MTFCA Forum

Has anyone ever tried putting one of these setups on a Model T ?

You might as well pull the pin on one of these...

Nah. I like my single-piece crankshaft.

As one of many curmudgeons, I have found that the T runs faster, smoother on a fresh new road surface. I guess its the addition of "refined bitumen" to the intake is the secret.

Uhh no———————————

A supercharger would be more period-correct, but you couldn't boost the power much over 30% or so without reworking the entire car. It would be easier to set a T body on an A chassis, or maybe build a custom chassis with a Studebaker Hawk engine. A Tudebaker would be fast and unique....

It has been said and a picture posted previously by someone, that a gentleman in Colorado, has a TT that has an exhaust driven turbocharger. Laughing gas on a T without insert bearings and full pressure oil? I'll have the last laugh.

There have been a few T’s built with turbos. I believe the T streamlined racer that did over 200 mph at Bonneville is a turbocharged flathead. Nitrous oxide is just a different form of supercharging. So yes you could run a T engine on it. The only question is for how long.

FJ

FreighTer Jim wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 14, 2021 5:20 pm

63BB8104-7AD2-4A6B-B3AA-F4BC637CD7C5.jpeg


FJ

I have seen a guy run NOS on a 13 excelsior. First try, he sheared the crank key. After replacing the crank key he does use the NOS as needed for extra hill climbing power. To my knowledge, he hasnt blown it up yet.

I wouldnt bet the farm that it couldnt be done to a T. Thats nothing I would try.

It could be done, but you can hop up a T well beyond what is prudent without resorting to exotic systems. Nox or a supercharger offer the advantage of adding lots of kick to a stock engine. Stock hp and torque curves remain until you "turn it on". Expensive fun. A turbo, likewise, except you might have cooling issues whether the turbo was in use or not. I think that rpm and torque handling capability are limited in a T engine, transmission, driveline, cooling system, and frame. Then there is the braking issue... lubrication, and a whole lot more.

I don't see why not but then you have to consider the difference in a stock engine vs an engine and driveline built to take it on a modern vehicle. The same rules apply to a model T's as they do to a modern car.

Some drivers have tried nitrous oxide, but it didn't end well.

A couple of pictures of a turbocharged T I built in the ‘70’s. The engine is still running, but I removed the turbo and went with a Stromberg 97

speedytinc wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 14, 2021 5:33 pm

I have seen a guy run NOS on a 13 excelsior. First try, he sheared the crank key. After replacing the crank key he does use the NOS as needed for extra hill climbing power. To my knowledge, he hasnt blown it up yet.

I wouldnt bet the farm that it couldnt be done to a T. Thats nothing I would try.

I would say that it depends on how much nitrous you want to add to the fuel mixture. Small amounts might be just the thing for a “little something extra” when climbing a hill. The idea also has the advantage of only applying when you choose to, kind of a switch to add “compression”, perhaps only when the RPM are up. This could avoid the issues related to additional crankshaft stresses while the engine is lugging. We all know that you can increase the stock compression ratio by 40-50% on an otherwise stock engine without immediately blowing things up, the challenge would be to determine the right amount of nitrous to add just that equivalent amount of extra power to the power stroke. Adding nitrous to a T engine that is already at 5.5-6:1 might be pushing your luck…

Keep crankin’
Eric

There may be a misunderstanding about NOS systems. Advertising sounds like they start producing 200hp to 1500 hp+p. In reality the hp gain can be regulated to say just 5 more hp. But if your selling system who would spend $400 to gain an occasional 5hp

Here is a system https://www.zex.com/safe-shot-nitrous-system-cpg.html proving 15-35 hp gain. So the question is how much additional hp can a stock T engine handle, regardless of the method used to cause the increase [/b]

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrous_oxide_engine
When nitrous oxide decomposes....it allows an oxygen concentration of 36.36% to be reached. Nitrogen gas is non-combustible and does not support combustion. Air—which contains only 21% oxygen, the rest being nitrogen and other equally non-combustible and non-combustion-supporting gasses—permits a 12-percent-lower maximum-oxygen level than that of nitrous oxide. This oxygen supports combustion; it combines with fuels such as gasoline, alcohol, diesel fuel, propane, or compressed natural gas (CNG) to produce carbon dioxide and water vapor, along with heat, which causes the former two products of combustion to expand and exert pressure on pistons, driving the engine. Nitrous oxide is stored as a liquid in tanks... when injected as a liquid into an inlet manifold, the vaporization and expansion causes a reduction in air/fuel charge temperature with an associated increase in density, thereby increasing the cylinder's volumetric efficiency. As the decomposition of N2O into oxygen and nitrogen gas is exothermic and thus contributes to a higher temperature in the combustion engine, the decomposition increases engine efficiency and performance, which is directly related to the difference in temperature between the unburned fuel mixture and the hot combustion gasses produced in the cylinders.

This chart about the air we breathe may surprise some folks

florap wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 14, 2021 10:38 am

Has anyone ever tried putting one of these setups on a Model T ?

Paul,

No input on the nitrous question, but good to hear from you!

Jerry Van

The added free nitrogen in the combusting charge might help prevent detonation.

Added it to a mini chopper I built for my son long time ago (when the chopper motorcycle was the big thing) Enjoy

TRDxB2 wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 14, 2021 8:34 pm

There may be a misunderstanding about NOS systems. Advertising sounds like they start producing 200hp to 1500 hp+p. In reality the hp gain can be regulated to say just 5 more hp. But if your selling system who would spend $400 to gain an occasional 5hp

I dunno, how much is a Prus head? How about one that only adds the power with extra internal stresses when you want/need them, i.e. not during a parade or going for ice cream… ?

Eric

henryford2 wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 14, 2021 9:57 pm

Added it to a mini chopper I built for my son long time ago (when the chopper motorcycle was the big thing) Enjoy

If you did that, there is no doubt that it can be done to a T. And if they added Oxygen for the climb to the top of Abra el Acay in the province Salta, Argentina, just 16,000 ft above sea level then ........ http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/41 ... 1400256343
The ride up https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLdh1ghE7Qs
The Oxygen tank hook up.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU7lXosh2ns