Side exhaust
10-06-2015, 09:24 PM
#102
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10-08-2015, 12:01 AM
#103
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Mr. Kiekhaefer was good friends with Bunky Knudsen (CEO of GM,65--66--67). Mercury was marketing and selling big block (482") Inboard engines, 375 horsepower, left hand and right hand rotation. This engine used the tall deck block, a Rochester carb, an aluminum intake that need no 'spacers' This is the engine that evolved into the Mercury (not KAM) race engine---
Hey Redman, Thanks for the info.
Most of the info I’ve learned over the years is pretty confusing. I wish I knew someone that remembers it all and when it happened but that’s a tall order. Add in that they made a 427 tall deck, a 482 offshore race motor, a 482 production motor and the 482 cyclone motor, it’s all a mess. And to be honest I’m not even sure mine is even a true Kiekhaefer motor anymore. I mean I can prove it is up to about 90% but after that everything was so customized to each buyer/leaser of these motors none of the end products ended up the same. Some with carbs and others with mechanical fuel injection and velocity stacks. Different exhausts, different ignition systems, different cooling systems and according to Bob (and if mine is real) different cam selections.
I do know that mine is not a factory production motor by a long shot. Maybe a production race motor like a Roush motor is today but I don’t think many production motors had 700 lift roller cams and 11 to 1 plus compression back in 1970. Like you stated they had aluminum dual plane intakes made for a short production run by Winters (Winters made all of Chevy’s aluminum intakes at the time) for the 427 tall deck. I have one. The basic difference is the intake’s flanges are double thick. Like spacers were cast in with the rest of the intake when made. Like the Dart single plane (the only other aluminum tall block intake) you could use a normal distributer length with the way they were milled down.
I was sent this picture a while back and even though I can only 90% prove it, it 100% convinced me mine was a true K offshore race motor. Mine had the same fuel pump and lines to the double pumper, same intake, same valve covers, harm bal pulley and the bolts were wired up like the ones are in the picture. Mine was missing the water crossover and Alt but I guess that went on the next motor. I also remember when I took it apart the wires were still intact and I distinctly remember thinking that it looked like it was assembled by a machine. Just the perfect amount or RTV in just the perfect place, stuff like that. Just wiring every bolt must have taken hours alone. A whole lot more work then what was needed for a 375hp production motor.
Anyway around it I have Kiekhaefer rods (their name is on them) surrounded by a stroked and bored 427 tall deck that’s a 496 now and seems to work pretty well. So well I found another set of the rods (with their name on them) and built a second identical motor down to the last bolt and dumped them into my race boat. If they aint real they make pretty good fakes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQIQ_HXYkD4
10-15-2015, 01:54 PM
#104
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Confusing? Go back over 50 years to the history of the 'Mystery Motor' A 409 with different heads?
Remember--Mr. Kiekhaefer left Mercury---forever- November, 1969---but over the years he had formed different companies that were completely separate from Mercury: Kiekhaefer Corp. (KC); Kiekhaefer Aeromarine Inc. (KAM or KAMINC)
The rumor was the tall deck 482' was a special casting from GM---even had a 'high nickle' material used and were marked 'Truck/Marine'
The 'tall deck' can be identified in less than 3 seconds by looking at the front of the block---
Remember--Mr. Kiekhaefer left Mercury---forever- November, 1969---but over the years he had formed different companies that were completely separate from Mercury: Kiekhaefer Corp. (KC); Kiekhaefer Aeromarine Inc. (KAM or KAMINC)
The rumor was the tall deck 482' was a special casting from GM---even had a 'high nickle' material used and were marked 'Truck/Marine'
The 'tall deck' can be identified in less than 3 seconds by looking at the front of the block---
10-15-2015, 02:38 PM
#105
Platinum Member
I can tell you that it did take hours to wire every bolt on those motors and bleeding hands at times because that is me in the centre of the picture in 1969.
Those engines were Mercury specials to be fitted into "Magnum Tornado" flown in to the UK just one week before the 1968 Cowes Torquay race in which the boat sank.
They were the first of the tall blocks with spacer plates between the heads and the inlet manifold and the engines themselves were handed rotation.
Best of all I did not even know what I had in my hands at that time.
According to the press release in the papers at that time each engine was rated at 520hp.
Kalaazar
Those engines were Mercury specials to be fitted into "Magnum Tornado" flown in to the UK just one week before the 1968 Cowes Torquay race in which the boat sank.
They were the first of the tall blocks with spacer plates between the heads and the inlet manifold and the engines themselves were handed rotation.
Best of all I did not even know what I had in my hands at that time.
According to the press release in the papers at that time each engine was rated at 520hp.
Kalaazar
Last edited by Kalaazar; 10-15-2015 at 02:41 PM.
10-16-2015, 12:14 AM
#106
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Hey Red, Kalaazar
Just did a quick read on the 409 mystery motor. I’m kind of surprised that I don’t have one amongst my land of misfit toys. Another odd ball to drive someone nuts. What they say, something like 50 was made and yet there are still a couple around 50 years later. Funny how that happens.
Like you said Mr. Kiekhaefer left Mercury and went on to do other stuff and even his son is involved at some point (and still is) and IMHO is where some of the confusion comes from. They did this here, they did that there and they did this and that here and there. So maybe mine came from Merc before or after he left or it came from a later company. One clue I have and is the reason Kiekhaefer came up in the first place was the number that’s on the rods. It was a Kiekhaefer part number and their name was supposed to be on the other side but someone went through the time to carefully only grind the names off all of them but yet left the part number as big and plain as day on the other side. Not sure why someone would do that beside to intentionally trying to hide the name (maybe they didn’t have permission anymore at that point to use them). Another mystery of this motor. The second set of rods I bought (found on the internet because of having that part number) did have Kiekhaefer on them where the others were ground off but they were never installed in a motor so…..
As for the casting, you may be on to something here.
If it’s new or strange or even if it just a tiny bit complicated (which this motor fits all three) I get out the old digital camera set on hi res and start taking pictures. Over the years my picture file on my hard drive is invaluable for this stuff. This is the rear of the 482 as I was taking it apart. As you can see there is a MARINE stamp in the oval.
This of course is under the timing chain. Still flips me out how clean this motor was inside 45 years later even as trashed as it was. My theory is that the motor was built, run for a short time, then burned up a couple bearings along with the welded up and reground Chevy forged crank. It then sat around, changed hands a couple times collecting more garage dust and then I got it like a time capsule. I’ve taken apart enough motors. I would bet good money no one has been inside since it was built by the person who wired it all together. And what is the reason for the wiring? Is it to lock the bolts in place or to keep people out?
These two pictures are from the clone 482 K motor I built last winter. As you can see under the timing chain it only says TRUCK but on the rear is does say MARINE. This motor came out of a early 80’s Chevy dump truck (I saw the truck) so again MARINE stamp may have real meaning.
Again Kal, that picture speaks volumes to me. I’m sure it’s hard to tell for you from my picture but to me I see all kinds of clues. Someone had taken the original valve covers and the wrong water pump was hanging on by a bolt but it’s there. I have pictures of the top end but not of the whole thing all together in one until after I got it rebuilt and put back together but by then I made my changes too.
Just did a quick read on the 409 mystery motor. I’m kind of surprised that I don’t have one amongst my land of misfit toys. Another odd ball to drive someone nuts. What they say, something like 50 was made and yet there are still a couple around 50 years later. Funny how that happens.
Like you said Mr. Kiekhaefer left Mercury and went on to do other stuff and even his son is involved at some point (and still is) and IMHO is where some of the confusion comes from. They did this here, they did that there and they did this and that here and there. So maybe mine came from Merc before or after he left or it came from a later company. One clue I have and is the reason Kiekhaefer came up in the first place was the number that’s on the rods. It was a Kiekhaefer part number and their name was supposed to be on the other side but someone went through the time to carefully only grind the names off all of them but yet left the part number as big and plain as day on the other side. Not sure why someone would do that beside to intentionally trying to hide the name (maybe they didn’t have permission anymore at that point to use them). Another mystery of this motor. The second set of rods I bought (found on the internet because of having that part number) did have Kiekhaefer on them where the others were ground off but they were never installed in a motor so…..
As for the casting, you may be on to something here.
If it’s new or strange or even if it just a tiny bit complicated (which this motor fits all three) I get out the old digital camera set on hi res and start taking pictures. Over the years my picture file on my hard drive is invaluable for this stuff. This is the rear of the 482 as I was taking it apart. As you can see there is a MARINE stamp in the oval.
This of course is under the timing chain. Still flips me out how clean this motor was inside 45 years later even as trashed as it was. My theory is that the motor was built, run for a short time, then burned up a couple bearings along with the welded up and reground Chevy forged crank. It then sat around, changed hands a couple times collecting more garage dust and then I got it like a time capsule. I’ve taken apart enough motors. I would bet good money no one has been inside since it was built by the person who wired it all together. And what is the reason for the wiring? Is it to lock the bolts in place or to keep people out?
These two pictures are from the clone 482 K motor I built last winter. As you can see under the timing chain it only says TRUCK but on the rear is does say MARINE. This motor came out of a early 80’s Chevy dump truck (I saw the truck) so again MARINE stamp may have real meaning.
Again Kal, that picture speaks volumes to me. I’m sure it’s hard to tell for you from my picture but to me I see all kinds of clues. Someone had taken the original valve covers and the wrong water pump was hanging on by a bolt but it’s there. I have pictures of the top end but not of the whole thing all together in one until after I got it rebuilt and put back together but by then I made my changes too.
11-05-2015, 02:16 PM
#107
Registered
Bud, i just bought the bonanza boat,,27 mag sport,missing port side exaust manifold,apparently made by pete smith,,can you help me, i'm going to take the boat back to its orig race configuration,,its all there with some cool stuff,chicken bar,outside indicators,right hand steering,,,,,thanks Terry Mullen,,,,[email protected]
