fbekholden.com

well this should be the place to ask, i have a red 6 block it hasnt got the size on the block like a 202 186 ect ect insted it's got the letters HP, i have been told it's a 179 how can i tell, are these blocks any better than the others

Not 100% sure but I think those were the 179 that came out with a steel crank, which made them special, don't know if the block itselfe is any better than a normal 179, Trev .

Whats the engine number? All early motors had a steel crank I believe.

Yep, hp is the 179. which stands for high performance, they also came with steel cranks. I have also been told that they are the pick of the bunch if you want to rebuild a red because the hp block has thicker internal walls between cylinders, meaning you can bore it right out and still have some meat to play with .

Hope this helps

I have a hp engine sitting in the shed and i have taken to head off it has 202 on top off the pistons

just go to a 202 and no need to bore too far

cheers fellas, ya sorted out a bit of guessing

Just adding to the post............

HP block engines had a serial number starting with "M" as far as I know.
and are 179 cu. in. engines.
GEM rebuilt mine in 1982 - pistons are marked .060" and I was under the impression it was re-bored to a 186 until recently stripping it to find a "knock" and found that it was actually bored to a 192 - the .060" oversize being in excess of a standard 186 piston........................

yes, I believe they have a bit more meat in the casting than that of the later 179 engine - but I'm not sure.....

frats,
Rosco

people have been talking about this on the FE/FC forum, from what has been said over there there is no difference, in EH's they had 149 and 179 but the 179 was not cast on the block till the later EH's the earlier ones had HP which was "high performance" compared with the 149
but this doesn't explain in the HD's in the X2's why did they have the HP blocks?
you will prolly find the 202 on yor pistons is a part No

I didnt realize the HD x2's all had HP stamped blocks ? Thought they were just 179s .... good to know Mick !

Hi Guys.

The old HP block myth strikes again!

The HP block is simply an EH 179 block that was cast before November 1964. After that date (late EH & all HD 179 & 179 X2) just had 179 cast into that spot.

Yes, they had a forged steel crank, but that's nothing special because all Holden 6-cyl motors up to April 1967 also had forged steel cranks.

They were the same casting as a 186 block & can be bored to the same maximum size, 192 ci (in the case of a block where the casting is perfectly central 194 ci is possible). So yes, they had thicker walls than a 186 in stock form, only because they were not bored out as far.

As I said there is nothing special about the HP motor. If you want to build a performance motor, use later (202) blocks and Blue heads etc. They will have less rust in the water galleries. The best use for an HP block is to restore an EH 179 to original.

Dr Terry.

good to here from somone that seems to know what they're talking about, allways hear this that and the other about them, i have seen HP blocks in X2 HD's so maybe added later i'm not arguing as i have no idea
now Dr Terry is there anything special about a 186 S besides the twin or 2 barrel carby and headers
personal preferance i'll take a 186 or even better 179 they've always just seemed to be a better revving engine to me

geez i might get rid of my 179 and throw in a slant 6 then

Thanks Terry,
the myth is probably almost as old as the engine itself.
Thanks for clearing up the casting argument - duly noted.

I often get the S4 myths thrown at me - and have to produce the EH shop manual to convince people that it did NOT have a 4 speed manual box......

I am of the opinion however, that originally the 179 appeared as auto only - and speaking of the particular EH auto - I believe it to be a 4 speed Hydramatic - 1st gear only available in "L" .............

sorry for off-tracking - just adding weight to this HP myth and its tangents.....

frats,
Rosco

Cheers DR terry good to know mate !