"Big Al" truck engines

I have a couple brochures on them, pretty interesting what AC accomplished. 

Heres the ads about BIG AL.

I'm sour grapes where those engines are concerned.  The engineering and tooling money spent trying to compete with Cummins, Detroit, and Cat was not only an impossible mission but money that should have been spent on farm tractor engines.  Just another example of the foolishness of the top AC people.  Even Deere, who had a lot more resources, had enough sense not to get into the class 8 truck market.  For that matter, neither did International who even built class 8 trucks.  What were they thinking?????????

Now this looks like a big waste of money.

To 427435, allis didnt build that engine for the class 8 truck market, the engine was being built for the HD 21 dozers, large scrapers, gen sets, wheel loaders, pumps , rock crushers etc, the truck market was just another venue for that engine, I have talked to some drivers that drove  these beasts, and they said thats Allis Gaurantee of the legal speed limit in all states was 100% accurate they had power to burn, and would blow any cat , cummins ,or detroit right off the road. To be fair though the "big AL" was 450 hp detroit was building 318V8, cummins had a hard time making 350 hold together and Cat was holding 300...barely. The flaw in the truck market for Allis CHlamers wasnt design, HP or reliability, it was a lack of engine support out in the country. Every little town had a cummins or detroit dealer, cat had service shops all over Allis Chlamers  had few if any. SO if your BIG AL engine needed service or parts you were screwed. Mack had the same problem untill recently west of the Mississippi, few Mack dealers to service the trucks or engines west of the Mississippi, and Mack was known more for voactional trucks, not class 8. Mack with Volvos help has over come that and Allis Chalmers didnt remain in the truck engine market long enough to over come it.

Kcgrain wrote: To 427435, allis didnt build that engine for the class 8 truck market, the engine was being built for the HD 21 dozers, large scrapers, gen sets, wheel loaders, pumps , rock crushers etc, the truck market was just another venue for that engine, I have talked to some drivers that drove  these beasts, and they said thats Allis Gaurantee of the legal speed limit in all states was 100% accurate they had power to burn, and would blow any cat , cummins ,or detroit right off the road. To be fair though the "big AL" was 450 hp detroit was building 318V8, cummins had a hard time making 350 hold together and Cat was holding 300...barely. The flaw in the truck market for Allis CHlamers wasnt design, HP or reliability, it was a lack of engine support out in the country. Every little town had a cummins or detroit dealer, cat had service shops all over Allis Chlamers  had few if any. SO if your BIG AL engine needed service or parts you were screwed. Mack had the same problem untill recently west of the Mississippi, few Mack dealers to service the trucks or engines west of the Mississippi, and Mack was known more for voactional trucks, not class 8. Mack with Volvos help has over come that and Allis Chalmers didnt remain in the truck engine market long enough to over come it.

The problem was that there wasn't enough volume in the AC construction or generating business to justify the engineering and tooling costs-----------so the engine division got management to believe that their sales to the class 8 truck market would pay back those costs.  Of course, that never happened and the engineering work and tooling $ that would have kept the tractor/combine engines competitive never happened.  Yeah, I know sour grapes, but hindsight is always 20-20.

Calvin, I bet a guy could run a lot of Christmas Lights with that Gen set Unit and probably be able to watch TV at the same time. LOL

I think it would run most of the town with 550 kw

I would like to find an old semi with the Big Al engine. I would be fun to drive it to Hutchinson. 

Sorry, I mean 24V-71

I remember the Purple People Eaters,  hills didnt bother them,  nothin else could keep up.  What Bertman says about the cranks breaking off is what Ive heard too.  It was a design thing, the fillet on the front of the crank wasnt in compression, the front pulley had a tendancy to fall off.   What was said about not being able to get the engine repaired on the road was true,  thats one reason why it didnt suceed.   We had a 16v-101 here at one time on a gen set skid.  The boss wanted it running to show to a potential customer, we had it hooked up to a 55 gal drum of diesel fuel with a 1/2 hose, we didnt wind it up as there was no load on the generator, lot of noise and smoke!!!!

DETROIT.. how can you put that much fuel and air into something a get nothing in return other than noise!!

My family had a Allis dealership in the day. Grandpa told me they called them purple demons. He said one truck drive claimed he could pass empty rigs pullin a grade fully loaded and blow them away. He also said pete, mack, and KW quite using them because the driveline wouldnt hold up.

After getting some more info to my friend, he wishes they still had that truck, allisguy2010. At least they know where it is, and maybe someday can get it back. Can't believe AC let them end up at a KW dealership back in the day to be sold, thought they would have used them around West Allis.

You did well big al.Glad there is at least one left.May have to come to South Bend.