Out of love for technology. Or is it pure madness? Anyway: every petrol head has to smile from hotrods. Because how 'original' can a classic be?
So hotrods
In the US from A, hotrods are fairly common in the Sunshine States. Their basis is in cars from the thirties where almost all not really necessary parts are mounted. To increase the festivities, they are then often equipped with the Mothers of all Lowering sets and a double-muscled engine. Oh yes: that engine can preferably be seen. That is why many hot rods have very rudimentary hoods. But such a hotrod is not just for a thunderous performance from heavily tuned V8s. They are also by definition show machines.
The copy that we unexpectedly bumped into is not one of those row machines that have been stripped to the bone. But the car is a very real hot rod. Although: the experts have doubts again. Isn't he too young? Isn't it actually a low rider or a lead sled? For real die hards, hot rods are based on Fords. It will.
Audio must!
And the power of his impressive audio system can hardly stand the brutal force of his blower block. And that blower is of course the icing on the cake with a hotrod. Because with a huge displacement you are not there yet as a hotrod pilot. And a blower, a mechanical compressor is so much, however, than a turbo compressor. Because such a mechanical air pump ensures optimum pressure build-up from the lowest revs. That in turn gives a monumental amount of extra torque and power.
Nice side effect: the toothed belt driven blower makes a nice crying sound.
Those pounds cannot come from all the beauty that has been done in the engine compartment. Because there we find the entire 'wish list' from a catalog of a number of suppliers of aluminum and stainless steel parts and more shiny beautiful things. It is abundantly clear that the creator of this creation built exclusively from pure passion.
Because from an investment point of view, building a hotrod seems as sensible to us as gambling that the Party for the Animals will be the biggest player in the next elections. Although: a loser is also a player.
The blower under the hood is a mechanical air pump driven by the crankshaft, toothed belt. Such a blower has its limitations. A power boost of such an 40% is usually a very reasonable option. But at higher blower speeds, the intake air becomes hotter. And that is at the expense of capital growth. That is why a larger compressor that runs less rpm is also more effective than a smaller one that runs more rpm.
The brands
The manufacturer Weiand supplies customized blowers and Roots and Eaton are still names that stand out. With the appropriate blower, such a 600 pk from a small block is quite possible. Mounted on a big block, such an air pump can blow out around 800 horses.
But from a purely technical point of view, a block of horsepower or 400 must be just as reliable as a standard small block. Only the gas mileage, that will be surprising. But the hungry howl of an on-going stoner? Mind blow!
A blower is a rude thing.
A blower, a super charger. That is a mechanical air pump. Unlike a turbo, a supercharger is driven mechanically with a belt or chain by the crankshaft, and not by the exhaust gases. As a result, he reacts, 'works' from scratch. The boost level of a centrifugal Supercharger will therefore be almost linear between zero boost at a low speed and maximum boost at the maximum speed of the motor.
At high speeds, such an air pump has a lot of pumping problems. Its disadvantage is that it is driven by the crankshaft - usually with V-belts or a timing belt. That requires power again. But hey, who cares if it produces much more power.
A blower that runs too fast generates too hot intake air and the alignment of the blower with the entire breathing path of the engine is important. Not long ago, Volkswagen supplied the "G-Chargers" and Mercedes now has the "Kompressor" models again. That's nice to remember for later.
Superchargers
Benefits:
So much nicer to see than a turbo!
They cry
No response time, the supercharger is connected to the motor.
The exhaust gases can flow out freely.
Working at a lower speed.
Cons:
The drive costs engine power, but delivers more than it costs.
The engine is getting heavier.
The pump losses are relatively high at a high speed.
For the DIY person
In general, superchargers are easier to install than turbochargers. This is because fewer components are needed for this, and because the supercharger installation does not need another exhaust manifold.
There are full sets ready for assembly.
So if you still feel called?
http://mosselmanturbo.nl/
www.rideround.nl
www.simplystance.com
In the early 40's the Spitjes got the Merlin 61 from our English friends. It had a 2-stage supercharger that was almost half the size of the block itself. Result: +15 lb / sq.in. (1 thick atmosphere) extra inlet pressure on top of what was drawn in atmospheric. With an intercooler in between. The 2 vane wheels of the Merlin compressor were later used as the basis for the Dart turboprop of 'our' Fokker F-27.
See, that's interesting text. And there are even people who have put such a Merlin block in a car. Then you walk into the Airmiles 🙂
Indeed! Possibly the sum of bank account + number of Airmiles is a constant value. Incidentally, it is simply astonishing in how many ways that inlet pressure was “expressed”. A pressure of 1 bar (whereby the blower helps a little bit to make up for the 'suction shortage') was 1 ATA for the Germans, 30 inches for the Americans, +0 lb / sq.in. For the British, Russians 76 cm and for the French 100 Pz (Pièzes) ...