I mean "Old Timers" with the deepest respect ! I wasn't sure where to post this, didn't think it'd really belong in tech at least not till there is some really good info on the subject and then I guess it could be moved or the info copied over to tech. Anyway here's my issue: I want flames from my pipes but I wanna keep it like "back in the day" instead of some kit..I talked to someone years ago, and it seems like I remember them talking about setting up a pull choke to make their carb run lean and sparkplugs threaded into the pipes...but it's been WAY too many beers ago (if I had to guess I'd say enough to fill lake Michigan..LOL). So I guess, to cut to the chase, What was ya'lls home brewed method for this?? Thanks for the help, in advance.
Make yourself a "distributor" with a 12 volt motor. use a 5/8 nut attatched to the shaft,as a cam. Make a dual point plate to fit just under the nut. rig up points,condensers,and coils. Wire up a dpdt switch,in series with your ignition hotwire to the engine coil. weld anti fowlers 10" from the end of your pipes. Secondary side of the coils to plugs. rev enging, flip switch, cutting out engine ignition, and starting 'pipe" ignition,pump gas pedal, have flames. Mounting the motor in a "vintage" "Bugeler tobacco can. Have fun. "Sparky"
I remember hearing the old timers before me say they used to use a model T coil to fire a spark plug in the tail pipe but I never got a diagram.
the kits that you buy for 80$ work pretty much the same as the old model T coil way in the ol days.. 12-15 " flames.. not huge cans with twin plugs injected with gas shooting 30 foot flames.. very simple to hook up with the same result as old fashion flame throwers.. just my 02 worth even though im not an old timer
Same here. I'm an "old timer",but not model 'T" oldtimer! The model T coils were just "buzzboxes" Buy one from a restorer,then tell him what you want to use it for,if he's cool, he'll probibly tell ya how to flame with it. Sparky
We used a pair of T coils but any coil will work. And a couple of plugs screwed inmto bungs welded into the pipes (near the end). You run a hot wire to the positive side of the coil and a ground wire from the negative terminal to a toggle switch (break the ground with the switch). Then when you want it to fire you flip the switch. You have to work the switch on and off to give the coil a chance to saturate (like points). The hand choke is to load it up, when you pull the choke it runs fat. You load it then nail it and work that switch. A quick note: We also used to use Model T coils to charge the bodies of our cars. Run a battery wire to it and ground it to the sheetmetal. Put a switch somewhere so you can turn it off without getting zotted. Way better than a car alarm. T coils were cheap and plentiful when I was a kid (in the '60s). Actually I got a flame thrower kit in the wifes Chrysler that is comming out, I'm not a teener anymore.
I wasn't too far off in my memory then, cause that's along the lines of what I was thinking...are there any negatives from running this set (other than the obvious "playing with fire" bit) I mean to the vehicles engine etc.? Also if I did decide to go with a kit, who makes the best?
I hear a lot of guys say its hard on the lower end but no one has ever explained to me why. I guess if you run it fat enough long enough it could foul your oil. I don't like the idea of killing the ignition under power to make the flame throwers work, that is hard on stuff. But most guiys that are doing it aren't running hot mills so I guess on a low compression mill its not so bad. I probably might avoid doing it at the 7-11 or anyplace else that has gas pumps. I did scorch the paint on the side of a Soc Kids car when I was in highschool. My pipes dumped right in front of the rear tires. That could have been disasterous (sp?) but in the end all I had to do was paint his car.
The destruction of your lower end as well as the rest of the engine is quite simple to understand. When you're dumping raw fuel down your cylinders and removing the oil film whilst trying to attract attention to compensate for the small size of your weenie, rapid wear of your moving parts is sure to follow.
Nads I always wondered about that. Guess i never used mine enough to do any damage. Uh, the flamethrowers that is.
Nads is right on. If you wash enough raw fule past the rings then light the fire it's about the fastest way to remove the oil pan there is. I've seen the results and prefer the Nitro method. The Wizzard
If you change your oil "all the time" then doing it the old way is no big deal- I've had flamethrowers on the hex like that for years- after a nite of switch/n/flames I dump the oil before I drive it again. 7 years and counting. its probably in better shape than most flattys- you can destroy motors this way but what im saying... is that its like DRINKING booze, if you do it responsibly you wont DIE... but its not that good for you either. Its a trade off. RIGHT CLICK save target as- 4.11 megs- www.hollywoodtuck.com/images/hamb/hex.mov simple as this. 2 coils 2 wires with one to the bat, one to the dist. 1 switch in the bat wire. 2 plugs Tuck
Ya know, I never even relized the connection to my user name and question..kinda wierd... Thanks for the comment and info. I'm not some young punk kit wanting to enter the flame thower contest cause I saw it once and thought it was cool, I'm just trying to build a period correct car, and my old man ran 'em. I won't be firing up at every show, gathering, or cruise through the walmart parking lot. (although it would be funny to melt the spoiler off of a ricer following to close.. Thanks for the vid Tuck, that's exactly what I had in mind. Again, thanks to everyone who replied.
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