Here is a link touching on the 305 cubic inch rule for special aerodynamic NASCAR cars, not just the Mopar wing cars:
http://wwnboa.com/hartman.htm#71As for the 355 SVI,
I will bet money that it has something to do with Ted Spehar of Motown/Mopar Missile fame. His business in Michigan was indeed called SVI. Too much of a coincidence. He always did a lot of development work for Chrysler and the mid-'70's was when Chrysler started testing small blocks for NASCAR as well as Pro Stock racing. Bob Gliddens Arrow in 1979 is what it evolved into.
Here are quotes from Joe Pappas on an old moparts thread mentioning SVI and that engines were assigned #'s for I.D. Perhaps that's what the "58" refers to?
:
Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don's shop in Troy Michigan was strictly for the "car" work. Ted Spehar supplied all the Missile engines from his shop (Specialized Vehicles, Inc.). The two shops were about 3 miles apart. When Don, Dick, and I went to a NHRA or IHRA event, we would typically have 3 engines with us - one in the car and two fully dressed engines in the truck. We always had a good supply of horsepower from Spehar.
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...
Joe Pappas
--------------------
Joe Pappas
MOPAR MISSILE
Since the pics appear to show OEM exhaust manifolds,I would guess that the block found its way into a street car. Perhaps never used for testing/development and sold as a leftover.
Have you had the engine apart or notice any unusual features? That might provide a hint if it did have some race mods done to it or sold before any were made.
I emailed Stewart Pomeroy (StewartP) with a link to this thread to see if he might have any insight to this block.
What about posting the question in the Race section?
