3 ms·
You really can't compare HP ratings of cars from that era with modern cars. The old ratings were generally "gross brake horsepower" which was what you got at th
by davidgould 8y ago
You really can't compare HP ratings of cars from that era with modern cars. The old ratings were generally "gross brake horsepower" which was what you got at the crankshaft on a dyno with all the auxiliaries (oil pump, water pump, alternator, fuel pump, fan, etc) disconnected and powered separately and with special exhaust and intake arrangements, eg headers and no air filter. Modern HP is usually "SAE net horsepower" which is measured in almost an as installed in a vehicle configuration. Gross BHP significantly inflates the number.
See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horsepower#SAE_gross_power https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horsepower#SAE_gross_power
- johnohara 8y agoThanks for the link DavidGould. Learnt me some I didn't know. The '66 Impala was a heavy car and I didn't purchase it for racing. I did put a heavy duty clutch plate into it when I replaced the engine. It did burnouts just fine until I snapped the welds on the rear differential and sent the universal joint banging upward against the bottom of the car. Learned a little bit about welding, u-joints and spider gears on that one.