Sid
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2009
- Messages
- 114
I’m working on my first rat build (1942 ford truck, 1952 Flathead 8BA) and things are coming along great. Now I want to build a competitive nitromethane mixed injected Flathead for a front engine dragster. As luck would have it, I’m working with one of the most experienced engine builders who has been racing Flatheads since the 50’s.
I’m also fortunate that he accepts my inexperience with Flatheads and has been guiding me in the build for my 1942 truck engine. Of course as I work on my engine in his shop we talk about the engines that he runs in his dragsters and he passes along information on his race builds.
I spend a lot of time on the web searching out high performance Flathead parts. I found that Crower Cams makes roller lifters and roller cams for the Flathead. Of course my mentor (I think I can call him that) runs hollow adjustable lifters and doesn’t think that the Crower products are beneficial, especially with the high seat pressure required on the lifter to keep it held down against the cam, 165lbs vs. 85-110lbs for solids.
I followed up with Crower Cams and got prices on Flathead lifters and cam. I then emailed them asking if they have other Flathead products and for additional specs on the lifters, such as weight and recommended seat pressure.
Dave Crower emailed me and asked me to call. I wasn’t able to connect with him so I emailed him back and communicated what I was building.
A week passed and I finally got a response from someone else at Crower. They suggested that I find the fuel injection manifold as they are “very rare”. Obviously they don’t keep up on what’s available today. There are probably more Flathead speed parts on the market than ever before, and I can just enter my credit card number, click a button and I’ll have a new Hilborn fuel injection manifold on my doorstep by the end of the week.
Through all my correspondence with Crower the only answer they provided me regarding Flathead roller lifter is “Roller lifters are a racer's preference”. Wow, you sold me on them with that.
I’m sure part of the issue is that I don’t say the magic words that demonstrate that I know what I’m talking about. I found this to be the case with other vendors as well but on the other hand I have found a few that spent the time to talk with me about their products and seem truly interested in what I’m doing. Those are the guys that will get my business.
Thanks for letting me bitch,
Sid
I’m also fortunate that he accepts my inexperience with Flatheads and has been guiding me in the build for my 1942 truck engine. Of course as I work on my engine in his shop we talk about the engines that he runs in his dragsters and he passes along information on his race builds.
I spend a lot of time on the web searching out high performance Flathead parts. I found that Crower Cams makes roller lifters and roller cams for the Flathead. Of course my mentor (I think I can call him that) runs hollow adjustable lifters and doesn’t think that the Crower products are beneficial, especially with the high seat pressure required on the lifter to keep it held down against the cam, 165lbs vs. 85-110lbs for solids.
I followed up with Crower Cams and got prices on Flathead lifters and cam. I then emailed them asking if they have other Flathead products and for additional specs on the lifters, such as weight and recommended seat pressure.
Dave Crower emailed me and asked me to call. I wasn’t able to connect with him so I emailed him back and communicated what I was building.
A week passed and I finally got a response from someone else at Crower. They suggested that I find the fuel injection manifold as they are “very rare”. Obviously they don’t keep up on what’s available today. There are probably more Flathead speed parts on the market than ever before, and I can just enter my credit card number, click a button and I’ll have a new Hilborn fuel injection manifold on my doorstep by the end of the week.
Through all my correspondence with Crower the only answer they provided me regarding Flathead roller lifter is “Roller lifters are a racer's preference”. Wow, you sold me on them with that.
I’m sure part of the issue is that I don’t say the magic words that demonstrate that I know what I’m talking about. I found this to be the case with other vendors as well but on the other hand I have found a few that spent the time to talk with me about their products and seem truly interested in what I’m doing. Those are the guys that will get my business.
Thanks for letting me bitch,
Sid
