ID this weird flathead intake

Found this in my dad's garage, these are the only two pics I have right now because it is enroute to my house via Fedex. The only thing we know about it is he bought it at the Back to the Fifties swap meet in St. Paul 25-30 years ago--we think.

Why sideways carbs? What's the big hole in the middle for? Notice the rectangular carb flange. A 94 or 97 does not fit despite how the drilling looks. So what kind of carbs were on it? The "balance tubes" or whatever they are underneath are very crudely done. And why? Any help will be appreciated.

 

Wild!!!

 

No progressive linkage for that set-up, either...all or none! DD

 

That would look sweet with two slingshots on it. How much you want?

 

i am guessing its like an early eddie myers intake or simular
like something bolts to the two supposive carb flanges and the center hole is for heating the intake plemium above
tk

 

I would assume the hole in the center is for the breather tube/oil fill. Awesome looking intake, might have been a one-off casting. There are a lot of collectors of old flathead speed stuff who'd probably love to have that, but I'd rather see it get used on a car, if it's functional.

 

We have a '41 2dr we intend to use it on, the motor is coming together now. My concern is the butchery underneath. Certainly nobody expected fuel/air mixture to flow through those tubes? Before I shipped it I puzzled over it for a while and kind of got the idea of what the person was trying to accomplish, but I can't really remember now. It should get here tomorrow. We could try to take the tubes out and restore it to original condition, or we could just clean up what was done to it. I'm open to ideas. It's just going on a street car so it doesn't have to be the best-functioning intake ever.

 

OK, I found something online like TK was talking about, the picture is below. The difference being of course that the carb flanges are oriented differently. If there is another piece that goes to this manifold, we will never find it. It makes me think the person who modified the manifold was missing the top piece and tried to simulate the open plenum with the tubes underneath. But I really have no idea.

 

It would be easy enough to make a plenum for it. I would try and fix the butchery underneath run a pair of carbs sideways like they are oriented now and put a balance tube between the carbs to make it easier to tune. Then let everyone speculate about what it is or may be.

 

Could the carb plate be for something like the Dellorto carbs? Someone on here had a two-two intake for a SBC a while back and it seems it was set up similarly, it was made specifically for the Dellorto carbs. I'll see if I can find the link to the classified ad.

 

I think the classified was removed. It was up for a while after it was sold, and the ad was closed, but he may have deleted it. It was a CB Performance intake, hope that helps.

 

neat. never seen one of those before

 

I think I got it. I have no idea how this manifold was originally intended to be used, but I'll bet the last person to use it was using variations of the Weber/Holley 5200 progressive 2bbl carbs. It looks like these carbs naturally sit sideways, meaning it would just be a straight linkage, and the progressive part is built into the carb. Does this sound like a possibility? Not as vintage as a Stromberg, but weird in its own right.

 

I don't think you want to use it until you seal the lower intake ports.
The outer ones were welded....It looks similar to the Eddie Meyers unit.
You would have to seal the center round hole or convert it to a breather.
Take out the crossover tubes and use heavier gauge pipe.

 

Forget the Holleys, Fedex just dropped it off and I was really able to look at it. Check out the pics. Two of the holes on one side of each flange look like they still have the original threads. The other side was drilled out and then the third hole was added on the other side for the standard 3 bolt flange. I was just wrong about that. The holes on a 94 do line up. So there were probably 4 studs on each flange to bolt on whatever used to be on top. The Weber/Holley would never work because the way the runners go some cylinders would be fuel starved or at best completely unbalanced except at WOT. So you have to use non-progressive linkage, unless we end up fabricating our own top piece, which is doable, I guess. The tubes connect the front barrel of the front carb to the front barrel of the other one--or however you want to think of it right, left, Texas left. The corresponding barrels are tied together with the tubes.

Either way, the ports definitely have to be dealt with, with or without the tubes.

 

Found you some pics from one of the "Rare flathead intakes" threads.

Kustomman#1 posted them...had no idea what it was.

 

Scott Miller posted this one on the other "rare flathead intakes" thread:

Said to have no markings.....Roundy-round racer??<----his words

 

O.K., so there's at least three in existance.


I have a stock cast iron intake for a early '50's GMC 270 that is set up for a two barrel carb w/ a four bolt base. Don't know which kind, but looks about that size. Might have used two like that, what ever it was. Does the third carb bolt hole look like a later add-on?

Later, Kinky6

 

Thanks for the help, ZomBrian. I notice they still all have the rectangular flanges and 4 stud holes. I really believe they had some chamber on top. There would really be no reason for the center breather since they all still have the provision in back. But why would that Eddie Meyer manifold I posted earlier have a provision for the center hole? Somebody said for heat, and you would get some of that. But how about this: an early form of PCV for a race car? It would be way above the carbs to stay out of the oil, but it would definitely keep the crankcase evacuated. Just an idea.

The generator bracket set-up is a little different on ours. And it has been tapped in two places for vacuum, apparently.

 

It's a real shame there are no "underneath" shots of the two other intakes. That would give us a definitive answer on setup. Your intake looks to be a little earlier with the gen. mount the way it is. It looks like enough of them broke to change the casting design. Strange that there are at least three intakes, none of which have the top piece if there is indeed a top piece!?

Contact Kustomman#1 and see if he still has his and compare the setups!

 

That intake would be a nice candidate for a couple of "ford" webbers... Wouldn't be very traditional, but it would sure run sweet!

 

Excellent point. Now that's going to bother me the rest of the day.

 

I don't think the center hole is a "breather" like mentioned earlier, as the oil fill neck would vent the crankcase quite adequately. I'm thinking a heat riser too.

 

If it were a '60s intake I would say that it looks like a pair of 2Gs would bolt right on. I do recall some Jimmy inlines from back in the 50s that had 4 bolt carbs but I don't recall what they were. No help I know but it is a place to begin looking for period carbs if that is what you are after.

 

Or run a pair of Stromberg Aerotypes.

 

Someone said it was for roundy round racing. Is the positioning of the carbs an attempt at keeping fuel in the bowl or at the jets due to centrifugal force?

 

About 40 years ago, I had a single carb intake with a four hole flange. It didn't have the "third" hole for a 94. It's openings were a bit larger than a normal single 94 would have had. It was cast iron, and I was told it was from a Mercury. I was also lead to believe that a small 2G would fit it, although I have no idea what was mounted on there originally.

 

That's my dad's theory, but until I figure out what carbs it should have, there's no way to know.

Stromberg Aerotypes? I had never even heard of them until ZomBrian mentioned them. I see some have 4 bolt bases. Any idea what the bolt pattern measurement is? I see they are mentioned as truck carbs. Would there be a reason to run truck carbs, some kind of advantage to these? I know someone eariler mentioned the rectangular flange on a Jimmy intake...

 

Sounds like a '49-'53 Merc intake. They used a Holley 885, sort of a two barell version of the later "teapot".

 

I am thinking you might be right about an early experiment in positive crankcase ventilation. It might be an aftermarket truck intake. Trucks used to have a lot of blow-by issues with the old ring sealing tech available back "when".