Thread: AEC Reliance Bus

Originally Posted by graceysdad

So anyone keen to take a punt on how fast this old motor would poke her along at cruise speed? I have some choices for repowering
Ford 4.1 Litre Alloy Head 6 cyl modded with stage 2 Hi Torque Cam and Holley Carby handle ULP and LPG no issues
Chrylser Hemi 265 4.3 Litre ex Dodge Truck with solid steel crank, Hi Torque can and Holley Carb
Id prefer the Ford personally, these are nice motors and if you tickle them up slighty they have torque to boot, Im not after speed so much, Im after reliability and ease of parts,
problem is I have a personal hatred for anything with the lucas name on it or solex, give me bosch and stromberg or holley any day of the week, most wreckers will have a starter or a alternator and any Car Part place will have a water pump or belts etc we plan to get this old girl right out into the remote part sof the place so this side of things is very important to me, I can carry enough bits to keep it out of trouble but its the you never know stories and the what ifs lol the thumbnail shows some of the interior work Ive been at the surface rust and what not luckily theres no concernable rust in the entire thing and the body is straight as

Chrysler parts are less easy to get than Ford parts.

Having been a dedicated Valiant fan for many many years Ive never had a Hemi engine ever give me a major issue I couldnt fix on the road side, the plastic dizzy gears are no fun but I have some bronze gears and a bit of old Hemi stuff squirrelled away in the shed, good tough motor that rarely stop, our old Dodge D4 we use for carrying the dirt around the property has a 265 Hemi and shes constantly working in the upper ranges of revs and its hauled some awesome loads, its always got 5 or more ton of road base on the back that old motor never stops unless it runs out of petrol, I love em great motors.