available from Bell Auto Parts of Bell California.  (The same company that ultimately provided the industry with Bell helmets and Cragar Wheels.)  The Ardun OHV conversion is still being used today in street rods and is the best known of all Ford flathead OHV conversions.  ​
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Copyright © 2019 | Museum of American Speed | 599 Oakcreek Drive Lincoln, NE | 402-323-3166

Employee Login
  • Home
  • About
    • History
  • Displays
    • Vehicles >
      • Open Wheel >
        • 1935 Miller-Ford
        • Mechanical Rabbit
        • Johnny Lightning Special
        • #8 Blue Crown Spark Plug Special
        • #45 “The Pup” Champ Car
        • Wolfgang #4 Sprint Car
        • #4 LeFevre Dirt Champ Car
        • Opperman's 4x Sprint Car
        • #1 Dunseth Sprint Car
        • #5 Randol Offy
        • 4x Sedan
        • Wolfgang 4x Sprint car
        • 4x Offset Roadster
        • #43 Christie Miller
        • #57 Plymouth STP
        • Blue Crown Special
        • Tamale Wagon
        • #11 Kinser Sprint Car
        • #1 Kodiak Special
        • Channel-Lock Special
        • Stealth Special
        • Andy Gump Sprint Car
        • #94 Kenny Weld Sprint Car
        • Black Deuce
        • #1 Delrose Holt Silver Crown
        • #30 P.O.B Sprint Car
      • Indy Pit >
        • #54 Chicago Rawhide Special
        • #81 Central Excavating Special
        • 1914 Cornelian
      • Music Room >
        • Lively Set Car
      • Bill's Garage >
        • 1953 Corvette
        • Hedy Lamarr's 1958 Cadillac
        • 1920 Model T Ford Hot Rod
        • Lady Luck T-Bucket
        • 1949 Kurtis Sports Car
        • Jack Beck's Alfa Romeo
        • 8 Ball Hudson
        • Ariel Square Four Motorcycle
        • Turbine Powered Daytona Boss
        • 2003 Honest Charley's Flathead Motorcycle
        • #2 Harley-Davidson Motorcycle
        • Coors Extra Gold "32
        • The Dale Car
        • Eric Zausner's '32 Roadster
      • Land Speed >
        • MacKichan-Schulz Streamliner
        • Rossi's 1927 T Cosworth
        • Eelco Wee Eel II
        • #494 Model A Streamliner
        • #43 Creel Streamliner
        • Ron Main's Flatfire Streamliner
        • HAL Dry Lakes Roadster
        • Art Gerrick's Dry Lakes Car
        • 1933 Chevy Streamliner
      • Safety >
        • Jack Petty Ford
      • Show Cars >
        • Bergler's 'More Aggravation'
        • Red Baron
        • 1934 "Sweet Dreams" Ford Roadster
        • "Big Daddy" Roth's Outlaw Tribute
        • 1937 Studebaker Extremeliner
        • Boothill Express
        • Fahrner's X-Ray Roadster
        • Goldbrick
        • Venus
      • Luxury Cars >
        • Tucker
        • Duesenberg Model J
        • Essence of Bucciali
      • Legends in Racing >
        • '65 Mustang GT
        • Shelby Series 1 Roadster
        • Pumpkin Seed
      • Dragsters >
        • GMC Dragter
        • Tony Nancy Wedge II
        • 303 Roadtser
        • Smaldino & Yates "Fargo" Dragster
        • E.J. Potter's "Whizzer" Drag Bike
      • NASCAR >
        • #21 Pearson Mercury
        • #26 Curtis Turner 1956 Ford Sunliner
        • 1956 Pontiac Sedan
        • Robert Yates Racing Ford
        • #9 Kasey Kahne
      • Le Mans >
        • Cadillac LMP Le Mans Prototype
      • Model T >
        • Montier Ford
        • 5 Millionth Ford
        • Lloyd Fisher Fronty Race Car & Hauler
        • #6 Voboril Brothers
        • Craig-Hunt T-Powered Race Car
        • The Galvanized Bullet
        • Twin-Engine Model T Speedster
        • Spruce Deuce
        • Mercury Speedster
        • Edsel's Hot Rod
        • Fronty-Ford #27
        • 1908 REO
        • 1886 Benz Replica
        • 1912 Indian Board Track Racer
      • Model A and B >
        • ​1931 Model A Coupe
        • Hy-Point Special
        • Red Devil Pickup
      • Flathead Ford V-8 >
        • 1950's Roaring Roadster
      • Orphan Engines (Misc.) >
        • #26 Miller Fertilizer Special
        • #60 Super Modified
        • Arnold's Auto Wrecking Jalopy
        • #2 Ranger Sprint Car
      • Quarter Midgets >
        • Micro-Sprint #95
        • 1959 Moss (1/2) Midget
        • TQ Midget
        • Offyette Quarter Midget
        • Elvis's Quarter Midget
        • Dreyer Junior Racers
        • #8 June Bug
      • Midget Racers >
        • Lloyd Axel #5
        • Edmunds-Sesco Midget
        • #97 Henderson
        • #46 Kurtis Kraft Offenhauser
        • #1 Edmunds-Kenyen
        • #10 Lynch Offy
        • #1 Bardahl Special
        • #4 Ramada Inn Offy
        • #76 Honker
        • #4 Rex Mays Offy
        • #44 Ed's Auto V8-60
        • Lewis-Yeley Midget
        • Wilke-Pak Mopar
        • #8 Reichenbach SESCO Midget
        • #78 Red Caruthers Midget
    • Engines >
      • Miller Room >
        • 272 ci Miller DOHC v-16
        • 1932 Miller 308 c.i. DOHC V-8
        • 1953 Studebaker DOHC V-8
        • Miller DOHC 200 c.i. 4 Cylinder engine
      • Open Wheel >
        • Moser
        • Rodeck 406 Engine
        • 220 Offenhauser
        • Robert Roof SOHC
        • Rajo-Lencki 4
        • Gallivan DOHC
        • 1913 Chalmers
        • Plymouth Weslake
        • Voelker 6
        • Foyt DOHC Indy Engine
      • Indy Pit >
        • 2002 Toyota RV8F CART engine
        • Cosworth DFX Indy Engine
        • Mercedes Indy Engine
        • Brayton V-8 Indy Engine
        • Drake V8
        • Fronty-Ford "DO" Engine
        • 1935 Studebaker Straight-8
        • Fueling Oldsmobile Indy Engine
        • Weslake Chevy Conversion
        • Gurney-Eagle Ford Indy Engine
        • Supercharged Offy 110
      • Bill's Garage >
        • 1915 Wilbee V-8 Engine
      • Land Speed >
        • Ron Main's Flat Fire
        • MacKichan-Schulz 302 CID Chevrolet
      • Luxury Car Engines >
        • 1930 Cadillac V-16
      • Legends in Racing >
        • Yunick Twin Turbo
      • Model T >
        • HAL Akron-Hed
      • Model A and B >
        • HAL SOHC
      • Flathead Ford V-8 >
        • V-8 60 Ardun OHV Conversion Display
        • Tornado OHV Conversion
        • Robertson Flathead
        • V-8 Ford Birner
        • Ford Alexander
      • Orphan Engines (Misc.) >
        • Hudson Twin H-Power 6 Cylinder
        • 1923 Chevrolet Series M
        • Sweet 16 Chevrolet
        • Hispano-Suiza Engine
        • 1911 Reynolds Rotary Valve 4-Cyl. Engine
        • Alfa Romeo Twin Cam Engine
        • Bugatti Type B Engine
        • Scheel Rotary Valve Head
        • The "Cheater" Manifold
        • Chevy Twin Turbo
      • Midget Racers >
        • SESCO Engines
        • V-4 Cylinder Chevrolet Wilson
        • 2-Cylinder Offy
        • Stapp Engine
        • SCAT Engine
        • V-8 Cylinder Oldsmobile 215
        • Popp SOHC
        • Marchese DOHC
        • Simonek Engine
    • People >
      • Famous Builders >
        • A.J. Watson
        • Harry A. Miller
        • Ed Iskendarian
        • Stu Hilborn
        • Mickey Thompson
        • Smokey Yunick
        • Carroll Shelby
        • Vic Edelbrock Sr.
        • Robert Roof
        • Leo Goossen
      • Speedway Motors Drivers >
        • Jan Opperman
        • Doug Wolfgang
        • Joe Saldana
        • Cheryl Glass
        • Tiny Lund
        • Lloyd Beckman
        • Cliff Sealock
        • Don Brown
        • Keith Hightshoe
        • Bob Coulter
        • Tim Schulz
        • Grady Wade
        • Larry Dickson
        • Howdy Williams
        • Jay Woodside
        • John Wilkinson
        • Ray Lee Goodwin
        • Don Droud Jr.
        • Frank Brennfoerder
        • Woody Brinkman
        • Bill Utz
        • Ed Bowes
        • Harold Leep
        • Thad Dosher
        • Roy Bryant
        • Dick Sutcliffe
        • Don Maxwell
        • Danny Wallace
        • Lonnie Jensen
        • Jerry Stone
        • John Gerloff
        • Bob Burdick
        • Shane Carson
        • John Larson
        • Ed Leavitt
        • John MacKichan
        • Bill Smith
        • Greg Weld
        • Gordon Woolley
        • Kyle Berck
    • Toys, Etc. >
      • Buck Rogers
      • Lunch Boxes
      • Pedal Cars
      • Tether Cars
      • Soap Box Derby
      • Cookie Jars
      • Car Mascots
      • Taxi
      • Car Club Plaques
    • Safety Display
  • Events
    • Cars & Coffee
    • Speedsters Trials & Reunion
    • Plan Your Event
  • Get Involved
    • Donate
    • Membership
  • Contact
  • Visit
    • Harvest Hosts
    • School Field Trips
    • FAQ
  • Shop