Technical Gutted Blower

Can a blower with the insides removed really run on a motor? I have a 9" Camden blower and I would love to put it on my Flathead. I don't have the money to build a blower motor right now and I was wondering if this is possible.
Thanks Joe

 

Yes, a friend of mine did this back in the seventies on a 65 Mustang show car.. Put the carb inside the blower housing and ran an old defunct injector body on top of the blower. Drove it on the street several times

 

But for why!?!? Just save your money and scrounge parts until you can build one.

 

Yes.As posted above it was done in the 70's and probably before that.

 

I think he means an empty blower with carbs on top?

'Run' means the engine will, but poorly.

In any case rolleyes, it's at the pointy end of lame. Either you have a blower or you don't.

 

A gutted blower is good for a mailbox

 

I've never owned a blower engine, but having bought a huge '70 Torino parts stash from a guy doing a Mad Max clone .... two things > yep, runs like **** and realistically the blower itself isn't the most expensive item on a blower engine. Drives, idlers, intakes, distributor choices to clear blower = $$$$$ ! To get everything but the rotors trued/clearanced would be a financial travesty. If you're gonna' run it, run it all the way !

I bought several pallets of GMC blower cores from the same guy as above, and sent them to Gary Dyers Blowers in Chicago's suburbs. I can't say enough about his genuine nature and honesty. I'd start saving parts needed or just sell the blower on to the next person in it's life. Good luck with whatever you do.

 

1976 to be exact.

Unless you make all of it yourself.



Lame, maybe, but it's his dream.

 

It's kinda like hitting the club scene with an Italian Sausage in your pocket.

 

It's kinda like the guys that ran the blower type air scoops on a 2bbl 305 back in the day. It may look like you have something until you get called out, then you just get laughed at.

Sent from my SM-G920V using H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Along the same lines as radials that look like bias, rocket valve covers on SBC's, distributors that look like a mag, disc brakes that appear to be drum, alternators that look like a generator, three carbs with only the center one functional, exhaust cut outs that aren't functional,.......

To answer the OP's question, yes, but how well?

 

Like Fauxmobile valve covers on a small block. If it isn't the real deal it's just posing. Stuff that thing full of rotors and lively up that flatty!

 

I've looked at doing this. I've got a couple complete tall deck 427 BBCs, several 6-71 blowers in good condition, and a fully equipped CNC and manual machine and fab shop which should give me about as low a total overall cost as anyone looking to DIY everything for a blower installation.

Once I considered all the time involved for design work, cad work, programming, machine setup and run time, material costs, and purchased items that can't be made practically in a shop, I came to the conclusion I'd be lucky to net $4/hr for a one off job. And this would be ***uming everything turned out right the first time with no necessity of backing up, redesigning, and remaking any of the parts. IOW, a person would be ahead to get a part time job in a convenience store and use the money to just buy the stuff from one of the manufacturers whose stuff is known to work.

 

I've seen this set up locally. This one had a relatively stock 350 with a lumpy cam and a carb hidden inside the hollow blower case. He had a non functional Enderle Bugcatcher on top. The bugcatcher linkage worked with the carb linkage and he had routed the fuel line through a dummy barrel valve to give the illusion the injection was functional. Because the blower belt and bearings were in place there was motion and enough blower whine.to further the image.

This guy drove this car for years. I found out about the dummy blower when I saw the car sitting in his shop with the blower off and a carb sitting in the middle of the blower manifold. He loved it. It was reliable and got decent mileage but more important (to him) it had the correct look and image and it got the attention he was looking for - for a fraction of the cost. It was never intended to be a race car so why spend thousands on a race car engine ?.

No different than those hideous fake bugcatchers or stack injection covering a carburetor. Even no different than an aggressive race car stance with a stock motor. No different than a sports fan wearing their favorite team's jersey or favorite player's shoe line.

 

A roots style blower can be used and not spinning, the fuel will pull past it. that is how the mad max car worked. They actually usedtomake a "mad max" setuop for the 4 cylinder Ford truck motors that the off roaders were using. They could run normally aspirated and huffed when they needed it.

it is lame by the way, just run without it until you can afford to run it or run it way under driven and keep your boost low and when you can afford it go balls to the walls with it. One PSI of boost is still more than none.

 

The article doesn't go into much detail but in the Nov. 78' issue of STREET RODDER a guy named **** Gerwer built a a 331 with a dummy blower for his '40 Chevy. The article is on p. 47 and is ***led Fine 40. And if your just looking to do the local car show scene why not.

 

Yep, on a purely logical and financial level; it would make no sense at all.
I was an industrial machinist myself (30 years). This project actually started at the end of my second year in Machine Technology school at age 21(I already had two years of Automotive Technology training prior) and finished after I started working in the trade. Of all the projects I've been involved in over the years (mine and others), this was one of the more enjoyable ones, basically a "let's see if I can do this" exercise.

Curious if you recall any other details Sa**on. I sold the entire setup I built to a Portland polisher and never heard what he did with it.
If you look closely at my photo you will see it had a real Enderle injector hat on top of the Holley carbs (no internals). I bought the Enderle hat as a raw casting from a local boat racer, for whatever reason it had never heen machined for mounting as well as the ****erfly openings and shafts. This was all mounted on the lower half of an Edelbrock Smoky Ram intake which closely resembled a blower intake.
I have seen a handful of these done over the years and to me; what makes these kind of projects "lame" is usually the lack of cohesive planning and a hodge podge of components.

 

Hey, Joe;
You might reconsider just using the blower. The flattie, (actually, most any auto engine from the 40's on) if in decent shape, (even stock), should take 5-6 lbs boost, w/o complaint. just be careful w/the fueling & ign. Even if you run less, you'll be surprised what "only" a couple of lbs boost will do for the "fun-factor". & that's really all you'll need for the street. You can upgrade later, if needed, want to. The old McCulloch/paxton only got ~ 6psi (at the blower outlet), & ~ 3psi in the manifold. Was still very well worth it. I doubt the Camden will output stupid boost - if it does, just under-drive it. Marcus...

 

If everything turns And looks legit , I'm not seeing any$$ savings ? ... You can use a pulley setup that offers very low boost so a stock bottom end would live a happy life

 

I think I am sort of with several others here. To put a fake blower on it will be a bit lame. Especially when EVERY SINGLE car guy you meet that sees it is going to want to know more about it! It is like a car with lake pipes that are not actually hooked up or a hood scoop with no hole in the hood or a small block Chevy with Olds Rocket valve covers, the list goes on and on.

 

Can you?....... probably. Should you ......... no.

 

I've read the thread and I disagree with a few posts above.

I run a blower because it makes my car faster, that and it looks and sounds ridiculous doing it. A fake blower doesn't do either of those things so I will put that in the "poser" category. You can add non-functioning moon tanks and look-alike magnetos here. Jury is still out on hand pumps and non functional SW gauges (cool but does nothing other than look cool, like the OP's blower case).

Radials that look like bias tires are cool...and safer...and faster in most applications...not the same thing. Fake yes, but adding to performance and safety while retaining style is a good thing. I might add the disc brake covers to this category, fake but can you really argue that old drums are better and more reliable than 4 piston Wilwood calipers? Cloth wire covers? Fake but far superior to original wiring that has been decaying for 80 years. 12 volt bulbs in original headlight buckets?

You can go on and on about fake vs authentic but I think you have to ask yourself why its being done to determine the difference between poser and hot rodder.

 

I've seen it done with a carb on top and a duct fabricated to p*** thru the blower case, thus reducing the internal area and making it like a tall carb spacer. It seemed to work ok, he was driving it around at the Labor Day Cruise in O.C.
But IMHO, if the blower is ***embled and run-able, don't take it apart, just put it on and adjust the drive ratio to provide modest boost until you can afford to build a tougher short block.

 

I made the mistake of posting something other than an answer to the OP's question, I rarely do this for obvious reasons. The OP asked if it would work, not if we all think it's cool or if it makes him a poser as was mentioned.

If more members here gave answers instead their opinions, unless the OP asked for them there would be a lot less drama/locked threads.