The Ford Barn

sanborn · 07-05-2011, 11:26 AM

Just a couple of comments.

Supercharged flatheads suffer from "Cylinder Head Flex" at high boost. It causes severe gasket blowing and often block destroying----and the head literally melts. If you look at the few "state of the art" blown flatheads around today, you will see thick billet cylinder heads with closed end cooling fins machined into the heads.

And, the sudden torque requirements of today's drag racing creates severe twisting of the crank and flexing of the block. Earlier drag racing didn't have sticky tires or sticky tracks---thus the sudden torque requirements didn't occur---we just spun the tires---and the block and cranks lived, for at least a while.

If we could get the crank/block to live, we could generate a lot of horsepower if we used enough boost and enough nitro---since nitro brings its own oxygen along.

07-05-2011, 11:26 AM	#20
sanborn Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Shelbyville TN Posts: 174	Re: 435 horsepower in 1955..... Just a couple of comments. Supercharged flatheads suffer from "Cylinder Head Flex" at high boost. It causes severe gasket blowing and often block destroying----and the head literally melts. If you look at the few "state of the art" blown flatheads around today, you will see thick billet cylinder heads with closed end cooling fins machined into the heads. And, the sudden torque requirements of today's drag racing creates severe twisting of the crank and flexing of the block. Earlier drag racing didn't have sticky tires or sticky tracks---thus the sudden torque requirements didn't occur---we just spun the tires---and the block and cranks lived, for at least a while. If we could get the crank/block to live, we could generate a lot of horsepower if we used enough boost and enough nitro---since nitro brings its own oxygen along.