Re: [MV] WWII Ford V8 tank engine

Geoff Winnington-Ball (whiskey@netwave.ca)
Mon, 15 Jun 1998 18:45:42 -0400

To the best of my knowledge, that Ford [GAA] tank engine (used exclusively
in the M4A3 Sherman), was actually the practical outcome of a 12 cylinder
aircraft engine under development by Ford, but never finished. It WAS
downsized to 8 cyls in order to fit the Sherman's engine compartment, but
it offered good performance due to its advanced aircraft-type
configuration. Basic specs as follows: 1100cid, 500hp @ 2600rpm, 1,040ft-lb
torque @2200rpm, overhead camshafts, magneto iginition.

The M4A3 so-equipped was by far the most popular Sherman as far as American
services were concerned. The gasoline 30-cylinder Chrysler multibank M4A4
went primarily to the Canadians and British and was quite popular. The
diesel M4A2 served both the aforementioned armies as well as the Russians,
who preferred it over gasoline engines.

The downside, of course was that gasoline-fueled Shermans tended to burn
within seconds of a perforation hit. The diesels were a bit better, but no
real improvement for the Sherman as a tank came along until the advent of
'wet' ammo storage.

Hope this helps,

Geoff

Wendy Wintermute/Lawrence Harman wrote:

> "Heard" last week that the Sherman M-4 tank engine (Ford V8) was
> actually an Allison (V12) w/ 4 cyls. removed to make it fit! Can anyone
> confirm this and give me details?

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