Mercury and OMC Race Engines - Max HP @ RPM ratings - Late 60's through md 80's

[powerabout]

I worked with Les untill he retired last year and moved back to Florida. He is also did most of the OMC V-8 development work and engineering at Second Effort. He told me the smaller displacement V-8's made as much peak power as the 4 liter's they just didn't have the midrange torque.

Didnt 2nd Effort open a few years after the V8 was already on the European circuit?

[dale robertson]

Didnt 2nd Effort open a few years after the V8 was already on the European circuit?

I think they did. Not sure exactly when 2nd. Effort got involved. I can ask Mel (Les's son ) and see if he knows.

[lars strom]

I remember the OMC meeting in the middle of the 1983 F1-V8 season (June) when OMC told us all the F1-V8 racing parts was after the meeting from Second Effort, not OMC.

[lars strom]

Suddenly most of the OMC racing stuff/parts become much more expensive. I remember the first invoice from SE in Aug. 1983.
Still have it in a box somewhere in Sweden.

[Rotary John]

If my memory is correct, in the early '70's the V-4 race engine was pulling about 185/189 HP. The first 2l V-6 (Paris '73) was just over 200 HP. The rotaries had 280/285 HP. I don't rightly recall the HP of the 150ci cross-flow.

[STEVERINO]

I worked with Les untill he retired last year and moved back to Florida. He is also did most of the OMC V-8 development work and engineering at Second Effort. He told me the smaller displacement V-8's made as much peak power as the 4 liter's they just didn't have the midrange torque.

I am going to throw a hand grenade in here now Andy Bullen told me the 3.0litre V8 was the fastest engine they raced and they raced them at 15000 rpm Alfi Bullen had a house at lake Hamilton and Les Cahoun had Andy testing engines and props quite often and Alfi later developed a hearing problem which he always blamed on the noise from the 3.0 litre engines.Last year someone posted a video of a race with the 3.0 litre engines and to me the noise was more like a whistle from a high rpm turbine engine than a 2 stroke engine.

[dale robertson]

I believe it. I had asked Les how much power they lost as they reduced the engine size and he said none. Peak power was the same they just lost some torque. The smaller bore engines had better transfer ports because their was more casting to work with and more port length after the turn. Les also has hearing problems from many years of being around 2-strokes.

[194268]

Advanced research, can you talk about it?

It was a small group of engineers head by Doc Morgan. There was Doc Morgan, Les, lyle and Bob (don't remember his last name, had very little contact with him). Three engineering Tec's, myself, Bob M. and a fellow named Jim ( again don't know his last name) and a draftsmen. We worked on special projects form for Marine and Snowmobiles, we developed the SnowTwister and the C-6.

[FMP]

Interesting work bringing new project to life as products.

[Mark75H]

Merc probably only put 200+ hp inline 6's in the hands of 3 racers - Molinari, Seebold and Merten. The 'regular" race motors were more like 190hp.

[Instigator]

190 is the # I always heard.

Merc probably only put 200+ hp inline 6's in the hands of 3 racers - Molinari, Seebold and Merten. The 'regular" race motors were more like 190hp.

[powerabout]

I am going to throw a hand grenade in here now Andy Bullen told me the 3.0litre V8 was the fastest engine they raced and they raced them at 15000 rpm Alfi Bullen had a house at lake Hamilton and Les Cahoun had Andy testing engines and props quite often and Alfi later developed a hearing problem which he always blamed on the noise from the 3.0 litre engines.Last year someone posted a video of a race with the 3.0 litre engines and to me the noise was more like a whistle from a high rpm turbine engine than a 2 stroke engine.

The 3.0 only got tested to 9500 on the production line dyno according to the build sheets
Plenty of mentions of them doing over 10k racing which sounds right.
15k sounds like an old fishing tale...
where are you nosub?
efi 3.5 was the most powerful I heard once they had the large rods
having a larger rev range generally makes for better lap times so the 3.0 could have been less yet did the same lap times?

PS if you calculate the piston speed and compare it to a nascar 355, it cant be more as they are on the limit along with F1 car engines which are the same as the nascar. (some trivia for the day)
That might tell you if 15k is possible
Rod length in an F1 V8 is the same as a 90 looper comparing the 2 rods ( not measured) and the stroke is 2.625 ( I think)

[powerabout]

I remember the OMC meeting in the middle of the 1983 F1-V8 season (June) when OMC told us all the F1-V8 racing parts was after the meeting from Second Effort, not OMC.

but was development done in both places?

[dale robertson]

Didnt 2nd Effort open a few years after the V8 was already on the European circuit?

They opened in 1983 and closed in 1991

[FUJIMO]

They opened in 1983 and closed in 1991

Bought quite a few 3.6 GT V-8's from Second Effort(dozens)in the early to mid-80's. I remember paying $4,200. each for the V-8's, and kept/paid that price for years, and he seemed to have an endless supply of them.