Tech. Question: Flatty Streetability and Power

Got to talking w/ a bunch of pro and anti flatty guys this weekend. Lots of questions now:

-What is attainable HP-wise from one of these little guys while staying some-what streetable & naturally aspirated?
-How much compression could one handle comfortably on 93 octane w/ a can of octane additive each filling and a good ignition set-up?
-Due to the motors being smaller, what would one look for in a converter if they were running a C4 behind said semi-streetable motor? Would this need to be a custom job?

Thanks

 

I'm not a flathead expert by any means, but I can give you some guidance.

You're looking at about 150 to 200 HP for a streetable n/a flatty.

Probably about 8 to 8.5:1 would be about the max for compression.

Due to the low-end torque that these engines make and the low-RPM powerband I would say that a stock converter would be very close to what you need. However you can't begin to choose a proper converter without knowing what the vehicle weight is, the camshaft, the rear gearing and many other related factors.

The flatty V8 is not a big powerhouse, but it is a very cool engine that will scoot a light-weight rod along with style and speed.

----- Bart -----