There were a couple problems with these engines. On the Ambassador OHV 6, Nash built the intake and exhaust manifolds into the head and neither manifold performed particularly well. On the Statesman flathead 6, Nash just clamped regular exhaust piping to the exhaust portals in the block, which soon corroded and led to the familiar "Nash exhaust prattle." And for some reason, Nash refused to use oil control rings on their pistons and a blue cloud often followed their cars down the street.
its just was thee teckolligy of the times a comoresion I asume of 7.5 carberators and compputer tangement made higher miaiillage posible true it was I a sure a good car in its day dow I have a thing with crysler Products of that era
well for one thing no car that wieght could get that kind of millage bavk then I asume 14 to 16 MPG on the highway was good better with over drive he did not even show any thing about driving a car of the ,50s for it had a wide raitio trhee speed believe you could wre flatt go to second atout 10 MOH high around15 16 but qui efficent then there OD with a tatio of .49 a rear end 4.2 it must have been likebeing in 2nd and a half but the idea is get past od SPEED AS SOON AS POSIIBLE
@SUPERDAVIDLEVINE I've copied a review of the 1949 Nash 600 (which was re-badged as the Statesman in 1950) which follows. As I stated in another post the car is lighter than a new Avalon and is already getting roughly 22 mpg around town. These cars were FAR ahead of their time.
The 600, which flies the Nash colors in the low-priced market, is miles ahead of competitors on two counts -- economy and comfort. At average speeds the 600 will give between 25 and 30 miles to a gallon. This puts it a good five miles ahead of its closest rival among the big three of the popular-priced cars.
@carolinamechanic1 The 600 [The 82-bhp six mated to the overdrive] has pepped up the 600 so that it's no longer a dog on its feet. It still isn't a bearcat in performance but it's definitely far away from its former snail class, From 0 to 60 mph through gears, the time was 20.1 seconds. Top speed in [overdrive] high after buildup is 74 to 77 miles an hour.
@carolinamechanic1 The 600 If you want zip-zip performance, this is not the car for you. The performance isn't outstanding but, considering the economy, the comfort and the ultra-modern design, the new Nash 600 is one of the best buys in America today.
I would dispute 30 to 35 per gallon,even in o/d,US gallons are smaller than imperial and it was lower grade fuel in a low compression engine, also the narrow front track would not have done a lot for the cornering abilty and it was probably a pretty heavy car.
@adoreslaurel She actually corners very well for a car from the 1950's. She's getting about 22 mpg around town right now. I've gotten the electric overdrive working again. When it engages she holds 40mph at barely more than idle speed I plan on taking a road trip in her sometime this spring/summer to get an idea of highway mileage.Her curb weight is about 700 lbs lighter than a Toyota Avalon.
@adoreslaurel Thats amazing,I always thought of these big old cars that there was a lot of weight in thicker metal than modern cars and a heavy chassis underneath. It is probably a BW overdrive and I have often wondered if o/d could have been fitted as an aftermarket item to cars with a torque tube like old chevys and fords,those cars looked as if they would not have been suitable for conversion,yours probably has the 7 bearing crank that Nash used to boast about,still OHV I guess.
They didn't......... you just have to be careful not to push the clutch ALL the way to the floor while changing gears. It is possible to engage the starter with the engine still running............
@carolinamechanic Did the clutch pedal actually engage a fork that pushed the starter gear into the ring gear? if so,it sounds like a pretty poor idea, my first car was an unusual for an OZ build car,36 Olds with front hinges on a two door sedan body and it had a foot starter,bloody nuisance on a hill panic start with the car in gear,foot on the clutch and accelerator and no way to kick the pedal to start with somebody honking behind.
@adoreslaurel No, there is an electric starter button in the floor beneath the clutch pedal. when the clutch is pushed all the way to the floor it depresses the switch which engages the starter.
@carolinamechanic1 Great,then you can install a kill switch in the circuit to prevent a problem because it would be very easy to try and floor the pedal.I could have been wrong about the valve layout,forgot that they had a flat head in some of their lines.
@adoreslaurel Yes, it would be very simple to install a kill switch into the circuit. Since I'm aware of the design I've never engaged the starter by accident. You are correct the Statesman is powered by a flat head six cylinder. The Ambassador had the larger overhead valve six. The Ambassador is nine inches longer than the Statesman, but all the length was added in front of the windshield. The hood and front fenders were elongated for the larger engine. But the interior space is identical.
@carolinamechanic1 I love the cosyness of these big older style cars,may seem a strange thing to say but modern cars just seem to lack character,reminds me of a time when we were not in such a hurry to get anywhere.
@carolinamechanic1 I am waiting for a friend of mine with a warehouse full of cars to seer him finally get a '39 ford sloper going,its 10 years overdue and as we both have hit the 3 score years plus 10,I am not too optimistic at this stage,his effort 50 years ago was a single spinner '49 with the engine under the dash,jag moss box,reversed upright king pins to lower it,SU fuel bowls on ford carbs converted to side draft etc,some rocket.
Very nice car...certainly voluptuous with the big curved fenders and huge grill. Interesting way to start the car, turn the key on and push the clutch in all the way..but how did the Nash engineers stop the starter from engaging every time the clutch was depressed as the driver was changing gears down the road?
These were beautiful cars...our neighbors had one it was black with the wide whitewalls..They were striking cars.My mother bought a 1954 Nash Country Club 2 door hardtop,in red and black. they had seats that made into a bed.I went to pick up a date once and her father said...no daughter is going out with a kid who has a car that makes into a bed...I took her out later with Dads Packard Patrician....Didn;t need the seat that made into a bed.......lol the Packard was just fine..
My '50 Studebaker has that clutch-down start feature as well. Mechanics hated working on the Uniscope gauge cluster b/c of the dense tangle of wires that had to run down inside the steering column. Nash's "Airflyte" design principles really did considerably reduce wind resistance, boosting gas mileage and reducing shear/wander due to wind. Drove one of these recently -- a Cond. 4 beater that needed resto -- and even that was quiet and rode as if on air. Thx for sharing your ride with us.
Thanks much for posting this video. The post war Nashes have always been favorites of mine, and I remember them clearly from when I was growing up. I drove a few, and even taught twins to drive on their dad's '47 club coupe. The styling was always smooth, even on the pre-Airflylte models. The transmission, also was extremely smooth, and they had interiors a cut above the "big three." They were very comfortable cars, and didn't have a waiting list just after the war,like some of the others.
nice car.. roll top cover is pretty kewl... Any movie credits for this Nash? Looks like you have a collection..
irish89055 1 month ago
There were a couple problems with these engines. On the Ambassador OHV 6, Nash built the intake and exhaust manifolds into the head and neither manifold performed particularly well. On the Statesman flathead 6, Nash just clamped regular exhaust piping to the exhaust portals in the block, which soon corroded and led to the familiar "Nash exhaust prattle." And for some reason, Nash refused to use oil control rings on their pistons and a blue cloud often followed their cars down the street.
clippersuper 1 month ago
great car i want a NASH!
hep2jive 1 month ago
Nice.. Kinda looks like the Czech built Tatra from the rear.
loufalce 1 month ago
its just was thee teckolligy of the times a comoresion I asume of 7.5 carberators and compputer tangement made higher miaiillage posible true it was I a sure a good car in its day dow I have a thing with crysler Products of that era
SUPERDAVIDLEVINE 1 month ago
well for one thing no car that wieght could get that kind of millage bavk then I asume 14 to 16 MPG on the highway was good better with over drive he did not even show any thing about driving a car of the ,50s for it had a wide raitio trhee speed believe you could wre flatt go to second atout 10 MOH high around15 16 but qui efficent then there OD with a tatio of .49 a rear end 4.2 it must have been likebeing in 2nd and a half but the idea is get past od SPEED AS SOON AS POSIIBLE
SUPERDAVIDLEVINE 1 month ago
@SUPERDAVIDLEVINE I've copied a review of the 1949 Nash 600 (which was re-badged as the Statesman in 1950) which follows. As I stated in another post the car is lighter than a new Avalon and is already getting roughly 22 mpg around town. These cars were FAR ahead of their time.
carolinamechanic1 1 month ago
@carolinamechanic1 The 600
The 600, which flies the Nash colors in the low-priced market, is miles ahead of competitors on two counts -- economy and comfort. At average speeds the 600 will give between 25 and 30 miles to a gallon. This puts it a good five miles ahead of its closest rival among the big three of the popular-priced cars.
carolinamechanic1 1 month ago
@carolinamechanic1 The 600 [The 82-bhp six mated to the overdrive] has pepped up the 600 so that it's no longer a dog on its feet. It still isn't a bearcat in performance but it's definitely far away from its former snail class, From 0 to 60 mph through gears, the time was 20.1 seconds. Top speed in [overdrive] high after buildup is 74 to 77 miles an hour.
carolinamechanic1 1 month ago
@carolinamechanic1 The 600 If you want zip-zip performance, this is not the car for you. The performance isn't outstanding but, considering the economy, the comfort and the ultra-modern design, the new Nash 600 is one of the best buys in America today.
carolinamechanic1 1 month ago
I would dispute 30 to 35 per gallon,even in o/d,US gallons are smaller than imperial and it was lower grade fuel in a low compression engine, also the narrow front track would not have done a lot for the cornering abilty and it was probably a pretty heavy car.
adoreslaurel 2 months ago
@adoreslaurel She actually corners very well for a car from the 1950's. She's getting about 22 mpg around town right now. I've gotten the electric overdrive working again. When it engages she holds 40mph at barely more than idle speed I plan on taking a road trip in her sometime this spring/summer to get an idea of highway mileage.Her curb weight is about 700 lbs lighter than a Toyota Avalon.
carolinamechanic1 2 months ago
@adoreslaurel Thats amazing,I always thought of these big old cars that there was a lot of weight in thicker metal than modern cars and a heavy chassis underneath. It is probably a BW overdrive and I have often wondered if o/d could have been fitted as an aftermarket item to cars with a torque tube like old chevys and fords,those cars looked as if they would not have been suitable for conversion,yours probably has the 7 bearing crank that Nash used to boast about,still OHV I guess.
adoreslaurel 2 months ago
Love to see more too! Love to hear what she sounds like driving by!
twocanplayatthat 2 months ago
I would love to see a driving video of this beauty from both the inside and outside. Any thoughts on doing this?
bitethedevil 2 months ago
Very nice Nash! But wow, 30-35 Miles a gallon on that sled? That's amazing!
Pacolikespie1967 2 months ago
awesome
cmwilson1973 2 months ago
They didn't......... you just have to be careful not to push the clutch ALL the way to the floor while changing gears. It is possible to engage the starter with the engine still running............
carolinamechanic 4 months ago
@carolinamechanic Did the clutch pedal actually engage a fork that pushed the starter gear into the ring gear? if so,it sounds like a pretty poor idea, my first car was an unusual for an OZ build car,36 Olds with front hinges on a two door sedan body and it had a foot starter,bloody nuisance on a hill panic start with the car in gear,foot on the clutch and accelerator and no way to kick the pedal to start with somebody honking behind.
adoreslaurel 2 months ago
@adoreslaurel No, there is an electric starter button in the floor beneath the clutch pedal. when the clutch is pushed all the way to the floor it depresses the switch which engages the starter.
carolinamechanic1 1 month ago
@carolinamechanic1 Great,then you can install a kill switch in the circuit to prevent a problem because it would be very easy to try and floor the pedal.I could have been wrong about the valve layout,forgot that they had a flat head in some of their lines.
adoreslaurel 1 month ago
@adoreslaurel Yes, it would be very simple to install a kill switch into the circuit. Since I'm aware of the design I've never engaged the starter by accident. You are correct the Statesman is powered by a flat head six cylinder. The Ambassador had the larger overhead valve six. The Ambassador is nine inches longer than the Statesman, but all the length was added in front of the windshield. The hood and front fenders were elongated for the larger engine. But the interior space is identical.
carolinamechanic1 1 month ago
@carolinamechanic1 I love the cosyness of these big older style cars,may seem a strange thing to say but modern cars just seem to lack character,reminds me of a time when we were not in such a hurry to get anywhere.
adoreslaurel 1 month ago
@adoreslaurel Exactly......... I get into any of my old cars, and life slows down.....
carolinamechanic1 1 month ago
@carolinamechanic1 I am waiting for a friend of mine with a warehouse full of cars to seer him finally get a '39 ford sloper going,its 10 years overdue and as we both have hit the 3 score years plus 10,I am not too optimistic at this stage,his effort 50 years ago was a single spinner '49 with the engine under the dash,jag moss box,reversed upright king pins to lower it,SU fuel bowls on ford carbs converted to side draft etc,some rocket.
adoreslaurel 1 month ago
Very nice car...certainly voluptuous with the big curved fenders and huge grill. Interesting way to start the car, turn the key on and push the clutch in all the way..but how did the Nash engineers stop the starter from engaging every time the clutch was depressed as the driver was changing gears down the road?
Abreen11 4 months ago
Beautiful !!
MrRJDB1969 6 months ago
Tres cool.
cordedpoodle 6 months ago
very nice car. the dash is original that way?
kaga1310 6 months ago
@kaga1310 The dash has been repainted at some point, but all the components are original
carolinamechanic1 2 months ago
These were beautiful cars...our neighbors had one it was black with the wide whitewalls..They were striking cars.My mother bought a 1954 Nash Country Club 2 door hardtop,in red and black. they had seats that made into a bed.I went to pick up a date once and her father said...no daughter is going out with a kid who has a car that makes into a bed...I took her out later with Dads Packard Patrician....Didn;t need the seat that made into a bed.......lol the Packard was just fine..
donlemc 6 months ago
My '50 Studebaker has that clutch-down start feature as well. Mechanics hated working on the Uniscope gauge cluster b/c of the dense tangle of wires that had to run down inside the steering column. Nash's "Airflyte" design principles really did considerably reduce wind resistance, boosting gas mileage and reducing shear/wander due to wind. Drove one of these recently -- a Cond. 4 beater that needed resto -- and even that was quiet and rode as if on air. Thx for sharing your ride with us.
50zcarsman 6 months ago
Thanks much for posting this video. The post war Nashes have always been favorites of mine, and I remember them clearly from when I was growing up. I drove a few, and even taught twins to drive on their dad's '47 club coupe. The styling was always smooth, even on the pre-Airflylte models. The transmission, also was extremely smooth, and they had interiors a cut above the "big three." They were very comfortable cars, and didn't have a waiting list just after the war,like some of the others.
TomLibby100 7 months ago
for more info on this car check out the Classic Cruiser Show #6 The 1950 Nash AMbassador.
ramblergarage 7 months ago
She is a FUN old car....... one of my favorites!!!!
carolinamechanic1 11 months ago
Nice video! Thanks for the tour.....she's a beauty! I live in the UK and have always loved the styling of the Airflyte Nashes.
vomitlumps 11 months ago