There’s strange stuff, there’s weird stuff, there’s unobtanium, and then there is this. What you are looking at is a Leo Lyons small block Chevy hemi from the early 1970s. Specifically, you are looking at all the parts to screw one together, which are brand new because this one has never been assembled. There’s a Donovan block and a Moldex crank to anchor the thing, both of which were bought in 1972 and then there’s the amazing and really unique cylinder heads. Leo Lyons made these hemi Chevy mouse cylinder heads and based them off of Ardun heads. The spark plug locations are the major tell on this one as the groupings are the same as you see on Ardun heads installed on flathead Ford engines. Wild, right? It gets better.
The average family income in 1972 (when all the parts and pieces for this engine were ordered) was $8,400 bucks (give or take) the Moldex crank was north of 1,000, we’re guessing the block was easily worth that much, and the heads had to be ungodly expensive because this was long before the days that guys had CNC machines cutting stuff. We’d almost want to bet that these were hand machined! While Leo Lyons sold a few sets of the heads, this was the only engine that was to be all aluminum. The majority were bolted onto iron blocks as you’d expect from something in the early 1970s.
The seller of this freak is looking for $38,000 and we can’t really fault him. This may be the old “sell a pencil for a million dollars” deal. That’s the one about the guy trying to sell a pencil for a million dollars and someone calls him an idiot until the man responds, “I only have to sell one.” This engine is absolutely valuable…to someone. We’re not sure who that is or why it would be but all this dude has to do is to find that person and he’s going to make a pile of dough. Joe average hot rodder won’t be bidding but some rich dude somewhere may want in on this action.
SCROLL DOWN TO SEE PHOTOS OF THIS WILD ENGINE AND THEN CHECK OUT THE EBAY AD FOR THE FULL DETAILS –
CLICK HERE to see the full scoop on this wild SBC Hemi From 1972
Obviously,you cant order headers from Summit..
I think the Champion Speed Shop nostalgia top fuel dragster was running a set of these heads when I saw it years ago. I think they were top qualifier.
I’m probably not the guy to do it but what’s needed is a non-profit organization with the mission of 3D scanning, cataloging & preserving the design on oddball automotive parts. Everything from the standard 5.7 SBC to old Studebaker parts to one-offs like this sucker. Get it into an Autocad or Solidworks file and publish the library online. Give it a few years and these heads could be printed & shipped…
I like the way you think, but I doubt the auto manufacturers do.
There is a museum somewhere in NE Kansas that is loaded with just as yousuggest, mechanical marvels. I have yet to visit there, sigh. Hot Rod Magazine did an article on them a few years ago. Great stuff!
Wonder if this is the same one Don Ferguson of Ardun.com brought out to the LA Roadster show some three years ago. People walked by it all day long not really understanding what was there.
My mistake, the one Don Ferguson had was a different animal. Similar though
http://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=98034&showall=1
super cool mill!—something this rare would need to be in something equally rare—either something like the mysterion(or some starbird creation) ,or a spiffy type of 60’s sport car/racer –like the mach 5,except less dorky……