giving a flat head straight eight pontiac some balls? anyone?

ive got a 1950 pontiac with an inline eight flat head adapted to a GM 700r4 ****** was wondering if anyone knows or has any info on beefing up this motor ,aka how much i can shave the head regrinding the cam for better lift and duration, or intakes and even headers besides making my own .
Any help appreciated
Thanks , Chris

 

Most any mods that work for a Flathead Ford will work on the straight 8, such as porting and relieving the block. Headers would help, but as you say make your own. Breathing seems to help a flathead more than compression does, so don't go crazy milling the head. By doing so, you reduce the volume of the transfer area(the space between the cylinder and valves in the head), as this negates any improvements you made by relieving the block to start with. Any improvements you do , do so with low end RPM in mind, crankshafts are known for flexing alot, so keep RPM's to a minimum! Dont expect a huge difference in power, but you can obtain noticable results by doing a few basic things.

 

My Dad said the old 'Honest Charlie' Catalogue used to have stuff for straight eights like superchargers, headers and multi-carb intakes. There is an eBay auction of a guy selling his '50 Poncho with a finned aluminum L-head plate and twin carb setup. it's at

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=290284700933#ht_500wt_963

It ends in a few hours, but he has his contact info on the listing so maybe you could drop him a line. Also found his link at

www.lucky*******scarclub.com/jakespontiac.htm

I had the 268 in mine for a few years. CNC- Dude is right, these motors have a long stroke and like low revs but make decent torque, so there isn't going to be gut wrenching differences no matter what you do, but it's cool your are keeping yours alive. I love the sound of these motors too with an open pipe. Good luck and keep me posted - I'd be interested in what you come up with. - Steve-o

 

Who sells headers for flat head straight eight for my 39 Pontiac