Quote: I think that Ted Spehar had a lot to do with Carlton's motors. As for the Rod Shop, I believe they did their own stuff, with input from others
StewartP
I think Stewart is right that Spehar had alot to do with Carlton's motors, at least until responsibility for the Missile program tranferred to Carlton (1973-74?). It seems like Clyde Hodges said that he and Donnie were doing their own motors in 1974 for the "Don Carlton" Dart Sport. (Hmmm, wonder if they did the small blocks, too. Joe?)
Clyde's story about Motor 37 (or was it 39) was pretty enlightening and humorous.
Mark
Mark,
I don't think that Donnie and Clyde did much of anything with the small blocks - Teddy Spehar did those for our test program.
All engines that Ted Spehar built were numbered. Our all time best bullet was #33. I loved that engine! For some reason, that piece always ran a tick better that all the rest - and all the rest were fantastic engines. No matter how many rebuilds it went through, it always came out on top.
Somewhere in my archives, there is an old notebook that I used to keep with notes on different engines. I kept notes on stuff like valve lash, leak tests, cam changes, etc. I distinctly remember certain engine numbers like #33 (my favorite), #36, and #39. The rest of them sort of run together.
I don't remember any particular Clyde story about one of the engines so if you want to share it with me please do. If you would rather do it in private that's ok - just send me a note. Obviously, there are a NUMBER of stories I really can't tell in the open without getting OK's from those involved...
