The Chevy unit is pretty much ready to go, waiting for the '56 to be ready for it. The big block Mopar one needs the blower converted, a blower drive (spare 8" anyone?) and a belt and I'm not sure what it's going in yet.
b. balough, Oct. 1960 This motor had a fancier throttle set up than ours and the hoses to the Strombergs were also different. Hello, When we built the 40 Willys coupe in Feb-March 1960, we had a 283 SBC with 6 Strombergs. We hooked it up to a LaSalle 3 speed and Chevy rear end underneath. We ran that for several months until we decided to do some different mods for more horsepower. We found out from a friend in Los Angeles that there were several companies that were going to have the first 671 GMC supercharger kits out to mount on the SBC, sometime in May or June of 1960. That was a first. So, hearing that, the first thing we did was to rebuild and get ready for that 671 blower. The SBC was bored out to 292, we added lower compression Jahns pistons, forged rods, ported and polished heads, Howard Cam and lifter kit, Joe Hunt Vertex Magneto, and waited until our friend could get his hands on the 671 Gilmer belt kit. So, we scoured the speed shops to see what a race prepped 671 would cost and found out that they were way over our budget. So, off to the diesel shops in nearby Wilmington, close to Lions Dragstrip. We found that the new ones for the big diesel trucks were just as expensive and finally settled on a used, demo model right off of the showroom floor. It was within our budget and needed some work to get it right for the drags. But, the price was right and the dealer needed to set up a newer, shiny, blower on that floor model sample for better sales promotion, anyway. We had Reath Automotive rework the blower and get it ready for racing. By the time they were finished, our Gilmer Kit and Edlebrock Manifold for the 671 arrived. We also got a flat Weiand 6 carb manifold for the 671 as we were going to run our 6 Strombergs on top. It took some time to get everything bolted together and make all of the necessary adjustments to get it running right. But, the first firing of this powerful motor was music to our ears. The 6 Strombergs on the 283 with open headers sounded outstanding. This time, the sound was so powerful and awesome that my brother looked over at me and had the biggest smile I had ever seen. Obviously, he was extremely happy. Our mother came running out of the kitchen and ran to the back garage to see what was making all of that powerful noise. At idle, it was tremendously loud, but manageable. When he revved up the RPMs, it was “starting line” music at Lions on a Saturday night. Our mother covered up her ears and told us that the neighbors would complain of the loud noise. She was not a happy camper at that moment. Two teenage boys were extremely happy with our accomplishments to that day. So, on to Lions for the first test runs. But first, a drive over to the old neighborhood speed shop where we purchased the core motor. Then a short drive later on at night to the local hang out drive-in. Woo Hoo! Jnaki As all of the owners of these powerful motor know, adjustments are necessary, but after all of the hard work, the sound and power it brings is so outstanding that it impresses everyone within earshot. Especially after we raised the hood in the pits at Lions and fired up the motor for the first time there. No one had seen a 671 on SBC before, so this was something…
Jnaki I envy the life you have had. Out here in Kansas we experienced limited drag racing opportunities and could only experience Lions drag strip through magazines.
I've been trying to do some research and haven't had a lot of luck. I'd like to locate a good core, could someone tell me what years the 6-71 was produced on the Detroit? I searched Ebay, all I could find was the 6V-71 and several others I'm not familiar with. Am I correct that the 8-71 wasn't offered on these? I found some labeled 8V-71 and 8-71 but they were rebuilt. I would really like to convert one of these and find some other vintage parts to set one up on my gasser project. Love some of the pics and stories on this thread.
Hello KK, We were just normal teenagers that just happen to live near Lions Dragstrip. It was tremendously fun being involved in all aspects of the activity. Regardless of where anyone lives or how much they are involved in drag racing, all lives matter. I think driving to long away places like Riverside and Bakersfield opened our eyes to see how others besides our little community in Long Beach built and raced their cars. A lot of people did what they could to get involved, we were in the right place at the right time. But, we scoured the weekly Drag News of information from all over, just like millions of other drag racing/hot rodders did back then. Our drag racing life started by these early influences, but on the bad side, it also ended early. We loved going to the drags, racing at the strip, building what we thought would be a cool street/race vehicle and actively getting involved in the business end of the picture. Unfortunately, the explosion, fire, crash and the damages it did to my brother's life greatly affected our future. His life was altered due to the massive burns he got in the short time it took to jump out...about 11 seconds. But that did so much damage to his future. His recovery was long and tedious. But, we all pulled through the experience. Our lives moved on but our daily activity in drag racing lived only through magazines and films, just like a ton of people all over the USA. We got involved in the west coast surfing culture, motorcycles and all forms of water/snow sports. That is/was good. Jnaki Life moved on for us and we were extremely happy and thankful for the experiences that we had as early hot rodders/drag racers. I am glad to be a part of the history of the hot rod world that included our involvement in drag racing and cruising. Today, I like reading about all of the new perspective on hot rodding that people have from all over the USA and the rest of the world. No matter where we are, car knowledge and the experiences it gave us will forever be ingrained in our memories. That is really good... Thank you... To stay on track, here: Everytime I hear a GMC supercharged motor or the rupp, rupp of a hot rod motor, my brain immediately goes back to those drag racing days. Once you experience building and lighting up the GMC 671 powered motor for the first time and hearing that cool sound, you will never forget that moment. Pure power right in front of you. It stays with you forever.
A 6-71 blower is a part of a 6-71 Detroit diesel. Same with 4-71, 8V-71, etc. Only a 6-71 diesel has a 6-71 blower. It is an inline engine. A 6V-71 is a V type engine, same displacement, but the blower is different because it mounts on top of the engine where the inline engines mount the blower on the side. The 6-71 is the largest inline 71 series engine. 8's, 12's, and 16's are all V type and use top mounted blowers. You could use a V type blower but you would have several differences to deal with and most stuff made to mount blowers to gas engines are made to use the inline type blowers. 6-71s were made from the 1930s to at least the mid 90s. There's thousands of them around, mostly in older trucks that are no longer in use Most single axle GMC and Chevy road tractors from the last half of the 60s and most of the 70s used 6-71s. Used engines were plentiful enough that owners would often just get a used complete engine to replace one that broke a crank or rod or had some other problem that made it not rebuildable. Look around anywhere you see a bunch of old GMC or Chevy heavy trucks sitting as there's likely some junk engines there too and they often still have the blower mounted. One of the main things to watch for is scoring of the rotors or case on a used blower. One with scoring of either or both parts is scrap. Given the fact that the engines are largely obsolete today, you should be able to find a decent 6-71 blower core for somewhere between $50 and $100. Unless you have machining capabilities, you could spend a lot of money on the tools necessary to disassemble a blower. Most expensive is a pair of pullers required to pull the drive gears. The gears are helical and both must be pulled together hence the need for 2 pullers. The tools are still available, but they ain't cheap.
Here's our latest project. We're installing another early Cragar 471 2" belt drive on my brothers '31 coupe. Set up w/ both a 4-barrel and dual 97's. Any thoughts?
Thanks for the info, that explains alot. I did find a adapter plate, not cheap, to put a 8V-71 on a 6-71 intake. That told me right there that was to much trouble. Are the tools to pull them just for that purpose or can you use regular pullers? I got access to a machine shop, just wondered what to look for.
Google "detroit blower gear pullers" without the quotes and a picture of the pullers will come up in the results. Normal jaw type pullers won't work as there's not enough room to get behind the gears. About a 4 hr lathe job if you can make them. Over a thousand bucks to buy them. All special service tools for stuff like this carry ridiculous prices.
Do the gmc blowers use longer studs to hold them down? Someone mentioned that to me while I was researching them. He said that is what stopped him from building one. What the crap would that make any difference?
Must have meant the V series with angled side bolts. Inlines, also G.M.C. are the more conventional type.
671 on a 454. Street legal and ran 10.2 over the quarter Later upgraded to a 540 so will fit my spare 1471 to the next project. I figure it can go into the next street car with a bunch of side draft carbs as a 1471 will have room for a gaggle of them.
Great thread and very inspiring. I have an blower intake,671 for an FE Ford all ready to go. My question is what can I use for a dizzy. Do Mallory still make a "flat/crab" style cap? Pics would be much appreciated,,cheers
The distributor is definitely a pain when running an FE with a blower. There are offset drives available, and remote mount distributors as well. You could also add in a blower spacer or intercooler to raise the blower up a bit if hood clearance isn't a concern. Check out the FE forum for more ideas. Offset Drive - Swartz Racing Manifolds. Remote Mount (You will still need an oil pump drive). Thank BarryR for the pic. Cragar Timing cover with Mag Drive (HAMB classifieds) Blower Spacers / Intercoolers (Barry R)
My Dyers 6V-71 blown 351W. Been installed in the car for about 5 years now. I drive the car all over the place, has always been super reliable, with plenty of power! Sorry for the picture quality, this is a picture of a picture.
I have the manifold and crank adapter for my Y block from Y Bloke a.k.a. Lindsay Shoemark from Wagga Wagga, Australia and I just bought a 471 core that I will be calling Dyers Blowers about rebuilding. I was recently in Australia and stopped to visit Lindsay and his knowledge of Y Blocks is fantastic and what a great guy. His manifold is very well thought out and I can't wait to get started on my new Y Block blown motor for my Model A.
Ok, I'll play, I have 2 Littlefield 671's that Mert freshened up before we lost him, both slated for Big Block installations, and I am piecing together a Magnesium Pete's Engineering case I bought recently, it's nos, and as was mentioned back in the thread it has the "Get out of my way I am working here!" look for sure. I found a Pete's front bearing plate for it, still searching for a rear bearing plate and rotors. Here are pics of my two Littlefields and Injectors. I will add pics of the Pete's case later.
Here's my Magnesium Pete's Engineering case and some pieces I have gathered up for it, if anybody comes across a rear bearing plate or a front cover please let me know, I found this nos Littlefield Magnesium front cover, better than nothin right?
@mutant55 Greg I'll see you one Enderle Barndoor and raise you one Enderle 15 Fin Scoop and a magnesium Pete's / Montgomery pruned case blower with the Pete's Blower Drive
Hey M55, Nice find of the Littlefield stuff. Mert Littlefield was in my graduating class at Long Beach Poly HS. He was also in my Metal Shop and Automotives class, too. He was a hard worker in those classes and was a very nice guy to all. We lost contact after high school and then next time I saw his name, he had the blower business and became involved in the drag racing scene. I do see his name in the HS Reunion information booklets when we go to a class function. Wow, what a small world. Jnaki If he had his business open back when we first got our 671 at that diesel shop in Wilmington, we certainly would have used his services... That time period was when we were both still in high school... a little too early...
1933_willys_77 / Tony, That's a good one! but I am all in! I really wish mine had that 15 fin scoop, but I am just happy to have one that's in great condition man.. That Pete's drive is nice too, that stuff is hard to find, I was lucky to be able to get that case at a moderate price, he had that thing higher than a cats back in the classifieds, patience is a virtue brother..