XXO/BVGC '38 Chevy Coupe Build

[BoredAndStroked]

RE:  Blocks Being Expensive and Hard To Find . . .

To me, this is only one part of it . . . the other part that is on flatheads of any kind, the amount of work you put INTO the block far out weighs the cost -- time is the killer!   I've kept track of my porting hours alone on the FlatCad, have 116 to date.  Now that is just one part of the other big time sucks and associated expenses that are related specifically to this block, things like:

a) Block Pan Girdle - 1.25" steel . . . had to be made to fit just this block - as the exact bolt/stud locations tend to differ a bit.

b) Intake/Top Girdle - .75" steel . . . darn thing isn't symmetric, ports don't align on one side like the other . . . just this block . . . or all blocks . . . who knows!

c) Steel Main Bearing Caps . . . will probably fit another block  (hope we don't have to find out!)

d) Moving center thrust to the rear,  new main bearing sizes.     Many hours of complex work on various boring, align boring and milling machines.

e) All the valve guide work, large valves, etc -- expensive work on a mill, much more than on a OHV head

On an OHV engine, we'd have far less time and agony in the block . . .  just a fact of life.   Now that is not to say that the time/money can't be spent on the heads of an OHV, just that if you lunch the block, the heads are usually usable on another block.   When you grenade a flathead block, you cry yourself to sleep and resist slitting your wrists in a warm bath!    

I can't wait to see this on the Dyno -- I'll be like a kid at Christmas time!   Buddy and I will be shaking like dogs crapping razor blades . . .

Dale

[maguromic]

Buddy, that engine is looking great! Keep up the great work.  Tony

[maguromic]

I found a lot of info on posting but none on vintage steel blocks like we are using. Tony, what are you using for posts and sealer?

Trent, I am using threaded steel rod for the posts and to seal it I will cut for an  "O" ring and use a jam nut or you could use Yamabond #4. Tony

[38flattie]

Buddy, that engine is looking great! Keep up the great work.  Tony

Thanks Tony!

Stan Back and Chris, you guys just made my day-Thank You!

Chris, one shock is significantly bigger than the other two-what's the application difference?

[38flattie]

We've tried to make it easy to swap between comp coupe, and alt class. Now, we're going to change things up a little, and make it easy to swap between gas and fuel class.

The carbs will be utilized only for gas, and the Enderle only for fuel. The setup I have won't alter the overall appearance much, so I'm happy about that.

Dynoroom has the dual 750's, and is boost referencing and freshening them up.

[Milwaukee Midget]

Chris, one shock is significantly bigger than the other two-what's the application difference?

The smaller pair is off of a Spridget - rear.  The larger one is an MGB/MGC shock.  All of them would need a rebuild, but Apple Hydraulics will give you credit on any rebuildable core.

I'm torn on a suggestion - you don't have a lot of suspension travel, and the Spridget shocks are more compact, so my first inclination would be to see if you can adapt them.  If you have the room, and given the weight you're carrying, the MGB shock's extra oil capacity might be the way to go, but you might not need to.  The arms should interchange if you need to go with Midget arms on MGB bodies, or vice versa.  There are stiffer valves available for either one through Moss Motors or Victoria British, and you can stiffen them up further by going with a marine grade hydraulic oil.

Mock 'em up - if they work, great, if not, it's pretty clear that this team is pretty resourcefull - you'll figure something out.   

[Peter Jack]

I may be out to lunch but I'd be really concerned that those little air cleaners aren't going to allow enough air to flow in freely. I always try to make it so there is an absolute minimum pressure drop through any air cleaner I use.

Pete

[maguromic]

Also the shape of the base of the air cleaner will have an effect. Don't leave anything on the table, it just might be the fraction you were looking for. Tony

[38flattie]

I agree that this might not be the perfect setup. I doubt we use the air cleaners, I simply have them with the setup. We'll probably run a 'sponge type cleaner in the front of the scoop.

We'll try all the combos on the dyno, then figure a way to do whatever it 'tells' us!

[Peter Jack]

The sponge will offer even less area and likely even more resistance. Good luck and please check them closely. I want to see this thing make POWER!

Pete

[jl222]

  I once wanted to put a screen in the intakes of our blowers, but after my buddy tested different ones for flow,

 which was bad , I decided to FORGET THAT.


           JL222

[Stan Back]

There's not a lot of salt in the air to pick up if you design the intake properly.  Not many birds, either.

[38flattie]

Haha! Ok, I get the drift- no air cleaner!

Woody is going to look at a few things for us, and he mentioned he had a few scoop ideas he wished someone would try. Hopefully, I can talk him out of a good design!

I sent him off the head designs today, and he's going to look at the water flow and cooling properties. Hopefully, if we have a problem area, we can then catch it before we're on the salt. I also talked to him about some computer flow work, for a modified port idea I have.

Hopefully, Woody will post his flow/cooling findings here.

In the mean time, the crank is headed to the crank grinder in the morning. The new Crower crank is a little tighter fitting  than we wanted, even with + .0001 bearings. We only have .0025-.00275 on the mains, and want to be .003-.0035. They're 2.75" BBC mains, but with only 3 mains, we'll no doubt have some flex.

Dale's all over it though, so hopefully Jeff can get us a quick turn around on the crank.

[Peter Jack]

Just to go a little further on the air cleaners, large diameter filters with pleated filter media around the circumference offer much less restriction. Sometimes you'll see two sandwiched together to double the depth and therefor the filter area. This can pose packaging problems and would not give you the appearance you're looking for but would offer the best in a clean low restriction air supply.

Pete

[Rex Schimmer]

Buddy,
This is a scoop that I made for my friend Steve Nelson's lakester. The plan view shape is a NACA 66018 symmetrical air foil, the inlet ID is 2.75 inches which is about 15% over the perfect size for his engine at 200 mph. It has 3 internal turning vanes that split the air for each of the 4 injectors. It fits tightly over the inlets with little leakage. We went 187 last year and 197 this year with approx the same motor setup so I think the my scoop was responsible for a part of this improvement.

Rex