I bought a McCullough Super Charger yesterday. It is attached to a Flathead manifold. I did not get the crank shaft pulley or the belt tension er. It looks like a water line in and out and an oil line. I really have no idea how it works and what I need to install. All comments and help will be appreciated. I searched this site and the internet and did not find much technical information. There seems to be a lot of information about Studebaker super chargers but they are different.
Looks like I need to hook up an oil supply and some cooling water. I have seen picture of these but do not have a clue of what is needed.
These were made to improve the power on big trucks for hauling more weight and not really a racing application. The water connections are there to use the engine coolant to warm the blower for winter time operation in the northern climes like a heat riser on a regular manifold. I see where most of the hot rodders just plug the water outlets for summertime operation. Mine had an oil feed connection and the oil just returned through the intake manifold into the valley.
Hi Bob - Here is the 1936 model McCulloch supercharger on my wife's 1940 Ford convert. It puts out 2 to 3 psi boost on a good day. I did not connect the water to the blower because we never get very cold in southern California when we drive it. On the 1938 model pictured you can get Ford truck water pumps with dual pulleys and a Ford truck crank pulley. That get you going. Naturally if you can find McCulloch pulleys that would be better. Look at the Bill Smith Museum ( Speedway Motors ) website. He has a bunch of McCulloch setups on display. Don www.montgomeryhotrodbooks.com
My wife's McCulloch blown flathead powered 1940 Ford is the fastest flathead in my block! (It is the only one) In all honesty centrifugal superchargers only get their highest pressure at high RPMs, so the acceleration is not too impressive. You must realize that hot rodders tried McCullochs back in the 1940s and put them aside because the normal hot rod tricks gave better performance. HOWEVER, the superchargers are neat to look at and are a great conversation piece. Back then they were nicknamed "cream separators" because that is what they looked like. I recommend that it be installed. Mine has been on my wife's car for 20 years. Don www.montgomeryhotrodbooks.com
The Paxton-McCulloch Super Charger was available in 1957-59 from Ford's Racing Division. They used them in the Y Block V-8 312's and I even saw one from the factory in a Y block 332. The ones I saw and talked too were usually installed in two door 300 series sedans BUT I raced a farmer from Louisiana who came out one winter for fun racing that had a factory built blown 312 in a two door Green station wagon. If they were prepped right those cars would really get some great 1/4 mile Drag times. I still see a couple every year at the Y blockers" get together. Normbc9
The McCulloch supercharger in these pictures is the 1936 model, the only one with the bolts on the top around the alumunum casting. The 38 F 85 plate must be from a later blower. Your blower was made for the 1936 21 stud engine. It had a pulley on the back to run the generator which had a bracket to mount it back in the middle of the cylinder head. If you look at the photo of mine you will see that mine is also a 1936 model. Ford messed up McCulloch when the water hoses were moved back to the center of the heads in 1937. That fouled up the generator drive belt. McCulloch had to redesign the blower setup to put the generator up front where it usually is. Run it Don
I understand the 38f85 was painted red. The red paint on mine bubbled when I sprayed some carburetor cleaner on the manifold.
A buddy of mine had one on his 32 sedan. He said they were more for show then go in todays world. He said it was too valuable to drive around with and went back to 2-2s. The 57 Ford types were a whole different ball game and held up for drag racing but if you didnt have the secret Ford factory German ball bearings in them they wouldnt hold up for stock car racing so everyone ran the 2-4s, Cool factor on a flathead is off the chart but dont expect much power increase. He sold his for big money
58 Ford had a 332 FE motor related to the 352 390 line. It may have been a one or two year only motor, it didn't stay around long.
Here's one that was racing at Muncie Dragway last night. Been around since I was a kid and I' m 56 now.
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