Hot Rods Can a Splasher Engine be Supercharged?

Here’s a video of a guy who has a Hudson “Big Six” with a supercharger on it.



And another guy with a 308 big six Hudson, twin supercharged! I need to catch up with these guys. I’d prefer to use an old Graham Supercharger but it may be a bit difficult to source.







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Here's a Chevy ...from California Bill's Speed Manual....

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The blown Hudson that @RichFox mentioned was built by Uncommon Engineering and it used a Roots type blower.
I think a McCulloch would be easier on the bearings and you might consider a blow through setup like that guy built with the Graham blowers.

 

In the interest of accuracy Hudsons went to full pressure lubrication and insert bearings on the Hornet six .

 

Over 25 years ago there were 2 late 20's Hudsons restored as vintage sports tourers in the style of the late 20's blower Bentleys with front mounted blowers, GMC 4-71 or 6-71's...both were built RHD here in Australia and from memory were originally 4dr sedans that lacked body work, they had specially cast finned intake manifolds, cycle fenders and I think fabric Weymann or VanDen Plas style sport tourer bodys........both cars I am pretty sure ended up in the USA, one I think may have been shown on an old Jay Leno episode.........I saw at least one in the early mid 90's here in Grafton when a vintage car tour passed thru and it was a seriously impressive vintage hotrod.............no idea what era Hudson engines were used but I think they were vintage, pre 1930 Hudson 6's............andyd

 

Researching this more, it looks like a “blow thru” system may be a lot of work with sealing carb(s), etc.
Thus I’m thinking the easiest & most ascetically pleasing way would be to add the supercharger between the intake manifold & the carb.

I’d like to have it look “period correct”.... Although when one says this what period are people shooting for, 40’s, 50’s? I suppose it’s subjective but either way I love old school hot rods so I would say a 50’s period. With this said what supercharger would be period correct or close to it? Big question; where does one find them?



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Nobody was supercharging 1937 flatheads in the fifties but if they were, the McCulloch VS57 would have been the first choice.

 

What 235 had babbit and partial oil pressure??

 

Your Hudson engine is beautiful...but if you want to go with a 4-71 blower the intake and
exhaust will need to be replaced to make the blower conversion reasonable. Does the exhaust manifold exist SEPARATE from the intake ??? If so...you can keep intake manifold and
I will comment if I can see engine without Exhaust manifold. If they don't separate does somebody
offer aftermarket intake and separate exhaust manifolds ? You may be surprised at how easy this
blower add-on can be...and you would be surprised how nice the car drives with a lot more power and
VIRTUALLY NO HARM to your engine.

 

Yipes - the oil pump is an oscillating PLUNGER pump. Have one of those in my Indian flathead and it works "OK", but I'd be concerned about its adequacy in a blown application. Also, mechanically driven Roots blowers are harder on crank bearings than centrifugal or turbo systems. On the other hand, centrifugal and turbo systems typically "come on" in higher RPM ranges where that oil pump is already weak. I think you need to pressurize the entire engine with a "gear" oil pump.

 

Was just going to say that. My Paxton-McCulloch has it's own oil supply, a Type F fluid.

 

If the oil pump on the 6cyl is like the 8 cyl engine then it is likely gear driven off the cam, at least that’s how my 1937 Hudson 8 cylinder engine is done. I’d prefer boost off of idle or lower in the rpm band vs higher rpm for street ability.

Here are a couple photos of the intake & exhaust. The exhaust manifold & intake manifold are separate however they do bolt together at one point to provide hot exhaust air to warm the intake.







One can see the two bolts which hold the two manifolds together. Hopefully this makes sense.



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If it was me, I would be looking for an Eaton blower off of a later model Ford or something. They are well made and in junkyards all over. I just sold one, removed from a low mileage car to install a bigger blower. for $100. They will work as a suck through and don't need a lot of power to turn them. Bigger blowers can be hard on the front main bearing. If you need to you could pull bypass oil from the filter housing and I have a couple of small pumps ypu could drive with the blower belt for an oil supply. I doubt it needs much.

 

The issue (to me anyway) is not how the oil pump is driven, its how the oil itself is physically pressurized and actually pumped by the "pump": by a "modern" gear pump or gear-rotor pump (ie meshing gear teeth continually displace oil) or by the oscillating plunger pump that intermittently pumps oil.

 

Engine sounds healthy! Love the wheezing sound too.

 

Husker Nation:
I spoke too quick about adding the 4-71 to your engine because I NOW see too many difficulties with the exhaust ports being ABOVE the intake. Also problematic is any in-line 6 would require (what I
consider) too LONG of a blower drive extension. In the pictures submitted of the 5850CC Hudson
engine,..... notice how long the blower drive snout is...and on a 4-71 or 6-71 there are offered
numerous "used" inexpensive drive snouts at a low price in numerous-various lengths...but none probably long enough for inline application. Putting a 4-71 on my flathead was CHEAP and easy.
Putting one on your engine would be neither.
The Rich Fox post about maybe going with a used Eaton (or similar) is probably your best option.

 

I have a 30 tudor with a lion head and McCulloch, VS57on it so far so good. somebody tells me how to post pic's in this thread I will post them. the 5 speed did more for the car than the charger but it gets a lot of looks and it all fits under the hood

 

Thanks guys! My plans of getting her going has taken a few steps backwards. I just couldn’t get her running right and my buddy thought I may have a leak of compression from one cylinder to the other based on how she ran when shorting out the plugs, one at a time.

Sure enough there was leakage, actually between every cylinder! Since compression was low across the board we’ll do new rings, hone cylinders, a valve job & mill the head & hopefully some porting while she’s opened up. Beyond that I don’t know but would like to keep from going to the machine shop with the block. I’d like to do more to her but not sure there’s much more I can do to up performance. I’d thought about a cam regrind but not sure anyone would even have specs for this odd ball engine. I haven’t found anyone doing larger valves either.

Here’s the pictures;







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While you have it apart check the crankshaft and measure each journal in 3 places to make sure it is perfectly round. Polish with crocus cloth, measure or Plasigage the bearings and adjust as necessary. You may even want to blue the bearings and give them a light scrape.