ClassicCar

I've been messing around with a 230 Dodge flathead in a 1950 Wayfarer. So far, I've gotten to a split exhaust manifold and a modified intake with a Stromberg WW two barrel on it, plus a '55 head for (slightly) higher compression ratio.



I've noticed some threads interested in forced induction for flatheads. Has anyone got any actual experience with use of a turbo on such an engine? In some ways, it seems a natural way to go: the compression ratio is low, the breathing is restricted--sort of like the first supercharged car in history, the 1906 Chadwick!



From some other sources I've gathered a couple of pieces of information that sound as though they would make sense:



1. Keep the size of a turbo on the small side to aid throttle response.



2. Put the pressure into the carburetor, rather than sucking mixture through turbo.



3. This allows using a blow-off valve (aka pressure radiator cap) on the way to the carb, instead of having to use a waste gate setup on the turbo.



4. "Pressure proof" the carb by using a solid foam float instead of the hollow brass one that will be collapsed by the pressure. The rest of the carb may also need to be sealed against leakage under pressure.



5. Oiling the turbo on one of these old dudes might not be too much of a problem--just plumb it into the external, bypass oil filter and run the filtered oil through the turbo on the way back into the crankcase.



Anyway, that's what I have picked up so far from chatrooms and how-tos.



Any experience or relevant theory would be most appreciated....



Here's to the devolution,



--Michael Sawdey