History ***RARE Flathead Intakes, Lets see them!***

Sharp 2x2

 

Sorry forgot to post this for you

 

Right click save!! thanks!!!

 

Interesting how the carbs mount backwards on that manifold. Is it for a boat?

 

From the far side of the world...to MY garage...MORE power !!!

 

There was a welding company in Los Angeles that operated before the War under the name Arco Welding.
They welded up iron and aluminum cylinder heads to increase compression.
Arco never made an intake but I needed a 2X2 low rise for a '36, 21 stud V8 and I figured what would an early Pre-War hot rodder do on a budget.

So for fun I decided to play pre-war hot rodder and make the first "Arco" weld up Pre-War style manifold by cutting up a stock cast iron late 30's V8 manifold and converting it into a
2X2 low rise that would allow me to utilize the stock generator mount.

Nothing fancy, a hack saw to lope off the major parts of the heat riser and to cut the plate, some files to plane it square to the deck flange, a welder turned up pretty high to put it all together and a drill press and tap to pop the 10 holes in the 1/4-inch plate. Total cost 4 hours and $8.

 

Interesting. Can you tell us how it performed?

 

Hexagon made manifolds for the Miller race cars, Front Wheel drive. so the engines were mounted backwards. After looking @ the patent the reason they mount backwards is to allow the generator to clear yet allow equal length intake runners (intake headers) all the intake runners are the same mold just flipped around. Kinda a neat manifold.



Also by doing this it allowed for use of multiple firing order combinations without any real ill effects.

Hexagon Patent

 

SO rad!!! Guys like you are my favorite people to follow on this site. Looks like a really nice job on repurposing that intake. I've been wanting to fool around with some early ford Aluminum intakes lately. Been talking to a few friends about the possibilities and this is just further displays what can be done wit this old stuff. Let us know how it works!!!!

Oh and thanks for the ARCO lesson. That's my tidbit of knowledge for the day! What was their process to increase compression on the heads?

 

That's my site, I stole a bunch of pictures off a HUGE Ebay auction a few years ago, and stuck them on my site just cuz. The starting bid was $50,000. Wild stuff.

Click on the For Sale and buy some stickers while you are there... I need paint for my Ford

 

Careful with the Heliarc on those original castings their crap. I find it better to gas weld but then you need to re-heat treat and that could also lead to a pile of molten aluminum.

I'm guessing about the same as most of the low rise 180 dual planes. Since this is the manifold most of them copied. But sure I'll shot a little video when the thing is running.

Arco welded up the transfer ramp in the combustion chamber. Basically the "bathtub" looking section in the chamber between the valve reliefs and the combustion chambers.

Thanks for the nice comment too

 

Nope, that's not the reason. I'll give the short story here because when I get enough time I will post a thread regarding Pre-War manifolds.
I digress, the 1935 Miller Ford FWD V8s used a Bosch generator driven off a jackshaft. Don Sullivan the Ford Engineer assigned to the Miller project turned the carbs around so the jets would not starve for fuel. It is assumed there was only one of those manifolds ever cast and it was put on Ted Horns car.
I have seen three versions of the Hexagon Tool & Die manifold. The later two are similar but the Ted Horn is definitley unique.

Also in a hard running flathead this manifold is junk! It starves for fuel and goes lean almost immediately after the hit of the throttle under acceleration. It you don't drive it hard though it works fine and is pretty smooth throughout the powerband.

 

That's why the float bowls are mounted towards the front, to keep fuel on the jets during acceleration.

 

Here is the photo taken from the Sullivan Patent. The patent makes no mention as the reason for turning the carbs around. From studying the photo in order to accomplish equal length runners(The patent claim), 2 carbs, and run a generator the carburetors have to be mounted backwards. I think that your quote may be true in application

But disagree as to why they were really cast that way.

Anyone know if Sullivan has any more patents related to flat head intake design? If he does maybe it is explained in another patent.

 

Right. But only when this manifold is installed in an application where the flywheel is facing forward ie. the Miller Front Wheel Drive (FWD)

Actually my experience with this manifold is that it depends an aweful lot on fuel level and the ability for the fuel pump to maintain pressure but they do go way lean under acceleration and the condition multiplies when the driver initiates hard turns.

 

Heres an intake I have, can anyone ID it?

Joe

 

Just picked up an early Evans 4x2
Sorry no pics yet

 

Sullivan also did the Bohn-a-Lite manifold for the '34 Chet Miller car and it made use of dual 48 Strombergs with the floats mounted in line, supposedly to compensate for fuel pressure issues against the needle and seat.

I always had a feeling Sullivan didn't one off this manifold just for Ted Horn but instead already had it cast or it was really close and they decided to "throw it on" because it was available.
One should note that this was Sullivan's 3rd time to Indy with a Ford V8 and each year his manifolds were different. I think he probably saw an opportunity to experiment with Horn.

It is interesting that the patent was filed a year after the 500 though.

Also the patent print looks to have a different runner height then the Horn. Perhaps changes were made to the mold and the patented designed was the next evolution.

Keep digging I'd like to kick it around some more.

 

The E&S belongs to my dad.

 

I bought this Allard intake at Decatur,Tx swapmeet this weekend. Vendor said he found at estate sale of old racer in Lawton, OK. Scored block letter edelbrock early heads also. Any info on the Allard???

 

Bill, talked with him for about an hour or so at this past gathering. It's all home made, the guy is a freakin genius man! If I remember correct he has owned the car for 60 years. There are tons of parts he built on it, and another phaeton he owns that he hand built the body. I forget his name but when you see this car again make sure you ask him to tell you about it, it's got an amazing history and the dude is made cool.

 

british sports car, if you do a search here you will find a bit, but also try google. there is a bit of ALLARD stuff floating around here in Australia.

 

Anychance of a bigger pic? My email is lowmater@live.com.au
cheers

 

Not realy rare (well maybe the blower) but my collection. Gary

 

Some more of mine. Prewar Thickstun and Tornado

 

Photos.

 

And Burns , Evans, Tattersfield.

 

Anybody else seen one of these?

 

Great you have more of them Ronnie. The Four carbs Evans Intake looks very very Nice Fun to see all this intakes.