I am 50 years old and I decided to embark on an adventure of building a 32 Roadster. I have been an aircraft mechanic for almost 30 years now so I know my way around tools. About 2 months into my project, I have realized that I have a lot to learn. I started with a plan and I am trying to stick to it. I am going with a all steel frame and body. So far I have MOC'd up the front end and I am just waiting on the last parts to put the rear end together. Next step for me is the engine. This is where I am really struggling to figure out what I need. The Parts I know I want are a 350 Small Block with a blower. I am not as pressed for Horse Power as I am for looks and sounds. I would like to put dual carbs on the blower as well. I keep looking at my options and then after about 20 minutes, I get lost. Most of the time I wind up seeing that my compression rate is too high(over 10.0 : 1) or I wind up going down the rabbit hole of trying to get too much power. Any advice to steer me in the right direction would be really appreciated.
nice start - have a motor to build or going with a crate motor? ever drive a blower motor powered car? decided on trans?
You can do a search and find enough to keep you reading all night. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/engine-advise-for-a-671-blower.1178182/. Nice chassis. Did you order it with the motor mounts moved back? Your going to need about 3" for the blower drive. Applies to the fire wall too. Here's your motor. https://www.speedmaster79.com/Chevy-SBC-350-GM-Crate-Motor-Kit-w-671-Blower-Shop-Supercharger
If you are dealing with your compression ratio 10-11:1 , you can run on good stock engine & parts 3-4 psi under full boost @ full throttle 5,000 -6,000 rpms for short periods of time on 91 plus pump gas , monitoring blower temp & detonation, There is fine line , it can be done / & do ... Cruising speed will be no issues with a fuel ratio 13: ish , You can also run a 1-3/4 to 2inch drive Belt width , a kevlar rubber belt ,
Looks like you are starting with a CSRM frame from the brothers. Nice. They are great to deal with and do great work. Only couple things I’d recommend based on my experience with their frames. First, add another cross brace where the 32 floor rear cross brace will be. Adds a little strength and gives you a great place the hang exhaust later. Only nit is that you’ll need to mod their brake line kit to run across the new location. Second, would be to build or beef up the trans cross member mount. The one you have (and I have) is a little light.
I really would love to build the engine myself. I have never built one before but I think it would be an awesome experience. I have never driven a car with a blower engine but I have ridden in a few. I want to go with a 5 speed manual transmission.
The motor mounts are not moved back. I would have to get them redone. Also, I have read that I would have to cut a small section out of the bottom of the firewall. Would I still have to move it back as well? I have viewed that motor you have listed before and I really liked it. It was out of stock so I kinda started looking for something similar with no avail.
That is exactly who I got it from. They have been extremely helpful. I like the idea for the added on cross brace since I am a little on the heavier side. Thanks for the advice on the trans mount. I will look into the options. Question for you, at what point did you get your frame powder coated? I want to do it to mine, just trying to figure out a good point to do it since I have a few things to add to the frame(like the headlight mounts)
Since the 32 frame is exposed, most people would want it painted to match the body. Something to consider.
Don't go with a short Pan Hard rod, affects the ride too much, I lengthened mine and I have coil overs and a 4 bar rear.
Small cut & removed @ bottom of Firewall under The distributor to clear peek of block & transmission. On passenger side firewall was cut and moved to the right 2-1/2 inches , I used the sheet metal valve cover because its bigger then stock & most cast aluminum
Build everything on your car before painting anything. Since you are using some unusual components, it’s likely you will have to move some stuff around. Maybe ok to prime stuff to keep it from rusting, but be ready to modify if needed. I think it’s wise to basically fab everything, including brake and fuel lines, wiring panels, maybe even upholstery panels, before doing paint. Anything that might need a hole drilled or have the opportunity to scrape up the items next to it.
always heard good things about this place. https://mooneyhamusa.com/blower-kits Note they have 471 and 671 kits. This won't affect the engine location, but if you are building to a early 60s style, the smaller blower looks the part. Hard to argue with a 671 though. Here's a thread to look at pictures. https://jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/gmc-blowers.730893/
I love it, I get to vicariously spend your money. Blowers make heat. Get the top of the line Johnson Radiator ( formerly Walker Radiator) and bolt it on the crossmember. Mockup an engine with the blower and drive of your choice. With the proper spacing between the rad and blower drive you can determine how much to move the motor mounts. Don't for get the fan. Bolt up the bellhousing and transmission so you can modify the trans mount. Call CSRM for their clutch pedal. After the modifications you can think about powdercoat. My advice ; Pro shops will do a complete build in bare metal. Body, gas tank, exhaust and everything. You never know when someting will popup that you want different like the mounts and pedals. You mentioned a steel body, shall we presume a Brookville? You can order their flat firewall, it might give you enough room. Highboy or full fendered? I think it was Jeff Kugel that liked his under the car frame black,so he powdercoated it and masked it off and painted the outside of the frame rails body color. Contrary to what some here will say, powdercoat is an excellent base for wet paint.
I will usually hit the powder/paint/chrome stage after I’ve fully built the car. Build it, blow it apart and then do the powder/paint/chrome. Then the fun of putting it back together and having fun with all the fitment issues caused by the extra layer of pretty. note: Make sure you have an idea of where you are going to run plumbing and wiring, and drill/tap necessary attachment points too. Doing this after you’ve started final****embly will add a bunch of grief. Good news is that if you keep us all updated on progress (with pics) and are open to advice, you’ll get a ton of coaching on this board. Sometimes it’s better to ask “what should I tackle next” as you go as well, so you minimize going two steps forward, one step back too much. Cheers.
I do plan on getting a Brookville body. I have already thought about getting the Flat Firewall from them. You just solidified my choice The Roadster will be a Highboy. Thanks for all the advice. I will post plenty of pictures and will be asking for a lot of advice from everyone.
I think the typical build sequence for a Deuce is mount the radiatorto the crossmember, mount the firewall to chassis, then determine firewall modifications needed to get the engine into the chassis. The stock '32 firewall is fairly flat.
If it was me, I wouldn’t attempt a build without almost all the major components. Saves a lot of re-do’s down the line. I also think it makes for a well thought out build.
Close fit & needs mocked up like others have said, with blower 3:71-6-:71 , Belt drive & fan If you plain to mount radiator in stock location , You can run a Electric fan on back side with a 3 inch drive, (2 inch will give more room) I used a 18 inch outer shroud E-F & had to off set to driver side of radiator with stock style 32 firewall with valve cover mold to passenger side of fire wall , If plain to run a fan off short water pump , attention to lower radiator hose outlet with a fan that will cool.. with a flat firewall you can move engine back another 2 inches , then you will have to make a pocket for distributor, or recess / move the flat firewall back another 2 inches , then even with flat firewall you will be eating up leg room if your 5-11 or taller even flat firewall Not recessed..
You might want to check out the thread by Baron called; ‘Another Deuce Rdstr project’. He just finished a blown sbc in a 32 roadster and did a great job documenting/sharing his build. Here’s one of his vids. T
Here’s a couple pix of mine for added inspiration. The chassis is a 50’s build down to the “Bell Auto Cragar Tubed Axle”, F-100 steering box, 58-62 SBC, although I opted for a 69 TH-350, 57 Chevy Rear End with Parallel Leafs and an original 32 Tank. The Body is both Original & Antique Automotive Sheet Metal -aka “Brookville Roadster”. This chassis was a H.A.M.B. Classified find in 08, wasn’t looking to build this as a 32, but the parts in the frame were from an early era, so is the workmanship. I had the engine since 1989, stabbed it in 1934 Roadster 1st, I didn’t realize what era it really was from as I removed it from a 65 Nova SS. Obviously not its original engine, but it did have light performance goodies in it so I checked the after I pulled it from my 34 which I placed a 327 SBC in. Low & behold it ends up in the same era as I’d later find out the chassis was from. There’s nothing over the top about this 32 other than it’s got lots of stories to tell. I’m glad that you’re achieving your goal of building your 32, mine was initially inspired by a certain flamed & 471 blown 32 that definitely made an impression on me.
This is exactly what I plan on doing. I am not in a hurry with this. I will be taking my time to make sure everything is right.
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