Hot Rods Hood Clearance Issues - '56 Chevy, SBC, 4-71, Holley

If you're still thinking hood scoops, I was just noticing the L88 scoop on my car. Maybe too new for HAMB but a nice looking scoop on just about anything.

The carbs on my blown pickup just stick out in the breeze. Nice thing about that is you can peek at things, prime it, adjust the idle etc. without popping the hood.

 

my chevy II, I can remove the blower without opening the hood

 

Here is a photo, I believe Offy made these. From the looks of the battery location it could be a Tri-Five Chevy not that it matters. Take the comment FWIW, but I would agree, I can see a fuel puddling problem.

 

Offy made a few things that didn't work well, eh?

 

I'm still looking too. Nothing is off the table but smoother and less noticeable is better for this application.
I had a GT500 scoop on my 1st '55, reverse mounted with the openings to the rear. I found that Speedway still offers one like it, but only measures about 1 1/2" high. I think that that it would look good, but probably a tad short.

Also considering modifying the hood similar to a cowl induction style. I need to mock something up to see how it looks.

 

How about rising the body?

 

Late 60s-70s cowl induction hoods look weird on 50s cars...but that's just through my eyes. They might look fine through your eyes.

 

Cowl induction hood looks good on my 67 Nova, the 55-57's....... not so much.

 

In Hot Rod Magazine a long time ago that did an article on a smooth lookin '57 Chebby with a 471 blower. What he was doing was running 4 side draft carbs on an intake that drooped over the side of the blower a little bit. Pretty slick setup.

by the way I am with ya I think. I prefer a tri five with a smooth hood.

 

If a hole in the hood drops a second or so off the ET...maybe it's worth it?

 

Getting it under the hood would be cool but I've always been into sleepers. In 66 I had a 64 Impala it came with a 300 hp 327 4 speed chosen because it looked big but only weighed 3500 lbs. The engine looked stock except headers no crome on the engine the Edlebrock intake painted and running the stock AFB and air cleaner and a 114 lsa cam . It did have 456 gears the car was faster than 409s and GTOs on the street tires of the day. Fun ride.

 

The Cragar catalog in 1963 shows that set-up.

 

Raising the body would work, but then I would have to lower the frame.

 

You haven’t mentioned what overall style your car is, like Jim’s ‘55 or gasser style or two lane blacktop?
I used Speedways Shelby GT350 scoop on my Austin gasser and it looks surprisingly correct for the ‘63-65 time period. It’s 3 1/4” tall.


Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

This is an older picture but shows the style.

 

I’m with you guys on the cowl induction hood looking funny on a 50’s car. That same car I posted above got sold to another buddy later and he needed more room to run two 4- barrels than the teardrop scoop had. Plus, he didn’t like the teardrop. He bought a 4” cowl and I had to butcher it all up taking about 10” out of the length and sloping it up faster in the front to make it fit decent at all. Still don’t like it as much as the teardrop although it did make more room.

 

Hello,
We did see these at car shows, but, rarely on the street. It made the car look smooth on the outside without any protrusions from the hood. Pure power underneath without something sticking up in the air. Some side manifolds for the 471 fit most cars without scoops.

The best example of this side carburetor set up was from Long Beach local, Mox Miller's fabulous 1958 Impala. It is one of the finest custom cars to come from So Cal. Back then, it was "brand awareness" in its early stages, as people saw cars they could relate to from the factory. It was not some totally radical changeover to a pure show car, it looked like a normal 58 Impala with some changes.

Obviously, there was no hole in the hood. It was a great looking motor that gave an 18 year old ideas about fixing up his own 58 impala with "MORE POWER."



Jnaki
This is a version of a pure sleeper motor set up "under" the smooth hood of any car. You might hear it before you see it, giving anyone an advantage on the street or dragstrip or a rarity at car shows.


previous HAMB thread:
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...spacer-between-my-blower-carbs.1094394/page-4

 

Thanx everyone for your input, I'm still looking at options. I am pretty committed to a single four barrel on top of the 4-71. It looks like I will have to modify the hood, as lowering the engine is just a stupid amount of work to avoid cutting the hood. The hood on the car has some issues, so cutting it isn't that big of a deal.
I can show my current options, and what I like or dislike, if anyone is interested.

This is a long term project. The reason it came up now, is that I had the intake off the engine in the car and it was the first time I could mock up the blower in the car. So, if anyone has more ideas, I'm still listening.

Again, thank you.

Bruce

 

When I did my 55, I had a crappy hood, and a really crappy hood. I cut up the really crappy hood. The crappy hood I fixed up and put on the car, after I removed the blower.

If you have two hoods, you can experiment...it may seem like rocket surgery, but it's not.

 

Pic's please!

 

Why not just raise the back of the hood with some wooden blocks. You secure the blocks along the side of the hood parallel with the hood springs. If you don't like the wood blocks make some blocks out of aluminum tubing. The blocks will raise the back of the hood to the height of the block.

 

Potvin!

 

Maybe with a QC gear set between the blower and the crank.

 

You might be on to something!

 

Okay,
Here's what I'm working with:

Very old Cragar. Not sure if has ever been used. Note the blower mounting boss'es are wide enough to be drilled for a 3-71.



According to the guy I bought it from (probably 30 years ago) the weld was done at the factory to fix casting porosity. This was later confirmed by another old fart.



Peanut ports, 1 1/8" wide by a skosh over 1 3/4".


The real Corvette staggered bolt valve covers interfere with the flange, but not planning to run them together.

As cool as the manifold is, I'm not sure this is the right build to use it on. I am more into something that can be modified without destroying it's value. But, I'm not ready to let it go just yet. I need it for mock up purposes. I'll post on this thread if and when it is available.

I'll show more of the mock up in my next post.

 

neat intake! The gray at the water crossover shows it's been used...but it's in great condition. Most blower intakes back then didn't get many miles on them, is my guess.

 

Good catch on the discoloration, Jim. Now I can't sell it as barn find, NOS, numbers matching!

Well, on with the mock up:




Casting matched and carb clearanced 4-71.


Add the custom carb adapter with fuel block.


And the carburetor. Note the vent tubes. They are about 1" too high, even if they would be perfectly aligned and could nest in the center rib of the hood. (looks like the engine sits about an inch to the passenger side) This doesn't allow for any type of air cleaner or box.


This is what I would like to run. It would take a 3" tall element to clear the vent tubes, so we are at least 2" too high.


Thought about using a carburetor base plate as the throttle valve for fuel injection. How about a 2 hole Hilborn? Or a barn door?


Could look something like this!


The non-HAMB friendly solution!
Now this is getting silly
Next up the possible sheet metal or fiberglass solutions. Stay tuned!

 

How much would it help if you moved the carb back on the blower a couple inches?

 

Jim,
That might gain a quarter inch.

All,
Here are some body work solutions that I am considering:

This is similar to the scoop I had on my '55 in my collage days, patterned after the Shelby GT500. I mounted it with the high side toward the windshield. Mine was open at the back. Speedway sells it in that style, but I can't seem to copy their picture. Here's a link:
https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Shel...e-Fiberglass-Hood-Scoop-27-x-37-x-2,1401.html
What I like about this is the center rib that continues the one on the hood. It might not be quite tall enough.


The cowl hood that @guthriesmith posted has that same rib. Although the cowl hood is a bit new for the HAMB, in a 2" version, it blends in nicely with the '55, '56 Chevy styling.


I know that a lot of folks on here don't like Ford stuff on Chevys, but when the T-bolt style scoops came on the scene, you saw them on everything. The one thing that detracts from this style, for me, is that it covers the center rib. The top just looks too flat for me. But, I think the 14" air cleaner would nestle nicely inside.
I kinda like this one as the peak at the back gives a nod to the Chevy styling. It can be had like this or with cutouts like the originals.




I'm not particularly fond of the squared off corners on this one, but something about it looks evil to me.

This one is rounded at the back. It might fit the round air filter better. I have not found this one without the slots.

As far as raising the back of the hood with hinge blocks as @COCONUTS mentioned, I had considered that. It is certainly traditional. But, I don't think it is right for this car. I mentioned earlier that I had thought of modifying the hood similar to a cowl scoop. My vision would be to slit the hood on each side from the back up to where it starts to round down at the nose . Then raise the back for the desired clearance and weld in wedge shaped pieces on the sides. Sorry, but I don't have photoshop skills to demonstrate.

Anyway, I'm still looking at options and am open to any and all suggestions. I'll let you know if anything new (or old) comes up.

 

The raised center rib line can be easily molded or raised higher on any scoop. Simple take a brake/fuel line of desired diameter and affix it where you want it, blend in sides to desired radius, sand, sand, sand, prime & paint. Not only will it look nice with the stock hood rib it will give the scoop some needed strength.....................