VCCA Home Forums GENERAL DISCUSSION New User Forum More power from my 32 confederate

I would like to increase the H.P. in my 32 confederate. How can I best do this without harming the value of my car.

ALSO

Does anyone know where I could buy 5 BLADE RADIATOR
FAN.

If you do this in any shape or form then it will automatically decrease in value. However if you insist you would want to do this, there is a book that can be found at the fillingstation:

www.fillingstation.com

Look through the manuals section and they do have a book for giving tips on "hopping up" a stovebolt 6. I forget what the name of this book is though.

There are also the tricks of mildly porting and polishing along with boring over BUT im a preservationsit myself along with alot of other guys here so this is something i would never consider. If it is speed you are looking for then i would suggest contacting Larry Jackson for his set of 3:50:1 pinion and ring gear for the 3'rd member. Though waiting time will apply. He doesnt have these gears readily "on shelf". I will email to you Mr. Jacksons info if intrested.

Concerning the engine it's self, they already had exellent low end torque so again, if your looking for speed, this gear combination would be perfect though it is pricey.

Concerning the fan blades, the stock 4 blades were sufficiant if you had a clean radiator and no scale build up. Also if your pump was working correctly with no air leaks.

The only reason that I would like to increase my H.P. is at this high altitude I lose most of my power. On some of the roads I will have to climb the hill in 2nd gear. If I can get a long run at it, most times I can make it up in 3rd gear if the climb is not to long.

The best way to increase power would be to increase the compression ratio. Years ago many cars offered a high compression head (L head engines) for high altitude power increase. It would also increase fuel milage.
I am not sure as to how this can be done with the odd shapped combustion chamber of a 1929-1933 engine. What I am not sure of is the distance between the intake valve and the top of the piston. To make a worthwhile change at least one-hundred thousands would need to be milled of the head surface. This would raise the compression ratio about one full point.
The alternative would be to fill part of the pocket that makes up the combustion area.
Neither change would be obivous.
For "more fan" you could install a 1934-1936 ruck fan. It has larger blades (and makes more noise). The blades may need to be shortened about 1/8" to prevent it from hitting the balancer - if I remember correctly.

Thanks for the information,I will check in to it further.

I was told that ford ( thats a 4 letter word ) has a 6 blade fiberglass fan that will fit.

DESPERATE TIMES CALLS FOR DESPERATE ACTIONS

I'm not interested in more speed, just more power for the mountains, but thanks for the information

I see. I didnt know your intentions were for the mountains. usually when people mention "more power" they have a frame of speed in mind.


All the same, this book that i mention SHOULD give you some tips if i am accepting the representation of it correctly.

Milling the head down like Chev said and also a light port and polish should give you a LITTLE more umph but you also have the valves to think about. Hopefully they wont hammer the piston. Modeling clay can determine this before or if you choose to mill. Also take into consideration the starter motor. By increasing the compression, you also increase work load on the starter.

If you are traveling in higher elevation, perhaps a re-adjustment of the carburator would be the easiest and quicker underhood fix. Ofcource at lower elevation you would have to re-adjust once again.

This is were ford had something when he had the mixture adjustment in the cabs of his model T's.

Ofcource thats not practical on a chevy to get out, adjust to "about what it might be" then go again. Thats one leg up that ford had. However overall those old fords werent as superior as chevy. I still love'em both though as they both still had quirks. if one didnt, the other did.

Thanks for the reply.
I have reset the carb. and reset the timing,it helps a little.
The settings stay constant, as I am always at high altitude. The car is never below 6000 ft and most times above 9000 ft.

You might try using a vacuum gauge to tune the engine. Use it to set the timing by adjusting the distributor for the maximum vacuum (at idle). Also use it to set the carburetor adjustment- again for the max vacuum. A vacuum gauge can tell a lot about the condition of your motor.

I live at 3500 feet above sea level and the power difference is very significant just at this height so I could only imagine double that altitude. At 3500, modern cars are derated by about 15% so you might be down as much as 25-30% at your altitude!

The biggest factor with altitude is the less dense air so everything runs richer and less efficient the higher you go.

So, you could lean out the carb to start with. You could also run a lot more spark advance since your effective cylinder pressures are lower. A freer flowing exhaust might help a bit. You also want the lowest octane fuel you can get while still buying a quality brand. Unless you do something to significantly increase compression, you're pretty limited.

A LOW dose of Nitrous Oxide would get some cooler, denser air inside and could retain your stock look. If set up right it could gain back the 15-20HP you're losing without overworking the engine. Kinda extreme though for such a classic...