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8 cylinder Continental (and now Lycoming)

J

jim

Well-known member
Does anybody know about this engine, such as HP, displacement, and weight?

Jim
 
Cracker

a few months ago I saw a photo of a boat on this webb site with one so I reaserched it because I had never seen one and the best I can remember
there were a few different versions of it and thay were 600 + cubic inches
and over 400 + hp and they were used mostley used in crop dusters
 
I have seen and heard of a motor that was a GPU 8 cyc. I guess they are all GPU's?? All I know is I have heard they run horible. The one that I saw (lone cabbage fish camp) ran horible. That could have just been the one I saw though.
 
I have been told several times the 8 cylinder Continental motors came in fire trucks and were used for running their water pumps. I was also told they have the same bore and stroke configuration as a Ground power or 0470. So if this is true they are 626 cubic inches. A great performing naturally aspirated aircraft engine is a 4 cylinder 360 cubic inch Lycoming their 180HP. So that comes to a whopping ½ horsepower per cubic inch. I’m sure this motor is not as efficient as a 180 because smaller motors are more efficient. So in the best case scenario I don’t see it making over 400HP just to do that it would have to make .63 horsepower per cubic inch. They are also much heavier than a small block Chevy and parts aren’t cheap for them.
 
My brother-in-law had one about ten years ago. It had O520 GTSIO aircraft cylinders and dual mags. It was rigged out on a 14' Alumitech and was really impressive. The only problems I remember him having in about 5 years of operating was a separted cylinder one time & few oil leaks.

I've also been around people with the standard GPU version (O470 cylinders) and most of them seem pretty happy with what they had.

JC Stanley built that one I mentioned above. I'd ask him about the specs.
407-678-2684
JCSTANLEY21@AOL.COM
 
I looked the motor up again and it was a Lycoming 8 cylinder not a contanental that I look up.
 
I jokingly have a motto (BIGGER IS ALWAYS BETTER ACCEPT FOR WOMEN) I guess that’s no longer true because 8 cylinder air-cooled motors are bigger but not better. I have been told Lycoming 8 cylinders are far better than the Continental 8 cylinders.
 
waterthunder":2ymneexc said:
parts aren’t cheap for them
Click to expand...

That's one thing I failed to say. That modified 8 cylinder I mentioned above cost a bunch.
 
That 8 cylinder Lycoming is the 0-720. It is supposed to be a good machine, but very expensive. I believe they run them on the Cessna Caravan, which I believe is the largest of the single engine Cessna. I think that plane is rated for carrying 12 passengers in the amphibious model. Really sweet machine. The motor is rated at over 400 HP.

It is just the block, crank, and cam are hard to get hands on. But I have been looking. In fact I know where one is sitting in a junk pile, but the guys that have it are crazy asking what they want for it. I could get 2 Lycoming 0-540s rebuilt for what they want for the block alone.
 
A guy I know has just finished his new boat that has an io-720 8 cylinder lycoming on it. The hull is a 13' don davis open aluminum boat with alligator seat covers and has hundred dollar bills all over the rudders saying "BLOWING MONEY". This is one bad ass boat and the motor looks awesome, but the prices for those 8 cylinders are crazy, lycoming want $32,000 for a core charge!!!

Larry
 
Yes, the seatcovers are real alligator backs with the tails hanging off of the seat back. I will try to get some pics of it next time hes out, forgot my camera that weekend. His last boat was a stephull with an injected 540 that would run 98mph. on motor and over 110 spraying NOS. This was the only way he figured he could outdo that one.

Larry
 
Mike Thurman put the 0-720 together....its a bad ride......lots of modifications too.....at 1750 rpm's...ya cant stand the speed.....
 
The boat is also made of .090 aluminum and has an electronic ignition. NO magnetos and 8 coils, lots of work done to get the heads to flow better. There might even be a little blue bottle somewhere...I posted a pic of an 8cyl GPU in my gallery
 
What type of ignition is on the 720? Coud it be the MSD unit built for the LS-1 chevy. I have been looking for a Mag substitute for a long time. Any information would be helpfull.
 
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