need expert opinion - Can a 3.625" bore 2-valve head flow 300c

[PackardV8]

Greetings,

Over on the Racing Studebaker site, some are bemoaning the low flow rates of our old iron heads compared to the new super-zoomy aluminum heads available for brand X.

The Studebaker bore is 3.625" Based upon experience, what is a best case round number you would expect to see flowing through that size bore and a 1.9" intake valve?

thnx, jv.

[larrycavan]

[PackardV8]

Thanks so much for the offer of expert advice. Here are the specs for the high performance Studebaker V8 most are running:

Bore - 3.625"
Stroke - 3.625"
Number of Cylinders - 8
Valve Sizes - Including stem diameters - 1.94" in, 1.53125" ex 5/16" stem
Center to Center length of the con rod - 6.625"
Max Cam Lift - .480"
Duration @ .050" - 230
Compression Ratio - 10.25
center line length of port - 5"
width of inake port - 1"
height of intake port - 1 11/16"

FWIW, I know these specs won't flow much, but it will be a plus to know what Pipe Max says.

My more general question had to do with given these are the max valve sizes which can be fit in this bore, is it realistic to dream of aftermarket aluminum heads flowing 300 cfm?

[larrycavan]

I pasted the results into Excel. I ran the numbers for 100% Ve at 7000 RPM being Peak HP RPM to stay within reasonable piston speeds.

I the Ve is raised to 135, the flow requirement nears 300CFM. I don't know if you could honestly use 300 CFM. I have reservations on the motor reaching 135 Ve.

[Unkl Ian]

PackardV8:The shape of the port is important in determining
the amount of flow,not just cross sectional area.

Comparing old,stock,production heads to modern aftermarket heads in apples and Oranges.Different criteria went into each design.

Late model after market heads typically raise the ports,
and will flow more than earlier heads with larger ports.
Plus the valve locations can be changed to reduce shrouding,combustion chanbers improved,etc.

300 cfm MIGHT be possible,depending on how thick the casting is,but as you suspected,the small bore will hurt.

I think there is someone on the www.racetalk.com engines forum that did some serious Studebaker stuff at one time.
Might be worth a look.

[Shawn]

hi,
based on the dimension that you gave, if the head flowed anymore than about 245cfm you would be going backwards. With the motor size and the same dimensions, you would reach an engine speed limit at about 6200 rpm. Where are those measurements taken at? Are they at the opening? Is the the smallest cross section in the port?
shawn

[PackardV8]

Hi, Shawn,

The dimensions are at the opening of the port. As has been suggested, the Studebaker engineers in 1957 -64, and since then, owners who try to go fast, most do it with centrifugal supercharging or a couple of turbos.

thanks again to all who contributed. I learned a lot from you.

jv.

[larrycavan]

This is unrelated to the topic but I thought it would be of interest to the Studebaker crowd. There's a fuel injection computer that I'm going to be trying out soon. It appears there are some serious Studebaker guys using it as well.
Below is an email response I received today.

"This is Jerry from DIYAutoTune.com-- I just wanted to give you a heads up that I'll be out of town from the 13th to the 16th as I'm going out to SpeedWeek 2006 in the Utah Salt Flats to watch and support Gary Hart as he runs his twin turbo MegaSquirt'd Studebaker up to 245mph or so! I don't think I'm going to have much opportunity to answer emails from there but I'll catch up just as soon as I get back on the 17th. All web orders will still be processed and shipped the same day (received before 2pm EST) so you have no worries there! If you have a non-technical inquiry or an inquiry about shipment/tracking of your order you can send those to shipping@diyautotune.com and our staff will take care of you. Thanks and have a great week!"

[Unkl Ian]

Yes,the Megasquirt looks pretty good.Lots of possibilities.

[PackardV8]

Thanks for thinking of me. The body of the car you mention is a Studebaker, but the engine is a Chevy.

The fastest Studebaker V8 powered cars I know of are a couple of 304.5" Avanti, one 1,000hp twin turbo Hilborn injected and another 750hp Paxton Novi centrifugally supercharged. Both are running just over 200mph.

thnx, jv

[larrycavan]