I cant see what type of supercharger you guys used. The pic of it in the engine bay makes it look NA. Any hints or tips?
While I wait for the timing gears for my Dodge Bros. I thought I would do a mock up of the '28 Chevy I bought. Maybe back in '48 they ran cranks that looked like that. But now we have more respect for babbitt. I think I will have to have it welded and ground. Anybody know where I can get specs for a Chevy 4? Also I would like to get a stock distributer and oil pump of anyone is selling parts. Also on my wish list is an aluminum or iron cam gear that I can get in less than a year. Thank you.
Rich, I have a spare crank and oil pump (my extra distributors are pretty rough). Shoot me a pm with your phone # and I'll try to give you a call over the weekend (our fall cub scout camping trip usually has some downtime). Talk to you soon, Bill
I should have just measured the journals before I put the pan on. They are bound to be some standard fractional size standard. So if it was 1.480 I could surmise standard is 1 1/2. Now I think of that. I can't help noticing the front and rear main caps are not in the pan. #With pressure oiling this seems like it's going to be a really slick system. Or at least the pavement under it. What's up with that?
I'm embarassed to say I've read this three times and I'm not wholly certain what you're saying. That the crank is in too bad a condition to run because it will chew up the bearings? Glad to see a little action here, I've been thinking a little bit about '20s stuff lately but didn't have anything to post on. -Dave
Rich-- The stock oil pump is a vane affair--once you see whats inside, you wont want one, but a 60's 235 six pump is an easy mod. 1928 had--as you know--a steel crank and a fiber cam gear. 1927 had a fiber crank and an iron cam gear, I'm running a '28 crank and '27 cam set in my motor. Chevy crank has a lot softer surface than a Ford. If you get yours welded, get them to use the rod they use to build up diesel truck cranks--thats what I did, and I run (homemade) aluminum bearings on mine--no babbitt, no gaskets anywhere in the engine. Herb
Pretty much. The crank is very rough and I wouldn't run any bearing surface against it. Plus I would like the whole thing to live for a while. Guess I'm going to have to get a 235 oil pump and a '27 cam gear. Will the '27 gear work on the '28 cam or do I need the cam to? RF
Rich- I think that the cams are identical where the gear goes on- I will check later this evening--I am using a re-profiled cam done on a '27 blank. '28 tappets are larger diameter than the earlier ones, but if you want any timing or dwell improvements you will have to go with mushroom tappets. Later, Herb
The cam in this one has been reground down to a base circle about 3/4 of stock. Still pretty puny when you have been working with a Dodge Bros. I just called a guy in San Jose who advertised a 28 Chevy engine and lots of other parts last May. He said he thought he still had the engine and it was "Rebuilt but not assembled" I offered him $100 and he went to look to see if it was still where he left it. This may work out well.
Rich-The cams are different, in that the '26-'27 cams have a smaller base circle, and also smaller front and middle bearing diameters, but where the gear presses on they are both the same (7/8" dia) Cams earlier than 26 do not have the distributer/oil pump gear cut into the center. Crankshaft gears are the same '26-'28. The only'26-'27 cast iron cam gear that I have on the shelf is really sad shape. Herb
I have been waiting for the Dodge Bros. gears since just after New Years. Maybe if I order a cam gear for the Chevy now it will come by the time I need it.
It's been a while since our trip to the honey hole, but I finally got to tear into one of the engines I got. Wasn't hoping for much, since water poured out of the oil fill tube at one point, HOWEVER- It had plenty of oil/gunk protecting the inside of the engine, so NO rust and it turned over easily with the head off! It's got aluminum pistons that I think are stock bore- hopefully they're the higher compression slugs. Don't have the serial #, but it's build date is May 21, 1928 and is a "bowtie 14"... Will try to find out just what I have!
Admittedly most of my banger experience has been with Plymouth and Dodge Bros engines. But I did just put a lot of the Chevy parts together to mock up what I have and what I need. I can't help but notice that the front and rear main caps are not inside the pan. With a full pressure engine, which this one is, and with a pretty large pump, it seems it would pump a lot of oil on the ground. Comments? Information?
Rich, If I remember correctly, the pressure is pretty low for the stock pump (more of a drip), but below is some of BHT8BALL's handiwork that may or may not address the problem when using a higher pressure pump. Also, I was looking at 4 cyl distributors last night on Espay- there was a Mallory dual point for Toyota that looked like a virtual drop in. I'll get the info and post it tonight!
Hi Rich, I've been gone from this thread for a long time working on my head project. If you are interested in making caps & installing a "B" crank I can send you all my pics & any drawings I have. I made a cnc front cover to mount the oilpump off the end of the cam and then had it sand blasted to look like a casting also. Pat
Hmmm, Pat, would you mind sending an extra set, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE??? It would be MUCH appreciated- Stevie G and I were talking about the same thing last night as I was tearing down the engine!!! We're in the process of thinking through the engine- roller rocker arms, camshaft blank, etc. Also, did you use a Hudson water pump on the Spurgin Giovanine engine?
I'll make copies of what I have and send it to your address of choice. Unless you're going to run the engine above 6,000 I wouldn't go to the effort of roller rockers, their benefit is when you have large valve spring pressures, like over #145 on the seat. I made non roller 1.72 ratio rocker arms but really 1.6 or 1.5 would be fine. The cam diameter is so small it's limited on lift, but if you had about .3 cam lift that would give you .45 valve lift @ 1.5 which is as good as was available for a typical hot V8 in the earlyl 60's. I reamed the tappet bores & installed Dodge lifters, we could only find the short ones but the tall ones would be better, had to reduce to dia. of the base of the lifter to clear the block. Also we used the stock Chev4 waterpump. Pat
I put a narrow cross section conventional seal in an aluminum ring, fastened to the sheet metal timing gear cover. In the rear, I bored the block and cap, and put in a hydraulic cylinder seal (all rubber) cut on a bias with the angle positioned to "screw" the oil back into the pan. Did this also on a Ford B that I pressurized--both run 50 PSI. Herb
I would very much like the drawings. 1300 Norton st. San Mateo, Ca. 94401 If there is any cost involved let me know. Thank you. PS All my Packard engines left today. No more Packard powered Vega.
Hi Pat, I haven't posted much lately as a lot has been happening in my life and things are actually comming together. We've finally sold our house in Denver and our move to Kansas is almost complete. Now, i can finally get to the things i've wanted to do for so many years. I also would like any/all pics and drawings for making the main caps and that front cover. I hope to get into metal casting semi soon and think that whis would be a great project. And just let me know of any costs and i will get it taken care of. Please contact me via a PM on the HAMB. Thanks, Mike
I was at my local old parts place today and I found this staring me in the face. I just had to bring it home to be reunited with its mother. How neat is this. My Christmas present to myself. By the way a very Merry Christmas to all. Norm Henderson
I hate you guys in the PNW. All of this cool stuff was made in Michigan, but do we have anything left from the twenties? Noooooo.... Great score, Norson. -Dave
Ugh, almost 2 months of dead space on the thread!!! Well, looks like Norm has a new toy to play with, and I'm waiting on word for my early Christmas present (fairly complete '25/'26 engine)- will have pics in the next two days! Anyone else have any good news on their Termite Bangers?
Ive been thinking a lot about mine. Does that count? A friend and I want to try some backyard casting over the winter (he works in a foundry, so hes got loads of professional advisors). Im thinking of producing a dual-downdraft intake for early Stovebolt one barrels, and a rocker cover. That might prove too ambitious, but half the fun is in trying. I also had one of those slap-the-forehead moments this morning while puzzling over something that had me stumped: motor mounts. Ive said before that my engine is going in a 26 Ford frame, and Id been thinking that custom fabricating motor mounts would be necessary. But then I realized that I can probably just trim down and install the front crossmember from a 28 Chevy frame. Now... to find one! -Dave
The Jalopy Journal
