New.....ish... to the HAMB and I Have a Question Already

Hey all,
I am sort of new to the HAMB. I was on here a number of years back and then fell
out of touch and no longer have any of my log in info for the old profile.

Aaaaanyhoo, to the main reason I'm posting:

If all goes well, I will be acquiring a 54 Pontiac with its straight 8 and all in good running order. I understand that limitations of the flathead and I am most certainly not looking to try and make some sort of supercharged powerhouse beast of an engine out of it. What I AM looking to try and do is give it a bit more oomph and perhaps, if I can get things dialed in, have it deliver the power that it can more efficiently.

I am looking at doing a multi carb set up on her, and I am aware that I will have to fabricate a manifold set up for that, my question is what size carburetors would be best to go with if I were to do a four carb set up. If I could do an eight carb set up I would, as being able to individually dial in each cylinder would be awesome, but port design limits that I believe.

Any feedback or info would be appreciated. I AM actively doing research in conjunction with this post but it never hurts to try and attack something from multiple angles.

Thanks!
~JP

 

Hi & welcome back. Those Pontiac straight 8's are strong engines. Check with Larry at https://www.cliffordperformance.net/
They make lots of performance items for the old inline engines and I know that they have some items for the Pontiacs. My avatar on this post shows their intake and exhaust manifolds on my 235 Chevy inline 6 engine. All their intakes whether single or dual have the 4 barrell bases and also come with their adaptor bases for 2 two barrell carbs. They feature the 2 barrell Weber carbs in various sizes and that is what is shown on my engine. Likely 2 4 bbl carbs would be a bit much for normal street driving so the 2 2 bbl Weber setup is great.
They also offer various grind camshafts and I also have that in my 235. I have had no problems with their setup and it has been in engine since 2015 and mostly used as a daily driver. It is down right now but because the car got tailgated and bent frame & stuff. I definitely recommend their items. Their phone # & email is on their store website and Larry will discuss stuff for your engine.
Their stuff is not cheap but it is high quality.
Good luck, Jimmie

 

Cool project. Welcome from Canada.