Flathead - Has anyone "split" the center exhaust port?

GB SISSON said:
I know nothing about splitting the center port, but loved the videos. It's nice to see work from a guy that has a vision and is rolling up his sleves and creating a living and breathing mechanical marvel. Can't wait to see this chassis/engine combo transform into a 'vintage ' race car. What Fun!
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Thanks for the kind comments. It’s hard even for me to imagine that I bought the motor in pieces almost 8 yrs ago. I’ve learned and done so much during that time, and I couldn’t have done it without the support of folks on here and the HAMB. Soon the chassis will be torn down so I can do final assembly on it. Getting closer for sure. Haha!
 
Flathead Fever said:
I own the Mitchell Muffler Pickup, a Model A Pickup built during the War. Originally, he built it as a flathead V8 but then he changed it to an Olds in 1950 which it has now. I believe it was the third hot rod anywhere to have an overhead V8 in it. It took second place at the first grand national roadster show in 1950 with the flathead V8 in its division, and it won the Pasadena Reliability Run with the flathead Ford. That Olds engine also only has three exhaust ports just like a flathead Ford. I'm pretty sure Olds copied Fords exhaust layout except they cast a thick divider down the middle of the center exhaust port so the two cylinders couldn't contaminate each other. It has two-carbs and a cam and it's scary fast for a 1950 hot rod. It doesn't way very much. It's still the same except somebody shortened the 1925 Model T bed that they only made for tow-months. I have been looking for 30-years for a good '25 bed, they are different than the rest of them. This was never a pickup; it started life as a roadster car and was modified into a pickup. You can't even hardly tell except that it has a deeper cab, I could use another '25 Model "T" pickup bed if somebody knows where one is at. The funny thing is there is one in a front yard a 1/4 mile away that is in perfect condition. The only '25 bed I have ever seen and it's practically in my own backyard and the guy will not sell it for any price.
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Thanks for posting. Fantastic first hand account of the very beginning of the hot rodding era. I had no idea about the siamese ports on the Olds. Very interesting. I read up on their early OHV engine. Only 7% more power initially than the Ford flathead V8. Compression was still a relatively low 7.25:1, but it didn’t take them long to start improving upon the design.
 
How about running another exhaust pipe out the existing manifold heater port up top? Like Rick Schnell did on his worlds fastest flathead dragster.
 
alchemy said:
How about running another exhaust pipe out the existing manifold heater port up top? Like Rick Schnell did on his worlds fastest flathead dragster.
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Can those ports be wallowed out significantly? I wonder how the end result might affect the actual backflow from the Siamese? Would two separate exits create a whirlwind of cavitation? There may have been a study done at some point over the years.
 
Ziggster said:
Thanks for posting. Fantastic first hand account of the very beginning of the hot rodding era. I had no idea about the siamese ports on the Olds. Very interesting. I read up on their early OHV engine. Only 7% more power initially than the Ford flathead V8. Compression was still a relatively low 7.25:1, but it didn’t take them long to start improving upon the design.
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I think all engine designs are down tuned initially to provide for ensuing model improvements. Salesmanship!
 
My old vintage dirt modified was Track Champion at several Midwest tracks in the mid-sixties. It was also Minnesota State "Stock Car Champion" in 1966 running a Modified Olds 324 Rocket. About 30 years ago, I met one of the brothers who owned and built built the car when I raced in Jackson, MN, where the brothers owned and ran a body shop. He told me that the car became head and shoulders faster than the rest after they did three things. they were :

1. Installing a special Iskenderian camshaft.
2. Splitting the center exhaust port and running 4 pipes per side.
3. Adding a magneto.

One of the brothers actually flew to California to consult with Ed Iskenderian to come up with the special grind.

EDIT : After I posted the attachments to this post, I noticed something about the standings sheet That I hadn't noticed before : Of the "Top Ten" in the final standings in 1966, there were eight Chevrolets, one Plymouth, and ONE Oldsmobile Rocket. I have to believe that those guys must have really "had their **** together" to bring the Olds in on top, ahead of all those Chevrolets in a circuit as competitive as that one was.
 

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tubman said:
My old vintage dirt modified was Track Champion at several Midwest tracks in the mid-sixties. It was also Minnesota State "Stock Car Champion" in 1966 running a Modified Olds 324 Rocket. About 30 years ago, I met one of the brothers who owned and built built the car when I raced in Jackson, MN, where the brothers owned and ran a body shop. He told me that the car became head and shoulders faster than the rest after they did three things. they were :

1. Installing a special Iskenderian camshaft.
2. Splitting the center exhaust port and running 4 pipes per side.
3. Adding a magneto.

One of the brothers actually flew to California to consult with Ed Iskenderian to come up with the special grind.
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Thanks for sharing. I love hearing about the past from first hand accounts. I should mention that I’m running an Isky 1007B grind.
 
petehoovie said:
I like this setup...
390607
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These types of pics of Richard Scaldwell’s GN JAP creation is what gave me the impetus to start my tribute build. His exhaust is a critical aspect of his overall design, so that is why it was so important to replicate it as best as I could. I hope I managed to do so.
 

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Ziggster said:
These types of pics of Richard Scaldwell’s GN JAP creation is what gave me the impetus to start my tribute build. His exhaust is a critical aspect of his overall design, so that is why it was so important to replicate it as best as I could. I hope I managed to do so.
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Of course, I had to do some digging about Rick’s flathead build. Not really too much info on the interweebs on the technical side. It was also done back in 2013. Block was filled with aluminum, and was dynoed at 930 hp! Lol! I’ll be around 1/10 of that power, but still very interesting to see the idea of trying to make the flathead more free flowing goes all the way back to the very beginning of hot rodding. This HAMB thread talks a bit about adding the 4th exh port.

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/rerouted-flathead-ford-exhaust-ports.955593/
 
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