Nessism wrote: Been doing some reading on what constitutes a hemispherical combustion chamber and had no idea how some people kicked out the bathtub people from the club. Interesting, but crazy.
Yep, crazy...
Hey Ed, do you know why it is called a bathtub? I can't see the resemblance...if you know, share the secret...
Oh, wanted to mention the nearest to an actual hemi combustion chamber I've ever seen outside of the exotic European stuff (Alfa Romeo, etc.), the SOHC 427 Ford from the mid - 60's. The chamber was completely machined long before CNC and very nearly a complete half dome. An awesome bit of engineering for it's time, given that it was basically a set of high tech (then) racing heads designed to go onto an existing engine block (the "FE" series) designed in the 50's (the first was 332 c.i.) and best suited to a farm tractor...or maybe a grain truck. Very tough engines, but a factory built 7000 RPM big block racing engine? No wonder they lost buckets of money on those.
Most of the Ford guys would give their right arm and first born to acquire a complete running "Cammer"... just to have it displayed on an engine stand in the garage. I held a "Le Mans" con rod and piston from one in my hand once, and saw a NOS bare head displayed at a swap meet once - cheap at $10 000. An old guy here (he is an ex Ford sponsored drag racer from that era) has one in a kit replica 427SC Cobra. It's dual carb and making about 750 hp, In a car that weighs about 2000 lbs., It moves like the automotive version of a squirrel...and the side pipe exhausts shakes windows and sets off car alarms 2 blocks away.