Interesting information. Did you make the arden head for a 60. What kind
of intake manifolds did you make for them? My dad ran a midget with a 60 in
it when he was a young fellow. Ed Shearer
ardunbill@webtv.net wrote:
> Hi Folks, since Ardun Doug asked for it, following is part of the
> Interview I did with Zora Arkus-Duntov a few years ago at Corvettes at
> Carlisle, PA.
>
> "Q. How many sets of Ardun heads were made, and in what years were they
> available?
>
> A. About 300 sets were made and sold in the 1949-1952 period, mostly to
> the U.S. market, but a few elsewhere. Some sets went to racers in South
> America. You know I also designed and made, at the request of some
> people interested in Midget racing in this country, 30 sets of racing
> Ardun heads for the Ford V8 60. These were similar hemispherical OHV
> conversions, but the design differed a little. Their castings were made
> in England, but I arranged their machining in Germany, and had them
> available for sale in early 1950. But this proved to be a very small
> market."
>
> I want to mention that Cotton Werksman wrote an extremely comprehensive,
> well-illustrated article "Ardun V8-60 Heads" which appeared in the
> February 1979 number of Street Rodder. It is readily available now
> reprinted in Robert J. Whitehead's collection "Ardun Dream Book" for $29
> pp from Robert at 7 Robin Lane, Bella Vista, AR 72715
>
> In looking at the clear illustrations in the above article, I don't see
> any "Made in Germany" cast on the rocker covers, but with prototypes,
> etc, anything is possible. Obviously, Zora was a very busy guy in the
> late '40s, running back and forth to England and Germany, designing his
> Arduns, and co-ordinating their manufacture and sales. His efforts have
> given much pleasure to many, ever since. Not just on the Arduns, but
> all the Corvettes which bear his imprint.
>
> Yours for more and better Ardunology, Ardun Bill in the Great Dismal
> Swamp, Chesapeake, VA
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