alternatehistory.com

Inspired, in part, by this thread.

The OTL V1710, of course, was famously used in the P-40 & P-38. So, what might have been done to it to improve its performance? With a start date of September 1939, & with tech that can be in service before war's end.

My first thought is more carburetors, the first thing any hot rodder worth his salt tries. The V1710 used a single 2-bbl Bendix-Stromberg PD-12K.:eek::eek: Even with 3 15/16" throats, that seems mighty small... So, what about four PD-12s? Or six? Synchronization will be a nightmare, however...

Next obvious change is fuel injection, which wasn't unheard of even among hot rodders in that period.

Was there room in the head for bigger valves?

The V1710 already had the Top Fuel-standard dual plugs & racer-preferred mag ignition, so no gain there. Nor in increased compression...

Can the pressure on the cooling system be increased, to raise the boiling point of the coolant (& reduce rad size)?

Hardened valve seats & seals would become desirable later; can they be improved over Stellite?

Can the pistons be lighter without risk of breakage?

Is it possible to fit a "faster" cam? That is, one that gets to max lift sooner. (This is an idea well beyond the existing cam design theory at the time.)

Is it possible to redesign the shape of the valve bowl, so a standard "3-angle" valve job starts with a 22deg angle, instead of a 30deg? It would improve airflow across the entire rev range. (This is also well beyond existing design theory at the time.)

I'm also musing the prospect of something like Teflon being accidentally invented & applied as a coating to moving parts, to reduce internal friction, but that's pushing ASB....

Any other ideas?
Top