XXO/BVGC '38 Chevy Coupe Build

[38flattie]

That will be a nice mill in a Model A!

One of my buddies has a site, www.flatcaddy.com, that has parts for these engines. Your friend might want to check out the cast aluminum timing cover, and valley plates, cast by another friend from the land of OZ.

Yes, they are heavy- 900lbs for just the dressed engine!

[desotoman]

Thanks for the pictures. Some things I like about the Caddy compared to a Ford Flathead, Bottom end deep skirt design is much stronger and makes it easy to make a girdle for the mains. Huge base circle on the cam. Removable tappets are very interesting, don't know if that is good or bad. It is good for being able to make better lifters etc, but it could be bad depending how they are attached strength wise. It will be interesting for sure.  

Neat Crank, I would hang that on the wall, as a conversation piece. All in all it looks like it should be able to stay together better than a Ford. Are the Crankshaft mains located in the centerline of the bores or is it offset? If you get a chance could you take a picture of the valley area where the lifters bolt on?

Thanks again for the pictures, pretty neat motor.

Tom G.

[Rex Schimmer]

I can see why your friend won't let you run that engine, it is a piece of real "Hot Rod History"!!! It should be rebuilt and put in a museum, I would bet that Speedy Bill would love to have it!  Who ever built it really was an innovator and it certainly could have been Ak Miller as he was a pretty creative guy. The bolted on counter weights are really something and the two socket head cap screw, they look like they are probably 1/2 inch and they are the old "series 36" style with the small dia. heads. Imagine the stress on these with that 4-6 lb chunk of steel swinging around at 5000 rpm! The cam shaft is a true work of art, and it must be a bolt together design as I can see no other way to get the bearings on, wonder who made that? Do you have a picture of the heads? specifically the amount of dome that they have in them as  the "pop up piston" was the real state of the art for flat heads in those days. The intake manifold is another neat piece with the cooling fins top and bottom. That motor is just to neat to be ran in a race car but it certainly has many innovative ideas that you should incorporate into a new motor. Thanks for sharing the pictures!!!!


Rex

[38flattie]

Tom, Here are the best pics I have. I'm at work in Pennsylvania at the moment, but can take more pics when I get home.

The mains are offset, and there are only three- this is on of my biggest concerns. The other big concern is 'splitting the block. Other than the front and rear of the block, there is only the one center web you see in the pic. It is also the only water passage from one side of the block to the other, and is one of the areas prone to cracking. This is the main reason for the 1/2" top plate across the engine.

You're right about the bottom end- it's heck for stout! Add a crank girdle, bigger mains, and the top plate, and I think it will be a beast!

Rex, yes, it is a very iconic engine, at least as far as Caddy flatheads go. You know these engines are the same ones that were used in tanks in WWII, correct?

As for 5000 rpm, the engines were rated as 3450 rpm's in passenger cars, although the military did a lot of testing at 4000rpm. 150hp, and 260 lbs torque- monsters in there day! The camshaft is a reground, factory, one piece cast iron, 1.375" in diameter! The gear on the back of it was part of the one piece cast. Sorry, I don't have any pics of the head chambers, but I'll see if Aaron will send me some.

And yes, we have incorporated many of the feature- blower, big valves, pop-up pistons, dual water feeds, extra head bolts, etc.

...and a whole lot of trick stuff they didn't!

[Rex Schimmer]

Another thought about linking the two sides of the block together, you might consider using a thick aluminum plate that picks up the 4 cast and machined lugs that the lifter carriers attach to and then machine the lifter bores into the plate. You would probably need a pair of plates one for the front and one for the rear but it would help (I think!) You could also use steel just to get the expansion rate the same, just takes longer to machine and adds some weight.

Rex

[38flattie]

Rex, we looked at that, but it is far more work, and we're running out of time.

Plating it there will raise the lifter blocks, which bolt to those tabs at an angle. Therefore, we would have to redesign the lifter blocks for clearance.

After we run this engine this year, we know we'll have more work to do. We are already planning roller lifters for the next version, but time and money limit this this year. With the roller lifters, we'll redesign the lifter block, and may visit this idea again.

[38flattie]

It's starting to look like better....

[Stan Back]

Keep screwing with that 1/4 window and it will look like a Plymouth.

Stan

[38flattie]

Keep screwing with that 1/4 window and it will look like a Plymouth.

Stan

Will that make the car slower? Lol!



I'm thinking I need a track nose, similar to this one, for Comp Coupe class.

[38flattie]

Good news- the Caddy to Ford FE tranny adaptor is done, along with the Ford FE to Chevy SFI rated bellhousing!

[Stan Back]

Please splain that to me more better.

[38flattie]

Splain what more better?

[Stan Back]

Hooking this to that and that to something else.

[38flattie]

Well,I needed an SFI bellhousing, or a blanket.

The only common flywheel that I could find with a large enough diameter was a Ford FE flywheel. I had Pat Mcguire, at Wilcap, make me an adaptor, to allow a Ford Fe bellhousing to bolt to the Caddy engine, and use a Ford hi-torque starter.

Because I like the common Chevy tranny bolt pattern, I bought a SFI certified Ford FE bellhousing, with a Chevy tranny bolt pattern.

Hope that clears it up.

[38flattie]

Well, damn the luck! I was just informed that if we wish to compete in either XXO/BVGCC or XXO/BVGALT, that we will need a parachute.

Any suggestions on an inexpensive one?