Recently picked up a Paxton Supercharge SN60 setup. Looking for pictures of this setup installed on a flathead (postwar if it matters). Want to see what parts are used/ needed and how it installs along with relocation of existing components. Currently have : SN60 Mounting bracket w/ tensioner Carb hat 8" dia air filter canister. (Supersized coffer can shape) Drive belt and some hose/ ductwork. Belt is approx 1" wide. Single groove setup. Is a different crank pulley need? What carbs are recommended. Carb hat is larger than the OE Ford/ Holley 94. Shots of engines installed and not installed would be great. Any installation lit available?
This is the super charger that you got? Or is it the older style like this? If so they are not flathead specific and the only pics I have found of one so far are on valve in head engines. measure the sixe of the hat and we can better suggest a carb, probably a 4bbl is what it is set up for and ues you will need a lower pulley that accepts the drive belt.
Here is a link to more pics then you can imagine. LOL https://www.google.com/search?q=pax...4nOennMgCFREIkgodDoALKg#imgrc=BJ7-c2LJFG2NSM: That would be the same basic super charger as used on the Ford 312 or the Studebaker 289. You are going to want an intake that will accept a holley or carter carb. You are probably going to want to run an electric pump and regulator. If you keep your boost low you will be fine with a standard regulator but if you plan on really pumping some air a boost sensitive regulator might not hurt. If you didn't want to go with a single 4 you could run trips or two carbs and make up a manifold to hold multiple hats for your carbs. You are going to need a carb or carbs that are set up for blow though unless you build an air box the completely encases the carb.
Look for a web site called VS57. It has pics etc of the Paxton on flathead Ford V8s. The original Paxton or McCulloch supercharger was the VS57 designed for the Ford flathead and introduced in 1953. The SN60 is practically the same except they eliminated the variable speed feature. If you could find or make brackets like they used you would be in business. Do not need the long arm tensioner because you don't have the movable sheave (pulley). If you could make a flat belt drive with a modern spring loaded tensioner it would work better than a Vbelt. Later......... Here is some history of the McCulloch Paxton supercharger. Scroll down to see a row of 5, 1953 Fords being fitted with VS57s. http://vs57.y-block.info/history.htm Front page http://vs57.y-block.info/
Thanks for the info so far. Here is what I have. May be more pieces in the pile of parts that came with car.
If you get a chance ... research the Novi Indy race cars. Winfield, Kurtis and some knee slapping hot rodders nearly took over the world. 1940's hot rodding fun, bled American Novi/Paxton supercharged blood red for over two decades thereafter.
You might call Craig Conley at Paradise Wheels. He bought all the old ball drive Paxton stuff. I've done a couple SN series , and have a VR on a 312 in my roadster (F code pass car). You will need to boost reference the fuel pressure, even as low a 3-4 lbs, in my experience. There's John Erb, NV, I think, that's well regarded for rebuilds. Myers Studebaker was also helpful in identifying parts and carb options. http://www.paxtonauto.com/article.php?id=155 http://www.myersstudebaker.com
Do you know what it came off of? You will need to add a pulley on the crankshaft to drive it. Stock carb is fine, you will need to richen the main jet and be sure the bowl vent is pressurized. NO carb or internal mods needed with a supercharger.The high pressure air does the business, superchargers are expensive but you don't have to shell out for other speed parts and you don't kill your idle and low speed power. A free exhaust can't hurt, like duals or a larger exhaust and muffler.
I think that carb hat is too big for a stock carb. I don't know where he is going to find an intake but you can buy a smallish Holley blow through carb cheap enough. Its too bad it is not a wet blower, it would be cool to mount the carb on the suction side of it.
If you look at old pics of original installations on early fifties flatheads they don't use a bonnet. They have an L shaped rubber hose that goes from the blower outlet to the top of the carb . You could use a rad hose, there is no gas just air going thru. This is something people don't get. If you double the air flow by pressure, you double the size of the carb, the manifold passages, everything. You don't need a bigger carb and a bigger cam may actually be counter productive. A cam with a lot of overlap allows pressure to blow thru and out the exhaust. Stock everything is fine. If the blower by itself isn't enough I would start with a more open exhaust or even headers, then maybe a cam with more lift but not too much duration and maybe a bigger carb (not too big) and clean up the ports. McCulloch said you could get up to 40% more rear wheel HP on a dead stock engine with a 5 pound boost which is believable. I doubt you would get more than that with a full house, streetable flathead with a conventional hop up.
I was going by the parts that he posted. as long as he keeps his boost levels low he should be fine but once he actually starts to boos it the little float bowl on the stock carb won't keep up with the fuel demands and that can be catastrophic. Maybe he'll never really boost it. If I were going to switch cams I would go with a blower specific cam shaft. Wider lobe separation, enough duration to take advantage of the blower and enough duration to clean the cylinder. A different valve grind wouldn't hurt wither, wide flat valve face is what we used to do. Of course non of that is even necessary as long as the boost stays in lower numbers.
Stock blower gives 4-5 lbs boost and a nice power increase. Minimal mods needed. You can go higher but why bother? A lot of work and expense, and short life for blower and engine. If you really want more than 150HP junk the flatty and get an OHV V8.
You said the carb hat won't fit and it won't. It is made for a small 4 barrel. I am saying he doesn't need a carb hat for a flathead. The blower outlet is the same size as the stock carb, all they used was a smooth rubber hose like a rad hose. You would need to find one the right size with a 90 degree bend.
You are correct about that and actually everything else you pointed out. I was going on the assumption that a flathead had no stock blower. So his boost is going to be partly dependent on pulley selection. That said your advice to keep his boost low and get simple HP out of it is as good a bity of advice as any of us have given lately. I don't know that the 40% gain suggested by McCulloch was accurate but even half that for the cost would put him head and shoulders above what some of the fellas spend chasing 3 or 4 hp. Anyway good advice.
McCulloch claimed 40% rear wheel HP increase on chassis dyno tests. Roger Huntington considered this reasonable given that we are talking about installed Hp which is much lower than advertised HP, and that driveline losses were already off the base number. In other words a so called 200HP car might only dyno 100HP at the rear wheels, and a 5 pound boost could raise that to 140HP... The customer would not know all this. He would only see better acceleration, quicker passing, and much better hill climbing especially at high altitudes.
If it was my Ford I would try to duplicate the McCulloch installation as done at their factory in the fifties, except change to a flat belt drive with a stock spring loaded tensioner adapted from some other car. The VS57 is a bit of a contraption, the SN60 simpler and more reliable.
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