today, trying to finish my TROG car, maby next year. i was trying to put the p*** side head on, it's an early edlbrk block letter head on an 8BA eng w/ orig edlbrk slingshot intake. intake is already mounted w/fan,radiater grl shell +. the head hit the intake at the water neck, had to take the head off at least 10 times to keep grinding the head and intake untill it would fit, didn't want to grind through either parts. put the head on driver side and had 3/16 clearance????? a flathead friend said that cyl banks are offset a little, this is my 3rd 8ba w/early speed parts, never had this problem, the intake casting is heavier than other intakes, is that the problem, anyone else had this problem??? looks great once i got it on.
The picture on the right is drive side head mock up. Picture on the left is just a side view of the car
The heads on all V8s are offset so that the rods can clear each other. I am going to make an ***umption and it is just an ***umption here, perhaps the heads and the intake were slightly different eras as in a slight redesign between the two eras. And that will take you back to the top.
Early Cads and Lincolns weren't offset. They used fork and blade rods, like a Harley. Yeah, yeah......I know I'm being pedantic, again. It's my nature
**** pedantic that's good to know. Poor design by the way as you know the female rods have a tendency to crack on the big end. LOL
You are aware that I actually had to look pedantic up in my Merriam Webster's. I am ashamed to say that English has never ever been my strongest language, but I do know lots of bad words in Italian.
That big ol' slingshot intake may have been designed only to work with the later front-outlet heads. I know early center port heads will bolt up to the later blocks but when they were making this stuff they probably didn't necessarily compensate for every possible combination of parts. Either the offset of the heads or the intake ports being different on each side (or a combination of the two) accounted for the side-to-side difference. That's my guess anyway.
the intake was made befor ww2 so it should have fit, fits now, a little triming....my other flthd car has a 3/2 edelbrok int and cyclone heads also on an 8ba eng, was no problem. i did use a ofenhouser 3/2 intake w/front & rear carbs on it to cut my hood where the air cleaners stuck through, when i went to put all 3 #94 carbs on they wouldnt all fit. made for 3 #97's, so i switched to a edelbrok 3/2 int., they fit but were offset to the side about 3/16'' didn't fit hole in hood. just another hotrod building problem...
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