Thread: A log of my updates on my '32 Brookville highboy

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Nick,

This is my last automatic hot rod some 25 years ago. With DOT legal tires it would break traction with that dreaded 3rd gear to 1st gear downshift, and if in a street race I would lose because of that. Engine was a Ford 427 side oiler with 8 to 1 pistons that would allow 10 psi boost on pump gas. Only a fraction of the boost you probably run, seeing that big intercooler in your Supra's grille. C6 auto.


Sorry for the thread drift. When your '32 is running with your new 427, I'll shut up and listen.

Bob, and others,
I highly encourage you to post whatever inspiration pops into your head while you're in this thread. I'll add my updates into the conversation. I'm trying to behave better as I get older, but I have a history of off topic banter in other people's threads. To me it's like a friendly conversation.

That looks like a pretty badass blown Ford you had there, Bob.

You're correct about the boost in the Supra. On 93 octane pump my boost is set to 22 psi but I also spray 50/50 methanol/H2O to cool intake air. Looking at all available engine data this is actually a conservative tune.

Boy Nick, you really know your stuff. A 50/50 water/methanol mix is the best ratio for rapid evaporation, thus cooling the intake charge. You have been around, know your stuff. Well since you gave me and others permission to drift your thread, I'll take you up on it. When I'm the OP, I don't even care about thread drift, as it keeps it alive. Since my last posting I took the Track-T out for a little romp, hwy 50 halfway to Tahoe so I could experience the passing lanes. All I can say is this kind of hp in a car so light, it is just too much fun. Traction for most all of my spirited driving has been excellent. First off, the blown '55 Ford could NEVER pull this hard, and even with a fraction of the pulling, traction was hit or miss. 1st gear still need to soft pedal, but 2nd gear is seeing some full throttle if I go into 2nd at 30 mph, then the engine is at 2200 rpm and doesn't produce enough in that low rpm to be a problem, so can be full throttle. As I hit 60 mph in 2nd, depending on road surface, I have 3 choices, if really good surface, keep my foot in it at 4400 rpm and accept some tire spin, if not an outstanding surface either roll off some or short shift. 3rd gear is good on most all surfaces except a road peak type undulation that causes un-weighing of the rear wheels, and that spin is has the highest pucker factor because of a much larger speed differential between road speed and tire speed. I know my local mountain roads well, and know where every un-weighing peak is, so no surprises.

Filled with gas again so I could check mileage. Maybe 10 full throttle romps on this tank, the rest was highway cruising pulling the grade to Tahoe and the grade from the valley back home. Drum roll................
12.9 mpg, almost broke into the teens. As the engine seats, and I've mellowed out on pushing deep on the loud pedal, mid teens should be easy. I know the engine is still tight because when starting hot it grunts a slow 1/2 of a crank and lights off. When cold, the starter spins the engine and it quickly lights, much quicker than the 383, but that is probably from the ignition upgrade more than anything else.

My headers are all mounted and ready to rumble. Now on to the exhaust and mufflers.

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Getting close Nick. Your 427 has an easier life with your exhaust, mine goes through a Ram's Horn Exhaust manifold. Noticed a high torque mini starter in the background. What is the stall speed of your torque converter?

I like that little high torque starter! It's a Tilton Severe Duty Super Starter. It reminds me of the surplus store gear motor I used in my vinyl record cleaner machine. If you get any part of you caught in it while it's rotating, say goodbye to that part since it's being ripped out. So far I'm mostly all still here.

I have a B&M Nitrous Holeshot 2400 stall converter. Not planning to use nitrous but it's heavier duty than the next choice down.

My engine starts coming to life at 2400, so probably a good choice for less heat than a 3000 would produce but above the stumble zone of 1800 with our engines using a stock stall speed.

I hope you're right, Bob. We shall see very soon.

Originally Posted by Hot Rod Nick

I hope you're right, Bob. We shall see very soon.

Just how radical is your 427? You said it has about 25 hp on mine, so I would think it comes alive at around 2400 too. My 355 (before the 383) was a high revving little sucker that I ran an aluminum flywheel, and it didn't start to sing till 3000. And you know the 383, happy from idle, peaked 320 hp @ 4050.

Bob, I'm pretty sure that 25hp more number was my "off the top of my head" estimate just to make mine sound more powerful I'll have to actually check my numbers and confirm if they're about the same as yours or what. I know our motors are in the same ballpark but without looking I'm not positive of my numbers (and the info is an hour away at the shop).

My motor is "not too radical". I put that in quotes since it's sort of a vague reference. It could have been more radical since the "base" build would have been a hotter cam. I opted for a milder cam so I wouldn't have to go with too high a stall. I guess if I was really nuts, or intent on dealing with higher octane requirements, I could even have gone with the optional 12.4 to 1 CR and single plane intake vs the 10 to 1 and dual plane intake I have.

Sounds like our engines are close builds. Mine offered a hotter cam with different heads for a 40 hp increase that I declined because it also pushed the power band higher. They had 4 carbs as options and even the smallest CFM was larger than I would have chose but since they designed the engine I went for the smallest that they recommended, a Quick Fuel 780. The other sizes were 825, 830, and 950.

Mine is also a Quick Fuel quad, I thought a 750 but if they don't make a 750 it's a 780. And I have the jet sizes handy but those don't mean much to me other than it was tuned with those jets.

Bob, if I find another bag of money later this year I'm seriously considering swapping out the quad for Inglese stack EFI ...I admit it's mostly because it looks so awesome, but I have a hunch it will also make a tad more power, plus it just looks so awesome Do you, or anyone else for that matter, have thoughts on the Inglese stack EFI, other than cost being quite high? As I'm getting older my motto has been "spend some money on stuff I like before my kids blow it all" Of course after I actually drive the car the way it is, I may reconsider the "need" for stack injection.

Well Nick here's the story. When I talked to Scott Shafiroff on my street build, I was willing going in to go with EZ-EFI at $2000 more. I wanted easy starting and the ability to deal with my altitude extremes of sea level to 9000' summits. Even though it meant more profit for his company, Scott talked me out of it. So far his engine starts in less than one crank and seems fine to the 5000' elevation I've been to. When people would ask "What engine are you running?" I wanted to reply "Fuel injected 427". It just sounds bad, but the extra $2K left from the build means more.

I see your point, Bob, but I tried to emphasis the "but it just looks so awesome" to offset concerns about cost. The Inglese costs even more than the EZ-EFI, but how can you let a few grand stand in the way of this???:

PS: I think I may have just noticed that the Quick Fuel 780's are vacuum secondary, whereas the 750's are mechanical secondary. Mine is mechanical secondary.