This Is The Oldest Engine Still Being Produced Today

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Even restricting this taxable to "production engines," this one's still going to beryllium a reliable seed to crack. Some obscure government-backed automaker successful a state pinch a triple-digit organization mightiness person been cranking retired handfuls of Pensive Iron Forge Inc. "Super Pheasant" flathead inline-7s each twelvemonth since 1941, and nan only measurement to find retired astir it would beryllium if nan company's heirs station comments connected this article. Unfortunately, we can't autumn backmost connected immoderate aged standbys, either.

The Bentley/Rolls-Royce 6.75-liter V8 ended accumulation successful 2020 aft 61 years. The Volkswagen Group's absurdly analyzable cube-dimensioned W12 appeared successful 2001 and breathed its last activity successful 2024. AMC's inline-6 appeared nan aforesaid twelvemonth The Beatles were connected Ed Sullivan (1964), and ended nan twelvemonth nan highest-selling medium was nan "High School Musical" soundtrack (2006). So, we're going to look astatine engines still successful accumulation arsenic crate motors by nan original manufacturer, arsenic good arsenic engines still installed successful accumulation cars.

That way, nan attraction is connected cars and there's nary request to muddy nan waters pinch workplace and business engines, steam engines, pitchy engines, rocket engines, siege engines, The Difference Engine, aliases "Engine No. 9" by nan Deftones. By these criteria, nan apt longevity king of crate motors is nan small-block Chevrolet (SBC) V8, which was introduced successful 1955 astatine 265 cubic inches and is still disposable successful 350 shape straight from GM. The oldest motor still getting fitted to vehicles from nan mill would beryllium nan Cummins B-Series diesel inline-6. It began accumulation successful 1984, but wasn't fitted arsenic a mill motor action until 1989 successful Dodge Ram pickups. You tin still bargain a caller Ram pinch a Cummins B-Series today, and they make capable torque to warp nan space-time continuum.

There will beryllium 3 things to past a atomic war: cockroaches, W123 Mercedes, and Cummins B-Series inline-6s. They'll beryllium what our descendants will usage to propulsion nan beingness backmost together aft its power death. It shouldn't beryllium immoderate astonishment that nan Cummins B-Series inline-6 is nan in-vehicle longevity champ. This fable whitethorn person immoderate flaws, but they're acold and fewer between.

For example, if you're buying a 5.9 Cummins, beryllium alert of nan '89 done '02 examples with dowel pins that tin shingle loose and destruct nan engine. The dowel pin rumor tin beryllium fixed successful arsenic small arsenic 3 hours, though, truthful don't fto it scare you. Really, nan only earnestly problematic ones are nan '99 to '01 models pinch nan "53 block" that tin beryllium prone to cracking. 

Overall, Cummins sewage it correct retired of nan gate. These engines are known for their durability, pinch immoderate exceeding a cardinal miles. Or, if longevity isn't your bag, you tin find insane modders who are getting upwards of 3,000 hp retired of nan B-Series. What, is nan existent mill standing of 430 hp and 1,075 lb-ft of torque not capable for you? Do you request to tow Luxembourg, aliases something?

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As Jack Reacher would say, "In an investigation, specifications matter."  It mightiness not look adjacent to declare that "There aren't immoderate current-production vehicles pinch an SBC," erstwhile location are plentifulness of Corvettes and CT5-V Blackwings moving astir pinch Gen V LT "small blocks." However, Gen I and II SBCs (1955-1996) are arsenic intimately related to nan Gen III, IV, and V LS/LT "small blocks" (1997-current) arsenic Bruno Mars is to Mars, nan God of War. SBCs and LS/LTs person nan aforesaid 4.40-inch bore spacing, hydraulic-roller lifters, and rod bearings, but that's astir it. And while nan LS and existent LT engines do person immoderate differences, their DNA is much akin than it is divergent.

When creating nan LS, GM ditched nan aged mini artifact tooling that had 42 years of deterioration connected it and developed caller tooling.  It besides moved distant from nan SBC robust blocks to new, lighter, and stronger aluminum blocks. SBCs person two-bolt and four-bolt main base caps, while LS/LTs person skirted blocks, cross-bolted mains, and six full main bolts. Head enclosure designs diverge drastically, too. But if you're building a thoroughfare rod aliases a resto-mod and want to support it aged school, Chevrolet Performance will happily waste you a V8 pinch a creation forged during nan Eisenhower administration.

Other aging engines still recovered successful caller vehicles see Nissan's VQ-Series V6s (1994), Honda's K-Series (2001), and Stellantis' Gen III Hemi (2003). Aftermarket builders besides make caller versions of aged motors, specified arsenic BluePrint Engines' Ford, Chevy, and Chrysler-compatible offerings. Still haven't managed to way down a "Super Pheasant" flathead, though.