Specifically about when did supercharging street cars become popular. Aside from the few factory supercharged cars like the Stude, and such. I guess what I really would like to know is, when did the Jimmy blowers really start coming into play on the street? I have lots of old Hot Rod and a few PHR and Car Craft mags ranging from 55- up through 64. With a few late 60's thrown in. There are actually very few instances of street cars outfitted with blowers. Im sure at the time it was still considered quite a cost to most hot roddders to afford to put them on their hot rods. So Im just assuming now since my archives dont range into the 70's that perhaps this is the time period when alot of street blowers came into play or even maybe as far into the 80's.
I think a supercharger would look at home in your car, especially if it has the cast finish and not the shiny finish. That would be the bee's knees.
Really didn't see a functional 6/71 blower on a street car until 1978. There were a few 4/71s and a few fake blowers around in 76. But a real blown motor in a street car didn't really happen in Cleveland until 78 or so. How I recall is that I have a cousin that was building blowers for altereds, Funny's and tractors at that time (Hart Automotive). I had picked up a bunch of 6/71s and was able to make quite a few bucks selling the hardware. I was working as a bodyman at a Chevy dealership that was full of gearheads. Some of the mechanics were into hot Corvettes and wanted to build a blown small block for the street. We ended up using one of my 6/71s for a sweet little small block in a early 60s Corvette. It was one of the earliest blown street driven cars in the area that actually functioned, using a Gates belt and Holley carbs. Back then, a street driven blown motor had three v-belts to drive the blower. A Gates belt setup was not an off the shelf system.
I have a 1959 Hot Rod mag with a street driven '55 Ford pickup running an Olds with a 4-71 blower, so it was done. I recall an "A" with a blown Flattie on the streets of Vancouver in the mid to late '50's. It might have been an Ital Mecanica blower,though.
I think the first GMC 71 series started showing up on a few street cars around the mid 50's but by the early 60's for sure. I tried to research this for mine too.I went with a 471 set up. A 2" Gilmer belt would also be period correct as well as a multiple v belt set up.As far as I can tell Gilmer's were used as early as '54 maybe earlier.The hardest part to get for mine was the intake, it took several monthes to find a 471 intake for a SBC all the rest you can get from Dyers or many other blower guys if you go 671 its all readily available and cheaper than a 471 because of the intake. Mike
At about the same time I was playing around with my "Gasser Style" 48, a number of people were running 6-71's on the street in Portland, OR. This was mid to late 60's. Clint Edwards was the Chevrolet Parts counter guy a Fields/Ron Tonkin Chevy and had a really nice 55 Chevy with 6-71 on a "slightly" warmed over 327. The 55 had a stock hood and the only hint there was something going on unde the stock hood was a funny whinnnnng noise. The car had an automatic with huge (for the time) stall converter......and she was deadly fast!!!!! Barney Navarro was one of the first to use a 3-71/4-71 back in the late 40's............but I don't think it was driven on the street. At the time (60's) superchargers were used mainly on race cars because very few people new how to make them work without pushing rods/pistons through the block. And there was a funny thing called a "Pop-Off Valve" that not too many street guys knew anything about.... until the motor made a "Back Fire".............which was usually your last! Those were the days of 21 cent 100 octane fuel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for the replies folks, I guess I wasnt too far off on my assumption. Doing a little research on putting a blower on my 331 Chevy.
Do it but be warned. Once you get spoiled with a blower there's no going back. Personally I kinda think that's a good thing.
http://www.vs57.com/rodsandrails.htm This Model A has always peeked my interest, dont know how much actuall street use this car got though.
Oh Im sure of that. Doing some research on the BDS site. Seems to be that with my current static compression, running pump gas, 4 psi boost looks to be the max. Not so sure that is going to be worth the money and the trouble though.
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