In the early 60's, the guy across the street from me was a motorcycle mechanic. He worked out of his garage on all makes and models. His bike of choice was an Ariel Square 4. He maintained that any internal combustion engine is more powerful, smother running and more efficient with a "square" configuration. Equal bore and stroke (4.00 X 4.00). Is there anything to this, and if so, why don't engine builder of today attempt to build "square" engines?

I looked these up to show you that they have been made.

Buick 350" = 3.800"b x 3.850"s. It has too small a bore due to narrow bore spacing for the stroke.

Olds 400" = 4.000"b x 3.975"s. Olds made two 400's, this one and a 3.875"b x 4.250" stroke. Go figure??

Ford 400" = 4.000"b x 4.000"s. This is a 335 series motor, not the more plentiful 385 series one like the 460 is made from.

Chrysler 301" = 3.625"b x 3.625"s, Thuis is a 1955 Poly headed motor. To this day, I don't understand why the polycombustion chamber shaped head and valve layout didn't take off UNLESS it was b/c of a Patent thing??

Studebaker 304.5" = 3.650"b x 3.625"s. This is the Gran Turismo Hawk and Avanti motor!

International Small Truck 345 = 3.625"b x 3.65625"s.

pdq67

PS., and years ago the 283 was bored and stroked out to it's max. to create a 4x4, 283 which was = 4.00"b x 4.00"s motor.

This is the one I think of when I hear 4x4.

Originally posted by pdq67:
PS., and years ago the 283 was bored and stroked out to it's max. to create a 4x4, 283 which was = 4.00"b x 4.00"s motor.

This is the one I think of when I hear 4x4. What kind of 4"-stroke crank did they (?) stuff into a 283 casting? No clearance inside a 283 block for rod big ends or counterweights with a 4" crank.... :confused:

That was a really old article on the 4" x 4" small block. Early 60's or late 50's ....... They bored the block till the cylinder walls were completely gone then bored it some more. The top of the deck almost completely gone. They welded stiffeners into the inside of the block and then furnace brazed siamesed sleeves (they had flats machined on the sides of the sleeves for clearance) into the hollowed out block. The pistons used plugs pressed into the pin area so the rings would be supported with the pin almost to the top of the piston. I think they used a heavily modified Buick crank?

If memory serves me right, the crank was a drastically reworked Packard/Stude Crank out of the '56 Golden Hawk motor!!

I think they weld-stroked it, changed the main spacing on it, reduced the counterweight diameters and then narrowed the counterweights to get the jewel to fit into a 283 block!!

AND you gotta remember that the only other way to do this at that time was to carve one out of a billet!!

pdq67

PS., I don't buy all the bore rework b/c the early 283 blocks would go an 1/8th over pretty easy. And the early '60's, 283/327 blocks to .155" or so. And even today, you can stroke a SB to 3.875" fairly easily..