Re: [AMC-list] Nash 234.8 OHV six

[Frank Swygert <farna@xxxxxxx>]

Do you have AIM #27? Probably not... I was in MS at the time so it was at least six years ago! Just looked at the editorial -- it was December 2004, just before I went to Korea. That issue has the Nash/AMC Six genealogy in it. I think I extracted that article for someone before, will dig it up and send you a copy. 

The 234.8 is a totally different animal than the 196 -- it's more akin to the 232, but it's from a different branch of the Nash engine family. It does have some design features that were incorporated into the 196 OHV -- sort of a hybrid between a 232 and 196 (yeah, a bit strange!).  The 172.6 that became the 196 OHV/L-head was a clean slate design, just like the 232. The 234.8 later became the 252.6. This series of engine was made from 1934-1951, with the 234.8 34-53, 252.6 52-56 (some overlap in 52 & 53). Both had the same block -- only difference was the bore. 234.8 has 3.38" bore x 4.38" stroke, 252.6 3.50" bore x 4.38" stroke. Seven mains, OHV, The head is a bit wide with a plate on top for the carb similar to the 196, but the whole block underneath is a bit wide -- the block is straight down from the outer edge of the carb plate. The exhaust manifold is right under the plate on the left side but is just a pipe clamped to the side like the 196 L-head. Water pump mounted o
n the side like the early 196 and it's siblings. 

I don't know anything about the aluminum head other than it was just used on the Nash-Healey and a limited number of Ambassadors 52-54. I haven't checked for availability on the Anbo for all four years -- may have just been a couple. I would expect the way the intake and exhaust are made is why there was an aluminum head -- it should have a different configuration for better power, but may not. The intake might be okay since it used 2x1V carbs, but surely the exhaust ports were cast to take a header or real manifold and not a pipe! Maybe it did take the pipe clamped to the side though, there were castings made by Edmunds (maybe Fenton?) in the mid to late 50s and early 60s that bolted to the side and mounted individual pipes. 

It can't be a bad engine -- the Nash-Healey did win it's class at LeMans in the early 50s and placed something like third overall one year (same year for both). That's not to say a 232/258 isn't a whole lot better though, and about the same length. 

This is one of many articles I probably need to polish up and re-run. One other thing -- the Nash straight eight was similar in design, and Crower used one of those with a blower in a Bonneville car some years ago. Hmm... haven't done an article on the Nash straight eight before! 

--------
Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2010 23:47:40 -0800
From: tom jennings <tomj@xxxxxxx>

Does anyone (Frank?) know anything specific about the old Nash 234.8 inline
6? It was OHV, and there was an aluminum head for it. The Nash Healey used
it. I imagine it's unobtainable. But is it anything like the 195.6 ohv?
Nothing serious could interchange, it's 7-mains, so the block has to be
longer.

Is it a huge worthless boat anchor? Or just bigger?

I'm not likely to do more than look for information, just curious.

--
Frank Swygert
Publisher, "American Motors Cars" 
Magazine (AMC)
For all AMC enthusiasts
http://farna.home.att.net/AMC.html
(free download available!)


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