32 nash inline flat 6; -201 cubic inch -seven main bearings -counterweighted crank -aluminum rods with steel caps some of you are pretty crafty, looking for ideas, either small blower, or bump the compression to what number? I just did a 8" Ford rear swap, so I now can match the gear ratio to whatever works best. Not wanting higher top speed or higher RPM, I am looking for more power/torque for hilly secondary and back roads, at moderate RPMs Thoughts?
Yes you should. LOL I would do both bump the compression to 8:1 and huff it. If you do a roots style blower you can run it on an electric clutch like an AC pump and only boost when you need it. I would not go crazy with the boost or the blower either a 3/71 or 4/71 will boost you more then you really need.
Have you thought about a turbo? Flathead intake/ exhaust locations make fabrication easier, & "plumbing"(belts/pulleys, locating) for a Rootes blower could be 'problematic'.
Turbocharger. Easier to do plumbing than fabricate a blower drive. Not that I have any real experience with either one. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
My experience has been that it is easier to mount and plum a turbo when the exhaust is opposite of the intake. That may not be the case for everyone just easier for me. I like both just ever since they were marketing the road warrior kit for the Ford banger in the '80s I have thought that it was a neat idea.
I've seen some Eaton setups adapted to early motors and most guys rave about them. I've got a Buick 3.8 (231ci) supercharged, works good when you put your foot in it. It is sized for your motor and guys have adapted carbs in place of the throttle body. Cheap in the wrecking yards too.
Adding pressurized intake charge will certainly make up for the low compression. It will also put additional load on bottom end parts. Is your engine a pressurized oiling or splash? You may have troubles with bottom end with too much cylinder pressure. Either a turbo or supercharger would be pretty cool visually. I agree the Eaton blower would be a good fit, although they do not look old.
The Nash stuff is usually overbuilt as far as strength, so I'm not too worried about the bottom end which is pressurized too. I'd prefer to stay away from the turbo for a couple reasons, but the supercharger sounds like a fun project. I did search here for Graham Superchargers, and while staying old-time looking, I read that it is minimal boost and mostly comes in at high RPM, which won't help. but the later Graham driven on the driver side, shows a simple belt drive. I assume an eaton would sort of fit there. My engine looks identical to these: