Studebaker Joe, It is a second bell housing, but I do not know if it is an extra yet or not. I have three cars to use these and with Rich's Midget 28, there probably will be four. I was checking out the new 28 and noticed that the 7/8 to 14mm spark plug adapters were very short. Lots of thread left, just needed cleaned out. Popped the head off and cleaned out the threads with a 7/8-18 tap. Grabbed a long reach 14mm and an original plugs. With the taper on the inside of the adapter and the long plug, I count 8 exposed threads. I am thinking that back in 48 the boys could not get long reach plugs. I took some pics of the long reach plug screwed into the head w/adapter. First one all you can see is a slight glint of the ground electrode. The second, I have ruler setting on the end of the ground and at the center of the hole it is 1/2" down. I am going to do some playing to see if I can get it better. Does anyone have experience with 12mm plugs?(long reach) Do they last, have good heat ranges, and readily avalible? I remember Dad talking about Chevrolet tried 10mm plugs at one time back in either the 30's or 40's but had big problems.
My Inliner meeting is tomorrow. I'll try to get answers to the Olds head rocker stand question and the Y- block lifters.
Ive read the tread through a couple of times now but maybe missed it. Has anyone tried supercharging the 28 Chevy motor. I would have thought it an ideal motor to SC and easier than trying to up it's compression with rod and piston changes?
All I can say about supercharging these is to repeat a comment attributed to Bob Rufi saying that building power in one of these blocks is like trying to build power in a tissue box. I think you can break these things easy enough with what they will draw into themselves without pumping more in. Just my thought.
I went to the Inliner meeting today and here is what Mel said. He wound up making his lifters. A guy asked if he could make them and sell them and Mel said yes. He thinks that guy is no longer with us. The olds head I got from him is completely stock. The rocker stands would have to be machined flat. A plate would have to be made to mount the 2to1 rockers he made and move them to make the geometry right. Nothing is easy with these engines.
Oh-Oh another one succumbed to the c4 disease! You know that it lingers, and if you get to hear your own running, it's pretty much terminal! Great project! Keep us updated...And HAVE FUN!!!!!!
You know how it goes, you gather the bits to build a T GowJob and you keep gathering, swapping bits on and the pile in the corner grows and grows and then you hatch a plan to use the parts to build a little bobtail special then you read the John Gerber Autobiography and an idea starts to hatch then you find this thread on the HAMB and the next thing you are negotiating for two '28 Chevy motors and a 3 port Olds head ... and then you start reading the Gerber book again and..... you're pretty much gone!
So you are saying that it is spread through books? If we had never learned to read we would be normal? Or am I missing something?
yesterday i got both '28 blocks onto the bench for a looksee. one is more or less complete the other is stripped and has been bored out to take Ford Model A pistons and came with all of the major parts to build it up into a complete '28 motor. It is my intention to use the complete stock motor to build up a power plant with a '26 Model T flywheel and transmission, similar to what John Gerber did but keeping the Chevy oil pan and hogshead (top and bottom) separate. The power plant will then go into a shortened and modified Model T chassis and drive a 2 speed Ruckstell. The chassis design will be similar to the John Gerber Whippet Special but with both chassis rails splayed out to accommodate two bucket seats sitting down into the chassis either side of the torque tube. I reckon the wheel base will be around 86"- 90", I haven't moved the front axle position back from stock in the plan yet but it should go back between 10" and 12"
Interesting reverse 3 springer design, I can see why you've done away with the cross sprung rear to gain stability and make bouncing more effective on a climb when trialing, but are you going to use a swivelling front spring pad to gain resistance free articulation?
I had considered that but not sure if it would be allowed in VSCC events, I suppose I could have it fixed for the VSCC and pivoting for MCC type events
Here's mine, had my first a run around in it day before yesterday. Also posted this on my other thread but thought it would fit right in here as well.
That looks great -what are the carbs? -they do have a Zenith look about them. Bound for Pendine later this year?
Hi Stu, hope things are good with you and yours, yes they're Zeniths, off 1200cc single carb Austins, picked up a bunch free and made up a couple of usable ones. Reckoned two might be able to feed a slow revving 2800cc and they work good enough for now. Weighed the racer and it's 434 kg lighter than a stock '28, even with those stupidly heavy wheels on and a tired motor it still feels quite nippy, I'm a victim of style over performance right now! But hey ho it was a ridiculously cheap build Was all set for Pendine this year, but not sure now because of the way things are. May be in touch with you soon for help sorting out the motor, this was such a cheap build out of the spares pile that actual money might have to be spent now!
Seem to have been busy with loads of non four banger workshop stuff recently, but I have finally got tired of tripping over the Head I bought at Hershey a few years ago. Number 4 "combustion chamber" looked a bit grim once I'd cleaned it up with a wire brush. It was probably just as well that I needed to take some metal off to clean up number 4 as the centre area of the head didn't start to clean up till I'd taken off about 12 thou'. Presumably been run without coolant at some point in the past for the face to be that out of shape; glad that I'd pressure tested the head before making that discovery. Anyway, a couple more passes with my 'big' facemill and it looks OK. Next job is do the machining work to fit the Olds big block valves that I have, the guides will need shortening on the top of the head to allow sufficient lift with the Stovebolt valve caps I'm going to be using.
The Olds valves was what I figured out id use when I had my head. Not sure what the new owner is going to put in it. Nice work, keep it up.
Been doing a bit more work on the head over the weekend.... The valve guides are almost 2 1/2" long overall and poke way up into the inlet port; this will really impede gas flow on the port's short side radius (where there isn't actually a radius right now) so after failing to make any impression with a HSS spotfacing tool -obviously a chilled casting issue - I made this simple pilot tool with a bit of Tungsten carbide brazed on to it, making a negative rake cutting tool. This worked well and I took .2" off the top of the guide in the inlet ports. As the guides have tapered sides in the ports (probably for convenience of casting) they were now shorter but really wide, I made a second pilot tool to narrow the top of the guide and put a nice taper on it. This worked really well. Here, I've been using another home made pilot cutter to open out the valve throats. The Olds big block valves are only 1/32" larger than the 4 banger valves, but being made of a modern material, they can live with a much narrower valve seat than the originals. This cutter is set to take just under a tenth of an inch out of the valve throat -this still allows a generous seat width. One of the narrowed guides are visible in this photo as well as the first couple of recut valve throats. Please let me know if this level of detail is causing serious boredom to you guys and I'll stop....
The Jalopy Journal
