Hi Scott, thanks, glad you like those stories.
Interesting you saw an Ardun industrial engine someplace, where was it?
I guess you mean the "Ardun" and "New York" was milled off the valve
covers. But why, and by whom?
Considering the readership of the New York Times in that area and
elsewhere, it wouldn't be surprising if some Ford truck owners would
think, "yeah, this Flathead in my truck is no good, it keeps burning up,
I'm gonna get a set of those heads and try that. It's in the Times, it
must be okay." And as you say, for logistics and proximity, most likely
this would happen in the New York, PA or New England area. But there
have been indications Zora didn't sell too many the first couple of
years.
He told me himself that when France fell in 1940, he escaped with his
brother Yura and their wives to New York. Zora already knew some
American automotive engineers, and in a very short time he set up Ardun
Mechanical Corp. (I think under that name) in the "Hells Kitchen"
section of NYC. His company was a subcontractor to area aircraft
companies like Grumman, and Martin, etc. and, he said, it quickly grew
to about 300 employees. At the War's end, of course, the aircraft
industry "stalled", his company dropped to about 25, and naturally he
was looking for other projects, of which the Ardun heads became the one
of most interest to us! Cheers Bill
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