Hey Fellas, After having the pre war cylinder head thread the other day i thought i'd ask and see what information is available as to pre '48 intakes, and even pre war intakes. Pics, info, documentation.. Post it all up!
I'll start this off with my favorite, the Edelbrock Slingshot. Vic designed and made this manifold in 1938. The company resurrected it a couple years ago. I have one at the polisher and 2 new 97's just sitting and waiting.
I have a tall Weiand made in 1939. I also have a tall Thickstun that was made before the PM-7 model, but don't know the date on it.
Are the pre '48 and even earlier pre war intakes the hardest to find? Or is there still quite a supply of them floating around for sale? How can you date an early intake, if they are not actually stamped with a date?
The Hexagons have the looks and run well too - My 41 is still running the same one it wore in the mid 40s with twin 97s - have a Hexagon air cleaner as well, but think my Edmunds Custom cleaners work a bit more efficient.
But...were Hexagons available in the early days?? They are supposed to be based on the old Indy car manifold, but I do not think they were sold til well after the war. They all seem to bear a pretty conspicuous '47" mold mark...
That allard sure is a nice one! I myself have decided on a Edelbrock Super Dual manifold, they are mid 40's from what my research has gathered, were one of the better setups of the time and they are well within my budget. I'd sure love one of the Eddie Meyer high rise intakes with the bolt on top section but man would they be pricey..
This may be the easiest one to find. As Bruce mentioned, the ones you see weren't made pre-war, but they do copy a pre-war design. I also have one w/ the matching air cleaner. From what I gather, Edsel was involved in this project and Hexagon Tool was based out of Dearborn, MI.
Flathead motors and their components are beautiful, rolling works of art. Talk about art deco? Fahget about it! I get all giggly when I look at flatties. LOL!!!
Right on Dearborn was the location of Hexagon engineering - my Grandpa came from Dearborn and bought the inlet manifold ( which is still on my 41 ) right from Hexagon in spring of 47. These inlet manifolds are based upon the Ford Indy car part - and recast after WWII in late 46
If you did not see the comparison HotRod mag did on dyno results of several flatmotor intakes,the Edelbrock slingshot OUTPERFORMED the cool looking Thickstun by 17 h.p. After seeing these results,I sold my Thickstun and Tattersfield and will not buy anymore unless to make money thru a re-sale.
What's the scoop from the group on Edelbrocks current Slingshot intake vs the period Slingshots ( as far as appearance and performance )
I can't say much for the slingshot, but from what i've read the Edelbrock super dual was also one of the top performing manifolds back in the day.. i can't remember if they tested it in that comparison or not though been a while since i've read it..
I'm running a Hexagon twin carb setup now on my 59A with prewar Edelbrock heads and H&C dizzy and it is a nice combination, though I had an uncle who swore up and down the Slingshot was the one that made the car get up and go. My 41 used the Hexagon since it was installed in 1947 ( my Grandpa bought it direct from Hexagon Tool ) So I am gathering as much data as I can to see if the Slingshot offers more seat of the pants go on my basically stock 59A - I suppose it's just a fun exercise on my part , but more oomph is always good!
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