Jeep Tornado engine
Encyclopedia
The Jeep
6-230 Tornado engine was a postwar U.S. designed mass-produced overhead cam (OHC) automobile engine. It was introduced in mid-year 1962 and replaced the flathead
6-226 Super Hurricane, which had been in use since 1954. It is still the only engine designed, developed, and built by Jeep
and used exclusively in Jeeps in North America. It was also manufactured in Argentina
by Industrias Kaiser Argentina
(IKA).
station wagons (today called SUV) and Jeep Gladiator
pickup trucks. It was the only U.S.-built overhead-cam engine in production at that time. The engine was designed for robust, heavy-duty performance with maximum efficiency. Its excellent fuel economy was proven in tests with the Tornado-OHC engine having the lowest specific fuel consumption of all production gasoline engines on the market.
The Tornado, like most Jeep engines, was undersquare for better low-speed torque
. It had a 3.34375 in (84.9 mm) bore with a 4.375 in (111.1 mm) stroke. The standard version had an 8.5:1 compression ratio
. Output was 140 hp at 4000 rpm and 210 ft.lbf of torque at 1750 rpm. A low-compression (7.5:1) version was also available, with 133 hp at 4000 rpm and 199 ft.lbf of torque at 2400 rpm.
The Tornado was a good engine; unfortunately, it was complex (by 1960s standards) and was discontinued in civilian vehicles in the U.S.A. in 1965. It continued to be used in military versions of the Jeep pickup, the M-715 and M-725, until 1969. One unique feature of the design was that the camshaft
only had six lobes. One lobe operated both the intake and exhaust valve for each cylinder. This made engineering cam profiles a bit more difficult than conventional two lobe per cylinder (one per valve) designs, but allowed the valves to be better arranged for the cross-flow head. Valves were directly opposite their respective ports, and ports were short with wide radius turns.
Production of this engine continued in Argentina
by Industrias Kaiser Argentina
(IKA) after 1965. The engine was used in Jeeps and in the IKA-Renault Torino, a local version of the American Motors
(AMC) Rambler American
/Rambler Classic
hybrid that was built in Argentina from 1966 to 1982. IKA was eventually bought out by Renault
, but the Torino and the Tornado engine continued to receive upgrades over the years.
The engine name was changed to "Torino" to match the car in 1973. It also received a major block and crankshaft refinement that year — seven main bearings instead of the original four. In 1975 "IKA" was dropped from the company name and it became simply "Renault Argentina". The Torino (car and engine) continued production through 1982. From 1976 to 1982 it was the only non-Renault designed car made by the company.
It was used in the following vehicles:
Jeep
Jeep is an automobile marque of Chrysler . The first Willys Jeeps were produced in 1941 with the first civilian models in 1945, making it the oldest off-road vehicle and sport utility vehicle brand. It inspired a number of other light utility vehicles, such as the Land Rover which is the second...
6-230 Tornado engine was a postwar U.S. designed mass-produced overhead cam (OHC) automobile engine. It was introduced in mid-year 1962 and replaced the flathead
Flathead engine
A flathead engine is an internal combustion engine with valves placed in the engine block beside the piston, instead of in the cylinder head, as in an overhead valve engine...
6-226 Super Hurricane, which had been in use since 1954. It is still the only engine designed, developed, and built by Jeep
Jeep
Jeep is an automobile marque of Chrysler . The first Willys Jeeps were produced in 1941 with the first civilian models in 1945, making it the oldest off-road vehicle and sport utility vehicle brand. It inspired a number of other light utility vehicles, such as the Land Rover which is the second...
and used exclusively in Jeeps in North America. It was also manufactured in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
by Industrias Kaiser Argentina
Industrias Kaiser Argentina
Industrias Kaiser Argentina S.A. or IKA was an Argentine motor company established in 1956 in Córdoba Province as a joint venture with Kaiser Motors of the United States....
(IKA).
History
The Jeep Tornado engine debuted in the 1962 Jeep WagoneerJeep Wagoneer
The Jeep Wagoneer was an early sport utility vehicle and the first luxury 4x4, produced under varying marques from 1963 to 1991. It was noteworthy for being in production for more than 28 years with only minor mechanical changes...
station wagons (today called SUV) and Jeep Gladiator
Jeep Gladiator
The Jeep Gladiator is a full-size pickup truck based on the large SJ platform that was built under varying marques from 1962 to 1988. The Jeep pickup design was noteworthy for being in production for more than 26 years with only minor mechanical changes...
pickup trucks. It was the only U.S.-built overhead-cam engine in production at that time. The engine was designed for robust, heavy-duty performance with maximum efficiency. Its excellent fuel economy was proven in tests with the Tornado-OHC engine having the lowest specific fuel consumption of all production gasoline engines on the market.
The Tornado, like most Jeep engines, was undersquare for better low-speed torque
Torque
Torque, moment or moment of force , is the tendency of a force to rotate an object about an axis, fulcrum, or pivot. Just as a force is a push or a pull, a torque can be thought of as a twist....
. It had a 3.34375 in (84.9 mm) bore with a 4.375 in (111.1 mm) stroke. The standard version had an 8.5:1 compression ratio
Compression ratio
The 'compression ratio' of an internal-combustion engine or external combustion engine is a value that represents the ratio of the volume of its combustion chamber from its largest capacity to its smallest capacity...
. Output was 140 hp at 4000 rpm and 210 ft.lbf of torque at 1750 rpm. A low-compression (7.5:1) version was also available, with 133 hp at 4000 rpm and 199 ft.lbf of torque at 2400 rpm.
The Tornado was a good engine; unfortunately, it was complex (by 1960s standards) and was discontinued in civilian vehicles in the U.S.A. in 1965. It continued to be used in military versions of the Jeep pickup, the M-715 and M-725, until 1969. One unique feature of the design was that the camshaft
Camshaft
A camshaft is a shaft to which a cam is fastened or of which a cam forms an integral part.-History:An early cam was built into Hellenistic water-driven automata from the 3rd century BC. The camshaft was later described in Iraq by Al-Jazari in 1206. He employed it as part of his automata,...
only had six lobes. One lobe operated both the intake and exhaust valve for each cylinder. This made engineering cam profiles a bit more difficult than conventional two lobe per cylinder (one per valve) designs, but allowed the valves to be better arranged for the cross-flow head. Valves were directly opposite their respective ports, and ports were short with wide radius turns.
Production of this engine continued in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
by Industrias Kaiser Argentina
Industrias Kaiser Argentina
Industrias Kaiser Argentina S.A. or IKA was an Argentine motor company established in 1956 in Córdoba Province as a joint venture with Kaiser Motors of the United States....
(IKA) after 1965. The engine was used in Jeeps and in the IKA-Renault Torino, a local version of the American Motors
American Motors
American Motors Corporation was an American automobile company formed by the 1954 merger of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and Hudson Motor Car Company. At the time, it was the largest corporate merger in U.S. history.George W...
(AMC) Rambler American
Rambler American
The Rambler American is an automobile manufactured by the American Motors Corporation between 1958 and 1969. The American was the second incarnation of AMC's forerunner Nash Motors second-generation Rambler compact that was sold under the Nash and Hudson Motors marques from 1954 and 1955.The...
/Rambler Classic
Rambler Classic
The Rambler Classic was an intermediate sized automobile that was built and sold by American Motors Corporation from model year 1961 to 1966...
hybrid that was built in Argentina from 1966 to 1982. IKA was eventually bought out by Renault
Renault
Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...
, but the Torino and the Tornado engine continued to receive upgrades over the years.
The engine name was changed to "Torino" to match the car in 1973. It also received a major block and crankshaft refinement that year — seven main bearings instead of the original four. In 1975 "IKA" was dropped from the company name and it became simply "Renault Argentina". The Torino (car and engine) continued production through 1982. From 1976 to 1982 it was the only non-Renault designed car made by the company.
It was used in the following vehicles:
- Willys Jeep TruckWillys Jeep TruckThe 4-wheel drive Willys Jeep Truck, introduced in 1947 by Willys-Overland Motors, was similar to the Willys Jeep Station Wagon and the VJ-2 and VJ-3 Willys Jeepster. With model designations of 2T and 4T, these trucks were equipped with the 134 cubic inch Go-Devil flathead four-cylinder engine...
1962-65 - Willys Jeep WagonWillys Jeep WagonThe Willys Jeep Station Wagon, introduced in 1946 by Willys-Overland Motors is the first mass-market all-steel station wagon designed and built as a passenger vehicle and is arguably the world's first popular sport utility vehicle or SUV The Willys Jeep Station Wagon, introduced in 1946 by...
1962-65 - Jeep GladiatorJeep GladiatorThe Jeep Gladiator is a full-size pickup truck based on the large SJ platform that was built under varying marques from 1962 to 1988. The Jeep pickup design was noteworthy for being in production for more than 26 years with only minor mechanical changes...
1963-64 - Jeep WagoneerJeep WagoneerThe Jeep Wagoneer was an early sport utility vehicle and the first luxury 4x4, produced under varying marques from 1963 to 1991. It was noteworthy for being in production for more than 28 years with only minor mechanical changes...
1963-64 - Kaiser JeepKaiser JeepKaiser Jeep was the result of the merger between the Kaiser-Frazer Corporation, an independent automaker based in Willow Run, Michigan, and the Toledo, Ohio-based Willys-Overland Company....
M-715 1963-69 (military only) - Kaiser JeepKaiser JeepKaiser Jeep was the result of the merger between the Kaiser-Frazer Corporation, an independent automaker based in Willow Run, Michigan, and the Toledo, Ohio-based Willys-Overland Company....
M-725 1963-69 (military only) - Renault TorinoRenault TorinoThe IKA Torino, later Renault Torino, is a mid-sized automobile made by Industrias Kaiser Argentina under an agreement with American Motors in 1966. The 1966 Torino was IKA’s first integral national product and IKA was eventually bought out by Renault in 1975 to form Renault Argentina S.A...
, also known as IKA Torino, 1966–82 - Industrias Kaiser ArgentinaIndustrias Kaiser ArgentinaIndustrias Kaiser Argentina S.A. or IKA was an Argentine motor company established in 1956 in Córdoba Province as a joint venture with Kaiser Motors of the United States....
(IKA) produced Jeep vehicles from 1956–78