did they do this back in the day? or did guys make sure that they ran the same brand intakes as they did Aluminum heads on their motors? I just purchased this intake (minus the carbs from) Hamber WARBOZZ and wondering if i should hold out and find a pair of vintage Edmunds aluminum heads to go with it or buy a different brand? Any one have a leads on a good clean set/pair of Edmunds heads for sale for a '49-'53 late model flattie? I'm just learning about flatheads and don't want to run something that doesn't look appealing or is a no-no in the hotroddon etiquette or rule of thumb or are there no traditional rules when it comes to applying speed equipment to your motors to dress them up a bit. school me please and thanks in advance!
Yeah, it doesn't matter dude. It looks better when you match, but run whatever you can get your hands on.
I had never really thought about it until recently, but esthetically I think it makes good sense. I have Fenton heads with a different brand manifold and honestly - as goofy as it might seem to some - it has started to bother me. Funny parallel - I have a good friend who refused to run, let's say, Santa Cruz wheels with a Powell deck. Wouldn't consider mixing brands and I thought he was a kook for it back then... but now not so much.
Mine are mismatched. Offenhauser heads with No-Name intake. It looks alright to me. My intake looks as if it was a copy of the edmunds. Runs good and looks good to me. Run what you have.
What if you picked up a good set of NOS Ford or Mercury heads and milled them for a bit more compression? Somebody, I think it was 286Merc, said a while ago that the late heads ('49-'53) actually breathe better than some of the aftermarket heads. The smooth casting would look good with the rounded lines on the Edmunds intake, especially if you further smoothed the stock heads and ran chrome acorns. -Dave
"Back in the day" guys ran what was available and what worked best.It was very common to run different manifolds and heads. Someone might have a good deal on a pair of heads, but no manifold. Money almost always mattered, and there was no peer pressure to have a complete "set". The idea was to go as fast as you could afford. A lot of times engines were built on the as money became available plan, you had to save up for the next step.
If you were to look at old SCTA programs from the late '40's at the lakes, the flathead guys often mixed and matched intakes and heads.....they generally picked whichever brand they felt gave them the fastest performance.......they didn't give a damn if they matched.... Truth... Brucie
I prefer the look of mismatched stuff. Guys probably bought an intake first, as it was the easiest to change, then once they saved up enough $$ for heads, installed 'em. But depending on the intake purchased, heads may not have been avail.....there were alot more intake manufacturers than heads.........
Brucie is right. Take a look at the old programs. Guys ran what worked, what they had money for, or replaced what broke or was snake oil. Don't get too caught up with the details for you'll spend a life time and small fortune getting everything "right". Drive it & have fun.
And don't forget...there were plenty of speed secrets, theories, and ideas around, then as now. Lots of different combustion chambers, lots of different runner configurations, and you can bet people were thinking and experimenting to figgerout what would produce the best results. Sponsorships and friendships skewed choices, and deception was not unheard of... one of the flathead racers in NJ used to run two completely different cylinder heads...his actual choice was neither. He had welded and reworked both sets of chambers to his own satisfaction.
That's funny, I'd ride Wings wheels but wouldn't touch Gullwing trucks... but then again I've always been a little mismatched. My stick now nothing matches...
Thanks for all the advise guys! I Know back in the day it was all about experimenting with different speed parts to make your ride go faster and money was an option, but now that they've done all the research and money and availability of product is just at our finger tips ...what do you guy feel works best with this Edmunds brand of intake? I'm also gonna be adding new strombergs when i get around to purchasing some in the near future. there's so many brands available out there, i'm not so much building a race car, but something that looks appealing but performs well on the street.
this actually sound like a nice idea I do have Mercury 8CM heads on it right now. may consider this option, if i don't find some other heads to replace them. thanks Dave!
The late heads that flow the best w/ best compression ratio are the EAB heads. The Merc 8CM heads are actually lower compression to compensate for the Merc's stroke... I think Ol' Ron recommends .050" piston-to-head clearance, so that's what you're shooting for when milling heads - I've heard that .060" is a good starting point to mill off the heads, but haven't done it myself, so measure twice - cut once! I think Nads said it best...don't matter - mix-n-match!
If you want to sell the intake please let me know.. or I could trade you for this unmarked super dual. I have been wanting an edmunds so I can run the gen in the stock location..
Do the drapes match the carpet? Probably not . Are you gonna hit it anyway? Yep. It's about performance. If it runs well, it shouldn't really matter.
I am from THE DAY and I don't think I ever knew any rodders who had enough dough for a matched set. We ran whatever we could get ahold of. If you don't have to have aluminum the EABs are the best way to go. Don't mill them with a high lift cam without first claying for clearance. Sometimes the hotrod heads look good but are a pain in the ass. I'm running the Edmunds regular now with milled and cc'd stock heads.
I agree, 100%, with Straightpipes' formula. I just posted about being disappointed with those Edmunds heads I just installed tonight...no noticeable difference over the EAB's I just removed. I think the compression ratios are similar. Steve, I may let you take these off my hands! Are you looking for stuff for the '35 or a future project? By the way, did you pick the music on your voicemail? Have you heard it lately?
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