Penny in my block

[32Gnu]

Does anyone know why there would be a penny in the block below the intake?

[32Gnu]

1951 8ba by the way.....thanks

[ken ct]

Someone wanted to block off the exhaust pasage under the carb. Theres usually 2 of them as the passage runs crossways between the 2 sides,should be one more on the oposite side. You must use the old all copper ones not the copper clad.ken ct.

[Jack E/NJ]

As someone mentioned a while ago, rather than copper pennies, you can also easily insert (or remove) thin metal flatstock (such as aluminum, copper or steel roof flashing) to block off the passages after loosening the intake bolts a bit.

Jack E/NJ

[jerry grayson]

Originally Posted by 32Gnu

Does anyone know why there would be a penny in the block below the intake?

This makes the dual exhaust system louder. Old 1940-50 trick.

[ken ct]

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Originally Posted by Jack E/NJ

As someone mentioned a while ago, rather than copper pennies, you can also easily insert (or remove) thin metal flatstock (such as aluminum, copper or steel roof flashing) to block off the passages after loosening the intake bolts a bit.

Jack E/NJ

Personally i think you would end up with a leak there [vacume] ?? ken ct.

[G.M.]

You shouldn't get a leak with 18 gauge or thinner metal. In the fall when it gets a little crisp at night the duals really rap when you back off the gas pedal but it makes the carb. cold and don't want to run as good and needs choking until it gets hot. G.M.

[imnezrider]

Originally Posted by jerry grayson

This makes the dual exhaust system louder. Old 1940-50 trick.

I loved the sound in this as a high school kid in the 1950's. Went back and forth at will.....

[denverslim]

Flattie folklore. Ya gotta find a penny the same year as yer car, put it in the exhaust hole under each head. Abes head to the top. Gives yer car good luck and great sound...slim

[32Gnu]

Should I pop it out and check the year? LOL

What year did they stop using copper?

[Jack E/NJ]

go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penny_(United_States_coin)

Jack E/NJ

[flathead4rd]

I think pennys prior to 1984 were solid copper.

[FL&WVMIKE]

On the last one that I helped with, a penny was too small and wanted to fall through. The hole in the gasket was just a tad smaller than a nickel, so we trimmed a couple of nickels and they fit perfectly ! It cost just a little bit more.
MIKE

[Ross in East Texas]

Originally Posted by FL&WVMIKE

On the last one that I helped with, a penny was too small and wanted to fall through. The hole in the gasket was just a tad smaller than a nickel, so we trimmed a couple of nickels and they fit perfectly ! It cost just a little bit more.
MIKE

That durned inflation!

[lonewolf]

hope its a 1909 s v.d.b.

[G.M.]

We used to go into Philadephia at about midnight on Friday and wind up in first down those narrow streets with row houses on each side and let the duals with the heat risers blocked back down thinking we could break windows like a high pitched opera singer. The lights in the houses started going on and we got out of there fast. G.M.

[Tom/SC]

Those pennies in the manifold also gave the flathead with duals a good "fluttering "sound when you took off from the stoplight. I had to open the hood on my 40 many times to prove that I was not running a Cadillac or Olds engine. When you wound it up it really rattled the pipes. Tom

[[email protected]]

I used to love driving down the streets in my hometown of Grand Rapids Mn. There were block buildings on both sides of the street that trapped the sound and rapping the pipe was fun. We had about 4 blocks like this and I'd love to crank that old flatty up and just as I cleared the light let up on it. Even in the winter I'd roll my window down so I could hear those pipes. And I'm not the only one who did it. Another thing we thought was cool was when two guys would line up and let em go when the light went green. These guys would race for $20 between lights and it use to sound so great. Though I always wanted to race I never had the money to do it. God I want to go back to those nights just for one night.

[ford1]

now to answer your question, they are there to plug the crosser over heat riser for the carb, like a modern heat riser they cause the carb to warm up faster and run better, the cross over is usually plugged any way with carbon and dont work, any way a flat head head doesnt need any more heat at the carb, it gets hot enough with out that cross over passage, with the passage open it tends to cause the carb to get so hot the gas is boiled out of carb and flooding the engine, one cause of hard hot engine restarting

[billwill]

Originally Posted by Jack E/NJ

As someone mentioned a while ago, rather than copper pennies, you can also easily insert (or remove) thin metal flatstock (such as aluminum, copper or steel roof flashing) to block off the passages after loosening the intake bolts a bit.

Jack E/NJ

where in new jersey