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Hot Rod magazine - Sept 2010

Printed From: West Coast Fieros
Category: Documentation Archive
Forum Name: Catalogs & Paper Archives
Forum Description: Magazine, manual, brochure, etc scans
URL: http://www.westcoastfieros.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2027
Printed Date: 23 November 2024 at 1:32pm
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Topic: Hot Rod magazine - Sept 2010

Posted By: Dr.Fiero
Subject: Hot Rod magazine - Sept 2010
Date Posted: 21 August 2010 at 9:00pm

Pages 40/41/42

Details regarding Smokey Yunicks infamous hot air engine Fiero.

Several photo's. Lot's of text.

"The Story Behind Smokey's Hot-Air Engine
In 1984, Smokey Yunick stunned HOT ROD readers with a revolutionary engine design, and then it disappeared. We finally find out the true story behind what happened to it."

http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/engine/hrdp_1009_what_ever_happened_to_smokeys_hot_vapor_engine/index.html - http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/engine/hrdp_1009_what_eve r_happened_to_smokeys_hot_vapor_engine/index.html

Replies:

Posted By: Romeo
Date Posted: 21 August 2010 at 9:26pm

Hmm... Does anyone one think this screams a little of the 100+MPG carb conspiracy theory? I'm just thinking if it was possible to safely replicate, manufacturers would've been all over that.

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Never shift into reverse without a back-up plan.

Posted By: Dr.Fiero
Date Posted: 21 August 2010 at 9:52pm

Smokey was a genius far back into the 40s
and 50s, and was years if not decades
ahead of his time.

He hid most of his secrets in his head, and
took a lot of them to his grave.

But some of them are around still today. Like
the small block chevy? A lot of it was his
design or doing.

His hot air engine needed more time, and
more tech than what was available then.
Remember that he came up with it 30+ years
ago! Computer tech just wasn't there.

Posted By: Capt Fiero
Date Posted: 21 August 2010 at 10:34pm

The car does exist and Eric Schnzek of the big Fiero Mailing list, has driven the car. I think the reason it was not made into the next great thing was 2 fold, 1 the design was dangerous as it heated the fuel and 2 it was not going to be reliable enough to put into production, the engines would fail rather quickly under the strain of the system.

You just can't put that much power in a duke and expect it to last.

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Capt Fiero
88 Fiero GT 5spd V6
Eight Fifty Seven GT V8 5spd.

Posted By: Dr.Fiero
Date Posted: 22 August 2010 at 7:04am

The fact that it was done on a duke is almost irrelevant - it's the concept and principal.

If it worked on that, go do it to an LS1. They're both just pumps.

The guy in the article has driven the car. He's documented the mileage.
(read the whole article - and remember, it's a "part 2" if you read the other one a few years back)