Hot Rods Chain driven blower on a flathead?

My bride set this to me after seeing it on fartbook,maybe I have been living under a rock but I don't ever remember seeing a setup like this.

HRP

 

Looks cool. I can only imagine it would be noisy

 

I helped a guy make a setup like that on an Olds in a '35 Ford. The chain broke on Kingsway in Vancouver and the tag end threw the front fender right up into the bus power wires! I wouldn't recommend it without a strong shield or a full chain case.

 

Chain oil will go everywhere.

 

It was done years and years ago but fortunately it was short lived. There's been pictures on here before showing chain setups on vintage stuff. I sure wouldn't want to be around it.

 

Mad max called, he wants his flathead back !!

Looks bad ass... would need some guards of some kind if the chain snapped , look out major damage to car and body !!

 

Here's some other examples:

 

Danger Will Robinson.

 

As J. A. points out the chain drive was done years ago before the reinforced timing belts came along. It was easy for a builder to go to his power transmission shop to pick up a length of double or even 4 link chain and sprockets. Back in the '40s, and 50's who even heard of timing belts.

 

I guess for the drag strip is a "Get away with it",but for the street,it would be a big no,for me,lub would be too hard to keep an a chain braking would kill some one vs a belt may not. I'm going to pass on that drive set-up.

 

It's been a long time since I've seen chain drive blowers. I'm not sure Italmeccania (?) or s.co.t blowers didn't use them early on. Either way I'd start to get nervous at anything over idle..

 

Look at that beast-truck rear end too.

 

Single row 40 or 420 chain- that Looks like a tractor supply $50.00 blower drive from the rockabilly rat rod express.

The Howard's chain drive stuff was substantial and fully enclosed - yet still phased out for better and safer options.

 

I don't want to be near that car when the chain lets go.

 

Think about this for a moment. They have been using chain drive on motor cycles for over 100 years and you don't hear horror stories about breakage and damage resulting from breakage. Maybe because the motorcyclist died and couldn't talk about it, I don't know.

 

How many timing chains have ya seen break? Trucks used to have chain drive axles. Now that's scary.

 

go ahead and put the master link in backwards and see what happens.

 

Been riding bikes since 1973. I've had a few chains break or come off.
It ain't pretty.

 

That Howard's drive setup was a lot of aluminum and shop work for $275.00, even 50 years ago.

 

imagine spinning it on a fairly hot sbc , crank speed could really buzz it. a friend of mine has the hollish bros bantam, with the chain blower still on it from 59, scares me when i see it. but it worked, the won the 59 nations at detriot, do a search, its on here.

 

The car version of this.

 

Water pump belt is going to need a little more tension.

 

^^^^^^Now that would of made the boys shit bricks if that happened in mid flight!!

 

Woh!....

 

Years ago I help build a twin engine [side by side] pulling tractor I machined two 60 double link sprockets and nickel chain with shield . If it had a misfire it broke the crank off only one engine at flange. Chain was unhurt and never went far ,most times still on other crank flange .More stuff runs a chain or link than most people even think about . Never heard noise of chain over engine song. Also never said it was safe, but racing is racing no matter what or where. Happy Easter JimB.

 

One time I helped Marion Owens in the pits at Union Grove back in the day on his double engine fuel Harley. They were chained together and made one heck of a racket. The bike ran 8.20's and stuck the front motor and crap went every where!

After that incident, he he just left the front chain off and ran on the rear motor only for a little show. I think it still ran high 8's.

He did lube the chain every pass and changed the chain quite often and it was an oily mess.

But anyway, I wouldn't think of running an open chain drive blower on anything!
My 2 bucks worth...

 

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^^^ That looks like MadMax movie stuff, save it for the waste land. you will be the first to break down, be murdered and have your fuel stolen.

 

O- ring chain doesn't need a lot of lube. Regular inspection and maintenance helps , never had a bike chain break w/o warning. I've seen what a mechanical fan blade does when they let go, still not afraid to run one.

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