As some of you know, I've been working on a big, bad-ass blown Flathead Cadillac V8 for the FlatCad Racing Team. I started down this path with Buddy Walker about a year ago -- it has been a long, but rewarding journey. Here is a picture of the engine mockup at the machine shop where I have all my work done "Fowler Engines" in Columbus, OH. Here are the specs on what you see: 1) 3.5 x 4.625 stroke flathead Cadillac - circa about 1942 or so (best as we can tell from the block). The only thing left in this engine that is original . . . is the block . Every other part has been re-engineered and designed for our Bonneville efforts. Most of the work has been done in 3D CAD - so we could 'virtually prototype' all the components . . . crank, rods, pistons, heads, girdles, timing cover plates, etc.. Here yah go: I hope to start the initial assembly process in the next two weeks - then get the engine on the dyno so we can get some horsepower numbers. Truth be told, none of us have any idea as to what HP we can get out of this beast. What I can tell you is that we're doing just about everything humanly possible to make some serious flathead HP . . . the dyno will make men or mice out of us shortly . . . B&S PS: For more information, search for 'FlatCad Racing' - we have a few posts.
Got it covered . . . how about dem pipes baby! Car looks kind of like a WWII P51 with the pipes sticking out of the side. Was a lot of work - but headers always are. Here is a picture in the car - mounted in final position, though without the modified hood sides:
Again Dale, outanding work Looks like the Flatcad's gona be as high as LeVeque Towers!? This is becomeing an addiction! Can't vait to hear this thing roar, and see the figures!? Br Kjell
awesome , so cool someone is using a flat cad mill with a monster blower , please post some video of the engine on the dyno , with sound
Front Snout Support: Here are some pictures of the front crankshaft snout support - will give you a good idea what the '4th main' is all about. The blower crank hub is extended past the blower pulley - and has a machined surface that a big roller bearing goes over. There is a big roller bearing that slides over the snout and is held in place by all the rest of the aluminum hardware, bolts, etc..
Oh Baby!! I have been waiting for this... Tell me more about the bottom end of this creature. How many main caps does the block have and what do they look like? Are you going to run a main girdle or anything? Also, did the crank start life as some kind of a crank, or is it a big hunk of steel waiting for a CNC machine? Nice work, -Abone.
Wow Dale it looks better in person than a cad drawing remarkable!!! can't wait to hear it make smoke!!!!!! great Ideas and using you head for something other than a hat rack is realllllllllyyyyyy gooooooooodddddddddddddd.....
I commissioned Crower to make the billet crank and rods, and it has 3 mains. Stock, it had 2.49" mains, and it now has 2.75" BBC mains, and 2.1" SBC journals(2.46" stock).It has a Ford FE rear flange for the fltwheel, and a BBC snout. There is an 1.25" crank girdle tying all the mains to the pan rail. Pops29 did the caps and girdle, and Boredand Stroked designed them. Awesome work, huh? I'll dig up the pics, but they are also posted in my build thread.
Engine is Back From the Machine Shop: Let the final work and assembly begin: Here are some cool pictures . . . additional 'Metal Jewelry' in my mind! I picked up the engine from Fowler's on Friday - went over all the details, now starts a lot of the final details prior to assembly. I designed a 3/4" "Intake Girdle" plate to tie the left/right cylinder banks together - as the engine has no material in the valley. From a design point of view, I was worried that we might split the block in the middle (like late-model 302 Fords under high horsepower). Today I fitted the intake girdle and started the work to port match the plate to the intake/exhaust ports. The plate was designed with some overhang in areas - such that I can use the 3/4" 'port extension' to help redirect the port flow. In my mind I try to radius/blend different flow directions to help "make the turn" when I need to change the flow direction (like the center exhausts). Anyway - here are some pictures . . . I'm about 1/2 the way done with the port matching work - probably another 8 hours or so (have about 108 hours in porting to date) When you invest this much time in a block, you REALLY want it to stay together . . . probably explains the girdle now doesn't it! Here yah go: (Go the the FlatCad Racing Bonneville build thread for more info). Thanks for looking . . . lots coming down the FlatCad pipe in the next few weeks! B&S
1) Final Port Work - Thank God this is Over! Just spent most of the weekend finishing up the intake plate to port matching and contouring the ports to blend into the plate. I've finished the intake ports with 80 grit and the exhausts with 240. I could go further with the exhausts, but it won't make a damn bit of difference. Nothing you haven't seen in one of my many photos, but here is one from the top . . . pretty big ports for a 'flathead' of any kind. Stay tuned in the next couple weeks - there will be a lot of posts related to the final engine assembly . . . this is going to be "One Bad Dog!".
The Jalopy Journal
