3-53 Detroit

[50BMG]

I was just inguring about the limits of the 3-53 Detroit. I'm going to work on or overhaul/rebuild a 3-53 Detroit for an engine in a project vehicle as soon as I find one/afford one. I've noticed someone working on an aluminum 6V-53 Detroit using twin turbos from a 5.9L Cummins. Finding an aluminum 3-53 Detroit in good condition is going to be difficult and or very expensive (maybe from a gama goat possible option). The guy with the aluminum 6V-53 Detroit with Twin Cummins Turbos was at 400HP-650HP (900HP with Nitro) if I remember right. I know that a 3-53 Detroit would have relatively half the displacement of a 6V-53 since both engines have 53 cubic inches per cylinder 318 cubic inches for the 6V-53 Detroit and 159 cubic inches for the 3-53 Detroit even though one is in a V configuration and one is in an inline configuration. Could a 3-53 Detroit handle 300HP-350HP with enough boost and big enough injectors? Thanks in advance for any thoughts, opinions, or answers.

 

[Mark31]

Get someone to chain you to a tree in the swamp for two weeks with only some soda crackers to eat and hope that this fever leaves you.

 

[SnoKing]

A 4B3.9 would be a better project. The two cycle Detroit are a marvel of engineering, however I think their day has come and gone. They are a dirty engine smog wise, and that and the fact that they are fuel hogs caused their phase out. I do love the sound. The USCG 40' boats with twin 6-71's and no mufflers were boss when I was younger.


Here is quote from another thread on the internet.

"To be honest, you aren't going to save a huge amount of weight by using just an alloy block. You have to imagine you still have a heavy head, crank, rods, valve train etc.

Really your best option is just to build your suspension to take what the weight of the standard " iron " detroit should be then any weight you shave off using the alloy block is a bonus. Also there is no point building a "hot rod" detroit unless you plan on taking your engine out on a weekly basis.

Build it simple, Build it strong, build it to last."

3-53

4-53









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[50BMG]

Thanks SnoKing, I do realize that 2-Stroke Detroits like the 3-53 aren't very efficient, weigh a lot for what they put out performance wise, leak, smoke, and are fuel hogs. Could a 3-53 Detroit even produce 300HP reliably (as a daily driver power plant). Or is this just wishful thinking on my part?

 

[SnoKing]

Thanks SnoKing, I do realize that 2-Stroke Detroits like the 3-53 aren't very efficient, weigh a lot for what they put out performance wise, leak, smoke, and are fuel hogs. Could a 3-53 Detroit even produce 300HP reliably (as a daily driver power plant). Or is this just wishful thinking on my part?

Ask yourself the question after the two week in the swamp. Reread the "Also there is no point building a "hot rod" detroit unless you plan on taking your engine out on a weekly basis." 300HP defies the CU IN's available.

 

[Wayne M.]

At this point of the Diesel story, I have only two thoughts for a Detroit 2 stroke. As a working display piece, or used in a truck/ machine/ vessel it was born in. I’d love to put that 3 or 4 cyl screamer on a display stand and use it as lousy neighbor defense.
Snoking, back when the DSNY had its own flotilla, it had one of these
https://waterwitch.com/en/products/waterwitch/
In the fleet. It had a 4-53 for power. You could hear her coming for sure- especially when the exhaust flex coupling broke!

 

[SnoKing]

At this point of the Diesel story, I have only two thoughts for a Detroit 2 stroke. As a working display piece, or used in a truck/ machine/ vessel it was born in. I’d love to put that 3 or 4 cyl screamer on a display stand and use it as lousy neighbor defense.
Snoking, back when the DSNY had its own flotilla, it had one of these
https://waterwitch.com/en/products/waterwitch/
In the fleet. It had a 4-53 for power. You could hear her coming for sure- especially when the exhaust flex coupling broke!

Guy pulled out of a RV park in Idaho with a Provost MH on out way down this year. I held up 2 fingers and then made a spinning motion. Saw him later in the day at a rest stop and talked to him. It was a 8V92. In our RV Resort I hear a few going through the gears from the stop light on the highway out front. Once you know the sound you can hear it a mile away. The Titan 90 Chevy class 8 I drove in the late 70's had a turbo'd 8V71 AKA 350 Detroit. It average 4.5-5 mpg, running half load and half empty delivering gas and diesel with 8500 gal trailer, on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. The 8V71NA was referred to as 318"s

 

[50BMG]

I was just thinking about the various 1000HP-1000+HP 4 cylinder engines. As far as lack of an engines displacement forced induction can make up for at least a bit if not completely, as well as the proper addition of fuel. Although the engines internal would need to be reworked and or customized. There are engine specialists that can take a factory engine producing around 180HP and push it to around 1000HP using the same engine block that produced around 180HP by upgrading the internals, forced induction, and fuel system upgrades.

 

[PETE PILESKI]

Here is a great candidate

 

[Mark31]

My "eye-opener" for "Dee troits" came about 1960. I was raised on 2 cylinder Johnny Popper John Deeres. When I heard a John Deere 435 with a 253 Detroit pulling a lime spreader on the adjoining farm, I went "wide-eyed" for sure. They only made about 2500 of them.