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Paul (no login)
Posted Dec 28, 2007 3:32 PM
How’s this for a chunk of American Iron? This is a Hercules KBL flathead six with a hot cam and 131 hp, and many of us have experience with these motors, some of us still have them. I have two, one is the model K, and the other is the KLC with 120 hp, and part of my collection is a triple downdraft setup like this one. There was a KL series with 105 hp, and a KFL too. I always thought of “hot rodding” my KLC by installing the triple carbs, but never got around to it, so that’s something I’ll get into someday, perhaps, but I have them in a box. I’m sure they’ll all need to be rebuilt. In addition, I even discussed with Mr. Lunati ond day, the prospects of reprofiling the camshaft. That was nuts, but it would have been fun!
Interestingly enough, my 17’ Sportsman was offered with a Chris Craft model B, K(95), KL (105), KBL(131) triple downdraft, KLC (120) single updraft, KFL(131) dual updraft, and 283. You could basically go as fast as your wallet would allow. In the meantime, however, some of the competition, namely Century, were soon offering Ford big blocks, sigh!
My Hercules Model K (1957 17’ Sportsman) weighs 680 pounds and produced 95 horsepower. My Model KL I replaced it with a 283 setup I got out of a Chris Craft Super Sport, which actually turned out to be a 327 block with 283 ancillary equipment. With a few easy tweaks it now pushes out somewhere around 300 horsepower, with less weight than the big Hercules. I’m running the V8 setup in a lightweight 1956 Chris Craft 17’ (mahogany) hull, and I can tell you the darn thing will fly. I’m in the process of adding a deeper rudder, by the way, so that should tell you speed freaks a thing or two about the speed capability.
Commanders never had this kind of power, as the Hercules began being replaced back in 1958 long before the fiberglass boats ever became a real dream. These monsters could be obtained with as much as 175 horsepower for the larger boats, and they were used in big Constellations and runabouts alike. They were used for so many years, in fact, they became known as “the Chris Craft motor”. They produce an unmistakable sound on the water, they were used in a variety of industrial applications such as fork lifts, and they’re known for having lots of iron and lasting almost forever.
They’re big on torque, and run out of breathing capability around 3200 rpm. As a result they’re propped accordingly. My 1957 17’ Chris Craft Sportsman still has a model K, and I’ve pulled many a water skier behind the boat. When it came time to “hit it”, the big six just bellowed and dug in. You didn’t hear much change in rpm, but the skier was popped out of the water and off we went. When not being used for skiing, these boats could be fitted with greater pitch in the prop, and the boat would still have the torque to run well (but would not pull skiers as well).
A blast from the past, thanks to Bill Basler’s Brass Bell Boat Buzz, a link of which can be found on our front page of the Chris Craft Commander Forum, Inc.
Photo below, showing my 120-hp Hercules coming out.
These motors remind me of the Volvo sales pitch of 1963, when they were selling the 544 Sport (iron 4-cylinder OHV with dual carbs): “drive it like you hate it”. You could drive one of these all day long and it wouldn’t ever seem to notice. Great motors. They’ll be around as long as people can find parts, and thanks to the fact that they were built for so many years and used in so many applications, you can still find Zolner pistons and everything else still on the shelf. It’s amazing what lies hidden in warehouses all over the country!
These two photos below are the Model K (95-hp) back from being 100% rebuilt, with new Zolner pistons. It ran beautifully! This is the 1957 17' Sportsman.
Regards, Paul
(so many boats, so little time) 
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