Print Page - Harv's Norman supercharger thread

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As promised, here is a start to the Norman supercharger thread.

Having finished the grey motor crashbox guide, it's time to start a new project. My intention this time is to write a Guide for Norman superchargers. What worries me a little is that Norman superchargers are very thin on the ground. Whilst I was able to lay my hands on quite a few carbs, gearboxes and heaters to play with and compare, the chances of doing so with a Norman are pretty slim. It also takes quite a bit of time to write a Guide, and the info must seem to "fall into a black hole" in the interim. To address these concerns, I'm going to write the Norman Guide by publishing dribs and drabs on a single forum thread (one near-identical thread each on the FB/EK, EJ/EH, FE/FC and FX/FJ forums). This means that you get the info earlier, and offers an opportunity for people to comment/add info as we go along (instead of me reverse-engineering by pulling apart several examples). Some weeks there will be an update, some weeks not... depends on how busy I get. I'm also hoping that by publishing dribs and drabs that it will encourage people to bring forth some info to help complete the picture. Once the info is complete, I'll pull it all together and pdf it as a Guide.

The Guide that will come from this thread aims to provide some information regarding fitment of Norman superchargers to early Holdens, and primarily FB/EK Holdens. It will contain:
• some of the theory behind sliding vane superchargers,
• historical information on the production and use of Norman superchargers,
• practical information on the identification, disassembly and reassembly of Norman superchargers, and
• guidance on tuning, replacement parts and overhaul techniques.

The Guide does not aim to be a detailed textbook on all topics of supercharging, nor does it present the basics of how supercharging works. For information of this nature, I’d strongly recommend the following books:
• “Supercharge!” by Eldred Norman, 1968
• "Supercharged! Design, Testing and Installation of Supercharger Systems" by Corky Bell, 2001
• "Supercharging Performance Handbook" by Jeff Hartmann, 2011 or
• “Turbochargers” by Hugh MacInnes, 1984.

Whilst the Norman supercharger will greatly increase the performance of a Holden grey motor, it will not deliver the neck-snapping, tyre frying, 9-second quarter mile performance that many people associate with supercharged engines. Like most grey motor performance equipment, Norman superchargers can be likened to “going faster… slowly”. I will assume in the discussion below that the reader is interested in historic speed equipment that is period correct (i.e. that the basic equipment could have been purchased in the 50’s-60’s) yet operable (i.e. that some concessions will be made to allow the supercharger to function with modern fuels, registration laws and with materials that are currently available). I will also assume that the reader has been able to get hold of a Norman supercharger, but is missing some or all of the ancillaries (manifold, carburetor, water injection, overhaul parts) required to get it running.

Whilst the Guide will use FB/EK Holdens as an example, much of the information is applicable to other early Holdens. Please bear in mind that the Norman supercharger was not an original fitment to early Holdens, and hence that limited documentation is known to exist. Much of the information below is drawn from internet forums, discussion with enthusiasts and common sense. I will use photos and other information from a wide variety of sources, particularly from the forums – if anyone is offended by my use of the material, feels I have breached copyright or needs recognition, please let me know and I will correct the issue immediately. Equally, I will make opinions and draw conclusions on some of the information I have found and equipment I have owned, and have cross-referenced some material - if anyone believes that I have made an error (or knows a better way to do something), please let me know and I will update the document... after all, the main purpose here is to help other early Holden enthusiasts.

Like all things automotive, installing, operating and maintaining a Norman supercharger comes with a risk. Leaking fuel lines can lead to fires, jammed throttles can lead to out-of-control vehicles and items dropped down a carburetor throat can cause massive engine damage (amongst other hazards). Any advice contained in this document is to be taken at the reader’s risk – qualified mechanics should be consulted where appropriate.

As a start for this post, lets take a quick look at supercharger theory, and specifically where the Norman fits in. “Supercharger” is a collective term for a large variety of equipment, each with the same practical purpose: to jam as much air as practicable into an engine, along with more fuel, to make more power. When the word supercharger is used, the most common image that comes to mind is a polished GM 6/71 Rootes blower sitting on top of a Chev V8, with an injection bug catcher sitting on top. However, superchargers are a lot more diverse, and can be taken to include:
• turbochargers,
• nitrous oxide (often referred to as “chemical supercharging”, and
• tuned inlet runners (“ram air”).
In general, a supercharger can be considered to be a mechanical machine that compresses air (and sometimes fuel) that is driven by the engine. A turbocharger is the same type of device, but driven by exhaust gas pressure.

If we put chemical supercharging aside, superchargers are of two basic types:
a) Positive displacement: in this type the supercharger sucks in a set volume (or packet) of air, and then forces out the same packet of air. This is similar to the way that a piston engine works (valves open, suck in a set volume of air and fuel, close the valves, compress and power, then open the valves to let the gas out). These types of supercharger have a displacement, or volume or air that is sucked in for every revolution of the supercharger drive shaft.
b) Dynamic: in this type of supercharger the amount of air sucked in is dependant on the speed of the drive shaft, with some churn or slippage inside the supercharger casing (i.e. a packet of air might be sucked in, then some of the packet recirculated a bit before being pushed out again). This is similar to the way that a grey motor water pump works. These types of supercharger do not have a displacement, but instead are described by a compressor “map” (a fancy drawing that shows pressure and flow changing with supercharger speed, similar to the pump curves used in heavy industry).
Superchargers are also defined by whether they have an internal compression ratio or not. An internal compression ratio means that the air is compressed inside the supercharger before leaving the machine. Superchargers that do not have an internal compression ratio do not compress the air inside the casing. Rather, they suck air in and push it out, with the compression being done by “mooshing” the air up inside the cylinder head (more on this later). Sometimes the term “blower” is used to distinguish superchargers that do not have an internal compression ratio (as they just “blow” the air through without compressing it). However, this should not be relied on, as “blower” has become synonymous with most types of supercharger (similar to the way that the terms “huffer”, “snail”, “compressor”, “charger” and “turbo” are bandied about).
Examples of both positive displacement and dynamic superchargers are shown in the diagram below. Note that I have also added chemical superchargers (nitrous and nitro) to the chart.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/typesofsupercharger_zpsbb573c53.jpg) ($2)

Note that the Norman supercharger is a positive displacement machine, and that it has an internal compression ratio.

Enough for a first post - happy to hear commetns and input please.

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman fiddler).

Thanks for this. Younger guys like me can appreciate old school technology as well as the many technological developments that have occurred, whilst we continue to practice on our project cars. That is why I have one that will be standard and one to play with. Even if someone says to me "Don't mess with a grey", I don't listen because I want to try things for myself because I want to experience it. It's like telling us not to bother going to a drive-in, because indoor theaters are more comfortable. Well my young boys absolutely loved the drive in and they enjoyed the stories of when we attended as kids their age. Same thing here, it gives the older generation a chance to engage with the younger blokes on the forum by mutually respecting different era's in motoring history. I feel the need to share some reading, which is widely available on the internet, but this article is very interesting about the "Miller Cycle" concept and how it can relate to supercharger ideology. Maybe guys on here could take some tips from developments when selecting camshafts etc for their grey. I think it would be possible to do some sort of mechanical variable valve timing, even on a grey to get this effect. Things like this could become a long term 20 year project for me, with inspiration from the likes of Waggot. Remember the old Renault Pneumatic activated valve spring system, this could be combined with Miller Cycle philosophy and old school pneumatics to somehow create a cam sensory arrangement with positive airflow to the valve actuator, that activates the inlet valve only with a high lift but late on the duration (for the inlet valve only), to create the miller cycle effect.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miller_cycle

Even partially open would increase efficiency and would not need to replace an inlet lobe because it would take over the after the lobe has done the initial "lift". ??? ::) ;)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pneumatic_valve_springs

I would like to make a concept motor using a four stroke brigsy engine or the like with alloy head, that way if it doesn't work i can just tig it up. People like FC Hoon will already have air pressure in their car! I have never seen a miller cycle Nissan engine before. It seems all the more possible to do this with an overhead valve arrangement using the valve stem somehow. Food for thought from the bush whacka.

Righto, time for the second instalment of the Norman Guide. Having tackled the basic types of supercharger, lets take a look at the basic theory of a vane supercharger.

Sliding vane compressors are positive displacement machines (as are Rootes superchargers), meaning that they draw in a parcel of air, and move that individual parcel through the machine to the outlet. This is different to say a turbocharger or centrifugal compressor, which are not positive displacement (they have a lot more “slip” of the air inside them).
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/first_zps11508195.png) ($2)

Where the sliding vane compressor rotor is mounted eccentrically (like a Norman supercharger), the air moving through the compressor is compressed within the casing. In this case, the compressor is said to have an internal compression ratio. The image below shows an eccentric compressor.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/second_zpsfd2d71fb.png) ($2)

Air moves into the inlet port (red area). As the rotor turns (in this case clockwise), air is drawn into the orange area to fill the vacuum caused by the departing vane. As the vanes continue to rotate, the next vane passes the inlet, trapping the air between the two vanes shown either side of the orange area. The rotating vanes then move this parcel of air towards the blue area. Due to the eccentricity between the rotor and housing, the volume of the blue area is smaller than the orange volume, causing the air to be squeezed into a smaller space (compressed). The vanes continue to rotate, allowing the parcel of compressed air to flow out the outlet port (green area).

When the sliding vane compressor rotor is mounted centrally (as per the image below), the air moving through the supercharger is not compressed within the casing (the compressor is said to have no internal compression ratio).
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/third_zpsf1c2f151.png) ($2)

This is a common set-up in air tools. Whilst the turning rotor draws in air from the red to the orange to the yellow areas, the volume of the orange and yellow areas is the same. This means that the air is not being squeezed into a smaller space… just pushed along. The air then moves to the green area, exiting through the outlet port. In a supercharger, this air moves into the inlet manifold, and is smooshed up against the engine inlet valves that are shut. This smooshing provides the compression. Superchargers of this type, where the compression happens outside the supercharger, are said to have no internal compression ratio (just like Rootes blowers) - they compress the air in the inlet manifold, not the supercharger.

So how is the sliding vane compressor (like a Norman) different to an eccentric vane type compressor (like a Shorrock)? In an eccentric vane compressor, the vanes are not free to move like a sliding vane machine. Instead, they are fixed (often riveted) onto a central carrier – see image below.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/fourth_zpsb4f5294f.png) ($2)

The vanes in an eccentric vane compressor do not rub on the casing (unlike a sliding vane compressor), but instead have a fine clearance (around 0.004”). The vanes are mounted in an eccentric drum, and are carried in trunnions. As the drum rotates (carrying the vanes around with it), the eccentricity forces the vanes to protrude more or less. The figure below shows the gas passing through an eccentric vane compressor (from red to orange to yellow to blue).
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/fifth_zpsfa3ff4fb.png) ($2)

Notice that the vane at the bottom is almost “buried” in the drum, whilst the vane at the top protrudes from the drum quite a bit. The fine tolerances and differing internals make the eccentric vane supercharger significantly more complex than the sliding vane supercharger.

Ok, enough for your second instalment. Next time around, I'll tackle supercharger capacity. As a reminder, if anyone has any Norman parts, whole blowers, photos or anecdotes that they want to sell, I am very much interested. I am also interested in having a "loan" of your Norman to help write this Guide if that suits. So far, I have five Normans lined up to compare... this Guide is looking like a winner.

Cheers,
Harv (chief deputy Norman apprentice).

Ladies and gents,

As a prelude to the next installment, I will use this post to show the Norman superchargers which will be discussed, pulled apart, overhauled, reassembled and run during the course of writing this Guide.

Note that I am confident of the “name” of only the Type 65 Norman… and only then because the name is (literally!) cast into the side of the casing. There are a lot of names bandied about (eg Type 70, Type 110) but I am not confident where people have drawn these from... other than Type 70 that I have also seen cast into casings. I have seen the Normans similar to the “Large Normans” shown below labeled as Type 110, but it does not line up to the capacity, nor is it stamped/cast into the casing. I have seen Normans with “75” stamped into them labeled as “Type 75’s”), but again only because of the stamping (in which case my small Norman below would be a “Type 45” as it has 45 stamped into it… yet I have never heard of a Type 45). All up, the names seem a mess for now, so I will use the simple names in red below for clarity. Maybe the forum postings will attract some answers as to how Normans are named in the long run.

The first supercharger I will label as "Harv's small Norman". It has "45" stamped into the casing, and is a cast casing, four vane rotor, cross-ribbed unit:
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/HarvssmallNorman_zpsf96160aa.jpg) ($2)

The second supercharger I will label as "Harv's large Norman". It has a serial number stamped into the casing, is a split extruded casing, three vane rotor, longitudinally ribbed unit:
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/HarvslargeNorman_zpsfd2e0038.jpg) ($2)

The third supercharger I will label as "Harv's watercooled Norman". It is a cast casing, four vane rotor, longitudinally ribbed unit.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Sydney-20130715-00029_zps03b010bb.jpg) ($2)

The fourth supercharger I will label as "Gary's Type 65 Norman". It is a cast casing, four vane rotor, cross-ribbed unit:
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/GarysType652_zps0c8a72b2.jpg) ($2)

The fifth supercharger I will label as "Gary's large Norman". It has a serial number stamped into the casing, is a split extruded casing, three vane rotor, longitudinally ribbed unit:
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/GaryslargeNorman_zps1aee61c9.jpg) ($2)
(this thing is a monster 8) ... but more on that later ;D).

Apologies in advance for the crap photos - more to come as I work these things over.

Cheers,
Harv

Orright, time for a post with a bit more substance (the pictures were nice, but a bit light and fluffy ;D :P). This time around I'll deal with capacity.

The capacity of a sliding vane compressor is determined by how much air the compressor sucks in between two consecutive vanes. In the image below, the compressor rotor has just turned to the point that the inlet port has been sealed off, trapping the air in the space shown in red.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/delete_zps5b5fd854.jpg) ($2)
This volume of air, measured in cubic inches, is the volume of the air that one vane carries around per revolution. By multiplying by the number of vanes, the compressor capacity per revolution is determined. To measure this capacity on Norman superchargers, the end plate can be removed and the rotor turned by hand to the position shown. By using a pencil and paper, a rubbing of the area shown in red can be taken. The rubbing can then be ruled up with a grid of squares (say ¼”x¼”, where each square = 1/8 inch2), and the squares counted to estimate the area. By multiplying the area by both the length of the rotor and the number of rotors, the compressor capacity per revolution is determined.

As examples, the Norman superchargers in my photos above have the following capacities:
Harv’s small Norman:
area of rubbing (by counting squares) = 2,261mm2
volume per rotor = 2,261mm2 x 150mm rotor depth = 339,150mm3
volume of supercharger = 339,150mm3 x 4 vanes = 1,356,000mm3 = 83ci

Harv’s large Norman:
area of rubbing (by counting squares) = 2,435mm2
volume per rotor = 2,435mm2 x 298mm rotor depth = 725,630mm3
volume of supercharger = 725,630mm3 x 3 vanes = 2,176,890mm3 = 133ci.

Harv’s water cooled Norman:
area of rubbing (by counting squares) = 1,717mm2
volume per rotor = 1,717mm2 x 345mm rotor depth = 592,365mm3
volume of supercharger = 592,365mm3 x 4 vanes = 2,369,460mm3 = 145ci

Gary’s Type 65 Norman:
area of rubbing (by counting squares) = 1,917mm2
volume per rotor = 1,917mm2 x 10” rotor depth = 486,918mm3
volume of supercharger = 486,918mm3 x 4 vanes = 1,947,672mm3 = 118ci

Gary’s large Norman:
area of rubbing (by counting squares) = 3,233mm2
volume per rotor = 3,233mm2 x 347mm rotor depth = 1,121,851mm3
volume of supercharger = 1,121,851mm3 x 3 vanes = 3,365,000mm3 = 205.4ci

Comparing this to some common superchargers:
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/delete2_zpsa2c0a9f2.jpg) ($2)

It is interesting to compare the Eaton M90 (as fitted to Holden Commodore VS (series II), VT, VX, VY L67 3800cc supercharged V6 engines) to the Norman superchargers… kind of like comparing Holden’s newest and oldest. The Eaton M90 capacity (90ci/rev) is almost the same capacity as my small Norman (83ci/rev), and only half the size of Gary’s large Norman (205ci/rev). However, capacity is also a function of how fast you can turn the supercharger. The Eaton M90 (generation 5) highest efficiency is at 6000rpm, with the flow map going out to 13,500rpm (there appears to be no real redline for the Eaton, but efficiency drops off pretty smartly). http://www.eaton.com/ecm/groups/public/@pub/@eaton/@per/documents/content/ct_128485.gif By By comparison, the Norman supercharger as fitted to a grey motor is typically driven at engine speeds of maximum 4500rpm. This means that although the capacities are about the same, you can run a new Commodore supercharger about twice as fast and hence get around double the capacity (i.e. the new Commodore superchargers have about the same realistic capacity as Gary’s large Norman, and about double the capacity of the old grey motor Normans). Similarly, then Toyota SC14 (as fitted to the 1G-GZE engine) ran at 1.25 times crank speed, with a (crank) redline of 7500rpm. This gives a blower redline around 9500rpm, and hence an overall capacity similar to the Eaton M90.
Sadly, I am not able to compare the capacity of the Norman’s to their sister supercharger, the Judson. Despite quite some searching and conversations with some Judson gurus, it appears that no-one has measured the capacities of these superchargers. The closest I can come is the smaller Judson was 5.125” X 4" diameter and was used on engines from 850 to 1300cc, whilst the larger Judson was 9.5 X 4"diameter, and was used on displacements from 1500 to 2500cc. Each used a 3" diameter rotor with 4 vanes.

Cheers,
Harv

Having looked at the capacity (flow) of Norman superchargers in the last post, it's time to think about pressure.

The efficiency of a sliding vane compressor is dependent on whether the machine has an internal compression ratio or not. Where the sliding vane compressor rotor is mounted centrally (like in air tools), we have no internal compression ratio. As an example, assume the centrally-mounted supercharger is delivering 5 psi of boost, as shown below.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/nonecentricslidingvanesuperchargerefficiency_zps27616a18.png) ($2)
Because the compressor does not compress the air inside the casing, the 0 psi inlet pressure is also seen in the orange and yellow areas of the casing. As the yellow area of the casing is spun around to the green outlet, 0 psi air from the casing meets 5 psi air from the inlet manifold. The manifold initially flows air backwards into the supercharger casing, until the rotating vanes smoosh the air into the inlet manifold and compress it to 5 psi. This backwards and forwards flow reduces the compressor efficiency substantively, the same way that a Rootes compressor behaves. In the case of the Rootes compressor, this is one of the main reasons why Rootes compressor efficiency is low (around 55%) compared to centrifugal compressors (around 70%).

Sliding vane compressors having an internal pressure ratio (where the sliding vane compressor rotor is mounted eccentrically, like Norman superchargers) have a higher efficiency than the example shown above. This is because the compressed air delivered from the casing does not flow backwards and forwards as it exits the exhaust port. However, the efficiency is also dependent on the location of the exhaust port. Ideally, the compressor should deliver the required boost pressure at the outlet (i.e. if we want 5 psi boost, that is exactly what gets spat out of the supercharger). Using our example from above of a compressor delivering 5 psi of boost, but assume an eccentric mounted compressor like the Norman. The image below shows how the pressure increases inside the casing.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/operationofslidingvanesuperchargerwithpressures_zpsb8fc9806.png) ($2)
As the blue area of the casing is spun around to the green outlet, 5 psi air from the casing meets 5 psi air from the inlet manifold, and no energy is lost in backwards and forwards flow.

However, if the discharge port is located closer to the inlet side (as per the diagram below), the compressor may not deliver the same pressure as the required boost pressure.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/operationofslidingvanesuperchargerwithcloseoutletport_zpsb0436cfe.png) ($2)
Whilst the gas is squeezed, the space it is being squeeze into (the orange area) is not yet small enough to increase pressure to our 5 psi desired example pressure… in the example we are only getting 3 psi. In this case, there will be some backwards and forwards flow during discharge (when the 3psi orange area opens up to the 5psi green area), and a resultant loss of efficiency.

Similarly, if the compressor discharge port is located further away from the inlet side (as per the diagram below), the gas is squeezed more than is required for boost pressure.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/operationofslidingvanesuperchargerwithpressureswithdischargetoofaraway_zps7f69b8bd.png) ($2)
As the compressor begins to discharge, the gas expands into the inlet manifold. In the example above, the gas is compressed to 7 psi (blue area) before expanding into the (green) 5 psi discharge port. This “over-compressing and expansion” is again inefficient.

The chart below (which I have adapted from Compressors Selection and Sizing by Royce Brown) shows two cases – either the discharge port being too close to the inlet, or too far from the inlet. The red area under the chart represents the energy lost (leading to lower efficiency) in each case.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/portpositionfromCompressorsselectionandsizingbyRoyceBrown_zps779c9af2.jpg) ($2)
Looking at one parcel of air (between two adjacent vanes) moving through the supercharger, and targeting a boost pressure as shown at 4.:
1.   We start with the supercharger sucking in air from the inlet manifold. We have zero pressure (just atmospheric pressure), and the air takes up just the inlet volume between the two adjacent vanes.
2.   The rotor spins and we start compressing our parcel of air. Volume decreases and pressure increases.
3.   If the compressor discharge port is designed to open at this point, we haven’t squeezed up to the pressure at 4. yet. Our air flows backwards and forwards during discharge, and we lose the energy shown in the lower red triangle.
4.   If we keep squeezing (rotating), and our discharge port is positioned so the air is released at this pressure, then we are optimized. Nice smooth flow from the supercharger into the cylinder head.
5.   If we still keep squeezing (rotating), and our discharge port is positioned at this pressure, then we have overcompressed. Our air will lose pressure once it is released into the cylinder head, and we lose the energy shown by the upper red triangle.

OK, enough for one post. Next post we will see how to measure up an actual Norman supercharger, and then how to work out what the optimal discharge pressure is for that machine.

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger fiddler).

As promised, time to see just what pressure the Normans are designed for :D

For an existing Norman supercharger, the discharge port is fixed. We can then measure and calculate the compressor internal compression ratio, and can estimate the boost pressure which is optimal for the specific port location. To do this, we need:
a) the inlet air volume, which we determined in the last post by using the pencil rubbing technique. This area is shown in the diagram below red,
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/inletandoutletmeasurement_zps1b0eb0fe.png) ($2)
b) the inlet air temperature (this is the normal outside air temperature).
c) the discharge air volume. In the image above, the compressor rotor has just turned to the point that the discharge port is just about to be exposed, with the air trapped in the space shown in blue. This volume of air, measured in cubic inches, is the discharge air volume. To measure this capacity on Norman superchargers, the end plate can be removed and the rotor turned by hand to the position shown. By using a pencil and paper, a rubbing of the area shown in red can be taken (just like we did with the inlet volume). The rubbing can then be ruled up with a grid of squares (say ¼”x¼”, where each square = 1/8 inch2), and the squares counted to estimate the area. By multiplying the area by the length of the rotor and by the number of rotors, the compressor discharge air volume is determined.
d) The discharge air temperature. This can be calculated for different boost levels by a convoluted process. I will cover this in a future post.
The pressures we will use for the calculations need to be in absolute pressure terms. This is achieved by taking the boost pressure (the pressure you would read on a gauge screwed into the inlet manifold) and adding 14.7 psi. For example, atmospheric pressure (0 psi boost) is (0 + 14.7 =) 14.7 psiabsolute. Similarly, the temperatures above need to be in absolute temperature terms. This is achieved by taking the normal temperature (the temperature you would read on a temperature gauge screwed into the inlet manifold), and adding 273ºC. For example, 35ºC temperature is (35 + 273 =) 308ºabsolute.

We can then use the equation below to determine the optimum boost pressure for a given Norman supercharger:
(inlet pressure x inlet air volume)/(inlet air temperature x discharge air volume)= (discharge pressure)/(discharge air temperature)

Note that whilst the above process can be used to find the optimum (most efficient) operating pressure for a given sliding vane compressor, it does not preclude the supercharger being run at lower or higher boost… it just means that the compressor will not run as efficiently.
As an example, consider my small Norman. For this supercharger, the inlet and discharge air volumes (calculated by the pencil rubbing technique) are as follows:
a) Inlet air volume = 83 inchs3/revolution, and
b) Discharge air volume = 73 inchs3/revolution.
As an aide, notice that the discharge air volume is less than the inlet air volume - this particular supercharger, like all Normans, has an internal compression ratio (the air/fuel mixture is getting squeeeeeeeezed inside the supercharger).

We can then start calculating:
Inlet pressure = atmospheric pressure = 0 psi boost = (0 + 14.7) = 14.7 psiabsolute.
Inlet air temperature = atmospheric temperature = 35ºC = (35 + 273) = 308ºabsolute
Notice I am assuming a 35ºC day here… we could just of readily chosen a cooler day, but 35ºC is reasonable – a fairly hot day when the engine will be working hard even with a cold air intake. Without a cold air intake, the supercharger air inlet temperature (aka the under-bonnet temperature) can be significantly higher.
(Inlet pressure x inlet air volume)÷(inlet air temperature x discharge air volume) = (14.7x83)÷(308x73) = 0.0543

Discharge air temperature and discharge pressure are linked together, and can be modeled (we will do this in a later post… more on this later). If we assume that the motor is a typically asthmatic Holden grey motor (engine volumetric efficiency (VE) of 80%), that our Norman supercharger volumetric efficiency is 90% and that we still have a 35ºC day, then I can draw the following table:
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/table_zps8c2ecc20.jpg) ($2)
The right hand column calculates (discharge pressure/discharge air temperature)… sorry about the crappy label in the table.

Looking at the table above, we are looking for a value in the right hand column that is close to 0.0543. The table shows that this is around 3.7psi, inferring that the small Norman will run optimally at around this pressure (… for the curious, this would increase the factory EK Holden 75BHP by 25% to 94BHP, reducing the quarter mile from 18.7 to 17.3s). In practice, this means:
a) We could run the supercharger at less than 3.7psi boost (for example 3psi in the inlet manifold) using a given pulley size. The supercharger will work, but it will compress the air to 3.7 psi before it lets it out into the 3psi manifold. There will be some “popping” as this over-compressed air expands into the lower pressure inlet manifold, and some loss of efficiency.
b) We could run the supercharger at exactly 3.7psi boost, using a slightly larger smaller pulley (spin the supercharger faster). The air inside the compressor will be at 3.7psi when it lets out into the 3.7psi manifold. This is the most efficient operation.
c) We could run the supercharger at more than 3.7psi boost (for example 5psi in the inlet manifold) by using an even smaller pulley (spin the supercharger even faster). The air inside the compressor will be at 3.7 psi when it gets let out into the 5 psi manifold. There will be some popping as the manifold air backflows into the supercharger, before being pushed out again by the turning rotor and smooshed in the inlet manifold back up to 5psi. Again, some efficiency will be lost.

Repeating the above calculation process (pencil rubbings, calculations using the assumptions above, new table) for the other Normans:
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/resultstable_zps8c64d8de.jpg) ($2)
Of note, the older Normans (those made by Eldred) are designed for much lower boost pressures than the later Normans (those made by Mike Norman). This aligns well to the common belief that the early grey motor Normans were low rev, low boost, standard engine machines. The larger, newer Normans are designed for much higher boost – probably due to advances in fuel quality, cylinder head flow, water/methanol injection and ignition that delay knocking and allowed them to deliver more power on red (and later) engines.

An interesting feature of the small Norman is that the two end plates have been drilled to allow them to be rotated 180º (some of the later Normans have a locating pin to prevent this). Rotating 180º puts the rotor offset to the other side of the casing, and changes the inlet and discharge air volumes.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/rotatedendplates_zpse4440d92.png) ($2)
If end plates are rotated, the inlet air volume decreases from 83 to 24 inchs3/revolution and the discharge air volume decreases from 73 to 21 inchs3/revolution. This makes for a very small supercharger. If we undertake the same efficiency calculations:
(Inlet pressure x inlet air volume)÷(inlet air temperature x discharge air volume) = 0.0545
The table shows that this is around 3.8psi, inferring that the small Norman will run optimally at around this pressure… not much change from the other way the end plates were. However, we now would have a much smaller capacity, and would need to spin the supercharger much faster to feed a grey motor… supercharger speed goes from 4,000rpm to 14,000rpm. Whilst Eldred suggested a “destruction” speed of 19,000rpm for his superchargers (Australian Hot Rod, November 1966), this is an awful fast speed for a fifty year old piece of kit with rudimentary bearing thrust control… not for the faint hearted. The upshot here is that when overhauling the small Norman supercharger care needs to be taken to orient the end casings correctly.

Cheers,
Harv

For this post, I am going to deal with the lineup of the Norman supercharger, and most notably the issue of suck-through versus blow-through.

Superchargers are put together in two basic configurations:
a) Suck-Through: in this configuration the fuel source (normally a carburetor) is located upstream of the supercharger. The supercharger thus “sucks” the air through the carburetor. The carburetor has no idea that the supercharger exists – although the carburetor will need to flow more fuel/air to keep up with the extra engine power, it still operates under normal vacuum conditions just like a non-supercharged (naturally aspirated) engine. The supercharger in this case handles a mixture of fuel and air (i.e. an explosive air/fuel mixture exists all the way from the carburetor to the engine – all the items shown in red below).
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/One_zps06f710cb.jpg) ($2)

b) Blow-Through: in this configuration the fuel source (a carburetor or fuel injection nozzles) are located downstream of the supercharger. The supercharger thus “blows” air through the carburetor. The carburetor now operates under positive pressure instead of vacuum, often requiring modification to the carburetor (which was designed to operate under engine vacuum). The supercharger in this case handles only air, and the amount of piping and equipment holding an explosive air/fuel mixture (marked in red below) is reduced.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Two_zpsd48ea8b9.jpg) ($2)

Norman superchargers are normally configured as suck-through. We will now work through why thus is the case.
In very basic terms, we want to feed fuel and air into out engine in vast quantities. The image below shows the Norman supercharger connected up to the cylinder head of our Holden grey motor.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Three_zpsa26d42eb.jpg) ($2)

The first challenge that we face is that the supercharger internals have Bakelite vanes that rub against both the steel casing and the steel rotor slots. The vanes require lubrication to reduce the amount of friction (and hence vane wear). The incoming air does not do a great job of acting as a lubricant. We could add an oil squirter upstream of the supercharger, similar to the aftermarket squirter systems used to feed upper cylinder head lubricant (ValveMaster) when running unleaded fuel, or similar to the oilers used on workshop air tools. The image below shows this type of lineup. This type of squirter system, driven by engine vacuum, is commonly used on Judson sliding vane superchargers (the Marvel Mystery Oiler).
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Four_zps97d24a35.jpg) ($2)

However, Eldred Norman found that this type of lubrication did not adequately lubricate the surfaces of the vanes in the rotor slots since centrifugal force tends to fling the oil drops against the casing. A better way of adding lubricant is to mix it in with the fuel. This oil/fuel mixture will then be fed much more evenly over the vanes. To do this, oil is added to the fuel tank (more on this later). By putting the carburetor upstream of the supercharger, the supercharger is fed both air and the fuel/oil mixture. The fuel/oil mixture then acts as a lubricant (and a heat sink) for the vanes. This lineup (suck-through) is shown in the image below.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Six_zps567c7066.jpg) ($2)

We will now talk through Norman supercharger control – and most notably the absence of Pssssshhht!

Norman superchargers in suck-through configuration do not need a blow-off valve (sometimes called a dump valve, or BOV). We will now work through why this is the case.
When the carburetor throttle plates are closed (for example during gear changes, as per the image below), the inlet air to the Norman supercharger is closed off.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Five_zps654faa83.jpg) ($2)

A slight vacuum will develop between the carburetor and the supercharger, though not a huge one. The supercharger inlet is not fed any air, and hence does not make a huge amount of pressure at the outlet. Boost remains (relatively) stable, and the supercharger does not see a huge load increase.
However, if a blow-through configuration had been utilized (as per the image below, shown with the throttle plate open) then a different phenomena occurs.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Seven_zpsa911c7fb.jpg) ($2)

When the throttle plate closes, the supercharger has nowhere to discharge to. The inlet to the supercharger is still open, letting the machine suck in air. Because the Norman supercharger is a positive displacement machine, it will keep sucking in and compressing the air, mooshing it up against the closed throttle plate. The trapped boost pressure thus rises rapidly… giving the engine one hell of a shock once the throttle plate opens again. Worse, the supercharger goes into a high pressure, low flow situation called surge (this can sound like chattering in the machine). Surge causes damage to bearings and shafts.
To prevent surge, a blow-off valve would be required as shown in the image below.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Eight_zps882a609f.jpg) ($2)

The blow-off valve is normally connected to the inlet manifold between the throttle plate and engine (I have not show this sensing line in the diagram for simplicity). When the throttle plate closes, our supercharger starts mooshing up boost against the closed plate. However, the inlet manifold between the throttle plate and engine goes into vacuum. The vacuum is sensed by the blow-off valve, which opens and lets out the excess air. In some cases the air is vented to atmosphere, giving the characteristic Pssssshhht! noise of late model turbo cars during gear changes. The loud noise of course is “very, very sexy mate”, and increases the libido. For those with no need for a libido increase, the blow-off valve can be plumbed back into the inlet manifold as shown in the image below.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Nine_zps0e498e71.jpg) ($2)

By venting off the excess air the supercharger can continue to spin and discharge. This prevents surge from happening. Many late-model vehicles run EFI, with the injection occuring after the supercharger (blow-through) and the throttle plate downstream of the supercharger. These vehicles are the ones commonly heard Psssssshhhhhting their way through traffic.

Blow-off valves are flow controllers – they are designed to ensure a minimum flow through the supercharger and prevent surge. Again, because we are running the Norman supercharger in a suck-through lineup a blow-off valve is not required. Note that a blow-off valve should not be confused with overpressure protection (burst panels or relief valves) which are required on Norman superchargers. We will deal with overpressure protection next.

As we have seen above, Norman superchargers are normally run in suck-through configuration, as per the images above. This means that all the equipment downstream of the carburetor contains an explosive air/fuel mixture – the carburetor-to-blower manifold, the Norman casing, any intercooler used and also the blower-to-cylinder head manifold. The large the amount or size of the equipment, the greater amount of fuel/air mixture and hence the greater potential for an explosion. The ANDRA General Regulations refer to this as Banging the Blower – “an explosion inside the supercharger caused by a flame from the combustion process accidentally re-entering the supercharger, where fuel and air are present. Generally caused by a stuck or broken intake valve that normally would be closed during the combustion sequence”. The more extreme the valve timing (more overlap) the more likely it is that the blower will bang, particularly at low rpm.
Banging the blower can lead interconnecting hoses blowing off, manifold gaskets being blown out and stalling of the supercharger (which can snap vanes and bend rotors). In extreme cases the supercharger can be blown clear off the manifold… one of the reasons that blower restraints are used in some classes of racing.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/ten_zps65ce98fd.jpg) ($2)

Belt drives are often used in Norman superchargers as they prevent a blower bang from stalling the crankshaft (they tend to slip instead). Given the risk involved, some form of overpressure protection is required downstream of the carburetors (despite Eldred’s view that a standard car engine using boost up to only 5psi does not warrant pressure protection provided the manifold volume is not too great).
One method to provide pressure protection is to utilize a burst panel. Burst panels function by venting the supercharger casing to ambient pressure with a non-reusable rupture disk or panel. Burst panels are mandated for some racing classes (for example for all ANDRA screw-type superchargers, for Australian Nostalgia Fuel Association Altereds, and for ANDRA Sport Compacts). Burst panels are often specified by guidance published by SFI (http://www.sfifoundation.com/). SFI is a non-profit organization established to issue and administer standards for specialty/performance automotive and racing equipment. SFI’s quality assurance specifications are sanctioned by CAMS, ANDRA and Speedway Australia. SFI Spec 23.1 covers Supercharger Pressure Relief Assemblies, and requires a burst pressure of 200-250psi, and an area of at least 10inch2 (12inch2 if multiple panels are used). This is a very large burst panel for a Norman supercharger, and is really intended for the large capacity race engines seen in drag racing (up to 500ci with 16/71 superchargers). Whilst a (smaller) burst panel could be utilized for a Norman supercharger, their operation is not conducive to road or track use (other than short-duration drag races) as a burst panel effectively puts the vehicle off the road. Whilst it’s not a big deal to change a burst panel at the drag strip, it can be a real pain in the Woolworths car park of a Sunday afternoon.
An alternative to fitting a burst panel is to use a relief valve (sometimes referred to as pop-off valves, sneeze valves or sometimes as blow-off valves). The image below shows a relief valve fitted to our Norman supercharged Holden grey motor.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Eleven_zps06b760a4.jpg) ($2)

Relief valves operate similarly to the brass valve located on the side of residential hot water heaters. A spring holds the valve shut in normal use. As the supercharger manifold pressure increases, the spring is compressed, opening the valve and letting the pressure flow out to atmosphere. Once the pressure is low enough, the valve reseats and the vehicle can continue to operate (this is handy in the Woolworths carpark).

I will come back in a later post and explain some more about a few more of the control issues - bypasses, wastegates and boost controllers (believe it or not some of that lot applies to Normans :D ). I will also delve deeper into relief valves, both period and new types.

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger mechanic).

So what about all that other stuff that the Zimm Pirates rant about – Wastegates, Boost Controllers, Intercoolers, Timers and Bypasses? There are a number of pieces of supercharger and turbocharger equipment that are commonly referred to in magazine articles, or seen hanging off the front of late model turbocharged cars. Some do apply to the Norman supercharger, and some don’t.

A wastegate is a valve that diverts (bypasses) exhaust gas away from the turbine wheel in a turbocharger system. Bypassing some of the exhaust gases regulates the turbine speed, which in turn regulates the rotating speed of the compressor. By regulating the compressor speed, the maximum turbocharger boost pressure is controlled. Some wastegates are “integral”, where the bypassed exhaust flow rejoins the rest of the exhaust flow after the turbocharger. Alternatively, a "divorced" wastegate dumps the bypassed exhaust gas directly into the atmosphere. A divorced wastegate outlet pipe is commonly referred to as a “screamer pipe” due to the unmuffled noise they produce. Norman superchargers do not require a wastegate. The supercharger is directly coupled to the crankshaft (via a belt). The speed of the supercharger (and hence the boost pressure) is controlled by engine speed. Maximum boost is determined by the drive pulley sizes, and the ability of the engine to flow air into (and exhaust gas out of) the engine.

A boost controller is a device to control the boost level produced by a turbocharged engine. It does this by changing the air pressure signal sent to the wastegate. Without a boost controller the wastegate is a simple air pressure/piston/opposing spring set up. The boost controller allows the air signal to be varied, and hence the response of the wastegate changed. This lets the wastegate open and shut only when required (and more consistently), reducing turbocharger lag. As a Norman supercharger does not have a wastegate, it usually also does not have a boost controller. Boost controllers are also sometimes made by electronically changing an engines engine management (EFI) software. This type of boost controller is occasionally employed on superchargers. In this case, it is used to make the car behave like it had an underdriven pulley system (low power) whilst putting around town, but also behave like an overdriven pulley system (high power) under load. Given that the Norman supercharger is normally run without complex aftermarket engine management, this kind of boost controller is also not applicable.

Bypass valves are sometimes seen in supercharger systems. At low engine loads the power to drive the supercharger is not always better than the output gained. This parasitic loss can lead to poor fuel economy. The bypass valve open s when throttle loads are low and closes when throttle loads are high. With the bypass valve open there is no pressure being created across the supercharger. This allows the supercharger to not create parasitic drag at low speeds. With the bypass valve closed, all airflow is routed through the supercharger and boost is created. The bypass valve is purely used for economy under low load driving – it is not a boost controller. Bypass valves can be internal (a valve that recirculates air inside the compressor casing) or external (where piping is used to plumb the air around the supercharger). The photograph below the internal (brass) bypass valve inside an Eaton MP90 supercharger inlet.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/first_zpsbcc9ac8b.jpg) ($2)

External bypass valves are used in some Norman superchargers, most notably the 110 Deluxe model. This supercharger had a hydraulic clutch driven by engine oil pressure. The clutch could be operated from a button on the dash, disconnected and connecting the supercharger drive at will. This is a bit different to a modern supercharger, which leaves the supercharging spinning when bypassed. When the Norman supercharger is disconnected, the engine becomes just like any naturally aspirated engine. It is however trying it’s hardest to suck fuel and air past the supercharger vanes… a hard task that would cause a huge loss of efficiency, even with the supercharger slowly freewheeling around under vacuum. To help the engine out, a bypass pipe and flapper valve system was installed to allow air to flow from the carburetor outlet straight to the inlet manifold, as per the image below:
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/second_zps13d78811.jpg) ($2)

The photograph below shows the bypass pipe linking the inlet and outlet side of the Norman supercharger:
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/third_zpsfa6307c8.jpg) ($2)
The same SU carburetor is used for both supercharged and bypassed operation. Under bypass mode the carburetor dashpot does not open fully, whilst under supercharged loads it opens more and more. This ability of SU carburettors to have a small venturi at low engine load gives good throttle response, and prevents fuel starvation. If a fixed venturi carburetor was used (for example a set of triple or twin standard grey motor Strombergs), the low engine load could give very little “suck” across the large (fixed) venturis, leading to little fuel flow and leanout.
There are a number of downsides to having a bypass valve installed:
•   Norman superchargers do not have internal bypass valves, so an external valve must be used. This takes up extra space in the engine compartment.
•   if the bypass valve does not seal very well, it can cause loss of boost pressure under load (the supercharger will recycle on itself).
•   most Norman supercharger owners are very unlikely to turn the supercharger off. Whilst the bypass will still open under low load conditions, the better fuel consumption is negated somewhat by the supercharger still being driven.
Practically, if the Norman supercharger is one of the Deluxe models with a bypass then it will probably be used, if only for nostalgia sake. If the supercharger does not have a bypass installed, then it is does not require one.

The compression of air/fuel in the supercharging process does generate heat. Some of the heat comes from the vanes scraping the casing, some from the vanes sliding in the rotor, and some from friction in the bearings. The heat from the vanes can be removed to some extent by water cooling the supercharger (some Norman superchargers have a water jacket around the casing which connects to the normal car radiator system). However, a substantive amount of heat is also generated by the compression process itself. The easiest way to visualize this heat is with a simple bicycle pump. Pump a bike tyre up to a decent pressure, then put your hand on the flexible rubber connecting hose – the heat that you can feel is mostly the heat of compression. Heat is not a good thing in a supercharger. It can lead to poor lubrication, and increased bearing/vane wear. Worse, the heat does two things to the incoming air:
a)   It makes the air less dense (thinner). After all that hard work compressing the air, it is a shame that the air gets less dense, negating some of our hard work. The less dense air means less fuel/air mixture can be jammed into the engine, and hence less power than we had hoped for.
b)   The increased temperature makes the combustion process hotter, and moves us closer to the fuel igniting before we are ready. This pre-ignition is referred to as knocking (sometimes as “pinging” or “pinking”). Knocking can do a substantive amount of damage to an engine, including blowing out head gaskets, smashing piston ring lands and stressing bearings. To combat knocking we can some things (like retarding the ignition timing, adding water injection or running higher octane fuels), each of which comes at a price… usually less power and/or more cost.
One way to combat this increase in temperature is to intercool the supercharger. Intercoolers are shown in the diagram below:
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/fourth_zps8125ebd2.jpg) ($2)

The benefits of intercooling are considerable… around 40-60% additional power from a supercharged vehicle. An intercooler may be:
•   nothing more than a glorified radiator (referred to as an air-to-air intercooler). This is the shiny aluminium fixture often seen at the front of modern turbo cars after half the bumper bar and grille has been cut away,
•   a full heat exchanger with the supercharged air on one side and water on the other (a water-to-air intercooler),
•   a spray of cold compressed gas over the front of a glorified radiator,
•   a box packed with dry ice with the supercharged air passing through internal tubes (kinda hard to top up the dry ice… this is mainly a drag race approach).
Intercoolers were used on some Norman superchargers. For example the photograph below shows a Type 110 Deluxe supercharger with the (factory) air-to-air intercooler labeled as 6. This intercooler is a cast aluminium casing, with the air/fuel charge passing through. Cooling is achieved by the cooling fins alone.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/fifth_zpsc12a0f16.jpg) ($2)

There are however some down-sides to intercooling:
• the intercooler and piping have a pressure drop. This reduces boost pressure. We can combat this to some extent though by making the supercharger run a little faster (smaller driven pulley) provided we are not already at the limit of what the supercharger can produce.
• the intercooler takes up additional space under the bonnet.
• water/air intercoolers utilizing the cars coolant system will circulate warm water. When the car is under low load, the air passing through the intercooler may be colder than the engine coolant. In this case the intercooler acts as an “interheater”, reducing charge density instead of increasing it.
• the intercooler increases the volume of the inlet system. As Norman sueprchargers are suck-through line-ups, all the inlet system contains an explosive air/fuel mixture. Increasing the volume (by adding an intercooler) increases the size of the potential explosion. To quote Eldred: “Intercoolers are not really feasible. If they are large enough to be effective they form a too large reservoir for the mixture, and when there is a backfire it is almost of nuclear proportions.”.
Practically, if the Norman supercharger has an intercooler then it will probably be used, if only for nostalgia sake. If the supercharger does not have an intercooler, then one may be installed to chase additional horsepower. For those looking for a period-correct installation, or are concerned over the potential to damage the supercharger installation by explosion, an intercooler is not required.
A turbo timer is an electronic device which keeps the engine running (at idle) for a period of time after you turn the key off. It does this allow low-boost, cool air to cool down the exhaust and intake tracts (remember that the turbocharger is driven by exhaust gas, and can become incredibly hot under load). At the same time the engine oil is able to circulate, preventing the red-hot turbo bearings from cooking the oil to carbon (…or melting). Norman superchargers do not suffer from the same high temperatures as a turbocharger. However, they do increase in heat under load. Whilst a turbo timer is not required, it is god practice to drive the car under low load (or at idle) for a few minutes between high load operation and shut down.

So in short:
• Norman superchargers are normally suck-through line-ups.
• a blow-off valve is a flow control device used to protect superchargers from surge. It is not required on a Norman supercharged vehicle.
• a relief valve is an overpressure control device used to protect against explosion inside a supercharger. It is required on a Norman supercharged vehicle.
• a wastegate is a rotational speed and boost pressure control device. It is not required on a Norman supercharged vehicle.
• a boost controller is a device that changes how a wastegate behaves to optimize boost pressure delivery. It is not required on a Norman supercharged vehicle.
• a bypass valve is a device that improves economy at low supercharger load. They are present in Deluxe Norman superchargers, but otherwise not required on a Norman supercharged vehicle.
• an intercooler is a device used to get more supercharged air into a vehicle and reduce knocking. They are present in some Norman supercharger installations. Whilst they can add additional horsepower they increase the risk of explosion and are not absolutely required.
• a turbo timer is a device that allows a hot turbocharger to cool down properly. It is not required on a Norman supercharged vehicle.

Cheers,
Harv (deputy aprentice Norman supercharger fiddler).

One question that commonly comes up is “just how much grunt will I get from a Norman?”. In the next few posts I will take a long look at the performance of Norman superchargers. Some of this will be geeky, engineering modeling of how superchargers work (my apologies in advance for those not inclined), whilst some will be comparing factory and road test results.

Whilst it is possible to install and field test Norman superchargers (the “suck it and see” approach), there are some difficulties in doing so:
• There are not all that many Norman superchargers around, and the few that are available are (rightly) viewed as valuable. Convincing someone to allow you to bolt up their supercharger and then test the boundaries of it’s performance is not likely to be an easy task,
• There are quite a few variables that need examining. It can be a very expensive process sourcing multiple supercharger drive pulleys (for example), let alone the time and cost of either road or dynamometer testing,
• The cost of failure can be expensive. A severely knocking engine under load can very quickly lead to engine failure, and
• It has been a considerable time since the Norman supercharger was built. Over the last half century, supercharging technology has increased in leaps and bounds. The increase in technology also means that our expectations of superchargers has changed. Our mental model of “normal supercharging” now includes 15 psi boost pressures, huge intercoolers and EFI. Whilst some of these expectations are applicable to Norman superchargers, many are not… or at least not when the “traditional approach” to using a Norman is desired.
The modeling process involves estimating some issues (for example how efficient the superchargers are), and then calculating what the likely supercharger performance will be (power output, onset of knocking, impacts on bearing design etc). It is recognized that this process is only an estimate – the information below should not be seen as “hard and fast” rules, but rather as a guide or starting point to what these superchargers are capable of. Where I have made assumptions (for example in volumetric efficiencies) I will highlight the likely range of the value involved.

In order to model the performance of Norman superchargers, we need a starting point. I have drawn the data below from the respective factory Workshop Manuals:
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/firsttable_zps79abb54a.jpg) ($2)

There are lots of tricky numbers in that table, so let’s make it simple by using a number that is more familiar – quarter mile time. To estimate the likely unblown performance of the above vehicles, it is possible to estimate the quarter mile elapsed time (ET) using a formula often referred to as “racer math”. The racer math formula is:
ET = 5.825 x (weight/power)1/3
Where:
•   Elapsed time is the time for the vehicle to travel the quarter mile drag strip, and is in seconds,
•   Weight is the vehicle weight in pounds, and
•   Power is the vehicle brake horsepower.
Applying the formula to the early Holdens above yields the following:
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/secondtable_zpsaafacbea.jpg) ($2)

No suprises here – the Holdens get quicker and quicker with each new model, with a big change in performance when the red motor was introduced into the EH Holden.

Now that we have a starting point, the key question at this point is just how much power can be squeezed out of a Norman supercharger. As an example, we can take the following anecdote as noted in Supercharge by Eldred Norman:
“In 1954, driving a supercharged Triumph TR2, I finished 4th in the Australian Grand Prix. On this car I used a “boost’ of 12lbs. The supercharger was a G.M. 271 Roots type unit operating at 1.1 times engine speed and driven by four ‘A’ section V belts. By the end of the race belt-slips had caused a fall in boost to a maximum of 8 lbs. Naturally I had to ‘nurse’ the belts by not using full throttle at this stage. My present Holden is some 50% greater in capacity than was the Triumph. I am using a 10 lb. supercharge from my type 110 vane type supercharger and drive it with only two ‘A’ section belts. Under these conditions the vane type is putting out almost 40% more air/fuel than did the Roots with twice the number of belts. Certainly the car is not being raced which is an enormous difference. But my belts last at least 5000 miles of normal road use. Detractors of the vane type supercharger have usually only seen the wrong unit on the job.”
The Triumph TR2 has an engine capacity of 121ci, inferring Eldred’s Holden had a capacity of 182ci. This could be either of the 179ci or 186ci Holden red motors, allowing for rounding of numbers. If we assume that this was Eldred’s reknowned HR Holden with a 186ci motor, with a weight of 2600lb (1180kg), and a performance of 0-100mph in 14 seconds (as per the cover page of Supercharge), then we can use the estimator at the following site (http://www.torquestats.com/modified/index.php?pid=calculator) to estimate the power as being 232BHP. The increase from the HR Holden’s naturally aspirated 145 BHP is some 60%.
A power increase of around 60% seems a fair boundary for the Norman supercharger. This seems low compared to the ~100% increases that can be achieved with modern intercooled supercharging. However, bear in mind that early Holden motors (and particularly the grey motor) have fairly poor flowing cylinder heads, and a limited ability to absorb additional power without snapping cranks or smashing gearboxes, and that intercooling a Norman is no easy task (more on this later).

I will use 60% in the information below. Applying the “racer math” formula but with some increased horsepower shows the following quarter mile elapsed times are probably achievable with a Norman supercharger:
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/graph_zps08537fc7.jpg) ($2)

This shows that our Norman blown grey motor, pumping out an additional 60% more power, should be good for around 16 second quarter miles. Whilst not too great in comparison to modern 10-second quarter mile times, it’s not too bad considering that our 60% blown grey is probably still quite a streetable car with none of the lumpy cam, methanol slurping, high geared misbehaviour. Note the two red circles I have drawn on the graph. These show that our blown 60% grey is still only just as quick as an unblown red – a sad fact of life. This is not to say that you cannot squeeze more grunt out of a Norman supercharged grey... just that the results will be typically around the above.

More on Norman power in the next few posts.

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger fiddler).

OK, onto some more "geeky" stuff - modelling the Norman.

I have performed the calculations below in a manner consistent with the guidance in Supercharged! Design, Testing and Installation of Supercharger Systems by Corky Bell. In doing so, I have made the following assumptions:
a) I have assumed that the Holden grey motor engine volumetric efficiency (VE) is 80%.
• Holley Carburettors, Manifolds and Fuel Injection by Mike Ulrich indicates that ordinary, low performance engines (this sounds like a typical grey motor!) have a VE of 80% a maximum torque, high performance engines 85% and all-out racing engines 95%.
• Garrett (the turbocharger manufacturer) indicates that volumetric efficiency ranges in the 95%-99% for modern 4-valve heads and 88% - 95% for 2-valve designs (whilst the grey motor has two valves, it is nowhere near contemporary).
• EPI Engineering (http://www.epi-eng.com/index.html) indicates that in general automotive engines rarely exceed 90% VE.
b) I have assumed that the Norman supercharger volumetric efficiency is 90%.
• From The Standard Handbook of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering, Volume 1 (edited by William Lyons) sliding vane compressor volumetric efficiency ranges from 82% to 90%, with 82% representing higher boost pressures.
• From Compressors: Selection and Sizing by Royce Brown, sliding vane compressor volumetric efficiencies range from 90% at 10psig (a typical Norman supercharger pressure) to 85% at 30 psig (way too high a pressure for a Norman supercharger).
• From The Internal Combustion Engine in Theory and Practice by C. F. Taylor, sliding vane compressor volumetric efficiency is typically 85%.
c) I have assumed that the adiabatic efficiency of the Norman supercharger is 60%.
• Supercharge by Eldred Norman indicates that Roots superchargers have an adiabatic efficiency of about 50%, sliding vanes superchargers 70% and centrifugal superchargers 90%. These values seem high in comparison to the numbers below.
• Supercharged! Design Testing and Installation of Supercharger Systems by Corky Bell indicates that supercharger adiabatic efficiency is in the range 50-65%.
d) I have assumed that the Norman supercharger drive power efficiency is 90%. Supercharged! Design Testing and Installation of Supercharger Systems by Corky Bell which indicates the following for drive power efficiency (and utilises a constant 90% for all calculations):
• 5psi boost: 93%,
• 10psi boost: 90%, and
• 15psi boost: 86%.
e) I have assumed that the Norman supercharger thermal efficiency is 65% (higher than the Roots supercharger due to the sliding vanes internal pressure ratio, but lower than the twin screw/centrifugal supercharger due to the heat generated by the vanes moving against the casing).
• Supercharged! Design Testing and Installation of Supercharger Systems by Corky Bell indicates the following efficiencies:
  Roots supercharger: 55%,
  Twin-screw supercharger: 70%,
  Centrifugal supercharger: 75%, and
  Typical turbocharger: 75%.
• The Internal Combustion Engine in Theory and Practice by C. F. Taylor indicates a mechanical efficiency of 65%.
f) I have assumed that the ambient air temperature is 35ºC (96ºF using the normal temperature scale). This number is converted to the absolute temperature scale for the calculations below by adding 460ºF (i.e. 35ºC = 96 + 460 = 556ºFabsolute).

The calculation process is an iterative (cyclic) one – you make some initial estimates of boost, calculate the resultant supercharger outlet temperature, and then calculate boost. You feed the newly calculated boost back into the start of the cycle again, and keep cycling around until the numbers coming out are constant.
For the example below, I will assume a Holden 138ci grey motor (75BHP from the factory, 7.25:1 compression ratio and 4200rpm redline) with a target of 50% power increase (say 110 BHP) once supercharged. I will model the small Norman (82.79 inch3/revolution).

First iteration – this will allow us to make a first guess of the boost required, and how hot the air will be leaving the compressor.
1. Volumetric efficiencies ratio = (supercharger VE/engine VE) = (90/80) = 1.125 (this number will remain constant throughout the calculations).
2. Pressure ratio = (desired horsepower/existing horsepower) = (110/75) = 1.47 (this number we will keep calculating/updating in the iteration cycles below).
3. Boost = (pressure ratio – 1) x atmospheric pressure = (1.47-1) x 14.7psi = 6.91psi (this number is our first guess of the boost required, and will change as we will keep calculating in the iteration cycles below).
4. Drive power efficiency = -0.7 x boost + 96.667 = -0.7 x 6.91 + 96.667 = 91.8% (this number we will keep calculating/updating in the iteration cycles below).
5. Temperature gain across the supercharger = ((pressure ratio^0.28)-1)xTabsolute/thermal eficiency = ((1.47^0.28)-1)x556/0.65 = 97ºF (this number is our first guess at the temperature rise that the supercharger imparts to the air that it is compressing, and will change as we will keep calculating in the iteration cycles below).

Second iteration – this will let us update our estimate of boost and outlet temperature.
1. Density ratio = supercharger inlet temperature/supercharger outlet temperature = 556/(556+97) = 0.851 (this number we will keep calculating/updating in the iteration cycles below).
2. Pressure ratio = desired horsepower/(existing horsepower x densiy ratio x volumetric efficiencies ratio x drive power efficiency) = 110/(75x0.851x1.125x0.918) = 1.669 (this is our second guess at the pressure ratio).
3. Boost = (pressure ratio – 1) x atmospheric pressure = (1.669-1) x 14.7 = 9.83psi (this is our second guess at the boost pressure required).
4. Drive power efficiency = -0.7 x boost + 96.667 = -0.7 x 9.83 + 96.667 = 90% (this number we will keep calculating/updating in the iteration cycles below).
5. Temperature gain across the supercharger = ((pressure ratio^0.28)-1)xTabsolute/thermal eficiency = ((1.669^0.28)-1)x556/0.65 = 132ºF (this is our second guess at the supercharger temperature increase).

Third iteration – again updating our estimate of boost and outlet temperature.
1. Density ratio = supercharger inlet temperature/supercharger outlet temperature = 556/(556+132) = 0.808
2. Pressure ratio = desired horsepower/(existing horsepower x densiy ratio x volumetric efficiencies ratio x drive power efficiency) = 110/(75x0.808x1.125x0.90) = 1.79
3. Boost = (pressure ratio – 1) x atmospheric pressure = (1.79-1) x 14.7 = 11.6psi (this is our third guess at the boost pressure required).
4. Drive power efficiency = -0.7 x boost + 96.667 = -0.7 x 11.6 + 96.667 = 88.5% (this number we will keep calculating/updating in the iteration cycles below).
5. Temperature gain =((pressure ratio^0.28)-1)xTabsolute/thermal eficiency = ((1.79^0.28)-1)x556/0.65 = 151ºF (this is our third guess at the supercharger temperature increase).

If we keep iterating around and around again (Microsoft Excel is great for this), the numbers in our example finally stabilise as follows:
• Boost = 12.9psi
• Pressure ratio = 1.47
• Temperature gain = 165ºF

I'll run some more numbers and show what this means for our small Norman in the next post.

Cheers,
Harv

So what do we do with this supercharger calculation process? Firstly, it gives us a useful tool for looking at what happens as we wind up the boost on a Norman. Taking our blown grey example above and running a few different power levels through it lets us generate the example chart below:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/graph1_zpsbde34ca6.jpg) ($2)

So what does the chart tell us?
Firstly, along the bottom of the scale is the engine horsepower, starting at the factory 75BHP. As we wind boost up from zero to 13psi, our power output increases up to around 110BHP. From earlier discussion, we know that the early supercharged grey motors were not high boost machines, which is why I stopped the calculations here. If we look for our “typical” 50% or so power increase, we would need to be at the 13psi level. This seems a little high compared to the 5psi or so the old blown greys were running, but is in the right ballpark. So why does the model give 13 and not 5? We need to think a little bit more about this – it is largely temperature related.

The secondly thing we can see from the graph is the supercharger discharge temperature. We can see that the supercharger discharge temperature rises with boost, up from ambient at zero boost to about 125ºC at our 110BHP. This is again directionally correct. Looking at some of the literature:
“Even with low boost pressures, manifold temperatures easily reach the 300 degrees (150ºC) mark, or even higher when driving a supercharged car at sustained high speed on petrol” - Blow for Go! Australian Hot Rod November 1966.
This shows our estimate of output temperature is in the right ballpark. So why does the boost pressure in the model seem so high? One of the big issues is that the model (correctly) assumes we are not running an intercooler – discharge temperature increases dramatically with boost. This is a bit different to a modern supercharged (or turbocharged) vehicle with a thumping great intercooler hanging out of the front bumper. That high supercharger discharge temperature means our nicely compressed air/fuel mix is getting hot and less dense... bit of a shame to lose some of the density we were hoping to achieve by supercharging. Worst still, high supercharger discharge temperatures can lead to knock. The historic grey motor set-ups were often run with water (or water/methanol mixture) injection as a knock-inhibitor. Water does this by reducing the temperature of both the inlet system and combustion chamber. We know from the same article above that the 110 Deluxe Norman supercharger kits were introducing water from 110ºF (43ºC), and keeping temperature within 10ºF (say 43ºC – 49ºC). The use of water to cool things down is not counted for in our above model, which is why boost pressure seems so high.

Modelling water injection and it’s effect on boost temperature can be complex, mainly because water injection does some funky things inside the combustion chamber – there is a combination of:
a) Lower temperature due to the vapourisation of water, and hence higher charge density (more fuel and air gets in),
b) Less fuel and air being introduced because some is replaced by water (which doesn’t burn too well),
c) Changes in combustion chemistry due to the interaction of water molecules with fuel during the chemical burning process, and
d) A “steam turbine” effect as some of the unvapouised water flashes off with increased heat.
Modelling all the above is damn hard – you would need to be a rocket scientist. We can however model just the simple “lower temperature” part. For example, we can model what would happen if we were able to keep the supercharger outlet temperature at say 50ºC (i.e. run a Norman with water injection similar to the 110 Deluxe injection system). To do this, we perform the same calculations as the example above, but when we calculate density ratio:
Density ratio = (supercharger inlet temperature)/(supercharger outlet temperature)
We use 50ºC (122ºF or 582ºFabsolute) instead of the calculated (and much higher) supercharger outlet temperature. Running this process through for our “small Norman blown grey” example above gives the following chart:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/graph2_zps3fc294a4.jpg) ($2)

This graph looks more familiar – our 50% power increase is now in the 7½ psi or so range. The above gives us some confidence that the model is not too bad, bearing in mind that the accuracy is probably only +/- 1psi on boost pressure.
The model could do with some tuning against dyno data, but as we noted above convincing someone to allow you to bolt up their supercharger and then test the boundaries of it’s performance is not likely to be an easy task. One set of data that is available is from the same Australian Hot Rod article noted above. In the article, Eldred notes that a standard 179ci motor generates 69BHP at 3,000rpm and 115BHP at the 4,000rpm redline. The latter value indicates that this is probably the HD Holden 179 (this is backed by the article also referencing a 179 X2 engine, as per the HD Holden). We can assume then that the engine volumetric efficiency has increased a little bit over our asthmatic grey motor... say from 80% to 85%. The article indicates that at 4500rpm, the supercharger is putting at 7psi and the motor is developing 145BHP. If we run these numbers through the model, it predicts that Eldred’s blown 179ci at 145BHP will require 6.7 psi with no water injection, or 5.8psi with a 122ºF water injector. This is pretty close to the numbers noted in the article, given the accuracy of the data.

I know the last few posts have been a bit geeky :-[. In the next few we’ll take a look at how we can use the modelling more usefully – predicting pinging, making choices about water injection and sizing pulleys.

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman fiddler).

One issue that our model is useful for is to look at knocking (pinging. There are a number of different views as to when the onset of pinging occurs.

Weiand (http://www.holley.com/data/Catalogs/Weiand/68.pdf) calculates the supercharged engines effective compression ratio as:

Effective compression ratio = (boost/14.7 + 1) x static compression ratio.

Warning... this is not the only way to calculate effective compression ratio – just the one Weiand has chosen (more on this later when we talk about timing). Weiand has found that for Rootes type superchargers, running 92 octane fuel, with no intercooling and with no ignition retard that pinging will not occur with an effective compression ratio lower than 12:1. 92 octane fuel is a little low given that 98 is freely available in Australia. We this need to temper Weiand’s rule of them a bit.

One way to do this is to use the rule developed by A K Miller (a US salt lake racer and manufacturer of turbocharger kits, see Turbochargers by Hugh MacInnes). Miller’s view indicates that the octane required of an engine increases by one point for every psi of boost (for example a 90 RON naturally aspirated engine requires 98 RON at 8psi boost). This is slightly less conservative than the rule of thumb developed by both Kenne Bell (a US manufacturer of superchargers - http://www.kennebell.net/KBWebsite/FAQ_pg/layouts/faq-answers1.htm) and Corky Bell (see Supercharged! Design, Testing and Installation of Supercharger Systems), both of whom indicate that 1½ octane points are required to support one psi of boost. If we use the more conservative 1½, then we can bring together the Weiand and Miller/Bell/Bell’s experience to draw the chart below:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/graph1_zps3927b8c0.jpg) ($2)

The range of compression ratios seen in factory Holden grey motors is 6.5:1 to 7.25:1, whilst for EH-HR Holden red motors is 7.7:1 to 9.2:1. The graph shows that for our grey motor running on 98 RON we should be able to achieve 14 to 16psi of boost without pinging.
Sense checking this information:
• “Typically, a 5- to 8-psi boost range (usually produced with the supplied pulleys in blower kits) will work fine for compression ratios in the 8:1 to mid-9:1 range (operating on 91/92-octane fuel).” - Chevy High Performance Magazine. This advice is in the same ballpark as the above graph, but a little less conservative.
• “For carburetted engines with compression ratios of 9:1 or less and boost levels in the 8-14 psi range, pump gasoline works very well. Compression ratios of 10:1 and higher require lower boost levels, higher octane fuel, intercooling, or some combination of the above. Compression ratios in the 7 or 8:1 range can usually handle 12-20 psi on pump gasoline.” – The Supercharger Store. This advice is again in the same ballpark but less conservative.

Whilst the data above is a good guess, it is pretty rough and based on multiple rules of thumb. To be honest, it is probably a little too rough to be really useful. A different, and perhaps more accurate way to look a knocking is to use our model to rpedct combustion chamber temperature. This can be done using the following formula (from Supercharged! Design, Testing and Installation of Supercharger Systems by Corky Bell):

Combustion chamber temperature = (compression ratio)^0.28 x cylinder inlet temperature
Where combustion chamber temperature is in ºF, compression ratio is the static compression ratio of the engine (eg “8” for a 8:1 engine), and cylinder inlet temperature is the temperature of the gases exiting the supercharger (in ºFabsolute). Guidance from Bell indicates that knocking will occur at an approximate combustion chamber temperature of 1075ºF.

As an example, taking one of the data points for our non-water injection “small Norman” blown grey motor above, we see that the 7.25:1 engine at 110BHP would be running 8.8psi boost with a discharge temperature of 102ºC (676 ºFabsolute). Calculating through:

Combustion chamber temperature = 7.25^0.28x676=1177ºF.
This is over the guidance above of 1075ºC, indicating that knocking is likely.
We can use the above formula to draw the graph below to use instead of the “rule of thumb” graph above:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/graph2_zpsa0529002.jpg) ($2)

For our Holden grey motor (6.5:1 to 7.25:1, the graph shows us that we can expect knocking to occur somewhere between 55ºC and 65ºC, and for a red motor between 35ºC and 50ºC. This makes good sense when compared to the control implemented in Eldred’s 110 Deluxe water injector which kept the supercharger discharge temperature between 43º to 49ºC.

So what can we do with the data above? If we take the limit for knocking to be 50ºC supercharger discharge temperature, and use our modelling from above, then we can see that without water injection our supercharged grey motor will perform like the following chart:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/graph3_zpsd1e4fc42.jpg) ($2)

The chart shows that without water injection, our 7.25:1 (typical FB-EJ Holden) grey motor will be limited to about 88BHP at 4½psi boost, whilst an earlier FX-FJ grey motor at 6.5:1 is likely to be limited to around 91BHP at 5½psi. We can sneak a few more BHP out by decompressing the motor to 6:1 (by opening the heads or adding a decompression plate), but in reality we are pretty limited.

In summary, the above modelling has thus delivered us two useful messages:
• a supercharged grey engine can expect knocking to occur somewhere between 55ºC and 65ºC supercharger discharge temperature, with 50ºC a reasonable control limit, and
• water injection is going to be a necessity on our blown grey unless we are happy with only 20% or so power increase.

There are other ways of dealing with knocking (for example fuel and ignition) and I will cover these separately.

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman fiddler).

OK, a little break from the theory (I'll come back to pulley sizing later). I managed to add another Norman to the collection:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/allegedtype752_zpsc3efe552.jpg) ($2)

I've now got six on the bench:
Harv's small Norman,
Harv's large Norman,
Harv's water-cooled Norman,
Harv's clutched Norman (this new one),
Gary's Type 56 Norman, abd
Gary's large norman.

This new one has "Norman 12" cast into it, and "75" stamped in. Going by old magazine articles, I suspect it is a 110 Deluxe. Not knowing exactly what each model is named is really starting to bug me - consider this a despearate plea for anyone who has info on the various model names... I'd love to hear from you. The new Norman has a clutch drive, driven by hydraulics. It uses engine oil pressure via a daash switch to turn the blower on and off. It also has a blower bypass that operates when the blower is shut off.

The size of this thing is 149ci, nearly the same as my water-cooled Norman. Interestingly, this thing has almost no internal compression ratio (inlet volume is almost the same as outlet volume), and hence would behave similarly to a Rootes blower.

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman fiddler).

Ok, one final post to finish up our work on modelling.

The next task we can use our model for is to work out how specific superchargers will behave on our grey motor. A larger supercharger will not need to spin as fast as a smaller supercharger to achieve the same boost pressure. Also, if we have a given supercharger we can change the crank (or drive) pulley to spin it faster or slower, achieving different boost pressures with the same machine.

The calculation process is as follows. Note that I will continue on using the data from the example above.
1. We start by determining the airflow through the engine without the supercharger:
Naturally aspirated engine airflow = (engine capacity x rpm x 0.5 x volumetric efficiency)/1728
For our example grey motor, the engine capacity is 138ci, our redline speed is 4200rpm and our engine volumetric efficiency is 80%. This gives:
Naturally aspirated engine airflow = (138x4200x0.5x0.8)/1728 = 134cfm.
2. We can then calculate the (now pressurised) air flow required by the supercharged engine:
Supercharged air flow rate = basic engine flow rate x pressure ratio
If we look at the point where our supercharged grey motor was making 110BHP, boost was 12.9psi and the pressure ratio was 1.47. This gives:
Supercharged air flow rate = 134 x 1.47 = 252cfm.
3. Next we can calculate how fast a given supercharger will need to spin to deliver this flow.
Supercharger speed = (supercharged air flow x 1728)/supercharger capacity
If we assume that we are supercharging with my small Norman (83ci/rev capacity), then:
Supercharger speed = (252 x 1728)/83 = 5260rpm.
This shows that whilst our engine is turning at 4200rpm, our supercharger will need to be turned somewhat faster (overdriven) in order to achieve the boost pressure (and hence power) we are seeking. This seems a little odd, as most Normans are driven at pretty close to engine speed. The reason for this is that the example above has no water injection, and hence the gases exiting the supercharger are hot and not very dense. If we cool them by water injection, then we get results closer to engine speed (see graph and discussion below).
4. To overdrive the supercharger, we can change either the drive (crankshaft) pulley, or the driven (supercharger) pulley size. Making the crank pulley smaller will underdrive (slow) the supercharger, whilst making the supercharger pulley smaller will overdrive (speed up) the supercharger. To determine the relative sizes of the two pulley we need:
Crank pulley ratio = supercharger speed/engine redline
For our example, this gives:
Crank pulley ratio = 5260/4200 = 1.253
This means that we would need to have a crank pulley that is 25% larger in diameter than the supercharger pulley. As an example, if we assume that we have something similar to the factory FE-EJ Holden grey motor harmonic balancer on the end of the crank, our crank pulley diameter is 45/8”. This would require a supercharger pulley of 45/8/1.253 = 3.69” diameter.

Using the above calculation process means that for a given engine and supercharger we can work out how it will behave for a given pulley size. As examples, if we use our example grey motor from above but this time adding water injection to achieve a 50ºC supercharger outlet temperature, we can plot the following chart for different superchargers:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/graph1_zps91bf8918.jpg) ($2)

From the above, we can see that different superchargers can be used to get the same power output on our grey motor, but will spin at different speeds. For example, at 120BHP output Harv’s small Norman will be spinning at more than twice the speed than if we had of bolted on Gary’s large Norman. From the above, we can see that a given Norman supercharger has:
a) A capacity – it will push out a given amount of air every time the shaft is turned, and
b) A point of maximum efficiency – it runs “happiest” at a given pressure.
c) We can get more boost out of a given supercharger by spinning it faster.
However, a word of caution here. Although a larger supercharger can be used and turned slower (within reason), the inverse is not always true (i.e. you cannot always take a too-small supercharger and spin the crap out of it to get the right boost). This is because at high speeds:
a) the amount of air slipping past the vanes and being churned up inside the supercharger increases,
b) less time is available for the air to flow backwards and forwards when discharging (if we are not at the point of maximum efficiency (or “happiest” pressure),
c) the superchargers ability to suck in and blow out each parcel of air begins to be constrained by the inlet and discharge port geometry.
d) more power is taken up driving the supercharger itself.
In the end, this becomes a case of diminishing returns – we get less and less additional boost despite spinning the supercharger faster and faster. Whilst every application of a Norman will vary, practical guidance (Go for Blow, 2009 Street Machine Hot Rod Annual) indicates that 6-7psi is a typical point of diminishing returns for early Normans.

We can also plot out pulley ratio for each of our example superchargers:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/graph2_zpsfdc90af0.jpg) ($2)

This shows that for Harv’s small Norman and a pulley ratio of 1:1 we would get about 115BHP.
Finally, for a given supercharger we can see how it will perform for a given range of pulleys. For example, for Harv’s small Norman if we assume we are running a crank pulley similar to the standard FE-EJ Holden (45/8” diameter), then the supercharger would behave as follows:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/graph3_zps31ff80a7.jpg) ($2)

This shows that for our target 50% power increase to 110BHP we would be looking for a supercharger pulley diameter similar to that on the crank, and would be running at around 8psi (with our water injection holding discharge temperature to 50ºC). These numbers line up pretty well with the anecdotes from old Norman operation.

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman fiddler).

Whilst it is possible to run a Norman supercharger on any type of carburetor, there is no doubt that an SU looks correct, and is somewhat forgiving. I am not going to go into the basics of SU operation, nor the overhaul process here, as both are covered in many different references. For anyone wanting a good, easy to follow guide on both operation and overhaul, I would recommend Tuning SU Carburettors by Speedsport Motorbooks.
I Bought it on eBay… Now Just What is it?
The starting point for getting our Norman fed is to identify the type of SU that you either have lying under the bench, are watching on eBay or are staring at on a swapmeet stand. Four different types of SU carburetor were made – the H, HD, HS and HIF, as shown below:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/supicture1_zpse2786982.jpg) ($2)

The size of SU carburetors is made by measuring the diameter of the butterfly (engine) side flange hole. The imperial sizes include 11/8”, 1¼”, 1½”, 1¾”, 17/8” and 2", although not every type (H, HD, HS, HIF) was offered in every size. There were also H models made in 2¼” and 2½”, now obsolete. Special purpose-built carburettors (including the rare-as-rocking-horse-poo 3” Norman SU) were made as large as 3".
To determine the throat size from the model number
• If the final number (after one, two or three letters, beginning with H) has one digit, multiply this number by 1/8”, then add 1". For example, if the model number is HS6, the final number is 6, 6x1/8” = ¾", add 1, total is 1¾".
• If the final number has two digits, it is the throat size in millimeters. For example, if the model number is HIF38, the final number is 38 and the size is 38mm.

Additionally, some carburetors are referred to as “thermo” models. The thermo carburetors have a separate unit attached to the main carburetter. The thermo unit is used on certain installations to provide automatically different degrees of mixture enrichment at starting, idling, light cruising and full throttle. The unit is driven either by a thermostatic switch housed in the cylinder head or a manually operated switch. An example of a thermo model number is “HD6TH”.
Finally, some carburetors are fitted with Automatic Enrichment Devices (AEDs). The AED is different to a thermo unit. The AED is a fully automatic auxiliary carburettor used to proved the necessary fuel/air mixture in excess of that supplied by the standard carburettor whilst the engine is below its normal temperatures. It consists of a small carburetter complete with float-chamber and a throttle in the form of a valve opened or closed by the deflection of a temperature sensitive bi-metallic strip. An example of an AED model number is “HS8AED”.

It is often handy to understand the original vehicle that the carburetor came from. The specification number (for example AUD88F) appears on a metal tag attached to the carburetor by one of the float chamber or suction chamber screws.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/supicture2_zps503357ae.jpg) ($2)

These are often missing from older carbs, being discarded during overhaul or maintenance. When SU’s are used in multiple carburetor set-ups, the code has a letter referring to it’s position on the vehicle – F, C or R for front/centre/rear, or L or R for left/right hand. Note that in some vehicles (for example Rolls Royce) A was used for right hand and B for left hand. The diagram below shows this convention in relation to the driver’s seating position:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/supicture3_zpsaabe2eff.jpg) ($2)

The Code stamped into the tag can be used with the table below to identify the original vehicle:
Code   Model   Vehicle
AUC864F   H4   Riley One-Point-Five 1498cc 4-cylinder engine 1957-1964.
AUC864R   H4   Riley One-Point-Five 1498cc 4-cylinder engine 1957-1964.
AUC968   HS6   Rover 2000 1975cc 4-cylinder engine 1963-1964.
AUC976   HS2   Austin Mini 848cc 4-cylinder engine 1962-1968.
AUC979   HS2   Wolseley 1500 1485cc 4-cylinder engine 1962-1964.
AUC982   HD8   Rover 3 litre Coupe P5 2995cc 6-cylinder engine 1963-1964.
AUD1026A   HD8   Rolls Royce Silver Shadow (Sweden, Japan and Australia) 6750cc 8-cylinder engine 1975.
AUD1026B   HD8   Rolls Royce Silver Shadow (Sweden, Japan and Australia) 6750cc 8-cylinder engine 1975.
AUD1040A   HD8   Rolls Royce Silver Shadow/Corniche 6750cc 8-cylinder engine 1975/.
AUD1040B   HD8   Rolls Royce Silver Shadow/Corniche 6750cc 8-cylinder engine 1975/.
AUD104L   HS2   Austin Mini Cooper Mark I and Mark II 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1964-1969, Morris Mini Cooper 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1964-1969 and Universal Power Drives Unipower 998cc4-cylinder engine.
AUD104R   HS2   Austin Mini Cooper Mark I and Mark II 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1964-1969, Morris Mini Cooper 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1964-1969 and Universal Power Drives Unipower 998cc4-cylinder engine.
AUD109F   HD6TH   Jaguar 3.4 Mark III 3442cc 6-cylinder engine 1963-1964 and Jaguar 3.8 Mark II 3781cc 6-cylinder engine 1963-1964.
AUD109R   HD6   Jaguar 3.4 Mark III 3442cc 6-cylinder engine 1963-1964 and Jaguar 3.8 Mark II 3781cc 6-cylinder engine 1963-1964.
AUD111C   HD8   Jaguar Mark X 3781cc 6-cylinder engine 1963-1964.
AUD111F   HD8TH   Jaguar Mark X 3781cc 6-cylinder engine 1963-1964.
AUD111R   HD8   Jaguar Mark X 3781cc 6-cylinder engine 1963-1964.
AUD112C   HD8   Jaguar ‘E’ Type 3781cc 6-cylinder engine 1963-1964.
AUD112F   HD8   Jaguar ‘E’ Type 3781cc 6-cylinder engine 1963-1964.
AUD112R   HD8   Jaguar ‘E’ Type 3781cc 6-cylinder engine 1963-1964.
AUD114   HD8   Rover 3 litre P5 2995cc 6-cylinder engine 1963-1964.
AUD115   HD8   Rover 3 litre 2995cc 6-cylinder engine 1963-1964.
AUD118F   HS4   Reliant Sabre Ford (Zephyr) 1700cc 4-cylinder engine 1963-1964.
AUD118R   HS4   Reliant Sabre Ford (Zephyr) 1700cc 4-cylinder engine 1963-1964.
AUD120   HS2   Austin A35 van 848cc 4-cylinder engine 1965-1970.
AUD124F   HD8   Austin Healey 3000 Mark III 2912cc 6-cylinder engine 1964.
AUD124R   HD8   Austin Healey 3000 Mark III 2912cc 6-cylinder engine 1964.
AUD128F   HD6   Alvis TD 21 6-cylinder engine1963-1964.
AUD128R   HD6TH   Alvis TD 21 6-cylinder engine 1963-1964.
AUD129F   HD8   MG MGB Competition 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1963-1964.
AUD129R   HD8   MG MGB Competition 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1963-1964.
AUD13   HS2   Austin A40 Mark II 1098c 4-cylinder engine 1962-1967, Austin 1100 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1962-1967, Austin 1100 Mark II 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1971, Morris Minor 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1962-1970 and Morris 1100 Mark II 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD132L   HS2   Innocenti 1100 IM3 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1963-1964.
AUD132R   HS2   Innocenti 1100 IM3 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1963-1964.
AUD135F   HS4   MG MGB and GT 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1965-1966.
AUD135R   HS4   MG MGB and GT 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1965-1966.
AUD136F   HS2   Austin-Healey Sprite MK III 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1964-1966, Austin-Healey Sprite MK IV 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968, MG Midget Mark II 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1964 and MG Midget Mark III 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD136R   HS2   Austin-Healey Sprite MK III 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1964-1966, Austin-Healey Sprite MK IV 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968, MG Midget Mark II 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1964 and MG Midget Mark III 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD139L   HD8   Daimler V8 Majestic Major and Majestic 4561cc 8-cylinder engine 1964.

AUD139R   HD8   Daimler V8 Majestic Major and Majestic 4561cc 8-cylinder engine 1964.
AUD141   HS6   Rover 2000 1975cc 4-cylinder engine 1963-1964.
AUD144C   HD8   Jaguar Mark X 8:1 and 9:1 compression ratio 3781cc 6-cylinder engine 1964 and Jaguar Mark X 8:1 and 9:1 compression ratio 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1964.
AUD144F   HD8TH   Jaguar Mark X 8:1 and 9:1 compression ratio 3781cc 6-cylinder engine 1964 and Jaguar Mark X 8:1 and 9:1 compression ratio 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1964.
AUD144R   HD8   Jaguar Mark X 8:1 and 9:1 compression ratio 3781cc 6-cylinder engine 1964 and Jaguar Mark X 8:1 and 9:1 compression ratio 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1964.
AUD146L   HS2   Austin Mini Cooper ‘S’ 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1964-1970 and Morris Mini Cooper ‘S’ 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1964-1970.
AUD146R   HS2   Austin Mini Cooper ‘S’ 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1964-1970 and Morris Mini Cooper ‘S’ 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1964-1970.
AUD147   HS6   Austin 1800 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1964-1966 and Morris 1800 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1964.
AUD150F   HS6   MG MGC 2912cc 6-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD150R   HS6   MG MGC 2912cc 6-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD151L   HS2   Austin Mini Cooper ‘S’ 970cc 4-cylinder engine 1964 and Morris Mini Cooper ‘S’ 970cc 4-cylinder engine 1964.
AUD151R   HS2   Austin Mini Cooper ‘S’ 970cc 4-cylinder engine 1964 and Morris Mini Cooper ‘S’ 970cc 4-cylinder engine 1964.
AUD153F   HD6TH   Jaguar 3.8 ‘S’ Type Mark III 8:1 and 9:1 compression ratio (paper cleaner) 3781cc 6-cylinder engine 1964.
AUD153R   HD6   Jaguar 3.8 ‘S’ Type Mark III 8:1 and 9:1 compression ratio (paper cleaner) 3781cc 6-cylinder engine 1964.
AUD154F   HD6TH   Jaguar 3.8 ‘S’ Type Mark III 8:1 and 9:1 compression ratio (oil bath cleaner) 3781cc 6-cylinder engine 1964.
AUD154R   HD6   Jaguar 3.8 ‘S’ Type Mark III 8:1 and 9:1 compression ratio (oil bath cleaner) 3781cc 6-cylinder engine 1964.
AUD155F   HD6TH   Jaguar 3.8 7:1 compression ratio (Cooper cleaner) 3781cc 6-cylinder engine 1964.
AUD155R   HD6   Jaguar 3.8 7:1 compression ratio (Cooper cleaner) 3781cc 6-cylinder engine 1964.
AUD156C   HD8   Jaguar Mark X automatic and overdrive 3781cc 6-cylinder engine 1964, Jaguar Mark X automatic and overdrive 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1964 and Jaguar 420G 8:1 and 9:1 compression ratio automatic (AC paper cleaner) 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1967-1968.

AUD156F   HD8TH   Jaguar Mark X automatic and overdrive 3781cc 6-cylinder engine 1964, Jaguar Mark X automatic and overdrive 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1964 and Jaguar 420G 8:1 and 9:1 compression ratio automatic (AC paper cleaner) 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD156R   HD8   Jaguar Mark X automatic and overdrive 3781cc 6-cylinder engine 1964, Jaguar Mark X automatic and overdrive 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1964 and Jaguar 420G 8:1 and 9:1 compression ratio automatic (AC paper cleaner) 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD157C   HD8   Jaguar Mark X 3781cc 6-cylinder engine 1964, Jaguar Mark X 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1964 and Jaguar 420G 8:1 and 9:1 compression ratio manual (AC paper cleaner) 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD157F   HD8TH   Jaguar Mark X 3781cc 6-cylinder engine 1964, Jaguar Mark X 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1964 and Jaguar 420G 8:1 and 9:1 compression ratio manual (AC paper cleaner) 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD157R   HD8   Jaguar Mark X 3781cc 6-cylinder engine 1964, Jaguar Mark X 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1964 and Jaguar 420G 8:1 and 9:1 compression ratio manual (AC paper cleaner) 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD160L   HS2   Innocenti 1100 IM3 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1964.
AUD160R   HS2   Innocenti 1100 IM3 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1964.
AUD161C   HS4   Reliant Scimitar inline 2500cc 6-cylinder engine 1965-1966.
AUD161F   HS4   Reliant Scimitar inline 2500cc 6-cylinder engine 1965-1966.
AUD161R   HS4   Reliant Scimitar inline 2500cc 6-cylinder engine 1965-1966.
AUD168   HS2   Innocenti 1100 IM3 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1964.
AUD170   HS4   Austin Mini automatic 848cc 4-cylinder engine 1965-1967 and Morris Mini automatic 848cc 4-cylinder engine 1965-1966.
AUD171L   HS6   Austin 1800 ‘S’ 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1971, Morris 1800 ‘S’ 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1971 and Wolseley 18/85 Mark II ‘S’ 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1971.
AUD171R   HS6   Austin 1800 ‘S’ 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1971, Morris 1800 ‘S’ 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1971 and Wolseley 18/85 Mark II ‘S’ 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1971.
AUD177’A’   HD8   Bentley T Series (SY) 6230cc 8-cylinder engine 1965-1968 and Rolls Royce Silver Shadow 6230cc 8-cylinder engine 1965-1968.
AUD177’B’   HD8   Bentley T Series (SY) 6230cc 8-cylinder engine 1965-1968 and Rolls Royce Silver Shadow 6230cc 8-cylinder engine 1965-1968.
AUD180L   HD6   Daimler V8 Saloon automatic 2548cc 8-cylinder engine 1964-1968 and Daimler V8 Saloon manual 2548cc 8-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD180R   HD6   Daimler V8 Saloon automatic 2548cc 8-cylinder engine 1964-1968 and Daimler V8 Saloon manual 2548cc 8-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD181L   HD8   Daimler V8 Majestic Major 4561cc 8-cylinder engine 1964-1968.
AUD181R   HD8   Daimler V8 Majestic Major 4561cc 8-cylinder engine 1964-1968.
AUD184   HS4   Austin Mini Mark II automatic 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968 and Morris Mini Mark II automatic 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD185   HS4   Austin 1100 automatic 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1965-1967 and Morris 1100 automatic 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1965-1966.
AUD186   HS4   Austin 1300 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968, MG MG 1300 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1967, Morris 1300 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968, Riley Kestrel 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968, Vanden Plas Princess 1300 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968 and Wolseley 1300 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD193F   HS6   Volvo B18B 1800S (pancake filter) 1788cc 4-cylinder engine 1965-1966.
AUD193R   HS6   Volvo B18B 1800S (pancake filter) 1788cc 4-cylinder engine 1965-1966.
AUD200F   HS6   Volvo B18D and P122S (oil bath filter) 1788cc 4-cylinder engine 1965-1966.
AUD200R   HS6   Volvo B18D and P122S (oil bath filter) 1788cc 4-cylinder engine 1965-1966.
AUD201   HD6   Land-Rover 2.6 109” wheelbase left hand drive 2600cc 6-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD202F   HS6   Volvo B18D (silencer filter) 1788cc 4-cylinder engine 1966-1967.
AUD202R   HS6   Volvo B18D (silencer filter) 1788cc 4-cylinder engine 1966-1967.
AUD204F   HS6   Volvo B18B 1800S (silencer, paper element) 1788cc 4-cylinder engine 1965-1966.
AUD204R   HS6   Volvo B18B 1800S (silencer, paper element) 1788cc 4-cylinder engine 1965-1966.
AUD209F   HS6   Triumph TR4A 2138cc 4-cylinder engine 1965-1966.
AUD209R   HS6   Triumph TR4A 2138cc 4-cylinder engine 1965-1966.
AUD210   HS2   Innocenti Mini 848cc 4-cylinder engine 1965-1966.

AUD211   HS6   Rover 2000 1975cc 4-cylinder engine 1965-1968.
AUD215F   HS8   Vanden Plas Princess 4 litre R 3909cc 6-cylinder engine 1965-1966.
AUD215R   HS8   Vanden Plas Princess 4 litre R 3909cc 6-cylinder engine 1965-1966.
AUD217F   HS6   Austin 3-litre 2912cc 6-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD217R   HS6   Austin 3-litre 2912cc 6-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD223   HS6   Austin 1800 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1966-1967 and Morris 1800 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1966.
AUD226C   HD6   Alvis TF21 Series IV 3-litre 6-cylinder engine 1965-1966.
AUD226F   HD6   Alvis TF21 Series IV 3-litre 6-cylinder engine 1965-1966.
AUD226R   HDSTH   Alvis TF21 Series IV 3-litre 6-cylinder engine 1965-1966.
AUD227C   HD8   Jaguar ‘E’ Type 8:1 and 9:1 compression ratio 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD227F   HD8   Jaguar ‘E’ Type 8:1 and 9:1 compression ratio 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD227R   HD8   Jaguar ‘E’ Type 8:1 and 9:1 compression ratio 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD230F   HS6   Volvo B18B 144S (pancake filter) 1788cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD230R   HS6   Volvo B18B 144S (pancake filter) 1788cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD231F   HS6   Volvo B18B 144S (silencer filter) 1788cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD231R   HS6   Volvo B18B 144S (silencer filter) 1788cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD232F   HS6   Volvo B18D 144 (pancake filter) 1788cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD232R   HS6   Volvo B18D 144 (pancake filter) 1788cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD233L   HS6   Rover 3.5 litre V8 P5 3528cc 8-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD233R   HS6   Rover 3.5 litre V8 P5 3528cc 8-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD239F   HD8TH   Jaguar 420 8:1 and 9:1 compression ratio manual (AC paper cleaner) 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD239R   HD8   Jaguar 420 8:1 and 9:1 compression ratio manual (AC paper cleaner) 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD240F   H4   Austin Westminster 110 2912cc 6-cylinder engine 1967 and Wolseley 6/110 2912cc 6-cylinder engine 1967.
AUD240R   H4   Austin Westminster 110 2912cc 6-cylinder engine 1967 and Wolseley 6/110 2912cc 6-cylinder engine 1967.
AUD241F   HD6TH   Jaguar 340 7:1 compression ratio manual and automatic (AC paper cleaner) 3442cc 6-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD241R   HD6   Jaguar 340 7:1 compression ratio manual and automatic (AC paper cleaner) 3442cc 6-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD242F   HD6TH   Jaguar 340 8:1 and 9:1 compression ratio manual and automatic (AC paper cleaner) 3442cc 6-cylinder engine 1967-1968.

AUD242R   HD6   Jaguar 340 8:1 and 9:1 compression ratio manual and automatic (AC paper cleaner) 3442cc 6-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD243F   HD6TH   Jaguar 3.4 ‘S’ Type 8:1 and 9:1 compression ratio automatic and manual (AC paper cleaner) 3442cc 6-cylinder engine 1967-1968 and Jaguar 3.8 ‘S’ Type 8:1 and 9:1 compression ratio manual and automatic (AC paper cleaner) 3781cc 6-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD243R   HD6   Jaguar 3.4 ‘S’ Type 8:1 and 9:1 compression ratio automatic and manual (AC paper cleaner) 3442cc 6-cylinder engine 1967-1968 and Jaguar 3.8 ‘S’ Type 8:1 and 9:1 compression ratio manual and automatic (AC paper cleaner) 3781cc 6-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD245F   HD8TH   Daimler Sovereign 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1967-1968 and Jaguar 420 8:1 and 9:1 compression ratio automatic (AC paper cleaner) 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD245R   HD8   Daimler Sovereign 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1967-1968 and Jaguar 420 8:1 and 9:1 compression ratio automatic (AC paper cleaner) 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD247   HD6   Land-Rover station wagon 109” wheelbase (LC) 2600cc six-cylinder engine 1967.
AUD250   HS4   Austin Mini automatic 848cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968 and Morris Mini automatic 848cc 4-cylinder engine 1967.
AUD251   HS4   Austin 1100 Mark II automatic 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968 and Morris 1100 automatic 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1967.
AUD252F   HS6   Volvo B18B 144 (U.S.A) 1788cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD252R   HS6   Volvo B18B 144 (U.S.A) 1788cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD254F   HS8   Rover 2000 TC (U.S.A) 1975cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD254R   HS8   Rover 2000 TC (U.S.A) 1975cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD256F   HS6   Jaguar 240 2483cc 6-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD256R   HS6   Jaguar 240 2483cc 6-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD257F   HS2   Triumph Spitfire Mark III 1296cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1970 and Triumph 1300 TC 1296cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD257R   HS2   Triumph Spitfire Mark III 1296cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1970 and Triumph 1300 TC 1296cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD258   HS6   Austin Maxi 1500 1485cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1971.
AUD262   HS4   Innocenti Mini automatic 848cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD263   HS4   Innocenti 1100 IM3 automatic 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD264F   HS8   Rover 2000 TC 1975cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD264R   HS8   Rover 2000 TC 1975cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD265F   HS4   MG MGB (U.S.A) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1968.
AUD265R   HS4   MG MGB (U.S.A) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1968.
AUD266F   HS2   Austin-Healey Sprite MK IV (U.S.A.) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1968 and MG Midget Mark III (U.S.A) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1968.
AUD266R   HS2   Austin-Healey Sprite MK IV (U.S.A.) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1968 and MG Midget Mark III (U.S.A) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1968.
AUD267   HS6   Rover 2000 (U.S.A) 1975cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD269’A’   HD8   Bentley T Series (SY) (U.S.A.) 6230cc 8-cylinder engine 1968 and Rolls Royce Silver Shadow (U.S.A) 6230cc 8-cylinder engine 1968.
AUD269’B’   HD8   Bentley T Series (SY) (U.S.A.) 6230cc 8-cylinder engine 1968 and Rolls Royce Silver Shadow (U.S.A) 6230cc 8-cylinder engine 1968.
AUD270L   HS6AED   Rover 3.5 litre V8 P5 3528cc 8-cylinder engine 1968-1969.
AUD270R   HS6   Rover 3.5 litre V8 P5 3528cc 8-cylinder engine 1968-1969.

AUD271   HS4   Austin 1300 automatic 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968, MG MG 1300 automatic 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968, Morris 1300 automatic 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968, Riley Kestrel automatic 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968, Vanden Plas Princess automatic 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968 and Wolseley 1300 automatic 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD273   HS6   Wolseley 18/85 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1967.
AUD275F   HS2   Triumph Spitfire Mark III 1296cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD275R   HS2   Triumph Spitfire Mark III 1296cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD277F   HS6   Volvo B18B Snow Weasel 1788cc 4-cylinder engine 1967.
AUD277R   HS6   Volvo B18B Snow Weasel 1788cc 4-cylinder engine 1967.
AUD278F   HS4   MG MGB and GT 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD278R   HS4   MG MGB and GT 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD280   HS6   Austin 1800 Mark II 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1968-1970 and Morris 1800 Mark II 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1968.
AUD281   HS4   Austin America 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1968 and MG Sedan (U.S.A) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD284F   HS6   Triumph TR4A (U.S.A) 2138cc 4-cylinder engine 1968.
AUD284R   HS6   Triumph TR4A (U.S.A) 2138cc 4-cylinder engine 1968.
AUD285F   HS2   Triumph Spitfire Mark III (U.S.A) 1296cc 4-cylinder engine 1969.
AUD285R   HS2   Triumph Spitfire Mark III (U.S.A) 1296cc 4-cylinder engine 1969.
AUD287F   HS6   MG MGC (U.S.A) 2912cc 6-cylinder engine 1968.
AUD287R   HS6   MG MGC (U.S.A) 2912cc 6-cylinder engine 1968.
AUD288   HS6   Leyland International 1500 (Australia) 1485cc 4-cylinder engine 1969.
AUD290F   HS2   Triumph Spitfire Mark III (U.S.A) 1296cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD290R   HS2   Triumph Spitfire Mark III (U.S.A) 1296cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD291   HS6   Austin 1800 Mark II automatic 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1968-1970, Morris 1800 Mark II automatic 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1968 and Wolseley 18/85 Mark II automatic 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1971.
AUD296   HS4   Austin America automatic 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1968 and MG Sedan automatic (U.S.A) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1968.
AUD297F   HS6   Jaguar 240 automatic 2483cc 6-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD297R   HS6   Jaguar 240 automatic 2483cc 6-cylinder engine 1967-1968.
AUD298   HS2   Austin Mini Mark II 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1968-1970, Morris Mini Mark II 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1968-1971, Riley Elf Mark II 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1968-1969 and Wolseley Hornet Mark III 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1968-1969.
AUD299   HS2   Austin Mini Mark II 848cc 4-cylinder engine 1968-1970 and Morris Mini 848cc 4-cylinder engine 1968-1971.
AUD305F   HS6   Volvo B18B 144 1788cc 4-cylinder engine 1968.
AUD305R   HS6   Volvo B18B 144 1788cc 4-cylinder engine 1968.
AUD309F   HS6   Jaguar 240 2483cc 6-cylinder engine 1968-1969.
AUD309R   HS6   Jaguar 240 2483cc 6-cylinder engine 1968-1969.
AUD310F   HS6   Jaguar 240 automatic 2483cc 6-cylinder engine 1968-1969.
AUD310R   HS6   Jaguar 240 automatic 2483cc 6-cylinder engine 1968-1969.
AUD312L   HS6AED   Rover 3500S V8 P6 (U.S.A) 3528cc 8-cylinder engine 1969-1970.
AUD312R   HS6   Rover 3500S V8 P6 (U.S.A) 3528cc 8-cylinder engine 1969-1970.
AUD313L   HS6   Rover 3.5 litre V8 P6 3528cc 8-cylinder engine 1968.
AUD313R   HS6   Rover 3.5 litre V8 P6 3528cc 8-cylinder engine 1968.
AUD314   HS6   Austin 1800 (Canada) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1972.
AUD315   HS6   Austin 1800 Mark II automatic (Canada) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1968-1972.
AUD317   HS4   Austin Mini Clubman 1275 GT 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1971, Leyland International Apache 1300 automatic (South Africa) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1970-1974 and Morris Mini Clubman 1275 GT 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1969.

AUD318L   HS2   MG MG 1300 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1969, Riley Kestrel Mark II 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1968, Vanden Plas Princess 1300 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1968-1969 and Wolseley 1300 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1968-1969.
AUD318R   HS2   MG MG 1300 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1969, Riley Kestrel Mark II 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1968, Vanden Plas Princess 1300 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1968-1969 and Wolseley 1300 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1968-1969.
AUD321F   HD8TH   Daimler Sovereign 2792cc 6-cylinder engine 1968-1971 and Jaguar 2.8 XJS 2792cc 6-cylinder engine 1968-1971.
AUD321R   HD8   Daimler Sovereign 2792cc 6-cylinder engine 1968-1971 and Jaguar 2.8 XJS 2792cc 6-cylinder engine 1968-1971.
AUD324L   HS2   Innocenti Mini 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1968-1969.
AUD324R   HS2   Innocenti Mini 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1968-1969.
AUD325F   HS4   MG MGB 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1971.
AUD325R   HS4   MG MGB 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1971.
AUD326F   HS4   MG MGB Mark II (U.S.A) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1968-1969.
AUD326R   HS4   MG MGB Mark II (U.S.A) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1968-1969.
AUD327F   HS2   Austin-Healey Sprite MK IV 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1968-1971, Austin Sprite MK IV 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971 and MG Midget Mark III 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1968-1971.
AUD327R   HS2   Austin-Healey Sprite MK IV 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1968-1971, Austin Sprite MK IV 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971 and MG Midget Mark III 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1968-1971.
AUD328F   HS2   Austin-Healey Sprite MK IV (U.S.A.) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1968-1969 and MG Midget Mark III (U.S.A) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1968-1969.
AUD328R   HS2   Austin-Healey Sprite MK IV (U.S.A.) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1968-1969 and MG Midget Mark III (U.S.A) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1968-1969.
AUD329F   HS8   Rover 2000 TC (U.S.A) 1975cc 4-cylinder engine 1968.
AUD329R   HS8   Rover 2000 TC (U.S.A) 1975cc 4-cylinder engine 1968.
AUD330F   HS8   Rover 2000 TC 1975cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1971.
AUD330R   HS8   Rover 2000 TC 1975cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1971.
AUD331F   HS6   Volvo B18B 144 (U.S.A) 1788cc 4-cylinder engine 1968 and Volvo B20B 144S 1990cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1970.
AUD331R   HS6   Volvo B18B 144 (U.S.A) 1788cc 4-cylinder engine 1968 and Volvo B20B 144S 1990cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1970.
AUD341F   HS6   MG MGC 2912cc 6-cylinder engine 1969.
AUD341R   HS6   MG MGC 2912cc 6-cylinder engine 1969.
AUD342F   HS6   MG MGC (U.S.A) 2912cc 6-cylinder engine 1969.
AUD342R   HS6   MG MGC (U.S.A) 2912cc 6-cylinder engine 1969.
AUD344L   HS2   Austin 1300 GT 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1971, MG MG 1300 Mark II 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1971, Morris 1300 GT 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1971, Riley Kestrel Mark II 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1968-1969, Vanden Plas Princess 1300 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1971 and Wolseley 1300 Mark II 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1971.
AUD344R   HS2   Austin 1300 GT 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1971, MG MG 1300 Mark II 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1971, Morris 1300 GT 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1971, Riley Kestrel Mark II 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1968-1969, Vanden Plas Princess 1300 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1971 and Wolseley 1300 Mark II 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1971.
AUD345   HS4   Austin America 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1971.
AUD346   HS4   Austin America automatic 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1971.
AUD350L   HS6AED   Rover 3500 V8 P6 3528cc 8-cylinder engine 1968.
AUD350R   HS6   Rover 3500 V8 P6 3528cc 8-cylinder engine 1968.
AUD354   HS4   Morris Marina 1.3 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972.
AUD355   HS6   Austin 1800 Mark II (E.C.E) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972 and Morris 1800 Mark II (E.C.E) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972.

AUD356   HS6   Austin 1800 Mark II automatic (E.C.E) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1973/ and Morris 1800 Mark II automatic (E.C.E) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1974.
AUD357F   HD8TH   Daimler Limousine 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1970-1972, Daimler Sovereign 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1968-1971 and Jaguar 4.2 XJS 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1968-1971.
AUD357R   HD8   Daimler Limousine 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1970-1972, Daimler Sovereign 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1968-1971 and Jaguar 4.2 XJS 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1968-1971.
AUD359   HS2   Austin Mini Mark II 848cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1974 and Morris Mini Mark II 848cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1975.
AUD360   HS4   Austin Mini Mark II automatic 848cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1971 and Morris Mini automatic 848cc 4-cylinder engine 1969.
AUD363   HS2   Austin Mini Mark II 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1970-1971, Austin Mini Clubman 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1971, Morris Mini Mark II 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1969 and Morris Mini Clubman 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1969.
AUD365L   HS2   Innocenti Mini Clubman 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1970-1971.
AUD365R   HS2   Innocenti Mini Clubman 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1970-1971.
AUD366   HS4   Austin Mini Mark II automatic 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1969 and Morris Mini Mark II automatic 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1969.
AUD367   HS4   Austin Mini Mark II automatic 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1970 and Morris Mini Mark II automatic 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1970.
AUD368   HS2   Austin 1100 Mark II 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1971, Austin 1100 Mark II 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972, Austin 1100 Mark III 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1974, Austin 7 cwt van 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1973, Leyland International 1100 (Spain) 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1971/ and Morris 7cwt van 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1973.
AUD370   HS4   Austin 1100 Mark II 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1971 and Morris 1100 Mark II automatic 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1971.
AUD371   HS4   Austin 1100 Mark III automatic 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1974.
AUD374   HS4   Austin 1300 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1970, MG MG 1300 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1969 and Morris 1300 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1970.
AUD376   HS4   Austin 1300 automatic 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1970, and Morris 1300 automatic 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1970.
AUD379   HS4   Austin America 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1969.
AUD380   HS4   Austin America automatic 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1969.
AUD381   HS6   Leyland International 1800 Mark II (Australia) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1968.
AUD382   HS6   Leyland International 1800 Mark II automatic (Australia) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1968.
AUD384A   HD8   Rolls Royce Phantom V 6230cc 8-cylinder engine 1969.
AUD384B   HD8   Rolls Royce Phantom V 6230cc 8-cylinder engine 1969.
AUD385F   HS6   Leyland International 1800 Mark II TC (Australia) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1968.
AUD385L   HS6   Leyland International 1500 TC (Australia) 1485cc 4-cylinder engine 1968.
AUD385R   HS6   Leyland International 1500 TC (Australia) 1485cc 4-cylinder engine 1968 and Leyland International 1800 Mark II TC (Australia) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1968.
AUD387’A’   HD8   Bentley T Series (SY) (U.S.A.) 6750cc 8-cylinder engine 1969-1971 and Rolls Royce Silver Shadow (U.S.A and general) 6750cc 8-cylinder engine 1969-1971.
AUD387’B’   HD8   Bentley T Series (SY) (U.S.A.) 6750cc 8-cylinder engine 1969-1971 and Rolls Royce Silver Shadow (U.S.A and general) 6750cc 8-cylinder engine 1969-1971.
AUD388F   HIF6   Volvo B20B 144 (U.S.A) 1990cc 4-cylinder engine 1971.
AUD388R   HIF6   Volvo B20B 144 (U.S.A) 1990cc 4-cylinder engine 1971.
AUD389’A’   HD8   Bentley T Series (SY) (U.S.A.) 6750cc 8-cylinder engine 1969 and Rolls Royce Silver Shadow (U.S.A) 6750cc 8-cylinder engine 1968.
AUD389’B’   HD8   Bentley T Series (SY) (U.S.A.) 6750cc 8-cylinder engine 1969 and Rolls Royce Silver Shadow (U.S.A) 6750cc 8-cylinder engine 1968.
AUD392   HS4   Triumph Toledo 1296cc 4-cylinder engine 1970-1971 and Triumph 1500 1493cc 4-cylinder engine 1970-1971.
AUD393   HS4   Austin Mini Mark II automatic 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1970-1974, Austin Mini Clubman automatic 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1970-1974, Morris Mini Mark II automatic 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1970-1974 and Morris Mini Clubman automatic 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1970-1974.

AUD394   HS4   Austin Mini Mark II automatic 848cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1974.
AUD397F   HS8AED   Daimler Sovereign 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1971-1973 and Jaguar 4.2 XJS 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1971-1973.
AUD397R   HS8   Daimler Sovereign 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1971-1973 and Jaguar 4.2 XJS 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1971-1973.
AUD40   HS2   Austin A60 1622cc 4-cylinder engine 1961-1970 and Morris Oxford 1622cc 4-cylinder engine 1961-1971.
AUD401   HS6   Rover 2000 1975cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1971.
AUD403   HS6   Volvo B20A 142/144 1990cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1970.
AUD404F   HS2   Austin-Healey Sprite MK IV (U.S.A.) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1971 and MG Midget Mark III (U.S.A) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1970.
AUD404R   HS2   Austin-Healey Sprite MK IV (U.S.A.) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1971 and MG Midget Mark III (U.S.A) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1970.
AUD405F   HS4   MG MGB Mark II (U.S.A) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1970-1971.
AUD405R   HS4   MG MGB Mark II (U.S.A) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1970-1971.
AUD408L   HIF6   Rover 3500 V8 P6 (E.C.E) 3528cc 8-cylinder engine 1972-1973.
AUD408R   HIF6   Rover 3500 V8 P6 (E.C.E) 3528cc 8-cylinder engine 1972-1973.
AUD409F   HS6   Austin 2200 2227cc 6-cylinder engine 1972-1974, Morris 2200 2227cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1974 and Wolseley Six 2227cc 6-cylinder engine 1972-1974.
AUD409R   HS6   Austin 2200 2227cc 6-cylinder engine 1972-1974, Morris 2200 2227cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1974 and Wolseley Six 2227cc 6-cylinder engine 1972-1974.
AUD411F   HS8   Rover 2000 TC (U.S.A and E.C.E) 1975cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1975.
AUD411R   HS8   Rover 2000 TC (U.S.A and E.C.E) 1975cc 4-cylinder engine 1969-1975.
AUD412L   HS6AED   Rover 3500S P6 (U.S.A) 3528cc 8-cylinder engine 1969-1970.
AUD412R   HS6   Rover 3500S P6 (U.S.A) 3528cc 8-cylinder engine 1969-1970.
AUD415F   HS8AED   Daimler Sovereign 2792cc 6-cylinder engine 1971-1973 and Jaguar 2.8 XJS 2792cc 6-cylinder engine 1971-1972.
AUD415R   HS8   Daimler Sovereign 2792cc 6-cylinder engine 1971-1973 and Jaguar 2.8 XJS 2792cc 6-cylinder engine 1971-1972.
AUD418F   HS8   Vanden Plas Princess 4 litre R (service replacement) 3909cc 6-cylinder engine 1964-1966.
AUD418R   HS8   Vanden Plas Princess 4 litre R (service replacement) 3909cc 6-cylinder engine 1964-1966.
AUD419   HS6   Leyland International 2200 (Australia) 2227cc 6-cylinder engine 1971-1972.
AUD41F   HD4   MG Magnette Mark IV 1622cc 4-cylinder engine 1961-1968 and Riley 4/72 Saloon 1622cc 4-cylinder engine 1961-1969.
AUD41R   HD4   MG Mag MG Magnette Mark IV 1622cc 4-cylinder engine 1961-1968 and Riley 4/72 Saloon 1622cc 4-cylinder engine 1961-1969.nette Mark IV 1622cc 4-cylinder engine 1961-1968.
AUD428   HS6   Morris Marina 1.8 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972.
AUD431L   HS2   Austin 1300 GT 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971, Leyland International Apache 1300TC (South Africa) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971/, Leyland International Mini GTS (South Africa) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971/, MG MG 1300 Mark II 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971, Morris 1300 GT 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1975, Vanden Plas Princess 1300 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971/ and Wolseley 1300 Mark II 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1975.
AUD431R   HS2   Austin 1300 GT 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971, Leyland International Apache 1300TC (South Africa) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971/, Leyland International Mini GTS (South Africa) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971/, MG MG 1300 Mark II 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971, Morris 1300 GT 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1975, Vanden Plas Princess 1300 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971/ and Wolseley 1300 Mark II 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1975.
AUD433F   HIF6   Volvo B20D 144 left hand drive 1990cc 4-cylinder engine 1971.
AUD433R   HIF6   Volvo B20D 144 left hand drive 1990cc 4-cylinder engine 1971.
AUD434F   HIF4   MG MGB 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1972.

AUD434R   HIF4   MG MGB 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1972.
AUD436   HS4   Morris Marina 1.3 automatic 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1976.
AUD438L   HS4   Austin Maxi BLMC (Special Tuning) conversions settings 1485cc 4-cylinder engines 1969-1971.
AUD438R   HS4   Austin Maxi BLMC (Special Tuning) conversions settings 1485cc 4-cylinder engines 1969-1971.
AUD440L   HS2   Austin Mini Cooper ‘S’ 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1970-1971 and Morris Mini Cooper ‘S’ 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1970-1971.
AUD440R   HS2   Austin Mini Cooper ‘S’ 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1970-1971 and Morris Mini Cooper ‘S’ 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1970-1971.
AUD441F   HS2   Triumph Spitfire Mark IV 1296cc 4-cylinder engine 1970-1971.
AUD441R   HS2   Triumph Spitfire Mark IV 1296cc 4-cylinder engine 1970-1971.
AUD445F   HS4   Morris Marina 1.8 TC 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972.
AUD445R   HS4   Morris Marina 1.8 TC 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972.
AUD446A   HD8   Rolls Royce Phantom VI 6230cc 8-cylinder engine 1971-1972.
AUD446B   HD8   Rolls Royce Phantom VI 6230cc 8-cylinder engine 1971-1972.
AUD449   HS2   Austin Mini (E.C.E) 848cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1974, Leyland International Mini 850 (Spain) 848cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1974 and Morris Mini (E.C.E) 848cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1974.
AUD450   HS4   Austin Mini Clubman automatic 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1972/ and Morris Mini Clubman automatic 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1972/.
AUD451   HS4   Austin Mini Clubman 1275 GT 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972 and Morris Mini Clubman 1275 GT (E.C.E) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972.
AUD453   HS4   Austin 1300 Mark III (E.C.E) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972 and Morris 1300 Traveller (E.C.E) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972.
AUD454L   HS2   Austin 1300 GT 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972, MG MG 1300 Mark II 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972, Vanden Plas Princess 1300 (E.C.E) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972 and Wolseley 1300 Mark II 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1974.
AUD454R   HS2   Austin 1300 GT 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972, MG MG 1300 Mark II 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972, Vanden Plas Princess 1300 (E.C.E) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972 and Wolseley 1300 Mark II 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1974.
AUD460   HS4   Innocenti Minimatic 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1970-1971.
AUD462   HS6   Austin Maxi 1750 1748cc 4-cylinder engine 1970-1971.
AUD463   HS6   Austin Maxi automatic 1750 1748cc 4-cylinder engine 1972.
AUD464F   HS4   Morris Marina 1.8 TC automatic 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972.
AUD464R   HS4   Morris Marina 1.8 TC automatic 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972.
AUD465F   HS4   MG MGB Mark II (U.S.A) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1971.
AUD465R   HS4   MG MGB Mark II (U.S.A) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1971.
AUD466   HIF6   Volvo B20A 144 left hand drive 1990cc 4-cylinder engine 1974/.
AUD467L   HS6   Rover 3500 V8 P6 3528cc 8-cylinder engine 1971-1972.
AUD467R   HS6   Rover 3500 V8 P6 3528cc 8-cylinder engine 1971-1972.
AUD468   HS6   Austin Maxi 1500 1485cc 4-cylinder engine 1971.
AUD469   HS4   Leyland International Apache 1300 (South Africa) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1970-1971.
AUD472   HS4   Austin 1300 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971 and Morris 1300 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971.
AUD474A   HD8   Rolls Royce Phantom VI 6230cc 8-cylinder engine 1971-1972 and Rolls Royce Corniche 6750cc 8-cylinder engine 1971.
AUD474B   HD8   Rolls Royce Phantom VI 6230cc 8-cylinder engine 1971-1972 and Rolls Royce Corniche 6750cc 8-cylinder engine 1971.
AUD475   HS6   Rover 2000 (E.C.E) 1975cc 4-cylinder engine 1971.
AUD477F   HS6   Rolls Royce B61 power unit 4887cc 6-cylinder engine 1971.
AUD477R   HS6   Rolls Royce B61 power unit 4887cc 6-cylinder engine 1971.
AUD479   HS6   Morris Marina 1.8 automatic 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972.
AUD480   HS4   Austin 1300 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972 and Morris 1300 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971.
AUD481   HS4   Leyland International Mini (South Africa) 1097cc 4-cylinder engine 1971.
AUD486   HS4   Austin 1300 Mark III automatic (E.C.E) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1974 and Morris 1300 Traveller automatic (E.C.E) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972.
AUD487   HS4   Leyland International Marina 1500 (Australia) 1485cc 4-cylinder engine 1972.

AUD490L   HS2   Innocenti 1100 IM3 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1970-1971.
AUD490R   HS2   Innocenti 1100 IM3 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1970-1971.
AUD492F   HS4   MG MGB 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1972.
AUD492R   HS4   MG MGB 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1972.
AUD493F   HIF4   MG MGB Mark II (U.S.A) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1972.
AUD493R   HIF4   MG MGB Mark II (U.S.A) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1972.
AUD494   HIF6   Austin Marina (U.S.A.) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1972.
AUD495   HIF6   Austin Marina automatic (U.S.A.) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1972.
AUD496L   HS2   Austin 1300 GT (E.C.E) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972, Leyland International Victoria 1300 TC (Spain) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine, MG MG 1300 Mark II (E.C.E) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972, Vanden Plas Princess 1300 (E.C.E) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972 and Wolseley 1300 Mark II 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1974.
AUD496R   HS2   Austin 1300 GT (E.C.E) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972, Leyland International Victoria 1300 TC (Spain) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine, MG MG 1300 Mark II (E.C.E) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972, Vanden Plas Princess 1300 (E.C.E) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972 and Wolseley 1300 Mark II 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1974.
AUD498   HS6   Austin Maxi 1500 (E.C.E) 1485cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972.
AUD499F   HIF6   Volvo B20B 144 left hand drive 1990cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972.
AUD499R   HIF6   Volvo B20B 144 left hand drive 1990cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972.
AUD502F   HS2   MG Midget Mark III 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972.
AUD502R   HS2   MG Midget Mark III 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972.
AUD503   HS6   Leyland International Marina 1.7 manual and automatic (South Africa) 1748cc 4-cylinder engine 1972 and Leyland International Marina 1750 (Australia) 1748cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1975.
AUD504F   HS6   Leyland International Marina 1750 TC (Australia) 1748cc 4-cylinder engine 1972.
AUD504R   HS6   Leyland International Marina 1750 TC (Australia) 1748cc 4-cylinder engine 1972.
AUD508   HS4   Austin 1100 Mark III (E.C.E) 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1974.
AUD509   HS2   Austin Mini Mark II (E.C.E) 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1975, Austin Mini Clubman (E.C.E) 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1975, Leyland International Mini 1000 (Spain) 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1975, Morris Mini (E.C.E) 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1974 and Morris Mini Clubman (E.C.E) 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1975.
AUD511F   HIF6   Volvo B20B 144 automatic left hand drive 1990cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972.
AUD511R   HIF6   Volvo B20B 144 automatic left hand drive 1990cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972.
AUD513   HS4   Innocenti Mini 1001 automatic 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1974.
AUD515   HS4   Triumph Toledo (E.C.E) 1296cc 4-cylinder engine 1972.
AUD516   HS4   Triumph 1500 (E.C.E) 1493cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1973.
AUD517F   HS2   Triumph Spitfire Mark IV (E.C.E) 1296cc 4-cylinder engine 1972.
AUD517R   HS2   Triumph Spitfire Mark IV (E.C.E) 1296cc 4-cylinder engine 1972.
AUD519F   HS2   Triumph 1500 TC (E.C.E) 1493cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1973.
AUD519R   HS2   Triumph 1500 TC (E.C.E) 1493cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1973.
AUD521L   HIF6   Rover 3500 V8 P6 3528cc 8-cylinder engine 1972-1973.
AUD521R   HIF6   Rover 3500 V8 P6 3528cc 8-cylinder engine 1972-1973.
AUD522F   HIF6   Volvo B20D 144 left hand drive 1990cc 4-cylinder engine 1972.
AUD522R   HIF6   Volvo B20D 144 left hand drive 1990cc 4-cylinder engine 1972.
AUD523   HS2   Austin 10cwt van 1622cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972.
AUD524   HS6   Austin 1800 Mark II 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972 and Morris 1800 Mark II 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972.
AUD525   HS6   Austin 1800 Mark II automatic 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1974 and Morris 1800 Mark II automatic 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972.
AUD526A   HD8   Rolls Royce Silver Shadow (U.S.A and general) 6750cc 8-cylinder engine 1972 and Rolls Royce Silver Shadow (common market and Europe) 6750cc 8-cylinder engine 1973.
AUD526B   HD8   Rolls Royce Silver Shadow (U.S.A and general) 6750cc 8-cylinder engine 1972 and Rolls Royce Silver Shadow (common market and Europe) 6750cc 8-cylinder engine 1973.
AUD528   HS6   Austin Maxi 1750 (E.C.E) 1748cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972.

AUD530A   HD8   Rolls Royce Corniche (home market and Europe) 6750cc 8-cylinder engine 1972/.
AUD530B   HD8   Rolls Royce Corniche (home market and Europe) 6750cc 8-cylinder engine 1972/.
AUD532L   HS2   Innocenti 1100 IM3 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972.
AUD532R   HS2   Innocenti 1100 IM3 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1972.
AUD533F   HS8   Rover 2000 TC 1975cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1973.
AUD533R   HS8   Rover 2000 TC 1975cc 4-cylinder engine 1971-1973.
AUD534L   HS2   Innocenti Mini 1300 (E.C.E) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1972 and Innocenti Regent 1300 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1974/.
AUD534R   HS2   Innocenti Mini 1300 (E.C.E) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1972 and Innocenti Regent 1300 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1974/.
AUD535   HS6   Morris Marina 1.8 (E.C.E) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1975.
AUD536   HS6   Morris Marina 1.8 automatic (E.C.E) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1975.
AUD537F   HD8TH   Daimler Sovereign left-hand drive 2792cc 6-cylinder engine 1971-1972 and Jaguar 2.8 XJS left-hand drive 2792cc 6-cylinder engine 1972-1973.
AUD537R   HD8   Daimler Sovereign left-hand drive 2792cc 6-cylinder engine 1971-1972 and Jaguar 2.8 XJS left-hand drive 2792cc 6-cylinder engine 1972-1973.
AUD538F   HS8AED   Daimler Sovereign left-hand drive 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1971-1972 and Jaguar 4.2 XJS left-hand drive 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1972-1973.
AUD538R   HS8   Daimler Sovereign left-hand drive 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1971-1972 and Jaguar 4.2 XJS left-hand drive 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1972-1973.
AUD539L   HS6   Austin Allegro HL/Sport (E.C.E) 1748cc 4-cylinder engine 1974-1976 and Austin Maxi 1750 HL (E.C.E) 1748cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1976.
AUD539R   HS6   Austin Allegro HL/Sport (E.C.E) 1748cc 4-cylinder engine 1974-1976 and Austin Maxi 1750 HL (E.C.E) 1748cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1976.
AUD54’A’   HD8   Bentley S3 V8 6230cc 8-cylinder engine 1963-1964.
AUD54’B’   HD8   Bentley S3 V8 6230cc 8-cylinder engine 1963-1964.
AUD541   HS4   Austin 10 cwt van (E.C.E) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1972/, Morris Marina 1.3 (E.C.E) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1976 and Morris 10cwt van (E.C.E) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1976.
AUD542   HS4   Morris Marina 1.3 automatic (E.C.E) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1972.
AUD543F   HS4   Morris Marina 1.8 TC (E.C.E) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1974.
AUD543R   HS4   Morris Marina 1.8 TC (E.C.E) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1974.
AUD545F   HS6   Triumph Dolomite Sprint 1998cc 4-cylinder engine 1973-1974.
AUD545R   HS6   Triumph Dolomite Sprint 1998cc 4-cylinder engine 1973-1974.
AUD546F   HIF6   Austin 2200 (E.C.E) 2227cc 6-cylinder engine 1972-1975, Morris 2200 (E.C.E) 2227cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1975 and Wolseley Six (E.C.E) 2227cc 6-cylinder engine 1972-1975.
AUD546R   HIF6   Austin 2200 (E.C.E) 2227cc 6-cylinder engine 1972-1975, Morris 2200 (E.C.E) 2227cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1975 and Wolseley Six (E.C.E) 2227cc 6-cylinder engine 1972-1975.
AUD547 NSF   HIF6   Jaguar ‘E’ Type V12 conversions settings 5343cc 12-cylinder engine 1972/.
AUD547 NSR   HIF6   Jaguar ‘E’ Type V12 conversions settings 5343cc 12-cylinder engine 1972/.
AUD547 OSF   HIF6   Jaguar ‘E’ Type V12 conversions settings 5343cc 12-cylinder engine 1972/.
AUD547 OSR   HIF6   Jaguar ‘E’ Type V12 conversions settings 5343cc 12-cylinder engine 1972/.
AUD548   HS4   Austin Mini (Canada) 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1973.
AUD549F   HS2   Austin Sprite (U.S.A.) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1974 and MG Midget Mark III (U.S.A) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1974.
AUD549R   HS2   Austin Sprite (U.S.A.) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1974 and MG Midget Mark III (U.S.A) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1974.
AUD54A   HD8   Rolls Royce S3 V8 6230cc 8-cylinder engine 1963-1964.
AUD54B   HD8   Rolls Royce S3 V8 6230cc 8-cylinder engine 1963-1964.
AUD550F   HIF4   MG MGB (U.S.A) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1974.
AUD550R   HIF4   MG MGB (U.S.A) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1974.
AUD554   HS4   Chrysler Hillman Hunter 1496cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1973 and Chrysler Hillman Hunter 1724cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1973
AUD555   HS6   Austin Maxi 1500 1485cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1973.
AUD556   HS6   Austin Allegro 1500 (E.C.E) 1485cc 4-cylinder engine 1973-1976 and Austin Maxi 1500 (E.C.E) 1485cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1976.

AUD557   HS6   Austin Allegro 1750 (E.C.E) 1748cc 4-cylinder engine 1973-1976 and Austin Maxi 1750 (E.C.E) 1748cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1976.
AUD558   HS6   Austin Maxi 1750 1748cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1973.
AUD559   HS4   Austin 1300 Mark I and Mark III (E.C.E) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1973, Leyland International Mini GT (Spain) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1974, Leyland International Victoria 1300 (Spain) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1974 and Morris 1300 Traveller 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1973.
AUD55F   HS6   Rolls Royce B61 power unit 4887cc 6-cylinder engine 1964-1969.
AUD55R   HS6   Rolls Royce B61 power unit 4887cc 6-cylinder engine 1964-1969.
AUD564   HS6   Austin 1800 Mark II (E.C.E) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1973/ and Morris 1800 Mark II (E.C.E) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1973-1974.
AUD565   HS6   Austin 1800 Mark II 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1973 and Morris 1800 Mark II 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1973.
AUD566   HS6   Morris Marina 1.8 (E.C.E) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1976.
AUD567   HS4   Austin Mini Clubman 1275 GT (E.C.E) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1976, Austin 1300 Mark III automatic (E.C.E) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1976, Austin Allegro 1300 automatic (E.C.E) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1973-1976, Morris Mini Clubman 1275 GT (E.C.E) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1976 and Morris 1300 Mark III Traveller automatic (E.C.E) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1976.
AUD568   HS6   Austin 1800 Mark II automatic 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1973 and Morris 1800 Mark II automatic 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1973.
AUD572   HS4C   Chrysler Hillman Avenger 1300 1295cc 4-cylinder engine 1973-1974 and Chrysler Hillman Avenger 1600 1600cc 4-cylinder engine 1973-1974.
AUD574A   HD8   Rolls Royce Silver Shadow/Corniche (U.S.A) 6750cc 8-cylinder engine 1973.
AUD574B   HD8   Rolls Royce Silver Shadow/Corniche (U.S.A) 6750cc 8-cylinder engine 1973.
AUD575   HIF6   Austin Marina (Canada) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1973/.
AUD576   HIF6   Austin Marina automatic (Canada) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1973/.
AUD577   HS4   Triumph Toledo 1296cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1974.
AUD578   HS4   Triumph 1500 1493cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1974.
AUD579   HS4   Triumph 150 (E.C.E) 1493cc 4-cylinder engine 1973.
AUD580F   HS2   Triumph Spitfire Mark IV 1296cc 4-cylinder engine 1973.
AUD580R   HS2   Triumph Spitfire Mark IV 1296cc 4-cylinder engine 1973.
AUD581F   HIF6   Austin 2200 automatic (E.C.E) 2227cc 6-cylinder engine 1972-1975, Morris 2200 automatic (E.C.E) 2227cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1975 and Wolseley Six automatic (E.C.E) 2227cc 6-cylinder engine 1972-1975.
AUD581R   HIF6   Austin 2200 automatic (E.C.E) 2227cc 6-cylinder engine 1972-1975, Morris 2200 automatic (E.C.E) 2227cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1975 and Wolseley Six automatic (E.C.E) 2227cc 6-cylinder engine 1972-1975.
AUD582F   HS2   Triumph 1500 TC 1493cc 4-cylinder engine 1973.
AUD582R   HS2   Triumph 1500 TC 1493cc 4-cylinder engine 1973.
AUD583   HIF6   Austin Marina (U.S.A.) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1974.
AUD584   HIF6   Austin Marina automatic (U.S.A.) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1974.
AUD585   HS4   Austin 1300 Mark III (E.C.E) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1973 and Morris 1300 Mark III Traveller 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1973.
AUD587   HS2   Austin Mini van (G.P.O) 848cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1974 and Morris Mini van (G.P.O) 848cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1973.
AUD588   HS6   Leyland International Marina 2.6 manual and automatic (South Africa) 2620cc 6-cylinder engine 1973-1975 and Leyland International Marina P76 (Australia) 2620cc 6-cylinder engine 1973-1975.
AUD589   HS4   Austin 10 cwt van (G.P.O.) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1973 and Morris 10cwt van (G.P.O) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1974.
AUD593   HS6   Leyland International Victoria 1300 (Spain) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1973/.
AUD594   HS4   Austin 1300 Mark III (E.C.E) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1973-1974, Austin Allegro 1300 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1973-1975 and Morris 1300 Mark III Traveller (E.C.E) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1973-1975.
AUD595   HS4   Austin 1300 Mark III (E.C.E) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1973/, Leyland International Apache 1300 (South Africa) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1973-1974 and Morris 1300 Mark III Traveller 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1973.
AUD599F   HIF6   Volvo B20B left hand drive 1990cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1973.
AUD599R   HIF6   Volvo B20B left hand drive 1990cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1973.

AUD600F   HIF6   Volvo B20B 144 automatic left hand drive 1990cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1973.
AUD600R   HIF6   Volvo B20B 144 automatic left hand drive 1990cc 4-cylinder engine 1972-1973.
AUD603F   HS4   Triumph Dolomite (E.C.E) 1854cc 4-cylinder engine 1974/.
AUD603R   HS4   Triumph Dolomite (E.C.E) 1854cc 4-cylinder engine 1974/.
AUD604F   HS4   Triumph 2000 1998cc 6-cylinder engine 1974-1975.
AUD604R   HS4   Triumph 2000 1998cc 6-cylinder engine 1974-1975.
AUD607F   HS4   Triumph 2.5 PI Conversion conversions settings 2498cc 6 cylinder engine 1974/ and Triumph 2500 TC 2498cc 6-cylinder engine 1974-1975.
AUD607R   HS4   Triumph 2.5 PI Conversion conversions settings 2498cc 6 cylinder engine 1974/ and Triumph 2500 TC 2498cc 6-cylinder engine 1974-1975.
AUD608   HS4   Austin Mini Mark II manual/automatic (E.C.E) export only 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1973-1975, Austin Allegro 1100 (E.C.E) 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1973-1975 and Morris Mini Mark II manual and automatic (E.C.E) export only 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1973-1975.
AUD611   HS4   Austin Mini (E.C.E) 848cc 4-cylinder engine 1974/.
AUD613L   HIF6   MG MGB GT V8 (E.C.E) 3528cc 8-cylinder engine 1973-1976.
AUD613R   HIF6   MG MGB GT V8 (E.C.E) 3528cc 8-cylinder engine 1973-1976.
AUD616F   HIF4   MG MGB (E.C.E) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1973-1974.
AUD616R   HIF4   MG MGB (E.C.E) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1973-1974.
AUD618   HS4   Austin Mini (Canada) 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1973.
AUD619   HS6   Austin Allegro 1750 automatic (E.C.E) 1748cc 4-cylinder engine 1973-1976 and Austin Maxi 1750 automatic (E.C.E) 1748cc 4-cylinder engine 1973-1976.
AUD620   HS6   Leyland International 185, 215, 220, van etc 1622cc 4-cylinder engine 1974-1975.
AUD621   HS6   Leyland International 215, 220, 240, 250 LC van etc 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1974-1975.
AUD623L   HIF6   Rover 3500 V8 P6 (E.C.E) and 3500S V8 P6 (E.C.E) 3528cc 8-cylinder engine 1973/.
AUD623R   HIF6   Rover 3500 V8 P6 (E.C.E) and 3500S V8 P6 (E.C.E) 3528cc 8-cylinder engine 1973/.
AUD624F   HS2   Triumph Spitfire Mark V (E.C.E) 1296cc 4-cylinder engine 1973/.
AUD624R   HS2   Triumph Spitfire Mark V (E.C.E) 1296cc 4-cylinder engine 1973/.
AUD625F   HS2   Triumph 1500 TC (E.C.E) 1493cc 4-cylinder engine 1973-1974.
AUD625R   HS2   Triumph 1500 TC (E.C.E) 1493cc 4-cylinder engine 1973-1974.
AUD627   HS4   Austin 7 cwt van (E.C.E) 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1973/ and Morris 7cwt van (E.C.E) 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1973-1976.
AUD628   HS6   Austin Allegro 1500 automatic (E.C.E) 1485cc 4-cylinder engine 1973-1975 and Vanden Plas Princess 1500 1485cc 4-cylinder engine 1974-1975.
AUD630F   HIF4   MG MGB (U.S.A) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1974/.
AUD630R   HIF4   MG MGB (U.S.A) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1974/.
AUD631   HIF6   Rover 2200 SC 2204cc 4-cylinder engine 1973-1976.
AUD632F   HIF6   Rover 2200 TC 2204cc 4-cylinder engine 1973-1976.
AUD632R   HIF6   Rover 2200 TC 2204cc 4-cylinder engine 1973-1976.
AUD633L   HS4   Innocenti Regent 1500 1498cc 4-cylinder engine 1974/.
AUD633R   HS4   Innocenti Regent 1500 1498cc 4-cylinder engine 1974/.
AUD634F   HS6   Triumph TR7 1998cc 4-cylinder engine 1974-1976.
AUD634R   HS6   Triumph TR7 1998cc 4-cylinder engine 1974-1976.
AUD635   HS6   Austin Princess 1800 automatic 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1975-1976.
AUD646F   HS8   Rolls Royce B61 power unit 4887cc 6-cylinder engine 1974-1975.
AUD646R   HS8   Rolls Royce B61 power unit 4887cc 6-cylinder engine 1974-1975.
AUD647F   HS8AED   Daimler Limousine 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1973-1974, Daimler Sovereign 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1973 and Jaguar 4.2 XJS 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1973.
AUD647R   HS8   Daimler Limousine 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1973-1974, Daimler Sovereign 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1973 and Jaguar 4.2 XJS 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1973.
AUD648A   HD8   Rolls Royce Silver Shadow/Corniche (U.S.A) 6750cc 8-cylinder engine 1974.
AUD648B   HD8   Rolls Royce Silver Shadow/Corniche (U.S.A) 6750cc 8-cylinder engine 1974.
AUD653F   HS8AED   Daimler Sovereign 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1973-1976 and Jaguar 4.2 XJS 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1973-1974.

AUD653R   HS8   Daimler Sovereign 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1973-1976 and Jaguar 4.2 XJS 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1973-1974.
AUD656A   HD8   Rolls Royce Phantom VI 6230cc 8-cylinder engine 1973/.
AUD656B   HD8   Rolls Royce Phantom VI 6230cc 8-cylinder engine 1973/.
AUD658   HS6   Leyland International 215, 220, 240, 250 LC automatic van etc 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1974-1976.
AUD660   HS4C   Chrysler Hillman Hunter 1500 1496cc 4-cylinder engine 1975 and Chrysler Hillman Hunter 1724 1724cc 4-cylinder engine 1975.
AUD661F   HS6   Triumph Dolomite Sprint (E.C.E) 1998cc 4-cylinder engine 1974.
AUD661R   HS6   Triumph Dolomite Sprint (E.C.E) 1998cc 4-cylinder engine 1974.
AUD662F   HS2   MG Midget Mark III (E.C.E) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1973-1974.
AUD662R   HS2   MG Midget Mark III (E.C.E) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1973-1974.
AUD663F   HS6   Triumph Sprint 1998cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
AUD663R   HS6   Triumph Sprint 1998cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
AUD664   HS4   Austin Mini (Canada) 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1974/.
AUD664L   HIF6   Rover 3500 3528cc 8-cylinder engine 1976/.
AUD664R   HIF6   Rover 3500 3528cc 8-cylinder engine 1976/.
AUD665F   HS4   MG Midget Mark 1500 (E.C.E) 1493cc 4-cylinder engine 1974-1976, Triumph Spitfire 1500 (E.C.E) 1493cc 4-cylinder engine 1974-1976, Triumph Toledo TS 1493cc 4-cylinder engine 1974-1976 and Triumph 1500 TC 1493cc 4-cylinder engine 1974-1976.
AUD665R   HS4   MG Midget Mark 1500 (E.C.E) 1493cc 4-cylinder engine 1974-1976, Triumph Spitfire 1500 (E.C.E) 1493cc 4-cylinder engine 1974-1976, Triumph Toledo TS 1493cc 4-cylinder engine 1974-1976 and Triumph 1500 TC 1493cc 4-cylinder engine 1974-1976.
AUD666F   HIF6   Volvo B20B 144 (Canada) 1990cc 4-cylinder engine 1973-1974.
AUD666R   HIF6   Volvo B20B 144 (Canada) 1990cc 4-cylinder engine 1973-1974.
AUD667F   HS8AED   Daimler Limousine 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1974-1976, Daimler Sovereign 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1974-1975 and Jaguar 4.2 XJS 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1974-1975.
AUD667R   HS8   Daimler Limousine 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1974-1976, Daimler Sovereign 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1974-1975 and Jaguar 4.2 XJS 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1974-1975.
AUD668   HS2   Leyland International Mini salon/van/moke (Australia) 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1974.
AUD669L   HIF6   Rover 3500 (Japan) 3528cc 8-cylinder engine 1973-1976.
AUD669R   HIF6   Rover 3500 (Japan) 3528cc 8-cylinder engine 1973-1976.
AUD670   HS4   Morris Marina 1.3 (E.C.E) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1975-1976.
AUD671A   HD8   Rolls Royce Silver Shadow (Japan) 6750cc 8-cylinder engine 1973/.
AUD671B   HD8   Rolls Royce Silver Shadow (Japan) 6750cc 8-cylinder engine 1973/.
AUD672   HS4C   Chrysler Dodge 1800 1800cc 4-cylinder engine 1973/.
AUD673F   HS4   Morris Marina 1.8 TC automatic (E.C.E) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1973-1974.
AUD673R   HS4   Morris Marina 1.8 TC automatic (E.C.E) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1973-1974.
AUD674   HS2   Ford Escort 1100 and 1300 conversions settings 4-cylinder engines 1968/.
AUD676F   HS6   Triumph 2000 1998cc 6-cylinder engine 1975-1976.
AUD676R   HS6   Triumph 2000 1998cc 6-cylinder engine 1975-1976.
AUD677F   HIF6   Volvo B20B 144 automatic (Canada) 1990cc 4-cylinder engine 1973-1974.
AUD677R   HIF6   Volvo B20B 144 automatic (Canada) 1990cc 4-cylinder engine 1973-1974.
AUD678F   HS6   Triumph 2500 TC 2498cc 6-cylinder engine 1975/.
AUD678R   HS6   Triumph 2500 TC 2498cc 6-cylinder engine 1975/.
AUD679   HS4   Austin Mini Mark II manual/automatic (E.C.E) 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1974-1976, Austin Mini Clubman manual/automatic (E.C.E) 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1974-1976, Morris Mini Mark II automatic (E.C.E) 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1974/ and Morris Mini Clubman manual and automatic (E.C.E) 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1974-1976.
AUD680F   HS6   Triumph Sprint 1998cc 4-cylinder engine 1975-1976.
AUD680R   HS6   Triumph Sprint 1998cc 4-cylinder engine 1975-1976.
AUD684   HS6   Austin Princess 1800 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1974.
AUD689   HS6   Chrysler Avenger 1800 (Brazil) 1800cc 4-cylinder engine 1975.
AUD690   HS4C   Chrysler Avenger 1300 1295cc 4-cylinder engine 1974-1976.
AUD692   HS6   Innocenti Mini 120 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1974-1975.
AUD693   HS4   Innocenti Mini 90 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1974-1975.
AUD697F   HIF6   Austin Princess 2200 2227cc 6-cylinder engine 1974-1976.

AUD697R   HIF6   Austin Princess 2200 2227cc 6-cylinder engine 1974-1976.
AUD698F   HIF6   Austin Princess 2200 2227cc 6-cylinder engine 1974-1976.
AUD698R   HIF6   Austin Princess 2200 2227cc 6-cylinder engine 1974-1976.
AUD699   HIF6   Volvo B20A 144 left hand drive 1990cc 4-cylinder engine 1974/.
AUD69L   HS2   MG 1100 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1962-1968, Riley Kestrel 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1965-1966, Vanden Plas Princess 1100 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1964 and Wolseley 1100 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1965-1966.
AUD69R   HS2   MG 1100 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1962-1968, Riley Kestrel 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1965-1966, Vanden Plas Princess 1100 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1964 and Wolseley 1100 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1965-1966.
AUD700   HS6   Leyland International Marina 1.7 (Australia) 1748cc 4-cylinder engine 1974.
AUD702A   HD8   Rolls Royce Silver Shadow/Corniche (U.S.A) 6750cc 8-cylinder engine 1974/.
AUD702B   HD8   Rolls Royce Silver Shadow/Corniche (U.S.A) 6750cc 8-cylinder engine 1974/.
AUD704F   HS4C   Triumph 2000 and Vitesse conversions settings 1998cc 6-cylinder engine 1966-1973.
AUD704R   HS4C   Triumph 2000 and Vitesse conversions settings 1998cc 6-cylinder engine 1966-1973.
AUD706   HS4   Austin Mini van (G.P.O) 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1974/ and Morris Mini van (G.P.O) 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1974-1975.
AUD707   HS4   Triumph Toledo 1300 1296cc 4-cylinder engine 1975.
AUD708F   HS8   Rolls Royce B61 power unit 4887cc 6-cylinder engine 1974-1975.
AUD708R   HS8   Rolls Royce B61 power unit 4887cc 6-cylinder engine 1974-1975.
AUD710F   HS8AED   Jaguar 3.4 XJS 3442cc 6-cylinder engine 1975-1976.
AUD710R   HS8   Jaguar 3.4 XJS 3442cc 6-cylinder engine 1975-1976.
AUD711   HS6   Austin Allegro 1500 1485cc 4-cylinder engine 1974.
AUD713   HS4   Austin Mini van (G.U.S) 848cc 4-cylinder engine 1974-1975.
AUD81   HD6   Land-Rover 2.6 109 FWS (forward control) 2600cc 6-cylinder engine 1963-1967.
AUD86   HS2   Austin Mini Mark II 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968, Morris Mini Mark II 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1967-1968, Riley Elf Mark II 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1963-1964 and Wolseley Hornet Mark I and Mark II 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1963-1968.
AUD88C   HD8   Aston Martin D85 3.7-litre 6-cylinder 1962-1964 and D86 4-litre 6-cylinder engine 1965-1967.
AUD88F   HD8   Aston Martin D85 3.7-litre 6-cylinder 1962-1964 and D86 4-litre 6-cylinder engine 1965-1967.
AUD88R   HD8   Aston Martin D85 3.7-litre 6-cylinder engine 1962-1964 and D86 4-litre 6-cylinder engine 1965-1967.
AUD92F   HD8   Rover 2000 TC 1975cc 4-cylinder engine 1966.
AUD92R   HD8   Rover 2000 TC 1975cc 4-cylinder engine 1966.
AUD94F   HS6   Volvo B18B P1800 1788cc 4-cylinder engine 1963-1965 and Volvo B18D and P122S (pancake filter) 1788cc 4-cylinder engine 1965-1966.
AUD94R   HS6   Volvo B18B P1800 1788cc 4-cylinder engine 1963-1965 and Volvo B18D and P122S (pancake filter) 1788cc 4-cylinder engine 1965-1966.
AUD95F   HS6   Volvo B18B Snow Weasel (pancake filter) 1788cc 4-cylinder engine 1965-1966.
AUD95R   HS6   Volvo B18B Snow Weasel (pancake filter) 1788cc 4-cylinder engine 1965-1966.
AUD976   HS2   Morris Mini 848cc 4-cylinder engine 1962-1968.
AUD97F   HS8   Vanden Plas Princess 4 litre R 3909cc 6-cylinder engine 1964.
AUD97R   HS8   Vanden Plas Princess 4 litre R 3909cc 6-cylinder engine 1964.
AUD983F   HS2   Triumph Spitfire Mark I and Mark II 950cc 4-cylinder engine 1962-1966.
AUD983R   HS2   Triumph Spitfire Mark I and Mark II 950cc 4-cylinder engine 1962-1966.
AUD99L   HS2   Austin Mini Cooper ‘S’ 1070cc 4-cylinder engine 1963-1964 and Morris Mini Cooper ‘S’ 1070cc 4-cylinder engine 1963-1964.
AUD99R   HS2   Austin Mini Cooper ‘S’ 1070cc 4-cylinder engine 1963-1964 and Morris Mini Cooper ‘S’ 1070cc 4-cylinder engine 1963-1964.
AUF157F   HSD8TH   Jaguar Mark X 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1964.
AUF328R   HS2   MG Midget Mark III (U.S.A) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1968-1969.
FZX1001F   HIF4   MG MGB (E.C.E) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1974-1976.
FZX1001R   HIF4   MG MGB (E.C.E) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1974-1976.
FZX1005F   HS4   Triumph Dolomite 1854cc 4-cylinder engine 1975.

FZX1005R   HS4   Triumph Dolomite 1854cc 4-cylinder engine 1975.
FZX1011   HS6   Morris Marina 1.8 (E.C.E) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1974/.
FZX1012   HS6   Morris Marina 1.8 automatic (E.C.E) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1974-1976.
FZX1013F   HS4   Morris Marina 1.8 TC (E.C.E) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1974-1976.
FZX1013R   HS4   Morris Marina 1.8 TC (E.C.E) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1974-1976.
FZX1014F   HS4   Morris Marina 1.8 TC automatic (E.C.E) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1974-1976.
FZX1014R   HS4   Morris Marina 1.8 TC automatic (E.C.E) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1974-1976.
FZX1016   HS4   Austin Mini (Canada) 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1975/.
FZX1022   HS4   Austin Allegro 1100 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1975/.
FZX1023   HS4   Austin Allegro 1300 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1975/.
FZX1027   HS2   Reliant Robin/Kitten 850 848cc 4-cylinder engine 1975/.
FZX1030   HS6   Austin Princess 1800 (Sweden) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1033   HS6   Leyland International Sherpa 1800 (Cyclopack air cleaner) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1975.
FZX1035   HS6   Leyland International Sherpa (Cyclopack air cleaner) 1622cc 4-cylinder engine 1975.
FZX1041   HS6   Leyland International Sherpa 185/215/220 1622cc 4-cylinder engine 1975/.
FZX1042   HS6   Leyland International Sherpa CV306 215-240 1622cc 4-cylinder engine 1975-1976.
FZX1043   HS4   Austin Mini 850 848cc 4-cylinder engine 1975.
FZX1044   HS4   Austin Mini 1000 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1975.
FZX1045   HS4   Austin Mini 1100 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1975.
FZX1046   HS4   Austin Mini 1275 GT 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1975.
FZX1047   HS4   Austin Mini Clubman 1275 GT 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1975/.
FZX1049F   HIF7AED   Daimler Sovereign 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1975-1976, Jaguar 3.4 XJS 3442cc 6-cylinder engine 1975-1976 and Jaguar 4.2 XJS 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1975-1976.
FZX1049R   HIF7   Daimler Sovereign 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1975-1976, Jaguar 3.4 XJS 3442cc 6-cylinder engine 1975-1976 and Jaguar 4.2 XJS 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1975-1976.
FZX1051F   HS4   Triumph Dolomite 1854cc 4-cylinder engine 1976.
FZX1051R   HS4   Triumph Dolomite 1854cc 4-cylinder engine 1976.
FZX1053F   HIF7AED   Jaguar 3.4 XJS 3442cc 6-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1053R   HIF7   Jaguar 3.4 XJS 3442cc 6-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1055   HIF6   Volvo B20A 1990cc 4-cylinder engine 1975/.
FZX1056   HIF6   Volvo B21A (Sweden) 2127cc 4-cylinder engine 1975/.
FZX1057   HIF6   Volvo B21A (Australia) 2127cc 4-cylinder engine 1975.
FZX1059   HIF6   Volvo B27A 2664cc 6-cylinder engine 1975.
FZX1060   HS4   Innocenti Mini 848cc 4-cylinder engine 1975.
FZX1064   HS4   Austin Mini 850 848cc 4-cylinder engine 1975/.
FZX1065   HS4   Austin Mini 1000 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1975/.
FZX1066   HS4   Austin Mini 1100 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1975/.
FZX1067   HS4   Austin Allegro 1100 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1975/.
FZX1068   HS4   Austin Allegro 1300 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1975/.
FZX1070F   HS6   Triumph 2500 (Australia) 2498cc 6-cylinder engine 1975.
FZX1070R   HS6   Triumph 2500 (Australia) 2498cc 6-cylinder engine 1975.
FZX1071   HS4   Morris Marina 1.3 automatic 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1975/.
FZX1074   HS6   Austin Allegro 1500 automatic 1485cc 4-cylinder engine 1975-1976.
FZX1076   HS6   Austin Allegro 1500 1485cc 4-cylinder engine 1975/ and Austin Maxi 1500 1485cc 4-cylinder engine 1975/.
FZX1077   HS6   Austin Maxi 1750 1748cc 4-cylinder engine 1975/.
FZX1086   HS4   Austin Allegro 1300 automatic 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1975/.
FZX1087   HS6   Austin Maxi 1750 automatic (E.C.E) 1748cc 4-cylinder engine 1975/.
FZX1093L   HS6   Austin Allegro Hiline 1748cc 4-cylinder engine 1975/ and Austin Maxi Hiline 1748cc 4-cylinder engine 1975/.
FZX1093R   HS6   Austin Allegro Hiline 1748cc 4-cylinder engine 1975/ and Austin Maxi Hiline 1748cc 4-cylinder engine 1975/.
FZX1094   HS4   Austin Mini 1000 (Sweden) 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1975/.
FZX1095F   HIF6   Austin Princess 2200 2227cc 6-cylinder engine 1975/.

FZX1095R   HIF6   Austin Princess 2200 2227cc 6-cylinder engine 1975/.
FZX1096F   HIF6   Austin Princess 2200 automatic 2227cc 6-cylinder engine 1975/.
FZX1096R   HIF6   Austin Princess 2200 automatic 2227cc 6-cylinder engine 1975/.
FZX1098F   HS6   Austin Princess 1800 (Special Tuning) conversions settings 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1975/.
FZX1098R   HS6   Austin Princess 1800 (Special Tuning) conversions settings 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1975/.
FZX1099   HS6   Leyland International Marina 1.7 manual and automatic (South Africa) 1748cc 4-cylinder engine 1975-1976.
FZX1100   HS6   Leyland International Marina 1750 automatic (South Africa) 1748cc 4-cylinder engine 1975-1976.
FZX1102   HS6   Leyland International Marina 2.6 automatic (South Africa) 2620cc 6-cylinder engine 1975-1976.
FZX1104A   HIF7   Rolls Royce Silver V8 6750cc 8-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1104B   HIF7   Rolls Royce Silver V8 6750cc 8-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1105F   HS6   Leyland International Triumph 2.5 (Australia) 2498cc 6-cylinder engine 1976 and Triumph 2.5 2498cc 6-cylinder engine 1976.
FZX1105R   HS6   Leyland International Triumph 2.5 (Australia) 2498cc 6-cylinder engine 1976 and Triumph 2.5 2498cc 6-cylinder engine 1976.
FZX1106   HS4   Austin Allegro 1300 (Sweden) 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1975/.
FZX1116A   HD8   Rolls Royce V8 (Australia) 6750cc 8-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1116B   HD8   Rolls Royce V8 (Australia) 6750cc 8-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1117F   HS6   Leyland International Triumph 2500 (Australia) 2498cc 6-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1117R   HS6   Leyland International Triumph 2500 (Australia) 2498cc 6-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1121R   HS6   Austin Maxi Hiline 1748cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1130F   HS6   Rover 2300 2300cc 6-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1130R   HS6   Rover 2300 2300cc 6-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1131F   HS6   Rover 2600 2600cc 6-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1131R   HS6   Rover 2600 2600cc 6-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1141A   HD8   Rolls Royce V8 Shadow 6750cc 8-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1141B   HD8   Rolls Royce V8 Shadow 6750cc 8-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1142   HS4   Austin Mini 850 848cc 4-cylinder engine 1975/.
FZX1146   HS4   Austin Mini 1000 998cc 4-cylinder engine 1975/.
FZX1160   HS4   Austin Mini 1100 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1164   HS4   Austin Mini 1275 GT 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1170   HS4   Austin Allegro 1100 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1172   HS4   Austin Allegro 1300 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1174   HS4   Austin Allegro 1300 automatic 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1178   HS6   Austin Allegro 1500 1485cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/ and Austin Maxi 1500 1485cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1180   HS6   Austin Allegro 1500 automatic 1485cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/ and Austin Maxi automatic 1500 1485cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1183L   HS6   Austin Allegro 1750 HL/Sport 1748cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1183R   HS6   Austin Allegro 1750 HL/Sport 1748cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1187   HS4   Morris Marina 1100 van 1098cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1189   HS4   Morris Marina 1.3 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1191   HS4   Morris Marina 1.3 automatic 1275cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1199   HS6   Morris Marina 1.8 SC (E.C.E) 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1201   HS6   Morris Marina 1.8 SC automatic 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1203F   HS4   Morris Marina 1.8 TC 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1203R   HS4   Morris Marina 1.8 TC 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1205   HIF6   Volvo B27A 2664cc 6-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1207   HS6   Austin Maxi 1750 1748cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1209   HS6   Austin Maxi 1750 automatic 1748cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1211L   HS6   Austin Maxi Hiline 1748cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1215   HS6   Austin Princess 1800 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1217   HS6   Austin Princess 1800 automatic 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1976.
FZX1219F   HIF6   Austin Princess 2200 2227cc 6-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1219R   HIF6   Austin Princess 2200 2227cc 6-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1221F   HIF6   Austin Princess 2200 2227cc 6-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1221R   HIF6   Austin Princess 2200 2227cc 6-cylinder engine 1976/.

FZX1223   HS6   Leyland International Sherpa 185/215/220 1622cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1225   HS6   Leyland International Sherpa 1800 CV306 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1227   HS6   Leyland International Sherpa 1800 CV306 automatic 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1229F   HIF4   MG MGB 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1229R   HIF4   MG MGB 1798cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1238   HS6   Volvo Snow Weasel 1788cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/ and Volvo Snow Weasel 1788cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1242F   HS6   Triumph TR7 1998cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1242R   HS6   Triumph TR7 1998cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1250   HS6   Chrysler Avenger 1800 Hiline (Brazil) 1800cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1252F   HIF7AED   Daimler Sovereign 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1976/ and Jaguar 4.2 XJS 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1976\.
FZX1252R   HIF7   Daimler Sovereign 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1976/ and Jaguar 4.2 XJS 4235cc 6-cylinder engine 1976\.
FZX1257F   HS6   Triumph Sprint and TR7 (E.C.E) 1998cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1257R   HS6   Triumph Sprint and TR7 (E.C.E) 1998cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1258F   HS4   Triumph 1500 Dolomite 1493cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1258R   HS4   Triumph 1500 Dolomite 1493cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1259   HIF6   Volvo B21A 2127cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1263F   HS6   Triumph 2500 2498cc 6-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1263R   HS6   Triumph 2500 2498cc 6-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1264F   HS6   Triumph 2000 1998cc 6-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1264R   HS6   Triumph 2000 1998cc 6-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1265F   HS4   Triumph Dolomite 1854cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1265R   HS4   Triumph Dolomite 1854cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1267   HIF6   Volvo B21A (Canada) 2127cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1269   HS4   Triumph Dolomite 1300 1296cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1270L   HIF6   Rover 3500 V8 3528cc 8-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1270R   HIF6   Rover 3500 V8 3528cc 8-cylinder engine 1976/.
FZX1275   HS2   Reliant Robin/Kitten 850 848cc 4-cylinder engine 1976/.

How Many Carbs do I Need – the Atkins Diet for Normans.
There are few things cooler than a big long string of SU carburetors hanging off the side of an engine. Whilst the S.U. carburetor design is somewhat forgiving (owing to it’s variable venture), there are plenty of reasons to get supercharger carburetor sizing correct, for example:
• With an extra supercharger to squeeze in, space is at a premium under the bonnet.
• Overly large carburetors can struggle with mixture control at part throttle operation.
From Supercharge!, Eldred suggests that on pump petrol a 92ci engine would require a single 1¾" S.U., a 122ci engine a 2" S.U., and a 183ci engine two 1¾” S.U.s. For racing or higher boost it would be necessary to double up on these. For a 132ci to 138ci Holden grey motor, this would suggest that a single SU would be suitable, or two 2” SUs for heavy service. The single SU is not an unusual Norman supercharger setup, with the SU being tucked into the back passenger’s side corner of the engine bay.
An alternative view on the number of carburetors needed comes from Tuning SU Carburettors by Speedsport Motorbooks. This reference gives the chart shown below for naturally aspirated engines:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/supicture4_zps0d6c6f23.jpg) ($2)

Note that the chart indicates that racing engines may require one size larger carburetor than shown, that economy engines may be suitable with one size smaller, and that supercharged engines can produce 80% more power from a given carburetor and hence the carburetor can be correspondingly smaller. Taking this into account, the chart can be redrawn as follows for supercharged applications:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/supicture5_zpsc2d0f3e4.jpg) ($2)

If we look at our supercharged 138ci Holden grey motor, and aim for a 50% power increase over the factory 75HP, then we are targeting around 110HP. The chart above shows that Eldred’s guidance of a single 2” SU is not too bad, with some spare capacity. So as a rough guide, two 1½” SUs or a single 2” SU are suitable for supercharged grey motors. For those not chasing grunt a single 1¾” or two 1¼” SUs may suffice. Those looking to push the grey to its limits should conside three 1¼” SUs.

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman fiddler).

Quote from: Harv on October 17, 2013, 09:23:25 AM

Please tell me you cut n pasted and didn't re type it all?
;D

It would be sacriledge to talk SUs, and not mention the very, very large 3” SU carbs made specifically for Eldred Norman. To put this into perspective, if your typical Mini is running a pair of HS2s (or a single HS4), and your typical Norman-blown grey motor is running a pair of HS6 or a single HS8, this monster would be a HS16. The carbs are even more rare than the superchargers themselves, and are twin-needle/jet setups. The twin needles are visible in the throat of the carburettor shown below (which I have taken from Supercharge!)... along with a 20c piece for perspective.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/number1_zps0bbe853f.jpg) ($2)

Note the size of the float bowl on the side of the carburettor... almost the size of a billy can.
The two photos below right show the 3” Norman SU on a grey motor located in one of the FE/FC Holden forum members vehicles.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/number3_zps3d8c27d5.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/number2_zps5df865cf.jpg) ($2)

The image below shows Keith Rilstone's 2.3L 280-300bhp ex-Eldred Norman Zephyr special. The photo was taken at the Mallala Race Circuit South Australia. The car was previously known as the the Norholfordor - because it was built from Holden, Ford and Tempo Matador parts, and then the Zephyr Eclipse (from the Adelaide Ford dealer, Eclipse Motors).

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/number4_zpsc77875f8.jpg) ($2)

Red motor anyone?

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/number5_zps41728d2e.jpg) ($2)

Cheers,
Harv (appreciator of monster SUs)

In this post, I will cover some of the preparations required for the casing liner. I know this is jumping around a bit from the last post on SUs, but that’s the price you pay for me doing this as a string of forum posts (if I did it as a Guide, the sequencing is more logical with less jumping around… but would take me longer to get the finished product to you).

Norman superchargers have an alloy casing with a steel liner. Later Norman superchargers (and potentially also the earlier ones) had the casing liner surface hardened by Tuff-Trided. Tuff-Triding (also known as salt bath ferritic nitrocarburizing) is a steel hardening process. It works by adding extra nitrogen and carbon into the iron. Tuff-Triding improves scuffing, fatigue and corrosion properties by producing a layer of hardened material (iron nitride) of 10-20µm (0.0003-0.0006”) thick, with a surface hardness of 800-1,500HV (Vickers scale – mild steel is typically 230HV, whilst tungsten carbide is 2,500 and diamond is 10,000HV). The metal under this thin, hard layer is also changed by the process.

Over time, the Tuff-Tride surface can be removed (by wear, corrosion or poor machining). To check if the Tuff-Tride treated surface is still present, copper sulphate can be used. If the hard iron nitride surface is still present, the copper sulphate won’t react. If the Tuff-Triding has been removed however the copper sulphate can get at the iron and will react (for the science geeks, the iron will reduce the copper, leading to the copper plating out: Fe + CuSO4 → FeSO4 + Cu). To do the testing:

a) I bought some copper sulphate. This is available as “bluestone” from nurseries – it is a pretty common algaecide used to control weeds in paths and algae in water.
b) I sat the supercharger barrel horizontal, and cleaned the test area with some thinners - there must be no traces of oil on the surface to be tested.
c) I made up a 5 - 10% solution of copper sulphate dissolved in distilled water. This is the blue liquid you can see in the photos sitting in an upturned grey spray paint tin lid.
d) I applied a dab of the solution to the surface being inspected, leaving in place for 30 - 40 seconds.
f) If there is discoloration (i.e. the solution changes from a light blue colour to transparent and the steel surface takes on a copper/rust color) after this time, the Tuff-Tride treatment has been removed. If the solution stays a blue colour, the Tuff-triding is still present.
g) I washed down the steel surface immediately with plenty of water, as copper sulphate is corrosive. I then re-oiled the surface to protect against rust.

When I did the testing, I found that the Tuff-Triding was still present on my small Norman, my large Norman and Gary’s large Norman. However, the Tuff-Triding had been removed from the surface of Gary’s Type 65 Norman. You can see in the photo where the copper from the copper sulphate solution has plated out onto the liner surface (don’t panic, this copper does not stick to the casing, and wipes off easily).

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/plateout_zps38062f17.jpg) ($2)

Later machining of the Type 65 shows that although the Tuff-Triding had been removed from the surface, it still had a thin hard layer underneath (this is the changes in the parent metal that also come with Tuff-Triding). Note that so far I haven’t tested my water cooled Norman or my clutched Norman as I ran out of time – I wanted the casings cleaned and checked before testing and machining.

The reason for the above testing is to work out whether or not to hone the casings. Honing is required to clean up any small surface scratches in the casing, and more importantly to leave behind a cross-hatch pattern. The cross-hatching provides a surface that will retain an oil film, which we need to lubricate the vanes as they whizz around (retaining an oil film is exactly the same reason that engine cylinders are honed). For sliding vane superchargers that are not case-hardened (for example Judson superchargers) honing is undertaken at all overhauls. However, there is a bit of a trade-off here if the surface is Tuff-Trided, like the Normans. Honing will generally remove 0.003-0.005” of material (… or more if heavy handed). Bearing in mind that the original Tuff-Triding is probably only 0.0003-0.0006” thick (maybe 0.0015” if it is old, old Tuff-Triding), there is a pretty good chance that honing will remove the case hardening. This will reduce the life of the supercharger barrel. It is of course possible to press out the barrel liner, have it case hardened again and refitted… though this is a pretty substantive task with good risk of damage and expensive. It really becomes a balance between good oiling (and hence longer vane life) against reduced casing life. For what it’s worth (and after having had a good long discussion with a very experienced machine shop and a Tuff-Triding shop), I take the following view:
a)   If the case hardening is not present, hone the casing.
b)   If the case hardening is present, but the casing shows significant corrosion or heavy scratches, hone the casing.
c)   If the case hardening is present, but the casing is otherwise OK, do not hone the liner.
Note that an alternative to honing (say to remove very limited corrosion) is to polish internally by either lapping with emery cloth (grade 360 or finer), or blasting with glass beads (size 40-70μm in diameter, with pressure less than 4 bar). Polishing in this manner is supported by the Tuff-Tride process owner ( Reference: TUFFTRIDE®-/QPQ®-PROCESS Technical Information, Dr. Joachim Boßlet / Michael Kreutz, Durferrit GmbH (www.durferrit.com).), but can however partly reduce the corrosion resistance of the liner.

Using the above logic, I took the decision to hone my small Norman (case hardening present, but casing showing significant corrosion) and Gary’s Type 65 Norman (case hardening worn off), but did not hone Gary’s large Norman or my large Norman (case hardening present and casings generally in good condition). The honing was completed by Duncan Foster Engineering, one of the few places around that have hones for the large diameter supercharger barrels (many engine reconditioners can only hone smaller engine-cylinder type diameters). The photos attached show the nice cross-hatching obtained.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Crosshatch_zps8ef1cb2c.jpg) ($2)

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger fiddler)

For this post, we will take a look at the rotors that are used in Norman superchargers. Now that we are starting to look at internals, the sketch below may help to better visualize the way that the Normans are put together:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/first_zps619d9112.png) ($2)

The shaft of a sliding vane supercharger supports the rotor, which may be made from steel or from aluminum alloy. Whilst Norman superchargers have solid rotors, some supercharger rotors are made from hollow extruded sections in order to minimize weight. The rotor may be mounted centrally within the casing, or may be mounted eccentrically (Norman superchargers are eccentric, whilst the vanes in many air tools are mounted centrally). The rotor contains a number of slots (two, four, six or more), which may be radial or tangential (Norman superchargers are tangential), whilst air tools for example are often radial).

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/second_zps6847f6d3.png) ($2)

The slots carry the rotor vanes, which are free to slide in and out of the slots. Centripetal force causes the vanes to be held outwards against the walls of the casing, forming a seal.

A significant change is noticeable between Eldred’s earlier rotors and the later ones produced by Mike Norman. The earlier rotors are steel, drilled through with the steel drive shaft welded in. These rotors are four-vane units as per the left-hand image below. The later model rotors are machined from a light alloy bar before being fitted with a steel driveshaft. These rotors are three-vane units, as per the right-hand image below.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/third_zps411af0f6.png) ($2)

Additionally, the later model rotors have Tuff-Trided sheet steel inserts riveted into the vane slots (as per the red lines on the image below) to decrease rotor slot wear. The inserts can be seen riveted into the vane slots in the left hand corner of the photo below.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/fifth_zps7ed21957.png) ($2)

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/fourth_zpsb355bca6.jpg) ($2)

A typical rotor (this is Gary’s Type 65) is shown below:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Type65rotor_zps77f30bc1.png) ($2)

At some stage I'll sketch up the rest of the rotors and post them here (time is not on my side at the moment :oops: ).

The rotors have a number of common features:
• Lands at either end of the shaft to support both the drive-end and non-drive end bearings,
• A land at the drive end to support the drive-end seal,
• A keyway milled into the drive-end of the shaft to provide axial locking of the drive pulley, and
• A threaded section at the end of the shaft to mount the pulley retaining nut.
Note that Norman superchargers do not have thrust bearings. Any thrust loading is transferred through to the drive-end and non-drive end bearings. To minimize thrust (and maintain adequate clearance) care needs to be taken in the selection of the gaskets between the main casing and end plates. Whilst no guidance exists for the Normans, typical Judson supercharger practice is to select the gasket thickness such that 0.010” float exists between the rotor and end case at each end.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/uploadme_zpsf11facf4.jpg) ($2)

As the rotor spins, the vanes are forced against the casing wall by centripetal force. The eccentric rotor position means that the vanes slide in and out as the rotor spins. When the vanes are travelling into the rotor, they develop some inertia, and want to keep travelling inwards. As the rotor keeps spinning to the point that the vanes should come out again, the vanes will have a tendency to stay in the rotor slot and hence lift off the casing wall slightly. This tends to happen after the discharge port is passed (and before the inlet port is reached) and hence is probably not much of an efficiency loss. However, the lift-off adds to the supercharger nose, and the repeated banging of the vanes is probably not good for their longevity. To combat the vane lift-off, the latter alloy rotors are fitted with vane springs. The springs are fitted into holes (pockets) drilled into each rotor slot. A plastic bush is fitted between the compression spring and the vane prior to the vane being inserted into the rotor. The springs provide an outwards force on the vane, similar to the centripetal force that normally pushed the vanes out.

The spring operation will be periodic – typically the vehicle will run for 30-60 minutes at a time, with rest periods in between when the car is shut down. During rest periods the springs will be at ambient temperature, though during service will increase. The springs will typically cycle at around crankshaft speed – say a maximum of 4500 cycles per minute, though probably on average 2500 cycles per minute. The springs will operate in an environment of a gasoline/air/oil vapour, with some humidity. Whilst no free water is likely, water content may approach saturation. It is a fair assumption that the springs will only be checked when the supercharger is overhauled – if we used Eldred’s guidance of servicing every 20,000 miles, then the springs are likely to complete 65 million cycles before seeing daylight again. All of this adds up to a very harsh operating environment for a spring to operate in – bear in mind that typical commercially available springs (other than specialties like valve springs) are normally only factory fatigue tested to 10,000 cycles. Most commercial springs are also good for only around ¾” of deflection, whilst the Norman springs deflect around 1½”. The original springs have a reputation for failing in service, and are often removed by enthusiasts to prevent failure. If the springs do fail in service, most (if not all) the shards of spring are likely to be held in place by the plastic bushes, largely preventing them from entering the engine. However, there is a good chance of the hardened steel spring shards chewing out the soft alloy rotor pocket. The image above shows an original spring and bush, together with one that had failed in service.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/sixth_zps01cd94e1.jpg) ($2)

The original springs have dimensions as shown in the image below, and a stiffness of approximately 3.7lb/inch.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/seventh_zpsa5162de6.png) ($2)

For those seeking replacement springs, Century Spring Corporation part number 12063 are very similar… though resist the temptation to use them, as discussion with Century show that the fatigue life is not likely to be suitable due to the spring steel material used (the springs are also a trifle heavy at 5.1lb/inch). Custom springs are likely to be required for long-term use. A suitable supplier for the springs is Boynes Springs (6 Sarich Court Osborne Park, Western Australia 6017 Australia, Telephone: (08) 94465666, Facsimile: (08) 92441465, Email: info@boynessprings.com.au, Internet: http://www.boynessprings.com.au), who can make the required springs. If anyone wants some springs for their Norman, give me a yell (I had a few spare ones made up :mrgreen: ).

The bushes noted above have the following dimensions:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/eighth_zps7dad8c13.png) ($2)

Note that the bushes could be readily made from either nylon or PTFE (Teflon). Care needs to be taken when using nylon, as some grades of nylon (for example Nylon 6.11) have melting temperatures as low as 190ºC. Whilst the supercharger will not operate that hot (without pinging its head off), the localized friction of the bushes running in their pockets will certainly increase temperature. Because of this, PTFE (with a melting temperature of 327ºC) is a better choice. As a side note, I have a 1' length of teflon bar at home that I need to machine down into the above bushes (some for me and some spares). If there are any machinists out there who would undertake this for me, I'd love to hear from you (my lathe skills are pretty poor :oops: ).

The vanes used in Norman superchargers are made from Bakelite, also known as polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride. Bakelite is an early plastic, and is thermosetting (i.e. when you heat it up, it will char rather than melting). Bakelite saw quite some use in the automotive industry, for example in the manufacture of rotor buttons and distributor caps for early Holdens. The Bakelite used in Norman supercharger rotors is sometimes referred to as phenolic sheet or canvas Bakelite. This is made by applying heat and pressure to layers of cotton fabric impregnated with Bakelite resin to make a laminate. Bakelite in this form has good mechanical properties (as per the table below), is strong, rigid, shows negligible creep or cold flow under load whilst still being light (about 20-25% the weight of steel).
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/ninth_zps67f5560e.jpg) ($2)

Canvas Bakelite is suitable for a continuous operating temperature of around 120ºC (130ºC peak).
Dimensions for some of the different Norman supercharger vanes are given below:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/tenth_zps896b5a32.jpg) ($2)

In the above diagrams, the darker sections represent the main portion of the vanes, whilst the lighter portions represent grooves that are milled into the trailing edge of the vanes. Note that some of the grooves are milled all the way across the face of the vane, whilst others are milled only partially across the face. The grooves are likely to be used to assist the vanes in being able to move in and out of the rotor. The vanes should be a “flop” fit, though may experience some changes in dimensions due to moisture, fuel properties or dirt. If the vanes become a tight fit, the oily environment they operate in may allow them to form a seal with the rotor. In this case, the vanes will draw a vacuum at the vane root as they try to slide out, or will build pressure at the vane root as they slide back in. The slots allow the vane root to equalize pressure, allowing the vanes to slide freely. The slots also allow some flow of air/fuel/oil around the vane, helping lubrication.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/eleventh_zps09d3fefc.jpg) ($2)

Note that some vanes also have one or two notches cut into them. The notches correspond to the vane springs, giving the plastic bushes a location to bear on the vanes. Interestingly, the Type 65 rotor in Gary’s Norman had a notch despite the rotors not having pockets for springs… perhaps an over-enthusiastic vane replacement in the past.

A suitable supplier for the vanes is Bearing Thermal Resources (5 Kerr Court Rowville, Victoria 3178 Australia, Telephone: (03) 97642009, Facsimile: (03) 97641009, Email: sales@btresources.com.au, Internet: http://www.btresources.com.au), who can make the required vanes.

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger fiddler).

For this post we will take a look at the bearings and seals used in the Normans.

Norman superchargers typically have two bearings. The drive-end of the machine is fitted with a single row ball bearing, whilst the non-drive end is fitted with a roller bearing. Dimensions of the bearings are given in the table below:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/first_zps89812a15.jpg) ($2)

With respect to bearing lubrication, three different types of bearing arrangement are evident. In the first configuration, there is a very small gap between the casing and the rotor. This can be seen in the image below. The small gap will largely prevent the air/fuel/oil mixture (passing through the supercharger) from passing over the bearing. This means that the bearing cannot be effectively lubricated by the oil. If the bearing is of the sealed type, then no lubrication issue exists as the factory grease will provide lubrication. However, if the bearing is an open type then lubrication will be very poor, and will rely heavily on the grease packing installed during overhaul.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/second_zpsecc10d65.jpg) ($2)

In the second type of configuration, the casing is more open, with a large gap between the casing and rotor. This can be seen in the image below. In this case the air/fuel mixture will have more contact with the bearing, and may provide some lubrication. Note however that the bearing is not oil immersed, and there is no real flow across the bearing face as one end of the bearing is blanked by the seal. The lubrication of the bearing will be very limited, and again grease packing during overhaul is recommended.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/third_zps31f628f1.jpg) ($2)

In the third configuration, the seal is observed to be installed inboard of the bearing, as per the image below. In this case the air/fuel/oil mixture provides no lubrication to the bearing. However, I have only seen this undertaken with sealed bearings, were lubrication is not required.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/fourth_zps791563d6.jpg) ($2)

In choosing a suitable grease, care must be taken to choose an appropriate grade. For overhauling Norman superchargers I would recommend a grease such as Shell Gadus S3 T100. This grease:
a)   is suitable for roller and ball bearings (pretty damn important given that is what it is going onto… some greases used for king pin and chassis greasing will not be suitable),
b)   is good for 160ºC (a high temperature range is important particularly if no water injection is used),
c)   can handle higher bearing speeds,
d)   is water tolerant (important if we are using water injection upstream of the supercharger), and
e)   has a long service life (important as Norman superchargers are generally not fitted with grease nipples).

Seals are used in the Norman supercharger for two purposes. Firstly (and more obviously), the seals are to close the gap between the rotating shaft and the static casing to keep the boost pressure within the supercharger. In this case a poor seal means loss of boost pressure, and also a leak of (explosive!) air/fuel mixture into the engine bay. The second reason for the use of seals is more subtle. Under low load conditions (low speed), the supercharger and inlet manifold can come under vacuum, just like a normal (naturally aspirated) engine. In these conditions, a poor seal can lead to air ingress and unstable fuel/air mixtures.
The drive-end seal of the Norman superchargers are twin lip seals with a garter spring. Dimensions of the seals are shown in the table below:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/fifth_zps2429f7a8.jpg) ($2)

Many of the original Norman seals were of leather and/or felt construction… somewhat hard to find now. A suitable replacement is Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (NBR), which has a maximum temperature of 125°C continuous. Whilst Viton (225°C) would be a better chose, it is a lot less commonly available. In addition to NBR’s temperature limits, NBR (like all materials) has a speed limit. Most seal manufacturers rate the speed limit using surface feet per minute (or meters per second). This is a measurement of how many surface feet meters) pass a given point at the seal lip per minute (second) in time. Since this method considers the shaft diameter in addition to speed, it is a better service indicator than RPM alone. A typical seal design in NBR material can operate up to 3,000 fpm (15 m/s) assuming all other operating parameters are reasonable. For Norman supercharger shaft diameters (1-1.4” diameter) this implies a speed limit of around 8500rpm (Timkin suggests this could be a little lower at 6500rpm for their TC seals). This speed limit should not be an issue given that most Norman superchargers will run at speeds similar to that of the crankshaft (~4500rpm maximum).
Most seals that I pulled out of the Norman superchargers are simple TC profile type seals. TC seals are typically rated for 5psi operation. Whilst 5psi is in the typical Norman supercharger range, 10psi is not out of the question. There are better seal profiles available (for example Parker’s LFN, LFE-S and MP seal profiles, as they are suitable up to 60psi). Note however that again availability may be an issue for these seal profiles – I have not yet been able to find a decent seal profile in the sizes required for Norman superchargersother than the simple TC seals. For interest, LFN, LFE-S, MP and TC seal profiles are shown (from left to right) in the image above.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/sixth_zps2e4d23e6.jpg) ($2)

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger fiddler)

As promised, I want to return back to discussing SU carbs. In this post I am going to deal with a significant issue - try to obtain mixture control with monster carbs.

It is possible, and fairly common, to run a single SU carburettor to feed a Norman supercharger (the 3” Norman SU is pretty rare, but a single 2” is run-of-the-mill). However, large single SU carburettors on supercharged engines can lead to a mixture spread issue. At full throttle, the supercharger is producing boost, squeezing in lots of air and lots of fuel. This requires a fairly rich needle profile. At part throttle however boost is very low (in some cases vacuum exists in the inlet manifold), and the engine behaves more like a naturally aspirated car. This then requires a normally lean needle profile. Whilst the full-throttle mixture can be tuned by finding an appropriate needle, the part throttle mixture may end up being overly rich (almost the same as full-throttle) leading to poor fuel efficiency. Whilst this issue is not too serious in race vehicles that always run full-throttle, it can be annoying in a road vehicle (poor economy and plug fouling). Finding a better needle profile may help solve the issue, though few needles are available for supercharged applications.

One method to get around the mixture spread issue is to use the Additional Weakening Device, which was a fitting originally used in some SU installations (eg the HIF38S, also known as the metric HIF4). I will draw below on some information from both Tuning British Leyland’s A-Series Engine by David Vizard and Tuning SU Carburettors by Speedsport Motorbooks. The images below show the weakening device as installed to original SU float bowls:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/first_zps10a5dc93.jpg) ($2)

The amount of fuel delivered by an SU main jet is governed, not only by the profile of the needle presented to the airstream, but also by the height of the fuel in the jet. In simple terms, if the fuel height is lower in the jet, it is harder for the carb to “suck” out the fuel, leading to a leaner mixture. The Additional Weakening Device works (leans the mixture) by lowering the fuel level in the jet. It does this by changing the pressure differential between the end of the jet (the carb throat) and the fuel in the float bowl. Normally the fuel in the float bowl is subjected to standard air pressure, as the float bowl is vented as per the image below:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/second_zpscb212596.jpg) ($2).

The height of fuel in the jet is then determined by the corresponding height of fuel in the float bowl (hydrostatic head, just like a water level gauge used by carpenters). The Additional Weakening Device however applies a partial vacuum to the top of the float bowl, as per the image below:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/third_zps19e860c8.jpg) ($2).

The float still controls the float bowl level at the same height, giving the same hydrostatic head to the jet. However, the vacuum above the float chamber fuel level means that the total pressure seen by the jet is lower, and hence the fuel level in the jet drops down. By controlling how much vacuum is applied to the float bowl, different fuel levels in the jet can be made, and hence different mixtures.
The Additional Weakening Device consists of a drilling in the carburettor throat (labelled 5 in the image below) which is connected by a flexible pipe to the top of the float bowl.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/fourth_zpsa74f2dba.jpg) ($2)

The drilling in the carburettor throat is made on the upstream side of the throttle butterfly (i.e. it supplies ported vacuum, not manifold vacuum). At the top of the float bowl a venturi (labelled as 1) is used to draw vacuum from the float bowl via a drilling (labelled as 2). The float bowl is sealed, with a vent line provided to let air into the bowl (labelled as 4). As this air is being sucked (through the float bowl) to the carburettor throat, the vent line is normally connected to the air filter to provide clean air. The amount of air that can flow through the vent line is controlled by an air bleed restriction (labelled as 3). The size of the venturi (1) is standard. The air bleed restriction diameter (3) is varied on different vehicles to determine the amount of vacuum applied (and hence the mixture strength). Note that the diameter and length of the flexible vent line (4) connecting the air bleed restriction to the air filter has a substantial effect on mixture strength.

With the throttle in the normal idling position (as shown in the image to the right), the drilling in the carburettor body is located upstream of the throttle butterfly, and is not able to see manifold vacuum:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/fifth_zpsf57c1dfd.jpg) ($2)

There is a very slight vacuum, but the effect on the float chamber will be negligible. This means that the Additional Weakening Device has no effect on the fuel mixture at idle.

When the throttle is partly open (as per the image below), the drilling in the carburettor body becomes exposed to manifold vacuum:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/sixth_zpsef4fbf90.jpg) ($2)

This causes air to be drawn from the float bowl via the venturi. The use of a venturi (instead of a plain orifice) ensures that the air velocity will reach a maximum value which remains constant. The air bleed on top of the float bowl allows air into the float bowl, though the flow is restricted by the air bleed restriction. This gives vacuum in the float bowl, causing the fuel level in the jet to drop and the mixture to run leaner. This arrangement allows the maximum fuel mixturing weakening effect to be produced when the throttle buterfly is closed a small amount from the full open position (when only a slight vacuum is present) and ensures that further closing of the throttle does not increase the weakening effect to the point at which misfiring may occur.

When the throttle is fully open (as per the image below), manifold vacuum decreases to a very small amount:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/seventh_zps388a85ae.jpg) ($2)

This small vacuum is able to act on the throttle body drilling, but is not sufficient to cause significant vacuum in the fuel bowl. In this way the Additional Weakening Device is not able to affect the mixture under full throttle operation.

Whilst a fairly simple piece of kit, the Additional Weakening Device consists of the fine air bleed restriction and the venturi. Both of these items have been tuned to a particular needle, jet and vacuum combination, and are not adjustable. If a factory Additional Weakening Device is used on a Norman supercharged vehicle, it may not behave as intended – there is a risk of lean-out and resulting knocking (pinging). It is however possible to build a fully adjustable Additional Weakening Device from scratch. The scratch-built device has the same configuration as the factory Additional Weakening Device, as shown in the image below:
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/eighth_zps049f2f26.jpg) ($2)

However, both the venturi and the air bleed restriction are replaced with simple needle valves (taps). This allows the amount of vacuum applied to the float bowl to be readily tuned by either restricting the air flowing in, or the vacuum pulling air out of the bowl.
In building the system, it is important to have a running supercharger with the idle pretty much set. This allows the throttle plate position at idle to be determined. A hole is then drilled 1½mm (~0.06”) from the edge of the butterfly in the relevant (upstream) side of the carburettor body. Remember, when the butterfly opens the hole must be in such a position that the butterfly will sweep over it, effectively moving it from upstream of the butterfly to downstream so that it communicates vacuum to the system. If the idle had not been set first, there is a chance that the hole ends up on the wrong side of the throttle plate. Suitable adaptors are then used to connect the carburettor body hole via vacuum hose to Tap 1. The taps need to be fuel resistant and able to pass a reasonable amount of air (you should be able to blow through it relatively easily when it’s fully open) – brass air compressor fittings are not a bad choice. Tap 1 is then connected to the top of the fuel bowl, again using vacuum hose. The fuel bowl needs to be sealed, with the vent of the fuel bowl connected to Tap 2. The other side of Tap 2 is then fitted into the air cleaner. During tuning of the device, it’s handy to mount Tap 2 inside the car via a fairly long length of vacuum hose, with the other end looping back into the air filter. This hose can then be shortening back once the tuning is complete.

Care needs to be taken in tuning the system. Adjusting Tap 1 will change the rate at which the air is drawn out of the float bowl, whilst adjusting Tap 2 changes the rate that air can flow in to the float bowl. The balance of the two adjustments determines the vacuum inside the float bowl, and hence the mixture setting at part-throttle. lf too big a vent is used, the air will flow back into the float bowl as fast as it is being evacuated, cancelling out the effect we are trying to achieve. On the other hand if it's too small, then the vacuum created in the float bowl will be sufficient to totally stop the fuel going into the engine, causing the engine to stall when the throttle is opened.

To tune the Additional Weakening Device:
a) Establish just how much Tap 2 needs to be open. We want Tap 2 to be controlling the air flow to the float bowl, but not strangling it to the point that the a vacuum develops in the float bowl (and the mixture changes) under full load. To do this, close Tap 1 so that no vacuum is communicated to the float bowl. Set Tap 2 fully open so that the float bowl is adequately vented. Drive the vehicle and check the third gear 30-60mph flat-out acceleration time. To do this, it's best to start below 30mph and have an offside start the stopwatch as the speedo passes 30mph. Hit it again when it reaches 60mph, but always drive on past that speed by a few mph.
b) When you are sure the 30-60mph acceleration times are consistent, close Tap 2 slightly and do the test again. We are looking for the point where Tap 2 begins to control the air flow to the float bowl by strangling it to the point that the a vacuum develops in the float bowl (and the mixture changes). Continue repeating the test (closing Tap 2 a little more each time) until you find the point at which the 30-60mph acceleration times starts to deteriorate. ln some instances you may find that Tap 2 can go all the way closed without affecting the performance, in which case open Tap 2 about two full turns. Once you find the point that the performance starts to deteriorate, open Tap 2 slightly to restore the engine's performance.
c) Open Tap 1 very slightly and check that the engine picks up properly. Take the car out on the road and drive at your most used cruising speeds. These may range from your in-town cruising speed of around 35mph (55km/h) up to freeway cruising speeds of 70mph (110km/h). If you have a vacuum gauge, note the vacuum at each speed you test at (the road should be dead flat if using a vacuum gauge). What you are looking for is the engine beginning to run lean and surge. This is the same thing that the standard FB/EK Holden motor will do if the main metering jet is too small. When lean surge starts, the car becomes slightly hesitant, and can begin to lightly miss.
d) lf the car is not surging, open Tap 1 a little bit more, making the fuel further small increment. Take the car out and try it again. Continue repeating the test (opening Tap 1 a little more each time) until you feel the car run into lean surge under cruise. When this happens, close Tap 1 slightly so that the lean surge just disappears.
e) Now re-check your 30-60mph acceleration time. The acceleration time should not have changed from those achieved originally. lf it has changed, it's because there is a slight reduction in mixture strength at full throttle. The Additional Weakening Device does not change the mixture under full throttle conditions. However, if the engine is under-carburretted, the engine may pull fuel from the float chamber fast enough to overtake the air supply back into the float chamber via Tap 2. lf this is the case, you will have to compensate for this effect by one of two means, either increase the richness of the mixture by having a slightly slimmer needle at the top end, or sacrifice some of the potential weakening effect by opening Tap 2 slightly wider.
f) Remember that in playing around with mixture strengths there is a chance that the engine runs lean. It is a good idea to keep an eye on the spark plug readings for any signs of running overly lean until you are confident the mixture is right.

Note that the above process has been set-up for simple testing. It is equally possible to tune the Additional Weakening Device on a dyno by setting Tap 2 to peak power then adjusting Tap 1 for a good mixture quality (by exhaust gas analysis) under cruise conditions.

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger fiddler).

For this post I will continue on with some info on SU carbs, focussing on the float bowl capacity.

There is no doubt that adding 50-100% more horsepower will increase the fuel demand on a vehicle. The typical full-throttle engine fuel requirement is 0.5lb per horsepower per hour, which equates to 0.0833 gallons of petrol per hour per horsepower. Our Norman supercharged grey motor is likely to achieve a 50-100% increase in power, giving 110-150 horsepower. The fuel requirement is thus likely to be of the order of 8-12gph on pump fuel. Eldred flags within Supercharge! that feeding the vehicle can become a constraint, both via the fuel pump (which I will deal with separately) and via the carburetor float bowl. Most road-going Norman supercharged applications running on petrol will be unlikely to hit this limit, as the standard SU needle and seat will flow of the order of 15gph. A single (2”) SU needle and seat is thus likely to cope, and if we are running twin (1¾”) SUs we should have absolutely no issue. Note though that for red motors our horsepower may increase to double that shown above. This would mean that even twin SUs become marginal for red motor petrol flow. Regardless of what motor we are running, the issue above becomes increasingly important if running methanol (bear in mind that you need to flow 2-2½ times as much methanol as petrol)… a methanol slurping grey will be marginal with two standard SU float bowls, whilst a red motor meth monster will still be hungry being fed by four.

The carburetor float bowl is generally constrained by the size (diameter) of the fuel inlet needle and seat. A typical SU aftermarket (viton-tipped) needle and seat has a diameter of 0.090”. One improvement made since Eldred’s time is the availability of Grose jets (another type of needle and seat) for SUs. A Grose Jet is not a needle, but instead consists of two ball bearings in a solid brass cage, one large one that is moved by the float, and a smaller one that is moved by the bigger ball bearing until it shuts off the flow of fuel. The original reasoning behind the Grose Jets' design was to lower the liklihood that they would jam or stick (the original brass-tipped needless were reknowned for jamming - a lot less of a problem with modern viton tips). Grose-Jet inlet valves are available with orifices of 0.084", 0.099” and 0.125” diameters. As a comparison, Holley needle-and-seat assemblies are typically 0.097-0.150” diameter, whilst single-barrel Stromberg needle and seats ranged from 0.07-0.093” for Holdens (the aftermarket ones now available are typically 0.076” diameter). Note however that along with the diameter of the needle and seat, the fuel inlet pressure has a part to play. SU carburettors are happy to run on 1½-3½ psi, and overflow around 5 psi. Holley carburettors run happily at 5-7psi, whilst Stromberg carburettors operate on approximately 2½-4½ psi of fuel inlet pressure. Fuel flow is proportional to the square of the orifice diameter (i.e. flow α diameter2), and to the square root of inlet pressure (i.e. flow α√pressure). Calculating this through shows that a typical SU fuel bowl and standard needle and seat will have flow doubled if changing out to a Grose valve. The Grose-valved SU will flow nearly three times as much as a single-barrel Stromberg, but only two-thirds as much as a Holley i.e:
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/First_zps6aff0d16.jpg) ($2)

The upshot of this is that if the standard SU float bowl is constraining the vehicle, changing to a Grose valve may solve the problem. If fuel flow is still constrained, the use of Holley float bowls (on SU carbs) may help. This sounds a little off-centre, but is exactly the solution implemented on the Norman supercharged 1963 Lil Horny Devil slingshot rail currently owned by Chris Batey:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Second_zpsfc182475.jpg) ($2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mLzZfjMamY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWrMQfr8Zr8
The Holley float bowl and associated parts are readily available and relatively cheap. The float bowl can be bolted to a piece of flat steel plate to form the rear of the bowl, as can be seen in the image below:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Third_zps65fd5a2d.jpg) ($2)

The original Holley mounting screws and gasket can be utilized. Note that Chris’ setup has two float bowls installed, one at either end of the inlet manifold (see photo below … the second bowl can be seen just sticking out from under the right-hand SU inlet trumpet):

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/sixth_zps2295622a.jpg) ($2)

Care needs to be taken in locating the Holley float bowl at an appropriate height relative to the SU carburetor jet, as the fuel bowl level affects the height of the fuel in the jet, and hence the mixture strength. The diagram below shows how the bowl may be constructed:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/new1_zps15563c0f.jpg) ($2)

Note that for the outlet it is possible to drill and tap a hole into the back of the steel plate to accept a nozzle. In this case the accelerator pump assembly is retained to seal the bottom of the fuel bowl. Alternatively, fuel can be taken from the bottom of the accelerator pump assembly by removing the diaphragm, spring and pump arm and then tapping bottom of the float bowl to accept a nozzle. Note that the accelerator pump check ball and retainer strap, as shown in the photograph below should also be removed and the hole drilled out to remove the potential restriction:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/new2_zps1a83993f.jpg) ($2)

For all-out race vehicles which wish to retain the SU carburettors, Eldred describes a modification to the SU float bowl which makes is operate as a weir fueled by a large capacity fuel pump. The “weir” is simply a hole drilled in the side of the float bowl at the desired fuel level. The standard SU float bowl operates as shown in the image below:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Fourth_zps065abb04.jpg) ($2)

The float (shown in green) sits on top of the fuel level. As the fuel level drops (as per the left-hand image) the float drops with it, lowering and opening the needle valve. As the fuel valve rises to the desired level (as shown in the right hand image) the float rises, pushing u the needle and closing off fuel flow to the bowl. In Eldred’s weir modification, the float is fully removed, as per the image below:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Fifth_zps862b0607.jpg) ($2)

The fuel pump is able to freely supply fuel to the bowl at all times. Any fuel that the engine does not consume gets recycled back to the fuel tank. A restriction is placed into the feed line to the float bowl to stop the fuel flow from being excessive (and hence overflowing the float bowl). Provided the fuel pump has a high enough capacity, the fuel bowl level will never drop any lower than the weir overflow level. Whilst this system has more plumbing than the standard needle and seat, it is very resistant to the issue of jamming or plugging of the needle orifice.

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger fiddler).

OK, a quick post to whet your appetite again (everyone loves a FED... and especially a Norman-blown FED... and Harv really loves an injected Norman-blown FED 8) :lol: ).
This one is Chris Stevenson’s front-engined dragster:
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/KenStevensonsFED5_zps700d6d1f.jpg) ($2)
Photo above from the Street Machine Hot Rod Annual 2009.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/KenStevensonsFED3_zps0586ce22.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/KenStevensonsFED2_zps195ae358.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/KenStevensonsFED1_zpsa41533b2.jpg) ($2)
Original website for the two photos above is here:
http://www.dragnews.com.au/index.php/feature-articles/race-reports/16-willowbank/737-eighth-mile-attack

Apparantly the 2008 Street Machine Hot Rod Annual has a feature on Chris' car - would love to get my hands on a copy or scan if anyone has one please.

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger fiddler)

Having whetted your appetite with the slingshot rail above, I'll return back to the earlier discussion on fuelling the Norman. Earlier posts centred on carbs, this post will look at fuel quality.

One of the downsides to the sliding vane supercharger is that the vanes rub against the casing wall. This creates friction and some additional heat, and is also a source of some efficiency loss. Over time, the vanes wear down and must be replaced. If the vanes get too short they can cant sideways in the rotor and jam. This can lead to bending of the rotor shaft or snapping of the rotor. To reduce the friction, a lubricant is required.

Historically, straight engine oil was added to the fuel tank, with the resultant “two-stroke” mixture used to feed the engine via the supercharger. The oil was dosed between 1 pint of oil:7 gallons of fuel (56:1 as recommended in Supercharge!) and 1 pint of oil: 8.7 gallons of fuel (70:1 as recommended in an advertising brochure for the later (Mike) Norman superchargers). One issue associated with the “2-stroke approach” is that the resultant fuel can cause the carburettor to gum up over time. Note that some superchargers, notably the Judson, use an oiler that feeds oil into the induction system instead of dosing in the fuel tank. It would be possible to dose the oil between the carburettor and supercharger, removing any fuel system gumming issues. However, Eldred’s experience has shown that the Norman supercharger has a tendency to throw the oil droplets against the supercharger casing walls. This lubricates the casing well... but not the rotor slots. For this reason oil feeders liek the Judson are not a recommended solution to the gumming problem.

It has been suggested that an alternative to using engine oil would be one of the methanol additives, such as VP Racing M2 Upper Lube. However, discussion with VP Racing (you wonder what I do in my spare time :oops: :lol: ) indicates that M2 is not an appropriate product for this use. M2 needs heat to be effective as a lubricant which will not happen in a suck-through intake system. Due to the low temperature it will gum up the works even more than engine oil. VP Racing instead recommend using a high quality degummed castor oil (like Cool Power fortified castor oil), with some trial-and-error needed on dose rate. The cost of castor oil is around $20 per litre, similar to engine oil.

Similarly, it has been suggested that the lead replacement additive FlashLube may be a suitable replacement. Unlike M2, FlashLube acts as a lubricant without heat, and can be used as a straight lubricant (for example on door hinges). It is also designed to be non-gumming. Whilst it would work in theory, discussions with the Flashlube people show that the dose rate required is again very much unknown. FlashLube is normally dosed at 1000:1, which “feels” very low (i.e. it should not improve the lubricity of straight petrol very much at that dose rate). Practical tests have shown FlashLube can be dosed at 160:1 and still burn. FlashLube costs approximately twice the cost of engine oil (about $50/litre).

Working through the above for practical Norman operation, I would recomend to start out by dosing your fuel tank with engine oil at around 60:1. If you experience fuel system gumming (and the carby cleaning frequency is driving you crazy), switch to fortified castor oil at about the same dose rate. When you switch, take a look at the vanes, and then check again in six months time. Increase the dose rate if heavy vane wear is noted.

As a side issue, some references indicate that running oil in fuel is one of the very, very bad things about sliding vane supercharger operation. All superchargers have a hunger for octane – the higher the fuel octane, the higher the boost that can be run, or the more advanced the ignition timing. Motor oil does have a low octane value (it’s hard to predict an exact value, but it is likely to be worse than diesel, which has an octane rating around 20RON, compared to Australian pump petrol at 91-98RON). The references indicate that the resultant octane decrease from adding engine oil to fuel is substantial - for example:
“Sliding vane compressors have a serious liability for supercharging performance engines, in that oil mixed into the charge to lubricate the friction surfaces of the sliding vanes increases the likelihood of detonation, effectively raising the engines fuel octane number requirement” - Supercharging Performance Handbook.
To challenge this, I took a sample of normal 98 Octane Shell V-Power from a Sydney service station, and blended it with typical engine oil (Shell Helix HX3) at 60:1 (Eldred’s recommended rate). I then had the
sample tested in a refinery fuels laboratory for octane. The result (98.7RON) shows that the effect of the oil is minimal with modern fuels. Bear in mind that the accuracy of octane testing is around ±1RON. The upshot of this is that whilst octane is critical for any supercharger, running oil into your Norman does not turn pump fuel into tractor fuel.

Regards,
Harv (2-stroke Norman supercharger fuelling apprentice).

Ladies and Gents,

My recent posts have focused on the fuel side of feeding the Norman supercharger. There is probably still a bit of work that I want to do (mainly around the fuel pump). For now though I will swing topics to the air side. This post will focus on the grey motor camshaft - getting our blown grey to breathe.

To start off the process of thinking about the grey motor camshaft, it is probably a good idea to look at what we start with – the standard GMH bumpstick. The specifications for the standard grey motor camshaft are as per below:
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/First_zpsc30a14a8.png) ($2)

Note that the valve timing for all grey motor camshafts is the same. However, from FE engine number L418726 the grey motor camshaft was modified to give “quieter valve train operation and to delay valve bounce to higher engine r.p.m.”. This would indicate that the later camshafts have had the opening and closing ramps modified. This lets the valves open and close at the same angle, but slows down the valve as it approaches the seat. This stops the valve slamming into the seat, which can cause them to bounce off the seat. Another interesting change is that Workshop manuals from FC onwards start to report “actual” valve timing instead of advertised. Advertised timing shows when the valves just start to move – typically when the lifter has moved 0.006” (the SAE standard distance). More useful numbers, which are often used to compare camshafts are the same measurements taken at a lifter movement of 0.050”. This is probably what the “actual” numbers given in the FC and later workshop manuals are referring to (i.e. the FX-FE workshop manuals show the advertised durations, whilst the FC and later manuals show the durations at 0.050”. However, it is not certain that 0.050” is the value GMH used… it could well be 0.040” for example (up until recently, camshaft manufacturers used a very wide variety of lifts to report this number).

The upshot of the above numbers can be summarized by showing how the valves are open as the camshaft spins clockwise. In the diagram below, TDC refers to Top Dead Centre (the piston right at the top of the cylinder bore), whilst BDC refers to Bottom Dead Centre (the piston right at the bottom of the cylinder bore). For our inlet valve, we get the diagram below (using the Advertised numbers) for a bog-stock grey motor camshaft.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Second_zps26c385d0.png) ($2)
Starting in the upper left corner of the circle and moving around clockwise, our piston is finishing the exhaust stroke (pushing out exhaust gases). At 4º above the top of the stroke the inlet valve opens, using some of that exhaust gas flow to suck in the inlet charge. Our piston hits the top (TDC) and starts moving downwards, with the inlet valve open and inlet charge flowing into the cylinder. The piston reaches the bottom of it’s stroke (BDC) and starts moving up, compressing the charge. Our inlet charge has been flowing flat-out through the open inlet valve, and the inertia keeps bringing gas in even though the piston is beginning to compress. At 40º after BDC, the inlet valve closes and we continue compression against shut valves. Our inlet valve has been open for a total of 224º (this is referred to as 224º duration). Note that this is normal, and more than the 180º we would expect if the inlet valves only ever opened on the inlet stroke.

For our exhaust inlet valve, we get the diagram below (again using Advertised values) for our bog-stock grey motor.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Third_zps80758035.png) ($2)
Starting in the bottom right corner of the circle and moving around clockwise, our piston is finishing the power stroke (moving downwards under the ignited fuel/air mix). At 46º before the bottom of the stroke the exhaust valve opens, using some of the cylinder pressure to start pushing out exhaust gas. Our piston hits the bottom (BDC) and starts moving upwards, with the exhaust valve open and flowing out exhaust gas from the cylinder. The piston reaches the top of it’s stroke (TDC) and starts moving down, beginning the inlet stroke. We leave the exhaust valve open for another 6º, using the flowing exhaust gas to help suck in the incoming air/fuel charge. At 6º after TDC the exhaust valve closes and we continue our intake stroke. Our exhaust valve has been open for a total of 232º duration. Again, this is normal, and more than the 180º we would expect if the exhaust valves only ever opened on the exhaust stroke.

As an aside, to help put the above numbers into perspective a common way of describing aftermarket camshafts is in terms of two numbers (for example “30/70” or “40/80”). The two numbers refer to the angle that the intake opens and closes (it assumes that the exhaust valves open at a similar angle). The bigger the numbers the more duration, and the lumpier the camshaft. For example, for a 30/70 cam:
•   Intake opens at 30º BTDC (remember that the standard grey motor cam opens at 4º... the 30/70 opens the inlet much earlier),
•   Intake closes at 70º ABDC (much later than the standard 40º),
•   Exhaust opens at 70º BBDC (much earlier than the standard 46º), and
•   Exhaust closes at 30º ATDC (much later than the standard 6º).
•   The duration for this cam is 280º (30º+70º+180º) for both inlet and exhaust, which is longer than the standard camshaft’s 224º inlet duration and 232º exhaust duration.
•   Overlap for this cam is 100º (30º+70º) which is much larger than the standard camshaft’s 10º.
Note that the standard camshaft is not quite so equal in valve opening and closing (i.e. the exhaust and inlet valves do not open, nor close, at the same angle). This makes it hard to describe the standard grey motor cam in the same way as a “30/70”. However, if we take some average numbers, the standard grey motor camshaft is roughly a “5/43”.

The last aspect of our standard camshaft is valve lift. The higher the valve lift, the more the valve will open. This gives increased flow of gas (kind of like turning on a bathroom tap more to fill the bath faster). In the diagram below, the red camshaft is a low-lift cam. The arrows show that the valve does not open much. The green camshaft is a high-lift cam. The red arrows show the red cam opens the valve much more, allowing for better gas flow. For our standard grey motor camshaft, the valve lift is 0.34”.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Fifth_zps50ca5758.png) ($2)

Now that we understand the standard grey motor camshaft, we need to think how it will behave when a Norman supercharger is bolted on. Notwithstanding the discussion below, the overall message is that many supercharged motors run perfectly well with the stock (naturally aspirated) camshaft. Equally, the advice from several sources (for example Supercharged! Design, Testing and Installation of Supercharger Systems) indicates that if in doubt the stock camshaft should be used. This feels like sound advice given that the early Norman superchargers were designed to operate with the standard grey or red motor camshaft.

However, the above is not to say that a change in camshaft (increased duration and higher valve lift) cannot bring about increased performance in a Norman supercharged grey motor. When we look at typical naturally aspirated “hot” grey motor cams, it is apparent that a major change is an increase in overlap, duration and lift. For example, for the range of Camtech Cams (and one of the Waggot cams):
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/sixth_zpsc2347630.png) ($2)

As we move down the table (increasingly hotter cams), the inlet and exhaust duration increases, as does valve lift and overlap.

When considering a change to the standard grey motor camshaft to accommodate a Norman supercharger, there are two key issues that we wish to address. The first issue is probably the more important of the two. Adding a supercharger to the engine will greatly increase the flow of gases (intake and exhaust) through the engine. Whilst the intake side flows better because of the boost pressure, the exhaust side still relies on cylinder pressure to blow the gases out. The simple way to think of this is that there is no point adding a supercharger and jamming more air in, if we cannot get that air to flow back out again. This means that we want a camshaft that:
a) lifts the exhaust valve higher for more gas flow (i.e. fills the bathtub faster by opening the tap more), and/or
b) holds the exhaust open longer to allow the additional exhaust gas more time to flow (i.e. a longer exhaust duration).
We can increase exhaust duration by opening the valve earlier (as per the pale green area in the diagram below), or by closing it later (as per the orange area in the diagram below). Whilst both changes will work, closing the valve later can cause some issues, particularly at low engine rpm.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Seventh_zpsd503cc79.png) ($2)

This brings us to the second issue, which is related to the cam overlap. Naturally aspirated engines have camshafts with large amounts of overlap, which uses the exhaust flow to help “suck” in inlet air/fuel, especially at higher rpm. However, our supercharged engine has a pressurized inlet manifold, so needs this inlet charge encouragement less. In a supercharged engine with high overlap, what tends to happen is that the pressurized inlet charge blows into the cylinder and straight out the open exhaust valve. This will give poor economy and poor emissions performance, and can lead to a loss of performance at low engine speed where boost is low. In the overlap diagram below we can see that by closing the exhaust valve later (trying to increase exhaust duration for our supercharged grey motor), the orange area would increase overlap.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Eighth_zps889a63d9.png) ($2)

More importantly, increasing overlap will also reduce the boost pressure. As a guide (From Supercharge!), the boost pressure will fall by about 5% of absolute pressure for each 10º by which valve overlap is increased. The standard (advertised) overlap is 10º, giving the following boost reductions: (http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Ninth_zpsd7b5a436.png) ($2)

For example, a grey motor running 10psi boost with the standard camshaft will drop to 5psi if the overlap is increased to 50º. Whilst the overlap may be of help at high RPM, it will lead to a low boost, sluggish vehicle at low RPM. For this reason, we generally want a camshaft for our Norman supercharged grey motor with as little overlap as possible. This means that to get better exhaust flow we are looking for a camshaft with higher exhaust valve lift, or that opens the exhaust valve earlier (not closes it later).

In short if we want good all round driveability (most Norman supercharger installations), the standard camshaft is a good choice. The later camshaft (mid FE Holden onwards) is better than the earlier grey motor camshaft, as it will delay valve bounce without affecting timing. If we do not mind sacrificing some low-end drivability and emissions, then we are looking for a camshaft with increased lift, increased exhaust duration (through opening the exhaust valve earlier) and preferably low overlap.

There are a number of Australian camshaft grinders who can regrind the original grey motor camshaft to suit high performance applications. These include Wade, Camtech, Clive Cams, Tighe and Waggot. Note however that most camshaft grinders do not have dedicated supercharger grinds for the Holden grey motor, and instead rely on the high performance naturally aspirated grinds. This is different to say small block Chevrolet engines, where supercharging is more common and camshaft grinders are able to supply dedicated supercharger grinds. As an example, for a mildly blown grey (5-10psi of boost and primarily street use) Camtech recommends the Part Number 609 camshaft shown in the table above. This will increase advertised exhaust duration from 224º to 284º, though notably will also increase advertised overlap from 10º to 64º. This is a substantive degree of overlap, and would see a 10psi blown grey motor lose almost half the boost pressure… perhaps not an issue for all-out sustained high-RPM work, but of serious concern with a street engine.

As a comparison, the table below shows the range of supercharger camshafts available from Weiand (via Lunati) for small block Chevrolets. Note that the durations remain long for good exhaust flow, being increased from a typical factory 270º to 290º (especially in the 01006 and 01007 performance cams). More notably, the advertised overlap has been reduced from a typical factory SBC value of 35º to nil… a far cry from the 64º grey motor camshaft recommended by Camtech above. The exception is the 01007 camshaft with 25º of overlap (still a far cry from 64º), though Lunati note that this is only suitable for high boost engines – probably due to the boost loss at low RPM.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Tenth_zps5b2200ac.png) ($2)

In short, supercharged camshafts are readily available for motors like small block Chevrolets, but are not so common (if available at all) for the Holden grey motor. To get your hands on a “blower cam” for a supercharged grey motor will require custom cam grinding… expensive to say the least. The upshot of the above is again that for most Norman supercharged grey motors the standard stock camshaft should be used. For sustained high-RPM use a normal grey motor “hot cam (performance grind) may be suitable though
a)   will take some trial and error to balance the resultant boost loss against high RPM power gains.
b)   will drop boost at low RPM.
c)   Will blow more unburnt fuel out the exhaust at low RPM.

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger bumpstick fiddler).

Our last post looked at the intake timing needed to get our Norman blown grey motor to breathe. This post will look at the other side of breathing – our SU carburetor, and what changes we may need to make to the standard SU.

One issue commonly referred to when carbureted superchargers are discussed is the need for a “blower carb”, or a “boost referenced” carb. Boost referencing a carburetor is a modification (often done to Holley carburetors) to allow the power valve to take signal from between the supercharger and engine. The power valve is used (on some carburetors like Holleys and B-model Strombergs) to provide additional fuel under heavy load. On a normally aspirated engine (for example a standard grey motor with single BXOV-1 Stromberg carburetor) the power valve takes it signal from the inlet manifold. The manifold vacuum at idle holds the power valve closed, preventing the mixture getting too rich – see the image below left. Under heavy load, the manifold vacuum decreases, allowing the power valve to open and richen up the mixture – see the image below right.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/first_zps44772aab.png) ($2)

On a suck-through supercharger system (like the Norman superchargers) a normal power valve will see vacuum under idle, as per the image below. This keeps the power valve shut as required.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/second_zpsb9668c01.png) ($2)

However, under load the supercharger can draw hard enough that vacuum continues to exist between the supercharger and carburetor. If the power valve is taking it’s signal from between the supercharger and carburetor (as per the image below), then the power valve will never open, leading to lean-out under load.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/third_zps9b5cfe54.png) ($2)

Many Holley carburetors for suck-through supercharging are thus “boost referenced” by drilling and tapping the vacuum signal between the supercharger and engine as per the image below (an alternative for Holleys is just to pull out the power valve altogether, and to run overly rich main jets).
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/fourth_zpsad4a26e4.png) ($2)

The SU carburetor however does not utilize a power valve for full-throttle enrichment, and instead relies on the needle profile. SU carburetors in suck-through configuration are thus not boost-referenced (though as noted above may need to have an additional weakening device fitted to allow for overly rich part-throttle mixtures).

As an aside, SU carburettors can also be used in blow-through installations (such as was done from the factory for the MG Metro which used a Garrett T3 turbo blowing through a SU HIF44). In a blow-through supercharger installation, a number of other modifications are required to an SU carburettor, primarily sealing the carburettor (or mounting the entire carburettor in a pressurised box) to prevent fuel and air being blown out. This is not required for the Norman supercharger due to the suck-through installation.

When operating with a naturally aspirated engine, the carburetor can become the limiting factor on horsepower. The Holden grey motor is a good example of this, with the original single Stromberg carburetor being fairly asthmatic. A common way of increasing horsepower is to increase the number of carburetors (twins or triples), or to debottleneck the existing carburetor. There are a number of tricks that can be applied to carburetors to make them flow more air. For our Norman supercharged grey motor, we are likely to be running SU carburetors. The standard SU carburetor can be modified to flow around one third more air than standard. As an example, the following modifications can be made to a HS4 carburettor (I have taken this information from Tuning BL’s A-Series Engine, by David Vizard):
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/fifth_zps21096ef1.png) ($2)
Bear in mind that our supercharged grey motor, making around 110BHP will want around 50% additional air flow over the standard GMH engine. As we noted in earlier posts above, two 1½” SUs or a single 2” SU are suitable for supercharged grey motors, whilst for those not chasing grunt a single 1¾” or two 1¼” SUs may suffice. If we were running short on carburetor capacity (CFM) for our Norman sueprcharged grey motor, it is probably just as easy to increase the size of the SUs used (or the number of SUs) than to undertake the kind of modifications above. The capacity of various SU carburettors is given below:
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/sixth_zps4daea58f.png) ($2)

The upshot of this is that as a general guidance, there is little need to increase the air flow capacity of SU carburetors for Norman superchargers – choose the right number and size instead.

However, when engine bay space prevents additional carburettors (or budget means you need to use the SUs that you already have), there are some sensible choices to be made. The last two modifications in the table above (modifying the piston and bridge areas) are not for the faint hearted, and are not reversible. Unless you are looking for every last ounce of horsepower from an existing carb, then they are probably not worth doing. Thinning the throttle shaft is another area with a decent flow gain, though again not for the faint hearted.

One modification not noted above is the removal of the SU carburettor over-run limiting valves (often called a poppet valve – see the red arrow in the images below).
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/seventh_zpsb55b28c3.png) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/eighth_zps4c458c21.png) ($2)

This modification was present on the SUs on my large Norman, which was allegedly fed one of Mike Norman’s race vehicles. The over-run limiting valve is a precisely set spring-loaded plate valve is located in the throttle disc. When the throttle is snapped shut, very high vacuum can develop in the inlet manifold. If the vacuum is greater than about 22"Hg, the mixture becomes too weak to ignite easily, causing misfire. This can result in unburnt fuel passing into the exhaust system where it can detonate (backfire). The over-run valve opens under high manifold vacuum conditions (i.e. when the throttle is snapped shut), reducing the vacuum and supplying a quantity of correct fuel/air mixture through the throttle disc. The correct combustion achieved reduces both backfiring and emissions. The over-run limiting valve can be readily removed, and the resultant throttle disc hole soldered up. This is a moderately simple change, and is probably good for around 5% or so extra flow. Whilst this change is reversible, it will entail replacing the throttle plates.

The change above that does deliver moderate increases in air flow, is simple and easily reversible is adding a ram tube to the inlet of the carb. A ram tube and associated filter (either sock-type or an enclosed K&N type filter) is a cheap investment, looks period correct and delivers a little extra flow, all of which would appear worthwhile. Note however that not all ram tubes are created equally. The diagram below (again from Tuning BL’s A-Series Engine, by David Vizard) shows different type ram tubes, and the % flow increase seen over a standard SU carburetor.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/ninth_zpscdf234a9.png) ($2)

The message here is that care needs to be taken in selecting the right shape ram tube, and that a smooth, radiused edge with good rollback is most likely to be successful. Pictured to below to the left are the ram tubes offered by SU Midel, which have a large radius and high rollback (these are like types 7, 8 and 9 above – a good choice).
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/tenth_zps98ace1a4.png) ($2)
Pictured to the above right are the ram tubes offered by Redline Performance Products which are similar to type 10 above – again a good choice. Notice that ram tubes of the types 1 and 4 in the image above show a substantial flow loss over the standard SU carburetor – choosing ram tubes of this type could well lead to the Norman supercharger being strangled for air, particularly if the size (or number) of SUs was marginal in the first place.

The overall message here is that for our Norman supercharged grey motor we will use a suck-through configuration, utilize big enough SU carburetors (or enough small ones) to suit the air flow required, probably leave the SU internals standard, and if fitting a ram tube to the inlet will need to take care of what shape it is in order to prevent a flow restriction.

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger fiddler).

As discussed above, Norman superchargers require a relief valve in order to operate safely. Whilst this is somewhat fiddly, the results of not using one can be catastrophic. I’ve stolen the photo to the right from Pete, which shows what a blower backfire can do to an aluminium manifold. This setup was running 6psi on a positive displacement suck-through setup on a red motor…. kinda similar to a Norman. As well as bursting the welds, the blower bang also managed to blow the Teflon off the seals:
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/first_zpsb8128c61.png) ($2)

Blower bangs can be very, very nasty if no relief valve is fitted. Ever wonder why many GMC supercharged motors have blower restraints (as well as a burst panel)? To stop the blower rocketing off into the stands should a blower bang.

Some guidance to relief valves is contained in Supercharge!:
• Mount the relief valve as close to the supercharger as possible. Consider a relief valve at both ends of the manifold.
• Relief valves should be of considerable area. For a 3-litre motor they should be at least 4 inch2 (for example a square hole 2”x2”, or a round hole of 2¼” diameter).
• Relief valves should be set to 50% more than the manifold pressure maximum (for example if we wish to deliver 10psi boost, the relief valve should be set at 15psi).

Very, very rough calculations show that Eldred’s sizing of 4 inch2 is appropriate for the red motor type Normans (200ci/rev) operating around 4500rpm. The smaller Normans (80ci/rev) would still need around 2 inch2, though are safer at 4 inch2.
The relief valves favoured by Eldred are a plate type, consisting of a moving aluminium disc on an edge seal. The disc covers a round hole in the inlet manifold. The disc is located by three guide studs arranged around the circumference of the disk. The studs also holds a fixed triangular retainer. A set of springs (often reused valve springs) go between the triangular retainer and the aluminium disc. The drawing and photos to the right show this type of relief valve. The relief valve pop pressure is set by tightening the stud nuts down.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/second_zps127f1072.png) ($2)

The dimensions shown in the image below have been taken from a working Norman supercharger (my water cooled Norman). The image (from left to right) shows the aluminium disc, retainer and a rubber washer that had been used under the disk. The washer may be needed if the aluminium edge seal is not quite true, either from poor original machining or from being smacked around over time when the valve pops. The valve had been fitted over a 1.79” diameter hole in the manifold, giving a relief valve size of 2.5inch2. As seen above, this is probably the smallest size valve suitable for a grey motor type Norman, and undersized for the larger red motor sizes. Three ¼”x3” long bolts were utilized to mount the assembly. The valve had been fitted with a spring with dimensions as shown in the bottom right of the image. The spring had a stiffness of 124lb/inch, and a potential to compress up to 0.9” before reaching coil bind (note that this is stiffer than a typical used grey motor valve spring, which have tension of around 85lb/inch and a potential to compress up to ~1” before reaching coil bind). This gives the ability to adjust the valve to a manifold relief pressure from zero to 135psi (fitting a used grey motor spring would give a pressure range of zero to 100psi). Using Eldred’s 50%
guidance above, this means that we could run the supercharger at up to 90psi with the spring fitted, or up to 67psi with the grey motor valve springs used... not that we would ever be running a Norman at those pressures.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/third_zpsa475d81a.png) ($2)

A similar plate type of relief valve is manufactured and sold by Weiand as part number 7155 (photo below upper), with a larger size available as part number 7158 (photo below middle).

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/fourth_zpsb90681b0.png) ($2)

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/fifth_zpsfd98afa8.png) ($2)

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/sixth_zps540b1a6d.png) ($2)

The Weiand assemblies are of similar design to Eldred’s triangular plates, though simpler in construction (only two bolts, and rectangular plate rather than three bolts and triangular). The relief valves are again adjusted by tightening the studs (or by adding shim washers under the bolt heads). The design uses a gasket, avoiding the machining tolerances required by Eldred’s edge seal (though in doing so are more susceptible to gasket leaks or blowout). The smaller 7155 assembly can tolerate a hole size up to about 1” diameter (0.8inch2 relief area), and is provided with springs of 216lb/inch stiffness (0.6” travel to coil bind). This gives an ability to deliver from zero to 165psi.

The Blower Shop also offers a plate type relief valve as part number 2589, mounted with 3/8-16UNC set screws. This assembly is manufactured to suit a hole diameter of ¾” (0.44inch2).

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/seventh_zps98cf75da.png) ($2)

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/eighth_zpse1fec66d.png) ($2)

AussieSpeed also sell a “universal back fire valve”, cut from 12mm billet aluminium plate. The kit is designed to have the rear plate welded to the inlet manifold to prevent supercharger damage. These can be cut down to fit in tight areas

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/nineth_zpsa7e77000.png) ($2)

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/tenth_zps510ad9dc.png) ($2)

Realistically, the Weiand, Blower Shop and AussieSpeed valves do not have sufficient size to act as back fire valves for the Norman supercharger unless a separate (and much larger) burst panel is employed.

Supercharger relief valves should be pressure tested before the manifold is fitted to the vehicle. To do this, all openings are blanked off with flat steel plate, using rubber sheet gaskets. A compressed air hose and gauge is fitted and the pressure slowly increased until the relief valve pops, taking care not to overpressure the manifold should the valve stick. The adjusting nuts are then tightened or loosened, and the process repeated until the desired set pressure is achieved. WARNING: Pneumatic testing a manifold like this is dangerous. If the manifold fails before the valve open, it can fragment and throw pieces of metal a long way, and very fast. The pop pressure should be approached very, very slowly and not exceeded if the valve does not lift. Faceshield definietley recommended for this one. If you have the ability to use water pressure instead of air, this is a much safer approach (water does not compress and contain as much energy as air).

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger fiddler).

For this post, I will take a look at the registration hurdles we are likely to face in installing a Norman sueprcahrger to our early Holden. In an ideal world, supercharging our Holden grey motor would be as simple as bolt up and go. The bolt up part is tricky enough in itself. However, installing a supercharger is a modification which requires engineering certification. Supercharging has the capacity to substantially increase a vehicle’s power and performance and is generally considered on the same basis as a performance engine conversion (like installing a V8). In the information below, I will summarise the requirements from the National Code of Practice (NCOP) Supercharger and Turbocharger Installation Code LA3. Before anyone asks, I know full well that some engineers will pass a vehicle with substantially less than the below, and that some registration authority inspection stations will issue a roadworthy regardless of what is under the bonnet (“but my cuzzy has a blowa on his fooly sick Monaro mate, 1000hp, no engineers mate”) – I am only aiming to show what the guidelines are.
Our starting point is to determine exactly when certification for a supercharger is required. The table below gives some guidance. Essentially, if we are aiming for more than a 20% power increase (and we should be!), then certification will be required. Assuming that we are Norman supercharging our grey motor, then Code LA3 applies.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/first_zps94693004.png) ($2)

Code LA3 specifies a number of requirements, listed below. Because FB/EK Holdens are pre-ADR, a number of mandatory safety upgrades are required. These are:
• Seatbelts must be installed for all seating positions (all outboard seating positions require retractor type lap/sash seatbelts and inboard seating positions either lap/sash or lap belts),
• Split or dual braking system. As the early Holden brake systems are single, this requires a new master cylinder and appropriate piping.
• Windscreen washers must be fitted. This could be a period type Trico set up, or an el-cheapo plastic bottle and pump from SuperCheap Auto.
• Two speed windscreen wipers with a fast speed of at least 45 cycles per minute and a slow speed of at least 20 cycles per minute must be fitted. Note that the original FB/EK single speed wipers are acceptable provided yours can be shown to have a cycle speed of 45 cycles per minute or more.
• A windscreen demister must be fitted. This could be a period Warmaride heater, an electric aftermarket heater or as simple as a 12V hair dryer plumbed into pool cleaner hose.
• A flat or convex external rear vision mirror complying with the latest version of ADR14 must be fitted to the driver’s side of the vehicle.
• Flashing direction indicator lights must be fitted at the front and rear of the vehicle (not a problem from EK onwards, though an option for earlier Holdens).
• The engineer signatory may specify a higher tyre speed rating than the original specifications and the fitting of an additional tyre placard indicating the minimum tyre requirements. The load rating of tyres must not be reduced from that specified by the vehicle manufacturer.
• A collapsible steering column must be fitted.

Additionally,
• Supercharger drive belts and pulleys must be shielded to prevent injury from accidental contact with rotating components.
• With respect to emissions, as our early Holden was manufactured prior to 1986, no emissions tests (as called up through ADR 37/00) apply. Similarly, because our early Holden was not certified to ADR83/00 (2005), a noise test is not required.
• Whilst the original Norman supercharger installations on early Holdens were contained under the bonnet, this may not be possible for all configurations. Any supercharger and induction system components sticking up above the original bonnet line must be covered with a bonnet scoop/bulge meeting the following:
a) the top surface of the scoop/bulge must not be more rigid than the original bonnet.
b) the scoop/bulge must be “low rise”. To check this, a 165mm diameter circle is placed on the bonnet in front of the scoop/bulge and rolled rearwards until it touches the scoop/bulge. The scoop/bulge must be low enough that no part of the scoop/bulge touches the circle above it’s centerline.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/second_zpsf5ad0633.png) ($2)

c) Whilst there is no maximum height specified for a scoop/bulge, it must not restrict the field of view of the driver under normal operating conditions. The driver’s field of view requirements are determined by sitting in the driver’s seat with the seat pushed right back. It must be possible to see either the surface of the road eleven meters in front of the driver’s eye (red line in the diagram) or the front edge of the original body when looking across the top of the bonnet scoop (blue line in the diagram).

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/third_zps1c457ef9.png) ($2)

There are some fancy ways of working out how tall the driver is, but a simple way is to take the eye position as a point 730mm above and 270mm forward of the junction of the seat cushion and squab. For our FB/EK Holden, this means we can (roughly!) fit a 6” tall bonnet scoop as per the photos below.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/fourth_zpsc40a62f9.png) ($2)

d) The edges at the front of a scoop/bulge likely to contact a pedestrian in a collision must be well rounded with a minimum of 10mm radius. All edges and corners must have a radius of not less than 5mm.
e) The scoop/bulge must not have reflective surfaces that will cause glare.
f) Plastic or fiberglass is acceptable, providing that the hole in the bonnet does not substantially reduce the strength or impact resistance of the bonnet and no rigid component (such as an air cleaner or carburetor) protrudes beyond the original bonnet profile. This kind of defeats the purpose if we are installing the scoop to cover a Norman supercharger installation. In reality, it means either the scoop is made of mild steel of the same thickness as the original bonnet, or everything is tucked under the bonnet.
g) If any bonnet reinforcing braces are cut or modified, the bonnet must not be weakened and have no sharp edges.

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger fiddler).

For this post, we will take a look at rotor clearance and end-thrust.

The rotor on a Norman supercharger is held in place by bearings at either end. The bearings are held in place to the end plates with circlips, preventing the bearing from moving axially. The means that when the bearings and end plates are installed, the casing, end plate and bearing are locked in position and cannot move relative to each other. In the overview image below, we can see:
a) The rotor (grey) lying in the casing (yellow),
b) The drive-end end plate (dark green) bolted to the right-hand end of the casing, with its bearing (dark blue) held in place by a circlip (pale green). Trapped between the end plate and bearing is the drive-end seal (purple).
c) The non-drive end end plate (brown) bolted to the left-hand end of the casing, with its bearing (orange) held in place by a circlip (pale green).

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Type65bearingfloatoverview_zps5a75c5cb.png) ($2)

The non-drive end bearing is often a two-piece bearing (like the Type 65’s bearing), where the inner and outer races are able to be pulled apart by hand. Whilst this sounds strange, the inner race has a wire cage that retains the bearing balls. The two-piece design means that the non-drive end bearing cannot take any thrust load at all – if the rotor shaft tries to move axially, the bearing simply slips out the inner race. This is useful in the Norman superchargers, as it allows the rotor steel to grow longer as it gets hot, expanding out through the rear bearing. If we assume that the rotor starts at ambient temperature (25ºC) and gets as hot as 75ºC, the 50ºC temperature change is likely to change the rotor length by around 0.06%. This means a Type 65 rotor will grow some 0.006”. Whilst this does not sound like much, bear in mind that typical cold end-clearance between the rotor and casing is 0.010-0.015” at the drive end and 0.025” at the non-drive end. As the rotor expands, it takes up quite a bit of the extra clearance at the non-drive end. The cold end-clearance between the rotor and casing at the non-drive end is determined by the thickness of the gaskets (shown in red in the attached diagram) between the end plates and casing (both drive end and non-drive end). The thicker the gaskets, the more clearance at the non-drive end.
The drive-end bearing is a one-piece bearing. Pressing up against the bearing is a thrust washer (shown in pink in the diagram above). The thrust washer is stepped so that it bears on the bearing inner race only. The thrust washer is keyed to the rotor shaft, though free to move along it. Pressing up against the thrust bearing is the drive pulley (shown in white), again keyed to the rotor shaft though free to move along it. Pressing up against the pulley is a pulley washer (shown in pale blue), followed by the shaft nut (shown in red). This is where things get interesting. When the drive-end assembly is put together and the shaft nut is tightened up, it begins to draw the rotor through the drive-end plate, bearing, pulley and washers (in the direction of the red arrow in the diagram). This reduces the cold end-clearance between the rotor and casing at the drive end. Thus for the drive-end, the cold end-clearance between the rotor and casing is determined by how far the drive nut is tightened. When assembling the supercharger, care must be taken not to “flog the hell” out of the shaft nut, as this will change the clearance. The shaft nut should only be adjusted with the end-plate off the casing so that the cold end-clearance between the rotor and casing at the drive end can be checked with feeler gauges. If the shaft nut is adjusted with the end casing on, it is not possible to determine what the resultant clearance will be. This also means that the nut must not move during operation (say by vibration).
It is thus important that the shaft nut be a lock-nut in good condition – not one that has been assembled/disassembled until the nylon is worn. An alternative to using nylock lock nuts is to use two jam nuts. This is prevalent in the later (Mike) Norman superchargers, where castellated jam nuts are used – see the image below, where one of the two castellated nuts has been removed whilst the other remains on the shaft.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/GaryslargeNormandriveendcastellatednutremoval_zps2b2e7601.jpg) ($2)

The process of having clearances set by the lock-nut occurs when the pulley washer is sized as per the image labelled 1 in the diagram below.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Type65bearingfloatadjustment_zps55419a4f.png) ($2)

One way to limit the risk of shaft nut movement is to blueprint the pulley washer. This is done by allowing the shaft nut to bottom-out on its threads as per the image labeled 2. The shaft nut can then be torqued up tight, lowering the chance of movement. This then means that the cold end-clearance between the rotor and casing at the drive end is independent of how far the drive nut is tightened, and instead is determined by the thickness of the pulley washer. The pulley washer thickness is then chosen so that the cold end-clearance between the rotor and casing at the drive end is correct (around 0.010”). A thicker pulley washer will decrease the end-clearance, as per the image labeled 5. Note that if adding additional washers/shims to make a “thicker” pulley washer, care needs to be taken that the additional washers/shims do not bear against the shaft step, as shown by the orange shims in the image labeled 3. Shims/washers that bear on this step do not decrease the end-clearance... they just drive the shaft nut along the shaft. A thinner pulley washer will increase the end-clearance, as per the image labeled 4.
Overall, the process for setting the end clearances then becomes:
a) Install the bearing into the drive end plate.
b) Install the drive end plate/bearing assembly onto the rotor.
c) Install the thrust washer, drive pulley and pulley washer onto the rotor.
d) Tighten the shaft nut until it bottoms out.
e) Check the cold end-clearance between the rotor and casing at the drive end with a pair of feeler gauges, aiming for 0.010”. If the clearance greater than 0.010”, install a thinner pulley washer (or skim down the existing one). If the clearance is less than 0.010”, install a thicker pulley washer or shim washer.
f) Install the non-drive end bearing inner race onto the rotor.
g) Install the clearanced rotor and end-plate assembly to the casing together with an appropriate gasket.
h) Install the outer bearing into the non-drive end plate.
i) Fit plastigauge to the non-drive end of the rotor.
j) Install the non-drive end plate/bearing assembly onto the rotor/casing casing together with an appropriate gasket.
k) Remove the non-drive end plate/bearing assembly from the rotor/casing casing. Check the end-clearance by reading the plastigauge, aiming for 0.025”. If the clearance is less than 0.025”, replace the end-plate gaskets with thicker ones. If the clearance is more than 0.025”, replace the end-plate gaskets with thinner ones.

With respect to bearing thrust, there is not a huge amount of thrust loading in a Norman supercharger. The main culprit for thrust loading is (often minute) amounts of misalignment between the crankshaft and supercharger pulleys. The Norman supercharger (and it’s Judson cousin) relies on an interference fit on the rotor shaft to hold the rotor in place – there is no effective thrust bearing. If the rotor tries to move in the direction of the red arrow in the diagram, it can slip through the bearings. This reduces the end-clearance between the rotor and casing at the drive end and can cause end-plate gouging. This would be the case if the crankshaft pulley is too far forward (in front of the supercharger pulley). If the rotor tries to move opposite the direction of the red arrow in the diagram, the shaft nut, pulley washer, pulley and thrust washer will bear up against the drive end bearing inner race, preventing rotor movement. This would be the case if the crankshaft pulley is too far backwards (behind the supercharger pulley). Whilst not catastrophic, it is not great practice to load up a ball bearing in this fashion. Given the above limitations in thrust control, it is important that supercharger pulleys are adequately aligned. This is a particular issue when vee-belts are used, and less of an issue where non-shouldered gilmer belts are employed.

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger fiddler).

For this post, I am going to start to present some of the processes used in overhauling a Norman supercharger. The example I will use below is a Type 65.
From previous posts, we had taken a look at the casing and had had it honed. Once the casing has been honed, care must be taken that the cast iron liner is not left to rust. A thin coat of light machine oil (Singer sewing machine oil from Woolworths) should be maintained at all times. The casing can be cleaned up and then polished on a buffing wheel. This can be as simple as a light cut and then polish, or could be a full sand down to remove dents and scratches followed by a multi-step polish to a mirror finish. In the example that follows I have used a light cut and polish, rather than the latter. This gives a nice shine and protects the aluminum sufficiently for our purposes.
Prior to any further assembly, the casing should be given a good clean with some kerosene, the water jackets flushed. I prefer to fit some temporary steel 3/8”NPT nipples to the water jackets and then some heater hose offcuts to let me connect to tap pressure. I then give the water jacket a really good flooosh out backwards and forwards to make sure it is clean. After the flush out, air-blow everything down and then reapply some light machine oil to the liner.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/first_zpsdfb44193.png) ($2)

Fit some new 1½” brass welsh plugs to the water jackets. The original plugs were of the cup-type (albeit steel), which can be used. Used a smidgen of sealer around each plug and then tap the plugs in using a socket as a drift.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/second_zpse53d2de8.png) ($2)

It is a good idea to pressure check the water jackets at this stage. The temporary steel 3/8”NPT nipples and heater hose can be used to connect to tap water pressure. For a pressure gauge, you can use a low-cost tyre pressure gauge from SuperCheap/Repco (as per the image below).

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/third_zps3e931e41.png) ($2)

For those wanting a bit more accuracy (or where your tap pressure is not high enough) a hand pressure pump can also be used (the one in the photo below is a MityVac pressure/vacuum pump – handy for pressure testing, but also for vacuum testing things like Stromberg power bypass pistons and automatic transmission vacuum modulators).

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/fourth_zpsb449cd2f.png) ($2)

My tap pressure is around the 15-20psi mark, though yours may be lower. Bear in mind that a Holden grey motor will only generate 7psi radiator pressure (controlled by the radiator cap), whilst the later red/blue/black motors can generate up to 14psi… this is why I like to test to 15psi. When testing the casing water jackets, fill the casing with water and vent out any air from a high point before fitting the pressure gauge. Crack the water tap and bring the pressure up slowly, looking for any weeping. Shut the water off and make sure it holds pressure for a few minutes. WARNING: whilst it is unlikely that the casing will give way, there is a moderate potential that the welsh plugs are ejected at high speed. Do not stand in front of the welsh plugs! A face shield is not a bad idea.
Of note, I’ve found that the 1½” brass cup-type welsh plugs (shown below on the right) do not seat very well on the Type 65 Normans (the alloy casing lands are quite shallow), and have a tendency to blow out at 15psi. I recommend instead that you fit 1½” cadmium plated steel dome-type plugs (shown below on the left).

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/fifth_zps471d932d.png) ($2)
The dome-type plugs are tapped in with a ball-pein hammer and expand, holding them more securely than the cup type. Go easy on the tapping process – a few light taps are better than thumping the hell out of the casing.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/sixth_zps09b111de.png) ($2)

From most of the photos I have seen, the original Norman casings were either bare alloy (the earlier “Eldred” Normans like the Type 65) or purple anodized (the later “Mike” Normans). The early, early “Eldred” Normans did however have carnation-red end plates. Notwithstanding this, it remains common practice (and can look pretty cool) to paint in between the fins of the Type 65 Normans with red paint. If you are going to do this, now is a good time to do so. Clean the casing fin area up with some thinners or wax/grease remover and then mask up. A good engine enamel will suffice for this task, as normal paint will not usually handle the heat/fuel exposure. A good choice is Dupli-Colour Engine Enamel in Ford Red (DE1605), whilst the primer is Dupli-Colour Gray Engine Primer (DE1612), both available from SuperCheap Auto - typically one coat of primer, then three wet topcoats of red. In between wet coats (10 minute wait time as these are wet coats), wipe down the tops of the fins with a rag lightly covered in thinners. Once the paint had cured, do a final clean up of the tops of the fins with thinners.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/seventh_zps52d73eda.png) ($2)

Once the casing is painted, fit the brass 3/8”NPT nipples to the water jackets. The nipples are handy as “handles” in some of the next few steps where the casing end plate bolts are torqued up.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/eighth_zps1d4b72bb.png) ($2)

Note that NPT is a tapered thread which uses a metal-to-metal seal. There is no need to use Teflon tape or thread sealant on the threads unless they are badly damaged. Teflon tape and thread sealant are for straight (not tapered) thread… using them on tapered thread is the equivalent of using a pair of pliers to undo nuts. It’s not a bad idea to use a flare nut spanner on the nipples, as the brass is quite soft.
With the casing prepared, we can turn out focus onto the end-plates. Check the inside surfaces of both the drive end and non-drive end end-plates for gouges. It is quite common to find circular grooves either from the rotor shifting around and rubbing, or from something getting inside the casing (loose nut, bit of grit, busted vane spring etc). Grooves on the drive-end plate can also be caused by excessive rotor end thrust (say from misaligned pulleys). The grooves can act as a pathway for the compressed air/fuel mix, allowing leakage around the vanes and hence lower boost pressure.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/tenth_zpsbae2d7f9.png) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/ninth_zps9de480bd.png) ($2)

To remove the gouges, you can put the plates in a lathe and turn down the surface until they are flat. However, most home workshops (including mine ) don’t have access to a lathe. A simple solution is to lap the gouges out. This is a little more labour intensive, but very much cheaper than purchasing a lathe. A lapping plate is made by purchasing a thick (~½”) sheet of glass, a little bigger than a sheet of sandpaper (9”x11”). Glass plate of this size can often be got from your local glazier as an offcut – mine cost $5. A couple of stick-on rubber legs from Bunnings will stop the plate sliding around, whilst two bulldog clips will hold the sheet of paper in place.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/eleventh_zps0e7b8826.png) ($2)

To lap out the gouges, start with course wet-and-dry paper (80 or 120 grit), and apply a little water to float out the particles from the paper surface. The end plate is then held down with gentle hand pressure, and rubbed across the paper in a figure-eight motion. Do not go backwards or forwards or in circles as this can cause grooving in the plate. Care needs to be taken to keep the pressure on the plate fairly even (i.e. not leaning forwards onto one side). Once a uniform surface finish has been made (rubbing out the marks), change the paper to a finer grade. Wash the end plate in water to remove any old grit, then go again with the finer paper. By moving successively through the finer grades of paper, a nice clean surface is obtained. I stopped at 400 paper, as there is no need for a mirror finish on this surface – remember that the end plates have a moderate degree of porosity (see the image below).

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/twelth_zpsd8ff645d.png) ($2)

Once the end plates gouges are removed, check inside the bearing mounting surfaces for any small burrs in the aluminum where the bearing had grabbed, either in installation or disassembly. These marks are not a major concern provided they do not impede the bearing from being reseated, and can be removed gently with a sharp file.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/thirteenth_zps6a013b2a.png) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/fourteenth_zpsc87dcd58.png) ($2)

Finally, give the end plates a clean-up in some soapy water, rinse them off and air-blow dry. Protect the aluminum by giving the surface a quick cut and polish on the buffing wheel, again rinsing off afterwards.
Time to put together out newly machined end plates. Starting with the drive-end end plate, lightly oil the inside of the bearing boss with some light machine oil. Tap in the new seal using a socket as a drift. Protect our nicely-flat end-plate face by doing this operation on a wooden surface padded out with some newspaper.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/fifteenth_zpscf307ece.png) ($2)

Take care to make sure the seal is fully (though gently!) seated, and square to the bore. Once installed, smeared some more light machine oil around the lip of the seal, ready to take the rotor shaft.
Fit the new drive-end bearing, either with a press or by using a socket as a drift. Note that either the press plate or the socket should rest on the bearing outer race only – not the inner race.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/sixteenth_zps5a3578b0.png) ($2)

Note that this is a shielded (sealed) bearing, so no greasing is required. Take care that the bearing is fully seated, and square to the bore.

Lightly oil and then install the bearing snap ring, taking care that the snap ring is fully seated into the groove. This then completes the assembly of our drive-end end plate.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/seventeenth_zps5db29e68.png) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/eighteenth_zps13a23982.png) ($2)

Use the assembled end-plate and casing to cut a drive end gasket.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/nineteenth_zps70d0d340.png) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/twentyth_zpse0452230.png) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/twentyfirst_zpsbe8346f9.png) ($2)

As a starting point, I use ACL Gasket Material Pack 04 to suit Oil Jointing, which is 0.4mm thick (SuperCheap Auto part number 765164). Whichever gasket material you use, make sure you record the thickness as it is important to setting the rotor end-float later in the assembly process. I did a similar gasket cutting a little later for the non-drive end plate gasket.
Check the non-drive end plate for gouges or burrs, and lap/remove them as needs be. Polish, clean and dry the plate ready for assembly.
Assemble the non-drive end plate by again lightly oiling the bearing boss, and then pressed in the bearing outer race. Note that the non-drive end bearing is a two piece unit, so the inner race is added separately.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/twentysecond_zpsff7755cc.png) ($2)

Install the bearing snap ring, taking care that it was fully seated in its groove.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/twentythird_zpsa53cd822.png) ($2)

Trial fit the inner bearing race into the end-plate.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/twentyfourth_zpsf177521b.png) ($2)

Note that the inner bearing race is free to move on the outer race, but an interference fit on the rotor shaft. This means that if you put the bearing into the end plate and try to push the rotor through, the rotor grabs the bearing inner race and separates the inner/outer races. The easier way is to install the bearing inner race onto the rotor, and then install the combined bearing inner race/rotor into the end plate. For the time being, store the inner race away.
Note that the non-drive end bearing is not a sealed unit, and requires grease packing. In this case, I have used Shell Gadus S3 T100. This grease:
a)   is suitable for roller and ball bearings (pretty damn important given that is what it is going onto… some greases used for king pin and chassis greasing will not be suitable),
b)   is good for 160ºC (a high temperature range is important particularly if no water injection is used when we first get the unit going),
c)   can handle higher bearing speeds,
d)   is water tolerant (important if we are using water injection upstream of the supercharger), and
e)   has a long service life (important as Norman superchargers are not fitted with grease nipples).

After getting the end plates ready, prepare the rotor by giving it a clean-off in some kerosene, and then lightly oil with light machine oil. The drive-end end plate is then slipped over the rotor, taking care to be gentle with the lip seal. Note that the photograph shows the gasket and bolts in place temporarily.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/twentyfifth_zpsefeceb5a.png) ($2)

Assemble the thrust washer and key onto the rotor shaft, taking care with the orientation such that the stepped inner landing bears up against the drive end bearing inner race.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/twentysixth_zps5f822c2a.png) ($2)

Install the drive pulley and pulley washer. Note that the pulley has again previously been given a light cut and polish on the buffing wheel, giving a nice shine, though not a mirror finish.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/twentyseventh_zpsbdc391ab.png) ($2)

We now need to set the cold end-clearance between the rotor and casing at the drive end. As we have seen previously, this can be done in one of two ways:
a) relying on the shaft nut to lock (nylock nut), or
b) allowing the shaft nut to bottom out, and choosing an appropriately thick pulley washer to set the clearance.
Personally, I prefer the latter. Whichever one you choose, we now need to install the shaft nut and tighten it. To tighten the assembly, I use a piece of steel flat bar (1’6”x1’¼”x6.5mm) wedged into the rotor slot to hold the rotor still whilst torquing up the locknut (this piece of flatbar is a handy Norman tool... I can see it getting a fair bit of use in the future ).

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/twentyeighth_zps4b0551eb.png) ($2)

This size nut could probably be torqued up to 150lb/ft when new. However, recognise that the thread on the rotor shaft is not in pristine condition, has a keyway cut through it, is not heavily loaded, and that if stripped would be a bugger of a repair. For this reason, I only torque the nut to 50 foot-pound. If you are choosing option “a” above (nut not bottomed out), then lightly tighten the nut.
Once the assembly is torqued up, checked the clearance between the end plate and rotor using a pair of feeler gauges.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/twentyninth_zpsff8e4302.png) ($2)

We are aiming for a clearance of 0.010-0.015”, as used for Judson superchargers. Too little clearance and the rotor will bind/rub, too much clearance and the gas will not be pressurised. If using option “a”, adjust the shaft nut until you have the correct clearance. If using option “b”, select a thinner/thicker pulley washer to get the correct clearance - if the clearance it too big, install a thinner pulley washer (or skim down the existing one), and if the clearance is too small, install a thicker pulley washer or shim washer.

Now that the drive end clearance appears we can set the non-drive end clearance. The end-clearance is a lot harder to check on this one, as the rotor “floats” through the bearing. This means that you can’t assemble the unit and use feeler gauges like the drive end. Instead, a product called Plastigauge is used. Plastigauge is a little string/stick of material that looks similar to plasticine. It is of very accurate dimensions, with different grades of Plastigauge used to measure different clearances.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/thirtyfirst_zps4b6c6acf.png) ($2)

The Plastiguage is applied to the non-drive end of the rotor, as per the photograph below.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/thirtyth_zps972cbf7e.png) ($2)

We will then assemble the rotor, and “squish” the Plastigauge. As the Plastigauge is squished, it flattens out. The width of the squished Plastigauge then indicates the clearance. We then open up the casing again and read off the width of the squish using the little green indicator cards seen in the picture.
Fit the non-drive end bearing onto the rotor, taking care to either press or drive it on squarely.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/thirtysecond_zpsd9b20c18.png) ($2)

Assemble the rotor/drive end assembly into the casing, using the newly cut gasket. Tighten the end-plate bolts. For the Type 65 Norman, these are five ¼-28UNFx1” bolts, and should be torque to 50 inch-pounds (not foot-pounds!). This is not a very high torque, but bear in mind that the bolts are small, the threads lubricated and are into aluminum. The water jacket nipples are quite handy here to use as “handles” to stop the casing rotating whilst torqueing the bolts.
The non-drive end end plate and gasket is then gently installed, taking care not to bump the Plastigague. The respective end-plate bolts (five ¼-28UNFx1” for the Type 65 Norman) are again torqued up to 50 inch-pounds, taking care not to turn the rotor as this is done. The bolts are then undone, and the non-drive end plate is then removed (gently), and the Plastigauge examined. As the Plastigauge has been squished, it flattens out. The width of the squished Plastigauge then indicates the clearance, and is read off using the little green indicator cards. In the image below the thickness is around 0.2mm, or 0.008”. We are aiming for a clearance around 0.025” (as per Judson supercharger practice).

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/thirtythird_zps135eefa4.png) ($2)

If the clearance is too large, thinner gaskets (either or both of the drive end and non-drive ends) can be used. If the clearance is too small, thicker gaskets can be used. Remember as my starting point I used 0.40mm (0.016”) thick gasket paper for both the drive end and non-drive ends. This means we start with a total of 2 x 0.016” = 0.032” of gasket material to play with. We could change one gasket, or both gaskets if needs be to get the right thickness combination for our end float. Note that neither gasket will change the drive end clearance. Repco and SuperCheap sell gasket sheet only as thin as 0.4mm (as thick as 3.2mm), whilst CBC Bearings stock 0.3mm (0.012”). To get thinner sheet try Blackwoods, whose stock both 0.15mm (0.006”) and 0.25mm (0.010”) as part numbers 05118683 and 05334302 respectively.
Once we have the right gaskets selected, the vanes can be put into the rotor and the casing end plates (finally) buttoned up. Care should be taken that the vane grooves are on the counter-clockwise side of the rotor (as viewed from the drive end). In the image to the right, the grooves go where the green arrow is, not the red arrow.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/thirtyfourth_zps97f8abcd.png) ($2)

As noted above, new Bakelite vanes can be sourced from Bearing Thermal Resources. When doing so, it is a good idea to specify the Bakelite as slightly oversized, and then machine it down to suit your specific rotor. Particularly, the width of the vane must be machined down such that it is only as wide as the rotor (remember that we only have about 10 thou of clearance either side to the casing). It can be quite difficult to file and then sand down these end surfaces to a fine finish, square and high tolerance. To assist, we can again use our lapping plate. The vane is held in a simple lapping jig, made from some aluminum angle iron (from Bunnings) and two bolts with wing nuts to clamp either side of the vane.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/thirtyfifth_zps03bd42ce.png) ($2)

The vane is placed in the jig on a flat surface so that it is square with the bottom of the angle iron. As the vane is lapped, both the vane and the angle iron will be machined down. This slows down the lapping process, which is not a bad idea given how easy it is to machine the Bakelite (very easy to sand off a little too much). Once one end is square and finished (lapped down to about 400 grit paper), the rotor is removed from the clamp and compared to the rotor. The opposite end of the vane is then clamped in and lapped down to the right overall length. Note that new Bakelite vanes should be soaked in engine oil overnight before installing (reused vanes just need a light coating of light machine oil).
With the casing buttoned up we can then tap in the non-drive end welsh plug (for the Type 65 Norman this is a 17/8” brass cup-type plug), using a socket as a drift to drive it in squarely.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/thirtysixth_zps4d954c09.png) ($2)

The plug provides a pressure seal for the non-drive end of the supercharger. When we get around to pressure testing the entire casing/manifold, we will need to check that this plug remains nicely seated. This pressure testing will be done with air, and will be done when we set the manifold relief valve (pop-off safety valve).
The next item we will look at is the inlet manifold. The manifold for the Type 65 bolts to the top of the casing. Give the manifold a light cut and polish on the buffing wheel, and again clean it up in some soapy water before air blowing dry. Use the clean manifold to trace out the gasket required.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/thirtyseventh_zpsdf3c5fff.png) ($2)

Bear in mind that this is a large surface area, relative narrow and liable to be somewhat uneven… not a bad idea to use the thick 0.4mm gasket sheeting for this gasket to give plenty of take-up.
The studs for the Type 65 inlet manifold are six ¼”-28UNFx1¾”, and four 5/16”-18UNCx3” studs (present). If you need to get hold of new studs it can be quite difficult, especially the ¼”-28UNF size. An easy way is to use some high tensile bolts with the heads cut off then dressed.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/thirtyeighth_zps9a05662c.png) ($2)

These should be matched up to acorn nuts for the “period correct” look. You can of course use plain bolts (as many early Normans do), though studs and nuts are a lot neater. The acorn nuts are available in stainless from Lee Brothers Engineering in Parramatta if you can’t get them locally. Care needs to be taken when installing the studs if the “cut the head off a bolt” method is used. The casing holes are through to the water jacket (not blind), and hence it is possible to install the studs until they touch the cast iron liner. It is a good idea to install the studs so they are not touching the jacket, as the cast iron in contact with the high tensile steel will set up a galvanic cell, accelerating corrosion (it would be just my luck for the cast iron liner, not the stud, to corrode). Remember also that the acorn nuts only go “on” so far…. It’s a good idea to trial fit the studs first to check they are the right length. Once all looks good, install the studs with some Loctite blue thread locker. This is needed as the studs do not “bottom out” and lock if the “cut the head off a bolt” method is used. If engineers studs are used, they will bottom out, and Loctite is not needed (use thread sealer instead). Once set, the gasket and manifold can be mounted to the supercharger. The ¼”-28UNF studs can be torqued to 50 inch-pounds, whilst the 5/16”-18UNC can be done up to 80 inch-pounds. As you can see from the images to the right, it’s now looking more like a Norman.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/thirtyninth_zps0b0e5c81.png) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/fortyth_zps1dc517aa.png) ($2)

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice supercharger fiddler).

Ladies and Gents,

A quick correction.

In an earlier post (early October 2013), I reported that “Weiand had found that for Rootes type superchargers, running 92 octane fuel, with no intercooling and with no ignition retard that pinging will not occur with an effective compression ratio lower than 12:1. 92 octane fuel seems a little low given that 98 is freely available in Australia.”

I had made a mistake however as petrol in Australia is sold by it’s Research Octane Number (RON), whilst American petrol (gasoline) is sold by the average of it’s RON and it’s Motor Octane Number (MON) i.e:
• Australian octane = RON
• American octane = (RON + MON)/2.

RON and MON are similar, being just two different ways to measure when a fuel will ping. The upshot of this is that American octane numbers (for the same fuel) seem lower. As a rough guide,
• Australian 95 octane = American 91 octane
• Australian 98 octane = American 93 octane.
If we then translate Weiand’s rule into Australian, they saw that for Rootes type superchargers, running 97 octane fuel, with no intercooling and with no ignition retard that pinging will not occur with an effective compression ratio lower than 12:1. That sounds more realistic.
Note also that the chart I presented that brought together the Weiand and Miller/Bell/Bell’s experience was also incorrect, and was really in US octanes. Re-drawing the chart in Australian octanes:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/correction_zpsc9340fa7.png) ($2)

The grey box I have drawn on the graph indicates the range of compression ratios seen in factory Holden grey motors (6.5:1 to 7.25:1) whilst the red box indicates the same for EH-HR Holden red motors (7.7:1 to 9.2:1). The graph shows that for our grey motor running on 98 RON premium pump fuel we should be able to achieve 10-13psi of boost without pinging (and about 9-11psi if we run el-cheapo 95 octane). This is also more realistic.

Apologies for the error.

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger fiddler).

This is getting out of hand. I turn my back for 5 seconds, and another Norman finds it’s way into the house. This one is another of the later (Mike) Normans, 12” casing. Fitted to the top is a set of Hilborn injection.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Sydney-20140312-00320_zps8c0a5900.jpg) ($2)
Hilborn injector is a model U-3, serial number 106. Three 2” throttle plates.

The injector was originally purchased from Hilborn in the US on the 25th of July 1972 by R Brown from Glenanga South Australia (probably a Rowley Park Speedway competitor... if anyone knows of Mr Brown, I’d love to hear from them – already chasing the historic speedway guys). The original fuel pump was a PG150A-0, similar to the one currently on the unit set up for counter clockwise rotation with methanol fuel. The original metering valve was a #54, as existing. The injector was installed on a Peugot 403 engine of 1550cc (70ci) using a F500A fuel filter with Size #8 fittings. A secondary bypass of Hilborn #5 (F510-5) using a bypass spring 0.016 diameter, flow .66, jet 115.

The unit was origanlly fitted to a Peugot 403 engine. This is a 1,468 cc (80mm bore and 73m stroke = 90ci) straight four with a crossflow hemi head. The engine produced 65 hp (48 kW) at about 5,000 rpm and 75 lb•ft (102 N•m) of torque at 2,500 rpm. To get 1550cc would mean going 90 thou over, which would be unusual (these are wet lined rather than bored so more likely to replace liner). Unlikely to be the 1618cc Peugot 404 engine (1960-75, 66-85bhp and 97 ft. lb. @ 2,500rpm) or 504 (1796cc) engine. If anyone knows Pug engines and wants to school me on how you get 1550cc from one, I’d love to hear it.

Plan is to put this one in the longer term project department, then build a Norman blown grey motor meth monster :mrgreen: . Slowly putting the bits together.

Cheers,
Harv (Dr Frankenstein, Norman meth monster department).

Ladies and gents,

I’d like to back track a little to my recent posting on relief valves, and reflect a little bit on a discussion I have had recently with a gentlemen who owns a rather cool running Norman. This machine has had some damn clever engineering… the kind of stuff that makes you stop and think.
An option that has been used on this particular vehicle is to utilize a radiator cap to act as a relief valve. This is a clever way to build a simple relief valve, as different pressure rating caps (eg 7, 10, 13 or 15psi) can be used to adjust the relief pressure. Radiator caps are readily available up to 30psi. A weld-on radiator neck from the local radiator repair shop can readily be brazed into a supercharger manifold. However, some caution needs to be taken when using this approach:
Radiator caps have a large opening at the bottom, about the same size as the radiator filler neck. For most radiator caps, this hole is about the same size as the relief valve required. However, the radiator fluid (or in our case air/fuel mix) has to flow through the radiator inlet/outlet nipple, shown as the green arrow in the diagram below:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/upload1_zps7be3d6a8.png) ($2)

The inlet/outlet nipple is much smaller than the radiator neck, acting as a restriction. There is a good chance that this restriction can be too small, leading to overpressure. It may be necessary to braze in multiple inlet/outlet nipples to get sufficient surface area.
Radiator caps are best known for keeping the pressure inside the radiator (or in our case the boost inside the inlet manifold). However, there are two types of radiator caps made – closed and recovery. If using a radiator cap for a relief valve, a closed cap must be used. Closed caps only open under pressure. A recovery radiator cap also acts as a vacuum breaker. The radiator cap not only has a pressure spring, but also a vacuum valve. When cold, both the pressure and vacuum valves of the cap remain closed. As the car warms up, the pressure in the cooling system rises. If the pressure begins to exceed the caps rated pressure, the pressure valve opens. As the engine load reduces, the pressure valve closes as the pressure comes down. As the vehicle cools down, any steam in the system will condense, and any hot air will shrink. This causes a vacuum in the radiator, and the vacuum valve opens. For older recovery radiator systems, air is drawn in through the vacuum valve to break the vacuum. For later cars with recovery coolant systems, coolant is drawn in from the overflow bottle. The vaccum required to open the vacuum valve will vary with manufacturer, though is very low. If we use a recovery-type radiator cap as a relief valve, the cap will again start out with both the pressure and vacuum valves of the cap closed. If we make too much boost pressure (or if we bang the blower), the pressure valve opens. However, under cruise conditions there is often a vacuum in the inlet manifold. The amount of vacuum will vary with different engines, but could be sufficient to allow the vacuum valve to open. If this occurs, the engine will draw in unfiltered air. The (potentially dirty) air will also bypass the carburetor, leading to a lean air/fuel mixture and the potential for pinging or engine damage.
Additionally, there are two different types of recovery radiator cap produced (not to be confused with “closed” and “recovery” type caps). The first type is known as a "constant pressure" type cap, as shown in the top image below:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/upload2_zpsc0ebc663.png) ($2)

With this design, the vacuum valve is held shut by a very light spring, creating a totally sealed system. If this type of radiator cap is used on our supercharger, boost pressure will starts to rise immediately because the closed vacuum valve prevents pressure from escaping. The second type of cap has an open variety of vacuum valve (often called “pressure vent” caps), as shown in the bottom image above. This type has no spring to hold the vacuum valve shut, only a small calibrated weight. The intention with this type of cap is that when the engine is first started (and under light operating conditions), pressure can vent through the vacuum valve. This allows the cooling system to operate at atmospheric pressure, reducing strain on the water pump seals, hoses, radiator, and heater core. As the engine starts to heat up, the escaping steam or coolant pushes the vacuum valve up and shut. This seals the radiator system tight, and pressure begins to build in the radiator. As the engine load reduces, the pressure in the radiator drops, and the valve opens again. If we use this type of valve, we will start out with the pressure valve open. The engine will start with vacuum in the inlet manifold, drawing in unfiltered air. The (potentially dirty) air will again bypass the carburetor, leading to a lean air/fuel mixture and the potential for pinging or engine damage. As the engine loads up, the inlet manifold will change from vacuum to boost pressure. An air/fuel mixture will flow out the radiator cap and into the engine bay. This will happen every time the vehicle comes on and off boost. Whilst it is tolerable to vent a “banged blower” into the engine bay every now and then, it is not a great idea to frequently vent an air/fuel mixture into the engine bay. For this reason, “pressure vent” style caps should not be used as relief valves.

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger fiddler).

Ladies and Gents,

As you guys have seen over the last few months, I have been trying to contact a number of people associated with Norman superchargers. There have been a few lumps and bumps along the way (the FED boys are proving hard to find :oops: ), but I've also had some real wins. I've managed to contact both Mike and Bill Norman 8), and also Mike McInerney. Most of you can figure out where Mike and Bill fit into the picture, but I'm guessing not so many will be familiar with Mike McInerney. Time for the first of Harv's anecdotes :mrgreen: .

I like stories. And I especially like stories about old racing cars. In the coming months I am going to post some stories about old Norman supercharged racing cars. The stories are going to be diverse, and don’t be surprised to see them going off on a tangent... bear with me, as the best stories are the ones that paint a picture of the era. I will also try to link some of these stories together where I can. Bear in mind that these anecdotes are a work in progress, and I probably won't get it right the first time... like always, if I'm wrong, point the error out please.

Elfin, Bluebird and Norman – Australian Land Speed Records.

Elfin Sports Cars Pty Ltd is the oldest continuous Australian racing car manufacturing company, founded by Garrie Cooper and manufacturing sports and racing cars since 1957. The original factory was located at Edwardstown in suburban Adelaide and is currently located at Braeside, Melbourne. Elfin is currently owned by Tom Walkinshaw, who also owns Holden Special Vehicles. Elfins have won 29 championships and major Grand Prix titles, including two Australian Driver's Championships, five Australian Sports Car Championships, four Australian Tourist Trophies and three Formula Ford titles. World Formula One Champion James Hunt raced an Elfin, as did French Formula One driver, Didier Pironi. Elfin also took out the Singapore Grand Prix, twice won the Malaysian Grand Prix and also won the Australian Formula Two Championship in 1972 with Larry Perkins in an Elfin 600B.

Between 1961 and 1964 Elfin made twenty open-wheeled single-seater Formula Junior and Catalina vehicles. The two models differed only in minor specifications with the majority built as Formula Juniors. International Formula Junior class rule require production-based engines with a either 1000cc/360kg car or 1100cc/400kg car, using production gearbox cases and brakes. I understand that the Elfin Formula Juniors were originally fitted with Cosworth Ford Anglia (105E) 1100c engines, though the Catalinas were fitted with a larger 1475cc Ford engine to meet Australian class rules.

Elfin Catalina Chassis Number 6313 was built for Dunlop Tyres for use on the Lake Eyre salt to determine certain characteristics for the tyres that were fitted to Donald Campbell's Bluebird land speed record attempts during 1963. The Elfin was fitted with 'miniature Bluebird tyres" and driven over the salt to determine factors such as co-efficient of friction and adhesion using a Tapley meter. The Tapley Brake Test Meter is a scientific instrument of very high accuracy, still used today. It consists of a finely balanced pendulum free to respond to any changes in speed or angle, working through a quadrant gear train to rotate a needle round a dial. The vehicle is then driven along a level road at about 20 miles per hour, and the brakes fully applied. When the vehicle has stopped the brake efficiency reading can be taken from the figure shown by the recording needle on the inner brake scale, whilst stopping distance readings are taken from the outer scale figures.

It is believed that the Elfin was running a (relatively) normal pushrod 1500cc Cortina engine with A3 cam and Weber DCOE carburettors for the Bluebird support runs. The photo below was taken on Lake Eyre and shows Donald Campbell alongside the red Elfin holding aloft a wind speed meter, with the 3,320kW Bluebird-Proteus CN7 to the right.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/upload1_zpsc7811b6f.png) ($2)

The photo below shows Ted Townsend, a Dunlop tyre fitter seconded to the Bluebird team in the Elfin.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/upload2_zpsa400dcb7.png) ($2)

Bluebird went on to set the world land speed record at Lake Eyre at 403.10 mph (648.73 km/h) on July 17th 1964. Campbell has been quoted as saying “We've made it – we got the bastard at last”.

Some nice history, but I guess you are wondering where the Normans are, right? When the Bluebird record attempts were completed, the Bluebird Tyre designer Mr Andrew Mustard (of North Brighton, Adelaide) bought the Elfin from Dunlop. The Elfin was in quite poor condition as a result of its work on the Lake Eyre Salt, with the magnesium based suspension struts quite corroded. A restoration took place over the end of 1963 and into 1964, and a single Norman supercharger fitted (see, told you this story had Normans :mrgreen: ). The vehicle was then used at Mallala Race Circuit, and for record attempts for 1500cc vehicles in 1964 using the access road alongside the main hangars at Edinburgh Airfield (Weapons Research Establishment) at Salisbury, South Australia. The northern gates of the airfield were opened by the Australian Federal Police to give extra stopping time. At this time the Norman supercharged Elfin had:
• a single air-cooled Norman supercharger, driven by v-belts and developing around 14psi. The v-belts were short lived, burning out in around thirty seconds,
• four exhaust stubs, with the middle two siamesed,
• twin Amal carburettors,
• a heavily modified head by Alexander Rowe (a Speedway legend and co-founder of the Ramsay-Rowe Special midget) running around 5:1 compression and a solid copper head gasket/decompression plate. The head had been worked within an inch of it’s life, and shone like a mirror. The head gasket on the other hand was a weak spot, lasting only twenty seconds before failing. As runs had to be performed back-to-back within an hour, the team became very good at removing the head, annealing the copper gasket with an oxy torch and buttoning it all up again... inside thirty minutes.

The Norman supercharged Elfin, operated by Mustard and Michael McInerney set the following Australian national records from it’s Salisbury runs on October 11th, 1964:
• the flying start kilometre record (16.21s, 138mph),
• the flying start mile record (26.32s, 137mph), and
• the standing start mile record (34.03s, 106mph).

The Australian national records are established (or broken) in conformity with the rules established by the Confederation of Australian Motorsport (CAMS). A national record is said to be a ‘class record’ if it is the best result obtained in one of the classes into which the types of cars eligible for the attempt are subdivided, or ‘absolute record’ if it is the best result, not taking the classes into account. The Norman supercharged Elfin falls into Category A Group I class 6. This class is based on the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) category system, and consists of automobiles (not necessarily production) with reciprocating two- or four-stroke supercharged engines of 1100-1500cc capacity, with free fuel. For the curious, our grey motored Norman blown early Holden is eligible for Category A Group I class 8 (2,000-3000cc).
In 1983 CAMS made a decision to fully align the Australian national land speed records with the FIA requirements. The pre-1983 records were not fully compliant with all the FIA requirements, and hence have been set in stone – they can no longer be challenged. This means the Mustard/McInerney records above are still standing. However, the decision meant that all available records were declared vacant and able to be filled under the newly adopted FIA requirements for a speed record attempt. Two of the Mustard/McInerney type records have since been set as follows:
• the flying start kilometre record (set by S Brooke in a Daihatsu Charade Turbo, 26.76s in 1985), and
• the flying start mile record (again set by S Brooke’s Daihatsu Charade Turbo, 40.03s in 1985).
The third Mustard/McInerney type record (for the standing start mile) does not have an Australian record holder. This is the case for many of the new (post 1983) classes, where no national records have been set (since 1983). Before you get too excited about going out and claiming all those records, there is a catch. A typical national record attempt is likely to cost between $5000 and $10,000... plus the vehicle costs.

The photo below shows the Elfin in it’s 1964 guise at Salisbury, with McInerney in the foreground with his hands over the Amal carburettors.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/upload3_zpsf9c3e21d.png) ($2)

Directly below the four black exhaust stubs is what appears to be the red Norman supercharger, with an alloy end plate and brass welsh plug facing the camera. Note that in this state of tune the engine was able to be held together for only short periods (like nine minutes...) with only twenty seconds being typical with the car at full noise.

The photo below shows McInerney (in glasses to the left) with Mustard in the cockpit.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/upload4_zpsd42926ee.png) ($2)

This was not the Elfin’s only association with Norman superchargers. The Elfin was later modified to have:
• dual air-cooled Norman superchargers (identical to the single Norman used earlier), mounted over the gearbox. The superchargers were run in parallel, with a chain drive. The chain drive was driven by a sprocket on the crank, running up to a slave shaft that ran across to the back of the gearbox to drive the first supercharger, the down to drive the second. The boost pressure in this configuration had risen to 29psi,
• two 2" SU carburettors (with four fuel bowls) jetted for methanol by Peter Dodd (another Australian Speedway legend and owner of Auto Carburettor Services),
• a straight cut 1st gear in a VW gearbox. The clutch struggled to keep up with the torque being put out by the Norman blown Elfin, and was replaced with a 9” grinding disk, splined in the centre and fitted with brass buttons... it was either all in, or all out.

In the twin Norman supercharged guise the vehicle was driven by McInerney to pursue the standing ¼ mile, standing 400m and flying kilometre records in October 1965. Sadly, the twin-Norman supercharged Elfin no longer holds those records, as the ¼ mile and flying kilometre (together with a few more records) were set at this time by Alex Smith in a Valano Special. The Valano Special is a Valiant 225 slant-six powered car with a fibreglass Milano body made by JWF Fibreglass. The pictures below show Smith in the Valano at Templestowe Hill Climb (once Australia’s steepest paved road at a gradient of 1:2½ or 22º) in Victoria, a year later in 1966.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/upload5_zps80417cd1.png) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/upload6_zpsf50accf8.png) ($2)

The day following the 1965 speed record trials (Labour Day October 1965), McInerney raced the twin-Norman supercharged Elfincar at Mallala as a "Formule Libre" as there was insufficient time to revert the engine back to Formula II specifications. The photo below shows the McInerney in the Elfin at Mallala Race Circuit:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/upload7_zps1f2e1e11.png) ($2)

The car was used for training the South Australian Police Force driving instructors in advanced handling techniques, and regularly used at Mallala and other venues (closed meetings for the Austin 7 club, etc). It was sold by Mustard to Dean Rainsford of South Australia in 1966, though sadly without the Norman supercharger (by then it was running the mildly tuned Cortina engine again). The vehicle continued adding to it’s racing history, with Rainsford droving it to a win in the 1966 Australian 1½ Litre Championship Round 4 (the Victorian Trophy, Sandown, Victoria on the 16th of October 1966).

In the ensuing twentysix years it passed through nine more owners before Rainsford re-acquired it in 1993. After many years of fossicking, Rainsford has located the original Mustard/McInerney supercharged engine used in the 1965 record attempts. The engine is located in Gawler, South Australia (not far from the record track at Salisbury) ... sadly without it’s Norman supercharger – see photo below.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/upload8_zps0b135279.png) ($2)

As noted above, this anecdotes is a work in progress. I'm still working on feedback from the Elfin Heritage Centre, and some other info coming on the Bluebird runs. As a tease, I'm lining up anecdotes on a Norman blown speedcar, and some FEDs :mrgreen: .

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger anecdote collector).

Thanks Ole - appreciated. I need to get a copy of that mag... it also has a 3-page story on the Harrops Howler humpy. Not Norman related, but a cool piece of history. Looks like its a trip to the newsagent for me today ;D

G'day Norm - great to see you on this thread. After our chat the other day I managed to get hold of Chris, and had a good chat about the Norman. I'm slowly piecing together four anecdotes:
a) one on Norman superchargers and landspeed records, published above,
b) one on Norman superchargers and speedway (midgets). This one is a work in progress, coming together nicely.
c) one on Norman superchargers and FEDs. Have only just started on this story, and will probably need to chat to yourself and Chris some more. Have also found Ken's contact details, and will give him a yell. Sad that Cliff Kiss is no longer with us... that FED was very, very different ;D.
d) one on Eldred himself. Sounds like Street Machine have beat me to that one... will have to se what they publish.

Cheers,
Harv (deputy Norman supercharger apprentice).

A couple of odds and ends for this post.

One thing that has been bugging me is that people refer to the “Type 65” as having a capacity of 65ci. No matter how hard I did the measurements and maths, I could not get 65ci/rev. In re-reading Eldred’s Supercharge!, I found the answer.
In earlier posts, I used a specific way to measuring supercharger capacity. The method I used (which is commonly used for modern superchargers) effectively says:
a) Measure how much air the supercharger breathes in when the first set of vanes swings past the inlet. This air will be pretty much at atmospheric pressure, and
b) Multiply that by the number of vanes.
In the drawing below, this means work out the volume shown in red, and multiply it by six.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Normanversusmodernsizing_zpsad630e11.png) ($2)

This gives the volumes shown in the table below (note that I have added a few new superchargers to this table since my earlier posting):

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/upload1_zps813e89a9.png) ($2)

An alternate method was used by Eldred Norman (and is shown in Supercharge!):
“To ascertain the volume of the vane type, subtract the volume of the rotor treated as a solid form from the volume of the interior of the casing”.
This method says:
a) Measure how much air is in the supercharger at any given time, no matter how compressed it is.
In the drawing above, this means work out the volume shown in orange. Eldred’s method is neither more right nor more wrong than the modern method… just different. It also gives different results – a lot smaller number than the modern method. As an example, when we measure Gary’s Type 65 supercharger using the modern method, we get 118ci/rev. However, when we measure the Type 65 using Eldred’s method, we get 67ci/rev (near enough to 65ci, and hence the name).

Also from earlier posts, I showed how to set the non-drive end clearance by changing the gasket thicknesses. I noted that both Repco and SuperCheap sell gasket sheet only as thin as 0.4mm (as thick as 3.2mm), whilst CBC Bearings stock 0.3mm (0.012”). To get thinner sheet, I was going to try Blackwoods, whose catalogues show both 0.15mm (0.006”) and 0.25mm (0.010”) as part numbers 05118683 and 05334302 respectively. Unfortunately, Blackwoods don’t stock the sheet anywhere in the country . They could get it in for me... but only if I bought 100 metres worth(!). I did a fair bit of telephoning around, and got the same answer at most places – yes they stock it, but order it in specially at 100m a time. I finally found a supplier - Tucks Industrial Packings and Seals Pty Ltd (120 Ferrars Street South Melbourne, Vic 3205, telephone 0396902577, email sales@tucks.com.au, www.tucks.com.au). Nice blokes to deal with, and very helpful.
Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger fiddler).

Following on from my Norman supercharged landspeed record anecdote, the post below will share a similar story focussed on Speedway Normans. Norman superchargers were also used to some extent in Speedway racing in the 1960’s and 1970’s. This was particularly evident in South Australia, probably due to Eldred’s manufacturing operation being initially centred in Adelaide.

From our earlier Norman supercharged land speed anecdote, remember that Andrew Mustard’s Norman supercharged Elfin cylinder head work was done by Alex Rowe. Alex Rowe was a close associate of Eldred Norman. In the mid 1950’s to early 1960s Alex Rowe had a workshop 9 Eliza Street St Peters, Adelaide. Rowe did a variety of work from this location, including manufacturing and selling floor shifters for early Holden grey motor crashboxes. Part of the workshop was offered to Eldred Norman to manufacture superchargers (Eldred had his workshop in Halifax street). Rowe and his wife Helen later ran the Golden Fleece Service Station in about 1967/1968 at 87 Winston Ave, Melrose Park (now the current Winston Avenue Music Shop), and lived nearby at 130 Morgan Avenue. Eldred’s larrikin nature was well demonstrated one Friday night when he popped around to visit Rowe’s Eliza Street workshop in the early 1950’s... in his supercharged road racing 1936 Maserati Type 6 CM. The South Australian Police were looking for a race car seen coming up King William Street from the Halifax street region... funnily the car ‘vanished’ around Franklin Street!

Rowe began a long association with Norman superchargers by supercharging a £5 Ford Consul three-bearing crank engine in a midget in 1964. Midgets, also known as speedcars in Australia are methanol burning wingless Speedway (dirt track) vehicles. Modern midgets weigh in around 408kg with a 2721cc engine capacity (a little bigger at 3,000cc for standard engines, and a little smaller at 2,000cc supercharged) producing around 360bhp. Historic midgets were around 180-200bhp. Compare that to our trusty naturally-aspirated FB/EK Holden, coming in at 1100kg, with a 2300cc engine producing 75bhp... the historic midget’s that we will discuss below have a power to weight ratio seven times greater.
Rowe’s Ford Consul engine was probably the 1508cc 47bhp engine from the 1951-1956 MKI Consul (rather than the 1703cc, 59bhp 1956-1962 MKII Consul) as the Speedway capacity regulations were for around 2200cc unsupercharged and overhead valved, with 1600cc supercharged. The Norman-blown Consul motored vehicle was the first of the famous yellow SA#2 Speedway midgets, driven for Rowe by Bill Wigzell and is shown in the image below with Wigzell chasing Rex Sandy’s #56 midget in 1966 at the 392-yard Rowley Park Speedway, South Australia.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/First_zpsaac6b184.png) ($2)

The article below describes one of Wigzell’s near-wins towards the end of the Consul-motor’s life in the vehicle.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/second_zpscc550502.png) ($2)

Rowe’s Norman supercharged Ford Consul motor was a real goer but unreliable, and for the 1966/67 season the Consul engine was replaced by a Norman supercharged Peugeot. The yellow SA#2 car (often referred to as the WonderCar) became a crowd hero by taking on and beating the best, including the Americans. After finishing third in the Rick Harvey Memorial behind Kym Bonython and Dean Hogarth, Wigzell won three of the four remaining big races that season - the Harry Neale Memorial, the fourty-lap South Australian State Round of the Craven Filter $6000 National Speedcar Drivers’ Championship and the Golden Fleece fifty-lap Derby. Wigzell won the State Round of the National Championship by more than half a lap despite driving with several slipped discs in his back, and in the fifty-lap Derby took sixteen seconds off the distance record and lapped all but four cars, which included the Americans Bob Tattersall (3rd) and Mike McGreevy (5th) in their Offenhausers.
The cartoons below, drawn by John “Stonie” Stoneham depicts the WonderCar, Wigzell and Rowe in the mid 1960’s.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/third_zps1c02424a.png) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/fourth_zpsf4cfe708.png) ($2)

The image below shows Wigzell driving the WonderCar with the supercharged Pug motor in 1966, whilst the image below that again shows Wigzell chasing Bob Tattersell’s McGee Racing Cams Tornado #13 Ford Falcon midget in the same year.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/fifth_zps3909c7c9.png) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/sixth_zpse22c8c1a.png) ($2)

Wigzell continued to drive successfully for Rowe until the car was sold to another driver, Joe Braendler, part way through the 1969/1970 season.

The WonderCar, in it’s restored 1966 Norman supercharged Peugeot guise, is shown below (I’m not sure where the top photo is, but the remainder are from the Adelaide Festival of Speed at Victoria Park Racecourse in April 2014).
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/seventh_zps5321f8b6.png) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/eighth_zps5cb59fa5.png) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/ninth_zps7ae7e8d4.png) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/eleventh_zps8dcffb30.png) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/tenth_zpsb638428d.png) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/twelth_zpscdecc078.png) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/thirteenth_zpsa76477cf.png) ($2)

The WonderCar is currently running one of Eldred’s Type 70 superchargers. This is the same supercharger that is run in Peter Wooley's humpy Holden sedan, and Lindsay Wilson's EK Holden wagon. The supercharger can be identified from the model number distinctively cast into the side. Interestingly, the end-plate castings have both "Norman" and "Supercharger" cast into them. The earlier Type 65's have only "Norman" cast into the end plates, which are near-identical to the end plates used twenty years later when Mike Norman started making his extruded-casing machines. The WonderCar Type 70 is a water cooled (jacketed) supercharger, though it appears that the WonderCar runs the jackets dry and plugged off - when running on methanol, temperature increases due to compression and friction are much less an issue than if running petrol. The carburettors are triple Stromberg 97's with a progressive linkage - starting on the centre carburettor and then bringing in the two outer carburettors. This would give approximately 3 x 150 = 450cfm@3"Hg at wide open throttle. Assuming this is the ~1550cc Pug engine, Eldred's basic carburettor guidance would be two off 1¾" SUs (2 x 297 = 594cfm@3"Hg). This would suggest that the triple Strommies may be slightly under-carbed, depending on how much punch the motor is putting out. We will see later that this is a similar problem to that experienced on the Norman supercharged Stud Beasley Peugeot. Note however that the rearmost carburettor on the WonderCar has a linkage that climbs back over the top of the motor. I suspect it may be part of the “extra methanol” setup that Wigzell was reknowned for being able to operate from the cockpit to flood the engine with fuel at full noise.

The Rowe-Wigzell WonderCar speedcar was later driven by various drivers including Colin Hennig, Steve Stewart and was then later powered by a Mazda rotary engine driven by Steve Hennig at Speedway Park. The vehicle is currently owned by Ian Gear, shown below driving the vehicle (back to it’s Norman supercharged Peugeot engine) at the 490-yard Exhibition Grounds Speedway (the EKKA) in Brisbane, Queensland.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/fourteenth_zpsd545f510.png) ($2)

Ian is shown below driving it at a historic meeting at the 390-yard Riverview Speedway, South Australia (also known as Murray Bridge Speedway, or currently the Murray Machining and Sheds Murray Bridge Speedway).

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/fifteenth_zpsb9c1090c.png) ($2)

Rowe later went on to build two Norman supercharged Renaults. I am not certain about the first Renault. I know that Greg Anderson drove a supercharged Renault for Rowe, built in 1972 and fitted to an Edmonds chassis, until the closure of Rowley Park in 1979. I’m not sure if this was the first or the second of the Renaults, nor if it was the same car that Anderson won the South Australian Speedcar Championship in the 1973/1974 season.
The second of the two Rowe Renaults was bought by Cec Eichler and was raced under the Kevin Fischer of Murray Bridge South Australia banner alongside the Suddenly #88 Supermodified sprintcar. The norman supercharged midget was also numbered #88 and painted in similar purple as the Suddenly #88 car – see image below. The midget was fitted with fuel injection and looked after by Fischer mechanic Ian Thiele.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/sixteenth_zps002d722c.png) ($2)

Rowe later went on to build a Norman supercharged Volkswagon (which was susceptible to spitting crank cases). Rowe was also the owner of a Norman-supercharged FB Holden, fitted with a floor shifter of his own manufacture.

Bill Wigzell was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) on the 11th of June 1979 for service to the sport of motor racing, whilst Alex Rowe was similarly made an OAM on the 26th of January 1987 for service to speedway racing. This honour is one that they share with the likes of Allan Grice, Craig Lowndes and Mark Skaife.

Another Norman supercharged speedcar was the Stud Beasley Peugeot (VIC#4), which was restored by John Waldock over seventeen years ago. The vehicle was originally built to run a V8 Buick engine, though was deemed by race officials to be overly powered. Stud then changed the motor out to a Peugeot 403 engine (1468cc) before campaigning it. To Stud’s frustration, when raced against the Rowe/Wigzell WonderCar the VIC#4 car came second place... despite the WonderCar running on three of it’s four cylinders. The difference was simple... the WonderCar was Norman blown. Stud made the logical choice, and fitted a Norman supercharger to the Pug motor. Over the years the vehicle went through a number of owners (including a stint as a hill-climb contender), and equally a number of engines – a Coventry Climax, an Alpha Romeo twin-cam, a 1618cc Peugeot 404 (fitted with the Norman supercharger from the Peugeot 403 engine), and also a stroked BMW engine.

Over time the condition of the car deteriorated, and was in a pretty sorry state when John purchased it. John was able to locate the original Peugeot 404 engine and Norman supercharger from Stud’s son Leroy Beasley. The supercharger was approximately 10” long and 4½” internal diameter, is air cooled and has 19 ribs/fins. Given it is purely air cooled and had a steel casing, it is likely to be one of the early Type 65 superchargers.

The supercharger was in very poor condition when John bought it. With little information available to work from, John drew on the memory of Eric Smith (who drove and maintained the car when it was owned by Stud Beasley), together with some photographs – see images below.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/eighteenth_zpsddd526d9.png) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/seventeenth_zps1aefd89d.png) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/nineteenth_zpsad219ea9.png) ($2)

Whilst there were some brackets mounting the supercharger casing, the casing itself was showing signs of corrosion of the hard-chrome liner coating. John had the liner dechromed and honed true to support good oil film retention (John was running castor oil in the fuel to aid in lubrication). The original Norman four-vane steel rotor had been replaced, with the replacement steel rotor incompletely machined at the time of John’s purchase. John made his own rotor from aluminium, drawing from his experience working on rotary vane compressors. John took the opportunity to radius the vane slot ends to remove the stress points incurred by square-edge milling. Interestingly, the end plates have been fitted with thin stainless steel sheeting inserts to prevent wear by the rotor ends. The end plates are fitted with a two piece roller bearing in the drive end, and a ball bearing in the non-drive end (this is the opposite of most Norman superchargers). The end plates and rotor nut were adjusted to achieve a 0.002-0.004” end clearance... considerably tighter than that employed on Judson superchargers (typically 0.010”-0.024”). The vehicle was missing the original manifolds, which John manufactured from the old photos. The inlet manifold runs a common plenum connected to three “fingers”, one for each carburettor. The fingers provided both a mounting point for the carburettors and also moves them outboard into the air flow. The vehicle runs three Stromberg 97 carburettors on a non-progressive linkage as per it’s original trim, though when racing the Beasley family added a fourth carburettor to try and cool the engine down by delivering more fuel (using the huge heat of evaporation of methanol). Like the SA#2 WonderCar, the VIC#4 car was probably marginally under-carburetted when running three Strombergs. The inlet manifold was fitted with a rubber-seated relief valve of approximately 1¾” diameter, set to 15psi. The vehicle typically ran at 8-9psi, though occasionally banged (hiccupped) through the relief valve.

The supercharger was originally fitted with a Gilmer belt drive. During Stud Beasley’s ownership it was noted that when the blower banged, it would snap the belt in short order. Stud rectified this by fitting a chain drive... chains don’t slip, but do transmit all that explosive (banging) force to the crankshaft. The thought of the chain (or worse) letting go certainly played on the mind of the driver at the time, Wayne Pearce. When John remade the vehicle, he reinstated the Gilmer drive belt system, together with a tensioner working from the outside of the belt (as per the original photos above). Initially, John experienced problems with the vanes chipping on one end. A motor mechanic friend who was involved in drag racing looked at it and commented that the belt was on the wrong side of the idler pulley and far too tight. This was causing the rotor to flex thus causing the vanes to chip. Bear in mind that John’s supercharger was running very tight tolerances on end float clearances, so any rotor flex has a substantive effect. After moving the idler to the inside of the belt (and running the belt somewhat looser), the vane chipping issue was resolved. Note that whilst vee-belts must be set very tight to avoid slippage, Gilmer belts are able to be run a lot looser due to their teeth meshing with the pulley teeth.

Another Norman-blown midget was SA#75, which was originally built by Rex Hodgson. The Mitsubishi Sirius 4G62T engine was a 1795cc (80.6mm bore x 88mm stroke) single overhead cam eight-valve unit in relatively stock form, taken from a turbocharged Mitsubishi Cordia GSR (1983-89, 135hp in it’s factory turbocharged form). When owned by Hodgson the SA#75 car was running an 80ci/rev Magnusson supercharger and fuel injection unit. It is believed that the Magnusson supercharger and injection were purchased as a unit from the United States, implying that the Norman supercharger and Hilborn injection (that I now own) were fitted to the Cordia engine by a later owner. The Norman supercharger is one of Mike Norman’s 300mm units.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/twentyfourth_zps6da9c19a.png) ($2)

Hodgson ran the Magnusson-blown Mitsubishi engine for only eight to ten meetings around 1985-87, as the supercharger had the tendency to melt drive belts. The car was then sold to Don Cave (from Highlander Crash Repairs in Holden Hill, South Australia), who jointly owned the unit with Colin Hennig. The car was driven by Steve Hennig and Ron Gates. Sadly, both Colin and Steve have passed away. I know that both the injection and the Norman were fitted to the car when Cave/Hennig owned it, and have spoken to both Gates and Bill Ahang, who worked on the Norman at the time. It’s possible that Hennig swapped the Norman and injection onto the Mitsubishi, as Gates remembers a snout being broken (probably the Magnusson’s snout, leading to it’s replacement with the Norman supercharger). The car was later purchased by Max Monk and subsequently parted out. Some parts were sold to Rob Gilbert, with the supercharger and injection going to the Wilsons at Tailem Bend before I bought it.

Another Norman supercharged speedcar was the SA#20 orange midget shown below.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/twentyfifth_zps86ecde8a.png) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/twentysixth_zpsd5cff54e.png) ($2)

This vehicle was built by Colin Cornelius and raced from 1972 until the closure of Rowley Park in 1979. The vehicle then sat idle until being purchased by Ian Gear in 1985, and remains in original unrestored condition. The vehicle has an all-aluminium 1565cc Renault 16TS engine (83bhp in naturally-aspirated trim), replete with the original hemispherical cross-flow head. The vehicle is fitted with a Type 70 Norman supercharger, being fed by two 1½” SU carburettors (~400cfm@3”Hg). This is slightly under Eldred’s recommendation of two 1¾” SUs (~600cfm@3”Hg), though is dependent on how heavily worked the Renault engine is. The SA#20 vehicle was successful, winning the Harry Neale Memorial when driven by Peter Maltby in 1971.
Some additional Norman supercharged speedway cars that I am aware, but have not been able to chase down include:

a)   the Ron Ward as NSW#3 Peugeot speedcar. As far as I know, this was driven at one stage by Brian Mannion car, as shown below:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/twentyseventh_zps4cb2d971.png) ($2)

b)   Ken Tabe’s supercharged Peugeot, which was last seen in the Northern Territory.
c)   Alf Kamilow’s supercharged Hillman Hunter,
d)   Kevin Cook’s supercharged Ford Telstar. This vehicle was sold to Des James who drove it for one night at Speedway Park and wrote the car off.
e)   Colin Kane’s supercharged Peugeot, and
f)   Gary Dillon’s supercharged Volkswagen. I am not sure if this vehicle is related to the Volkswagon supercharged by Alex Rowe, nor if it is related to the Volkswagon that was supercharged by Eldred Norman around 1969 for speedway use in Brisbane (that vehicle had a habit of throwing sparkplugs into the crowd!)

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger fiddler).

Ladies and Gents,

One thing that has been bugging me for a very long time is trying to identify the different Norman supercharger models. Whilst there were a number of Norman supercharger models produced, little literature remains to confirm the exact types and models. To complicate matters, there is a significant amount of rumour and guesswork that has been applied over the last half century. Various discussions refer to a wide variety of machines, including Type 70, Type 75, Type 72 and Type 45. I will present the information below based on discussion with Mike Norman, together with some (limited) literature from the era and photos of different models. My thanks to Mike for helping to pull this together.

Eldred’s Superchargers – the start of something cool.

Eldred Norman became interested in manufacturing superchargers following a supercharged car being traded-in at his used car dealership in Adelaide in the very early 1960’s. Having removed the supercharger before selling the car, Eldred then sold the supercharger, and was astonished at the volume of interest expressed. This indicated a clear market, providing that the right vehicle was chosen to sell the supercharger to. Whilst there could be some benefit in selling superchargers to performance cars, there was a far greater market selling to vehicles with relatively poor performance. At this time General Motors Holden was a significant market player, but had yet to embrace the performance market… it’s first forays into factory “muscle cars”, the EH S4 and HD X2, were some time off. Holden thus became the logical target for Eldred’s manufacturing. The first Norman superchargers were made by Eldred in Adelaide, using both his own workshop and a small third-party foundry. Eldred continued manufacturing after moving to Noosa, utilizing a foundry in Maroochydore. In both South Australia and Queensland he made his own sand-casting moulds and forms.
Eldred’s superchargers were named by “Type”. Each Type was numbered according to it’s capacity in cubic inches per revolution, measured by subtracting the volume of the rotor treated as a solid form from the volume of the interior of the casing (see discussion above over how this differs from current methods of measuring capacity). Eldred made the following eight Types:
•   The Type 65
•   The Type 70
•   The Type 45
•   The Type 75
•   The Type 90
•   The Type 110
•   The Type 265
•   The Type 270

Type 65
The Type 65 has a capacity of 65ci/rev (118ci/rev if measured by the modern method). It is believed that Eldred began manufacturing superchargers with the Type 65 in late 1964 or early 1965 in St Peters, Adelaide. The early Type 65’s all have cast iron casings and steel rotors, and are fully air cooled. Some of the early Type 65’s had alloy rotors though this was quickly ceased and steel used due to wear. Later Type 65’s, which were made after the introduction of the Type 70’s, have alloy casings and are water jacketed with two welsh plugs. The welsh plugs were added primarily to support the sand around the jacket void during sand casting of the housings. Type 65 casings have seventeen radial fins, cast iron liners, have Type 65 cast into the casing and have separate inlet and outlet manifolds. Both Type 65’s and Type 70’s are often fitted with Eldred’s inlet manifold, which points back towards the firewall (some are fitted with an extra elbow to point the carburetor towards the passenger bonnet spring). The early Type 65’s were mounted via the Holden grey motor generator bracket, and connected by hose to the inlet manifold. The bracket was then tensioned up to provide a tight drive belt. This line-up was changed in Noosa to the use of a steel inlet manifold made from RHS, with a separate idler pulley providing belt tension. Surviving Type 65’s that I am aware of include Gary Claypole’s alloy cased unit (which has been overhauled and photographed above), and John Brown’s steel cased unit (which I need to get photos of). The image below appears to show an early steel cased unit (judging by the colour difference between the casing and end plates) and was taken from an early advertisement for the Eddie Thomas Speed Shop in a 1965 copy of The Australian Hot Rodding Review.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/first_zps74f312e6.png) ($2)

Mike Norman also drove an ex-PMG FE panelvan (repainted from red to grey) with a Type 65 supercharger around 1964-1965. Bill Norman raced a Standard 10 fitted with a Type 65 (his first race car, at age 17), which was later road-registered by Mike.
The photographs below show an early steel-cased Type 65 on an FJ Holden.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/third_zps11dc1d1b.png) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/fourth_zpscab70d5d.png) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/second_zps7fd01061.png) ($2)

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/fifth_zpsdb345685.png) ($2)

Pictured below is the steel-cased Type 65 owned by Lindsay Wilson.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/sixth_zps0289d487.png) ($2)

Pictured below is an alloy-cased Type 65 advertised on eBay in May 2014.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/seventh_zpsd597172e.png) ($2)

Type 70
The Type 70 has a capacity of 70ci/rev (I have not had a Type 70 open to measure it’s capacity by modern methods). The Type 70 superchargers all have alloy casings (radially finned on one side, smooth on the other with a cast iron liner), alloy end plates and are water jacketed with two welsh plugs. These have Type 70 cast into the casing. Type 70’s were mounted on the passenger side of the Holden motor, with Eldred’s inlet manifold. The carburetor, usually a 2” SU, was mounted at the passenger rear of the engine bay. Externally, there is little to differentiate the Type 65 and Type 70 other than size (the Type 70 being slightly larger) and the name (Type 65 or Type 70) cast into the water jacket.
Pictured below is Lindsay Wilson’s Type 70 from his EK Holden stationwagon, with both photos showing the finned side of the casing. Carburetion is single 2” SU.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/ninth_zps9db9a0af.png) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/eighth_zpsf277069d.png) ($2)

Pictured below is Peter Wooley’s Type 70 from his FJ Holden sedan, showing the smooth side of the casing. Carburetion is twin SU.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/tenth_zps91adeed5.png) ($2)

Pictured below is Ian Gear’s Type 70 from the Rowe/Wigzell SA#2 WonderCar speedcar. Carburetion is triple Stromberg 97.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/eleventh_zps1316d520.png) ($2)

Type 45, Type 75 and Type 90
The Type 45, 75 and 90 were developed as a family of superchargers, often referred to as Series 2 (Series 1 compromising the Type 65 and Type 70). The Type 45, Type 75 and Type 90 were manufactured by Eldred whilst still living in Adelaide. Using Eldred’s measurement process, the Type 45, Type 75 and Type 90 had a capacity of 45, 75 and 90ci/rev respectively. Using the modern measurement system gives 83 and 149ci/rev respectively for the Type 45 and Type 75 (I have not been able to find a Type 90 to measure). Interestingly, when using the modern method the Type 75 (149ci/rev) has a larger capacity than the Type 110 (145ci/rev). This is due to the placement of the inlet and exhaust ports, which is not accounted for in Eldred’s method. The target market for the Type 45 was engines up to 107ci (smaller than a Holden red motor), whilst the Type 75 and Type 90 were targeted at the 186ci Holden red motor and 225ci Valiant slant-6 engine respectively. The Type 45 was sold as a blower-only package, with manifolding being made by the end-user to suit the specific application, whilst the Type 75 and 90 could be purchased as a package, utilizing the original vehicle’s carburetor. Note however that some Type 75 installations swapped Valiant Carter carburetors on to Holden 186ci engines, probably due to the 111/16” Holley 1920 or Carter BBD carburetors (235 or 260 cfm@3”Hg) being of greater capacity than the replaced Holden single barrel 15/32” Stromberg (210cfm@3”Hg), albeit less than a WW-series carburetor (280cfm@3”Hg) fitted to the HR “S” 186ci engine.
Type 45, 75 and 90 superchargers have steel rotors, radially finned alloy casings with a cast iron liner, steel end plates and integral inlet and outlet manifolds (all other Norman superchargers have separate inlet and outlet manifolds). Type 45’s have seven radial fins, whilst Type 75’s have twelve (I do not know how many fins a Type 90 had). Type 45’s and Type 75’s had “45” and “75” stamped (not cast) into the housing (I’m not sure if Type 90’s did but suspect so). The Type 45 is air cooled, whilst the Type 75 is water cooled with no welsh plugs. An article was written for Australian Hot Rod magazine in November 1966, titled Blow for Go! Norman Style. The article has a lot of technical detail, and is very likely to have been written in consultation with Eldred… giving confidence it is factual. The article refers to two models, a Standard (no clutch) and DeLuxe (clutched). The article notes three sizes:
• the size shown in the article, which is a Type 75 supercharger.
• a 4” shorter size designed for engines up to 1750cc/107ci (the Type 45 supercharger), and
• a 2¼” longer size for engines up to 4000cc/244ci (The Type 90 supercharger).
Looking at the article detail, the Standard and DeLuxe have a hard-chromed steel liner. Note that this is interesting, as Mike remembers that none of Eldred’s supercharger liners were chromed or surface treated. The majority of Eldred’s liners were made from cast iron diesel truck sleeves. At one stage, Eldred managed to secure some chilled cast iron sleeves from Repco. These were found to be too hard, and Eldred reverted back to the normal cast iron sleeves. Also of note from the article:
• steel rotors (aluminum had been tried but had only 1/8th the life of a steel rotor). The Type 75 had a rotor of 4½” diameter, bored 2”,
• cast-iron end plates (aluminium had been tried but wore the rotor ends). The Type 75 was 13/8” (inclusive of the fins). Note that this is different to the earlier Type 65’s and Type 70’s, which have aluminium end plates,
• an internal diameter of 5½” and an overall width of 12” for the Type 75,
• four ¼” vanes lots to average 2½” depth, with ½” of support at the base of the lobe slot,
• a 1½” long boss for the pulley drive key back to the front bearing on the Standard, with no boss on the Deluxe (the pulley for the Deluxe being mounted on ball races).
Whist the Type 65 and Type 70 superchargers were largely used on Holden grey motors (along with other engines of similar size), the Type 75 marks Eldred’s change to targeting the Holden red motor. Unlike the earlier Type 65 and Type 70’s, the Type 75 supercharger is mounted on the driver’s side of the Holden engine, with the inlet to the bottom and the carburettor on the steering box. The supercharger outlet is fed across the top of the rocker cover via a cast alloy air/air intercooler.
The image from the article, showing the Type 75 DeLuxe, is shown below.

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An additional article was written for The Australian Hot Rodding Review of January 1967, titled Blowers for Holdens!. The article was written inclusive of a visit to Eldred’s workshop in St Peters, Adelaide (the visit must have occurred before Eldred moved to Noosa in 1966), and is again very likely to have been written in consultation with Eldred and likely to be factual. This article refers to a second series of Normans (Series 2). Images from the article are shown below.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/thirteenth_zps42fd04ca.png) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/fourteenth_zps57070dc6.png) ($2)
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Looking carefully at the Australian Hot Rod and Australian Hot Rodding Review images shows that they are the same vehicle, being Eldred’s HD Holden utility.
The images below show Type 75 superchargers.

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The image below shows my Type 45 Norman. As an aside, this unit has had an interesting history, having been used as a forge furnace blower in Noosa by Eldred. On request, Eldred made Super Light Weight (SLW) rotors for some superchargers (definitively some Type 110s and probably others). The Super Light Weight rotors were made from steel, initially milled from a billet, then with steel flat bar electric stick welded in place with the whole assembly then machined… no small task! The kerosene-fired forge (with the Type 45 supercharger blowing air through it) was then used to heat treat (normalize) the rotors. A Super Light Weight rotor, in an early Type 65 casing, is illustrated in Supercharge! (see image below).

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Type 110
The Type 110, with a capacity of 110ci/rev (as measured by Eldred’s method) was the archetypical Holden red motor blower. The Type 110 superchargers all have alloy casings and are water jacketed with three welsh plugs. These are the only superchargers made by Eldred with longitudinal (not radial) fins. Between manufacturing the Type 45, 75 and 90 superchargers, Eldred had moved to Noosa in 1966. Production of the Type 110 supercharger may have commenced as early as 1967, though was definitely in full swing by October of 1968. The Type 110 was targeted at the Holden red motor, though saw use in some unusual places. For example, in Supercharge! (October 1969), Eldred refers to a Type 110 supercharger:
“In 1954, driving a supercharged Triumph TR2, I finished 4th in the Australian Grand Prix. On this car I used a “boost’ of 12lbs. The supercharger was a G.M. 271 Roots type unit operating at 1.1 times engine speed and driven by four ‘A’ section V belts. By the end of the race belt-slips had caused a fall in boost to a maximum of 8 lbs. Naturally I had to ‘nurse’ the belts by not using full throttle at this stage. My present Holden is some 50% greater in capacity than was the Triumph. I am using a 10 lb. supercharge from my type 110 vane type supercharger and drive it with only two ‘A’ section belts. Under these conditions the vane type is putting out almost 40% more air/fuel than did the Roots with twice the number of belts. Certainly the car is not being raced which is an enormous difference. But my belts last at least 5000 miles of normal road use. Detractors of the vane type supercharger have usually only seen the wrong unit on the job.”

The Type 110 is also illustrated in Supercharge! (see image below). The longitudinal fins are clearly visible from this angle.

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A Type 110 supercharger was also used on the Dennis Syrmis/Richards Time Machine FJ Holden drag vehicle shown below. Syrmis is renowned for being the second National Director of ANDRA, helping found Willowbank Raceway and for initiating the "Wild Bunch" and "Top Doorslammer" drawcards.

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The image below (from Street Machine magazine) shows a Type 110 on George and John Cole’s Vauxhall Viva gasser.

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The image below shows the Type 110 on Ken Stephenson’s Front Engined Dragster. The three welsh plugs are clearly visible from this angle.

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The image below shows my Type 110. This machine has had a hard, hard life, and was last in service on a Toyota engine at 20psi. Along with being helicoiled, the casing has had the original three-welsh plug jacket removed and the polished water jacket seen in the image fitted.
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Type 265 and Type 270
The Type 265. This is where Eldred’s numbering system becomes interesting the Type 265 supercharger does not have a capacity of 265ci/rev. Rather, it has a capacity of 2 x 65 = 130ci/rev. The Type 265 superchargers were built by joining two Type 65 superchargers end-to-end with a common rotor (and hence the naming convention – two x Type 65). The casings were joined by recessing the Type 65 units to suit studs and nuts and bolting them together before line boring and honing. The Type 265’s were built as a response to a need in the market for a supercharger to suit larger V8 engines and rail dragsters. It is likely that all Type 265’s were alloy cased and water jacketed, though potentially some were made with air cooled steel casings. Type 265’s were made by Eldred in Noosa from 1967 onwards.
Similarly to the Type 265, the Type 270 has a capacity of 2 x 70 = 140ci/rev, and is made by joining two Type 70 casings with a common rotor. All Type 270’s had an alloy casing and water jackets, with cast iron finned end-plates. The Type 270 is illustrated on a Ford Y-block V8 in Supercharge! (see image below).

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I know of only one Type 270 to have survived, which is currently owned by Mike Norman. This Type 270 was built by Eldred for Bill Norman in 1969/1970. Whilst Bill was driving a Type 110 supercharged GTR Torana, it still was not quick enough. Eldred’s answer was to build a Hillman Imp with a Buick Fireball aluminum 215ci V8, complete with the Type 270 supercharger. Sadly, whilst the Hillman was test driven for a yew yards, it was not completed prior to Eldred becoming ill and passing away.
Type 265 (water cooled) and Type 270 superchargers can be quite difficult to differentiate. The main visual two differences between them are that the Type 270 is slightly larger, and all had cast iron finned end plates (the Type 265 may have had either cast or alloy end plates). The photographs below show superchargers which could be either the Type 265 or 270.
Shown below is Cliff Kiss’ front-engined dragster, taken from Supercharge! Note that Aldred Engineering is not the company of the same name currently operating out of Helensburgh NSW.

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Kiss’ dragster is also shown below from Australian Drag Racing Nationals Souvenir Edition 1973:

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… in this photo below from The Elapsed Times of June 2008, which shows Kiss’ dragster at the 1968 Winternationals on June 23rd 1968 at Surfers Paradise International Raceway…

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… and also in these two shots from the 2009 Street Machine Hot Rod Annual.

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The photo below shows Chris Reid’s altered (originally built by Bill Jones and raced by Ray Knight).

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Shown in the image below is the Warren Ramsay/Ian Burrows Semi Hemi front-engined dragster, running Olbis injection on a Valiant Slant-6.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/thirtyfourth_zps451bdeac.png) ($2)

Mike’s Superchargers – the blower is back.

Having been raised on a diet of supercharged vehicles, Mike Norman began building some superchargers from Eldred’s design in 1973-1975. Unfortunately, the original patterns and moulds for Eldred’s superchargers, stored under the house in Noosa, had been lost. From 1978 (through to 1984) Mike ran Offroad Automatics Pty Ltd at Magowar Road in Girraween, Sydney. Whilst the business was involved in fitting automatic transmissions to Range Rovers, Mike began to tinker with superchargers around 1983.

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Mike’s superchargers represent a significant design change from Eldred’s. Rather than cast individual casings, Mike chose to extrude the casings from aluminium. Mike’s casings were initially manufactured by milling a 6” diameter solid aluminum billet… no easy task. Once the casing design was finalized, a two-piece extrusion was made by Comalco. The casings were then lined with a cold drawn seamless tube, manufactured in Adelaide (with a minimum order of 300m!) to a tolerance of around 0.004”. The liners were then Tufftrided in Melbourneprior to being installed. In some of the casings a rubber O-ring was fitted between the casing and the end-plates. The end-plates, of aluminium construction, were cast by Newcastle Foundries.
Mike’s rotors were milled from 4” aluminum round stock. Whist he considered having an extrusion made (similarly to the casings) the proposals from various manufacturers at the time were expensive due to the complex die and not very accurate. The non-drive end bearing support stub (shaft) is made by turning down the main aluminum body. The steel drive end shafts were made by drilling and tapping the rotor then Loctiting the screwed shaft in place. The rotor design was also different to Eldred’s, moving from four vanes to three.

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By doing this, Mike was able to achieve a very deep vane slot whilst still having sufficient “meat” in between slots close to the shaft. The deep vanes allow for a long vane movement (high capacity) whilst still retaining enough of the vane in the slot to minimize bending moment. However, having a greater proportion of the vane in a deep slot moves the vane centre of mass closer to the shaft. This in turn lower centripetal force, making Mike’s vanes harder to move outwards than Eldred’s. Whilst the problem of the vanes sticking in is reduced at higher rpm, at low rpm the issue is noticeable – the noise of vanes clatter (lifting off then re-hitting the casing walls) is evident. To address this issue (clatter and the potential for increased vane wear at low revs) Mike fitted springs to each rotor vane. The springs were fitted in pockets milled into the rotor slots, and retained in place by a nylon bush. The springs were locally made in carbon steel as alloy material was not readily available locally and would have had to have been sourced from the US. Whilst this seems strange in a modern “everything is available online” world, bear in mind that Mike was manufacturing in the early 1980’s… the World Wide Web was still the domain of university geeks. Mike experimented with a number of other options to increase the centripetal force, including lightening the vanes and fitting them with lead weights.
A change was made to the material used for supercharger vanes. Eldred’s vanes are a dark brown colour, and are made from canvas backed Bakelite with a phenolic resin binder. Mike’s vanes were changed to a more modern epoxy resin based binder over a fine fabric matrix, supplied by a firm in Sydney. The cream coloured epoxy based material was much stronger and wear resistant than Eldred’s Bakelite vanes. I suspect Mike’s material was either National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) FR-4 or FR-5 fire retardant glass-cloth reinforced epoxy laminate, but am not certain. Additionally, Mike’s supercharger vanes have grooves that are milled all the way across the face of the vane. The grooves are used to assist the vanes in being able to move in and out of the rotor. The vanes should be a “flop” fit, though may experience some changes in dimensions due to moisture, fuel properties or dirt. If the vanes become a tight fit, the oily environment they operate in may allow them to form a seal with the rotor. In this case, the vanes will draw a vacuum at the vane root as they try to slide out, or will build pressure at the vane root as they slide back in. The slots allow the vane root to equalize pressure, allowing the vanes to slide freely. The slots also allow some flow of air/fuel/oil around the vane, helping lubrication. Vane grooves were not machined in the vanes made by Eldred.

Similarly to Eldred’s superchargers, Mikes superchargers employed a roller bearing at the non-drive end and a ball bearing (sometimes two) at the drive end. Some of the longer shaft superchargers were fitted with greasable drive-end bearings, though most of the bearings were of the sealed type. The bearings chosen by Mike were metric, being cheaper at that time than the imperial bearings available.

Mike made a total of six supercharger sizes (150mm, 200mm, 250mm, 300mm, 350mm and 400mm), designated by the effective casing length. The target market was engines from 500cc to 4000cc (30ci to 244ci). Whereas Eldred’s superchargers were referred to as “Types”, Mikes were referred to purely by number (for example “my Holden motor is fitted with a 300 supercharger, and goes like the clappers”). When the casings are measured, they are typically 5mm longer than the above sizes, as the end plates are recessed 2.5mm each end. The casing length is also reflected in the serial numbers stamped into the casings: the first three digits of the serial number reflects (approximately) the casing length in millimeters. Examples of serial numbers are shown in the table below.

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The superchargers were identical internally, with capacity being determined by cutting the casing extrusions and milling the rotors longer or shorter. Both short and long drive shaft lengths were supplied, with the 300, 350 and 400 superchargers typically fitted with longer shafts whilst the 150, 200 and 250 superchargers typically fitted with shorter shafts.
The photographs below show a 150 supercharger.

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(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/thirtyeighth_zps14686582.png) ($2)

The photograph below shows a 300 supercharger.

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The photographs below show a 350 supercharger. As an aside, this supercharger has an interesting history, having spent time on Mike Normans’ 122ci SOHC Triumph Dolomite Sprint.

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(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/fortyfirst_zpsfa420f6c.png) ($2)

The photographs below show a 400 supercharger.

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Around 1984 Mike was commissioned to supercharge the new four-door Range Rover owned by the managing director of Leyland Australia. This vehicle originally had 9.5:1 compression, and required new low compression pistons to go with the supercharger, manifolds and water injection. All up the project cost around $3500. Mike ceased automatic transmission operations in Girraween in 1985, moving to Noosa. The advent of newer more efficient supercharger type such as the Whipple and Eaton superchargers made for a declining market, and supercharger production was ceased.

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger fiddler).

Ladies and gentlemen,

This post will be a collection of odds and ends from a recent tidy-up of my notes. You know how when you put something together and there are leftover nuts and washers at the end? Thats how my notes looked :oops: . In the final Norman Supercharger Guide (the pdf version), the information will be slotted in as relevant.

• Rotor to end plate clearances

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a) Clearance between the rotor and the non-drive end plate (labelled as A in the diagram above) can be set to 0.015”. For the early Type 65 machines where both the casing and the rotor are steel, it can be reduced to 0.006-0.008” (this end of the assembly absorbs the differential expansion of the rotor and casing, which is much less with steel/steel).
b) Clearance between the rotor and the drive-end plate (labelled as B in the diagram above) can be set to 0.002”. This end is held in place by the bearing assembly, though care needs to be taken at these clearances to ensure the assembly is adequately locked.
c) Clearance between the rotor and the casing (labelled as C in the diagram above) should be 0.004” maximum. High values (for example 0.020”) can cause considerable loss of boost pressure. This clearance is increased as the casing is honed or the rotor outer diameter milled. It can be rectified by changing the rotor offset, though this is no small task.

• Only seven or eight of Eldreds’ 3” SUs were ever made between around 1969 and 1971. The SU on the Eclipse Special was not one of Eldred’s, rather it was from a Maybach. When fitted to a 186ci Holden red motor and Type 110 supercharger the 3” SU would only lift around ¾ of it’s piston travel at 6,000rpm.

• Eldred’s HD utility (the supercharger test-mule) had all drum brakes. Fitted with the 110 supercharger and 3” SU it could make 140mph.

• The maximum recommended speed for a Norman supercharger is 5000rpm. 6000rpm is really pushing it. Friction and heat become a significant factor.

• The rotor slot sleeves in Mike’s superchargers were originally pressed to shape, Tufftrided, inserted into the rotor then steel riveted using an extension. The fixing method was later changed to punching (expanding) the rivets in using a pointy-ended drift.

• Mikes rotor springs were typically replaced after 5-8000km of driving. Running without the springs is rattly but does not drop performance.

• Tufftiriding was used by Mike over nitriding as it provides better anti-galling, was more wear and fatigue resistant and softer (easier to form).

• One issue to note however in running oil in fuel is that a significant proportion of the oil will condense in the cylinder and end up in the sump (i.e. Norman superchargers can make oil). Experience shows that approximately 80% of the added oil ends up in the sump in this manner.

• Andrew Mustard (the gentleman with the Norman supercharged Elfin from my earlier anecdote) made some (albeit very few) of his own vane type superchargers with cast alloy rotors.

• Mike’s superchargers sold for around $1000 bare.

• Mike had cast around fifty Range Rover V8 supercharger manifolds, though only around 15 were sold.
• I missed one version of the Type 65 supercharger. In previous posts I indicated that the Type 65 was either air cooled/steel cased, or water cooled/alloy cased. There was a third type, presumably made in between the two, which were water cooled/steel cased. I had thought that these were a one-off that someone had home-made by re-jacketing a Type 65 (kinda like my Type 110 had been) until I reviewed my notes and realised there were a few of them. The water cooled, steel cased Type 65’s have aluminium end plates and steel rotors. They do not have welsh plugs, and have water nipples not close to each other (one on the rear of the supercharger on the passenger’s side, and one towards the front of the casing).
The first of the two survivors that I know of is the supercharger from the Bobcat FJ custom. This vehicle was built by South Australia’s Bob Moule, with the magazine clippings shown below from Wild Wild Bobcat article in The Australian Hot Rodding Review of June 1968.

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Bobcat was running 5psi boost on a relatively standard FJ grey motor. Note that the mounting here is low, with the generator mounted near the cylinder head and a hose used to connect the supercharger discharge to the standard grey motor inlet manifold. Triple v-belts are used to couple the drive the supercharger, crank and water pump with one belt also wrapping the generator. Both the generator and the supercharger are pivoted, with the combination of the position of the two providing belt tension). The motor was fitted with a Holley 94 carburettor from a Ford V8, which has the same flow capacity as the original BXOV-1 Stromberg (162CFM@3”Hg). The engine had Bedford truck valve springs, no vacuum advance, Speco headers and twin exhaust pipes. All up the modifications had increased the grey motors power from 60BHP to 82BHP. This supercharger was removed from Bobcat, and was subsequently fitted to Anthony Harradine’s EJ Holden Premier (see photo below).

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The second of the two survivors that I am aware of was owned by EKDave (from the FB/EK and FE/FC forums) and is pictured below. Note that this machine also has the “hose to standard inlet manifold” connection.

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(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/seventh_zps6fe9ed86.png) ($2)

Cheers,
Harv (deputy aprentice Norman supercahrger fiddler).

In a previous post I wrote an anecdote relating to the use of Norman superchargers on an Elfin sports car. The Elfin had been used for land speed record trials in both single and twin-Norman blown configuration. Whilst researching other material, I stumbled across the two articles below, which I thought I’d share.

The first article and accompanying photograph comes from The Canberra Times, Saturday the 26th of September 1964, page 28
Elfin in Attempt on record

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The Elfin racing car originally used to test the surface of the salt track used in the successful attempt on the land speed record by Bluebird will attempt to break the 1500c.c. international standing mile and standing kilometre records. The record attempt will be staged on a recently completed sealed road at the Weapons Research Establishment at Salisbury, South Australia. Mr. Andrew Mustard, project co-ordinator in the recent successful attempt on the land speed record at Lake Eyre, will make the attempt. The car, built and designed by Mr. Gary Cooper, of Edwards town, South Australia, has been timed at 146 m.p.h. in a much detuned state. Extensive work has been done on the car since this time was recorded and Mr. Mustard feels sure that the car is capable of a much higher performance. The car has been modified from its original form for the record attempt. Originally it had a 1,500c.c. Ford Cortina engine, and developed approximately 120 b.h.p. With the fitting of two individual Norman superchargers parallel to each other with each one feeding two of the cylinders, over 200 b.h.p. should be developed. With an all up weight of 850 pounds and 200 b.h.p., the car (pictured above) should have staggering acceleration. As was shown by the Bluebird record at attempt, there are many factors that can set any record attempt off balance. Factors lo be taken into consideration are whether the car will be ready in the short amount of time the mechanics have to work on it, whether the Elfin, with its conventional parts, will be able to stand the strain from the enormous thrust of the 200 b.h.p. for the 10 seconds or so during the attempt, and the most important factor in any record attempt, the weather.

The second article comes from the same newspaper, from Monday the 28th of September 1964, page 3
Mustard fails in world land speed attempt
ADELAIDE, Sunday. — Andrew Mustard, team manager and project coordinator in the successful attempt on the land speed record at Lake Eyre by Donald Campbell ,in the Bluebird, failed in an attempt to break the 1500 c.c. international standing mile and standing kilometre records this weekend. He will, however, claim at least two Australian records, subject to official confirmation. They are the formula F flying mile record (at 136 m.p.h.) and the flying kilometre (138 m.p.h.). Mustard made the record attempt on a recently completed sealed road at the Weapons Research Establishment at Salisbury, South Australia, driving the Elfin racing car used originally to test the surface of the salt track at Lake Eyre for the Bluebird attempt. Bad weather and cross winds affected the result in Mustard's attempt. His top speed was over 155 m.p.h.

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger fiddler)

Ladies and gents,
A quick post to update my Norman-supercharged speedcar anecdote, following some excellent feedback from Ian Gear (who currently owns the SA#2 WonderCar). This update ties down the origin of the two Rowe Renault midgets.
Following the sale of the Norman-supercharged, Peugeot engine SA#2 WonderCar to Joe Braendler, Alex Rowe had the funds to build another Norman-supercharged car for Wigzell, with all new running gear. The first Norman-supercharged Rowe Renault started out with a Peugeot motor, followed by a Renault motor (firstly carburettored, and later injected).
The first Rowe Renault was bought by Cec Eichler and was raced under the Kevin Fischer of Murray Bridge South Australia banner alongside the Suddenly #88 Supermodified sprintcar. The Norman-supercharged midget was also numbered #88 and painted in similar purple as the Suddenly #88 car – see the image below from my previous post of the two vehicles. The midget had been fitted with fuel injection by this stage and was looked after by Fischer mechanic Ian Thiele.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/sixteenth_zps002d722c.png) ($2)

In the mean time (1972) Rowe built another Norman supercharged Renault-engined car using a secondhand Edmonds chassis. The second Rowe Renault (also numbered SA#2 like the WonderCar) was driven by Greg Anderson until the closure of Rowley Park in 1979. Anderson drove the second Rowe Renault to win the South Australian Speedcar Championship in the 1973/1974 season, up against Wigzell in the first Rowe Renault (SA#88).
Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger fiddler and historic Speedway appreciator).

Ladies and Gents,

A little piece of cool history for this post. The photo below shows Bill Norman's LC GTR Torana.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/BillNormansLCGTRtorana_zps8400f5b6.jpg) ($2)

Bog stock standard 161ci (2600cc) straight-6 with a Norman 110 supercharger. Standard brakes, wheels, radials, suspension, exhaust, head and cam. Home made aluminium bonnet and door skins, interior gutted. The supercharger never reached it's full potential as the relief valve spring lifted constantly (too light).

The photo was taken at the Warwick Farm (Sydney) esses during a Sports Sedans practice on the 2nd of May 1970. Bill can be seen thrashing the Torrie at the same meeting in the last few seconds of the 8mm video clip below:
http://www.youtube.c...h?v=jjgNQy6YIRk

Warwick Farm is close to home for me. Dad used to race there on-and-off in the late 60's, early 70's, though pretty informally (he was more often at Castlereigh, crewing a V8 humpy 8) ). Dad was part of a group of 100 young mechanics who were selected based on their performance to take a look at the newly released LC GTR, including hot laps around Warwick Farm. Shame the only racing over there is by hay-burners now .

As an aside, I’m writing an Eldred Norman anecdote.... I’ll add this material to it (watch this space ). It needs some revision yet, and verifying by Mike, Bill and Bron before I post it though.

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger fiddler).

Ladies and Gents,

For this post, I will take a look at the drive system that we use on our Norman supercharger. As a starting point, I will focus on belts.

For our Norman supercharged grey motor, we have a number of choices of drive system. For example, we could use:
a) Direct drive off the crank snout. Direct drive has been used in a number of vehicles, including the Daimler-Benz race vehicles of the early 1900’s and many GM Roots superchargers in diesel service. Your typical early Holden however has very little room at the front of the crank to direct mount a supercharger. Whilst not impossible, direct driving a Norman supercharger is not readily practicable, nor very period correct.
b) A gear set. Gear driven superchargers are not that unusual, with Rolls Royce Merlin superchargers often being driven through single or two-speed gear drives. Gear drives are available from The Supercharger Store (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=I0nizAm3bPw, which shows the ERA coupler fitted to one). Whilst not impossible, driving a Norman supercharger through gears is not readily practicable, nor very period correct.
c) A chain drive, as used on Stud Beasley’s Norman supercharged midget and Andrew Mustard’s supercharged Elfin (ses anecdote below). A chain drive is pictured below.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/1_zps9d57874c.png) ($2)

We could fit a single, double or even triple row chain to the supercharger, and drive them from toothed sprockets on both crank and supercharger snout. This would provide a very positive drive, with no slippage. However, there will also be absolutely no slip should the supercharger stall (for example if the fuel/air mixture inside the supercharger and inlet manifold ignites during a blower bang). This means that during blower bang events the jarring energy can be transferred via the belt to the crankshaft. This can be like the unstoppable force meeting the immovable object, and lead to bending of either the supercharger drive shaft or the engine crankshaft. Unless we are chasing every last ounce of horsepower from our Norman supercharger (and are willing to wear the risks of damage), this type of drive is not recommended.

d) A gilmer belt, as shown in the image below.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/2_zps6fb4ac13.png) ($2)

This is a toothed (positive drive) type of belt, again minimizing the risk of slippage. This type of drive is common on modern drag racing superchargers. Gilmer belts do pose similar risks to chains with respect to transmitting blower bangs. However, the Gilmer belt is more likely to shred/strip the belt teeth. Not such a big deal at the drag strip on a dedicated race car, though pretty frustrating in the Woolies carpark on a road-going car. Gilmer belts are also relatively wide compared to say a vee-belt. The real estate at the front of your typical Holden grey motor (between crank and radiator) is pretty small. Whilst not impossible, it can sometimes be a challenge to get a gilmer belt to fit. Gilmer belts are also relatively difficult to purchase… try finding one in your local SuperCheap. Again not really a problem if you carry a spare belt in the boot, but not too easy after stripping the belt in the middle of nowhere on a Sunday afternoon. Gilmer belts are period correct (and often seen) on the later (Mike) Norman superchargers, though not usually on the earlier (Eldred) Norman machines.
e) A vee-belt. Vee-belts are period correct, and provide some ability for the belt to slip during a blower bang. They are relatively cheap, and readily available from SuperChepa, Repco etc. For these reasons it is recommended that vee-belts be used on most Norman supercharged applications. Vee-belts are typically available in two profiles – normal/plain (see lower image below) and ribbed/notched (see upper image below).

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/3_zps2c4c88e5.png) ($2)

If a choice is available between normal and notched drive belts for Norman supercharger operation, then a normal belt should be chosen. The notched drive belt does have some benefits over the normal belt:
• They compress and grip better whilst still allowing good initial start-up slip (to avoid initially shocking the supercharger).
• The higher grip also allows them to compensate better for poor pulley surfaces.
• Less energy is required to bend the belt around the pulleys.
• They have a greater surface area for heat dissipation (i.e. they run cooler).
However, because the notched belts grip better, they are less likely to slip during a blower bang. The normal type belts however provide enough slip to prevent this occurring.
Note also that vee-belts are available in a ribbed format, as per the image below.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/4_zpsa2fc6e96.png) ($2)
Ribbed belts are very common in modern vehicles. They began to be used in Holdens around the VL Commodore era, and have all but replaced normal vee-belts. Ribbed belts are easier to flex around tight pulleys. However, they are not very period correct for a Norman supercharger.

Given the above, I will focus on normal vee-belts in the discussion below. There are a vast number of systems for designing the sizes of vee-pulleys and the associated vee-belts. These range from simple automotive belts, through to agricultural belts to general purpose belts. One of the challenges of finding an appropriate belt drive for the Norman supercharger is that we will often have to match up automotive pulleys with other types in order to get the correct diameter, bore or number of grooves. The discussion below will try to pull together what is available, and some alternatives.
As a starting point, we will look at the original Holden vee-belts (and pulleys) found on grey motors. These are automotive type pulleys, and are likely to have been made to the SAE standard SAE J636 V-Belts and Pulleys. SAE J636 specifies both metric and imperial belts. Metric belts are labeled in three parts:
• A number denoting the closest mm width of the belt (eg an “11” belt is roughly 11mm wide). This ranges from 6 to 23.
• The letter A, denoting automotive
• A number denoting the belt length (e.g. “990” for a belt that is 990mm long).
In the example above, the belt would be labeled 11A990, and the pulley referred to as an 11A.
Imperial belts and pulleys are labeled as decimals of the approximate pulley width. For example, a “0.250” pulley is 0.248” wide.

Most automotive aftermarket belts that are readily available in Australia (Bosch, Dayco) are metric automotive. Note that Holden grey motors use two different types of pulleys – a wide belt on the earlier Holdens (FX and FJ), and a narrow belt on the later (FE through EJ) grey motors. For FX and FJ Holdens, a type 15A belt is used, whilst the later FE through EJ Holden grey motors utilize the narrower 11A belts. For example for FX/FJ Holdens Bosch recommend a 15A1130 belt, whilst for later grey motors a 11A0955 belt whilst Dayco specify a 15A11300 and either a 11A0900 or 11A0950 respectively. Whilst your typical early Holden is running a metric belt, it is very likely that the original Holden pulleys were specified imperial (Australia didn’t start going metric until 1968, well into the red motor run, with industry making significant change in 1974, halfway to the blue motor in 1980). This means that the FX/FJ Holden wide pulleys (both water pump, alternator and crank) are likely to be 11/16 (0.600) pulleys, whilst the narrower FE-EJ pulleys are likely to be 0.440 pulleys.

In short, our early Holden is running an imperial automotive vee-pulley, and probably a metric automotive belt. To keep things simple, it would be nice to be able to walk into Repco or Supercheap and use a similar metric automotive belt (or belts) on our Norman supercharger. Not only is it easy to find a Repco or Supercheap, but they are also likely to have a wide variety of belt lengths. This will make it easier to fine tune the belt length (rather than say ordering in a specialty belt from an industrial supplier, only to find it is slightly too long or short).

The question then becomes how many vee-belts we would need to drive our supercharger. From Supercharge!: “Now as to how many belts are required to drive a particular supercharger. This depends on the type of supercharger, its size and the amount of boost intended. As a rough guide a standard car engine of 1500 c.c. using a seven pound supercharge and pulleys no smaller than 4 inches will require one 'A' section belt. A two litre with the same boost can manage with one 'B' section. A three litre will need two 'A' section. And a five litre V8 will need three 'B' section.”
Translating this to a 138ci (2260cc) grey motor, running 5-10psi of boost would infer a single “B” belt, or two “A” belts under heavy loading. This is very similar to the modeling I will present later, which shows that a single modern 11A belt will probably handle most Normans, whilst a second belt is appropriate under heavy use.

Now that we have a view on belts, it is time to focus on the associated pulleys. For our Norman supercharger, we will be trying to connect the crank to the supercharger snout. This will involve a pulley on both shafts. It is possible to align the supercharger to the existing grey motor crank/water pump/generator pulley line, and use one belt to drive each of the fan, water pump, generator and Norman supercharger. However, for reasons which will be explored below this type of lienup is unusual and not recommended. Typically a dedicated supercharger belt will be required, and we will need to source both a supercharger drive pulley for the crank and a supercharger driven pulley for the supercharger snout. Bear in mind that we would ideally like to utilise the common (and cheap) 11A metric automotive belt profile.

For the supercharger drive pulley, a neat alternative is to bolt a flat pulley to the front of the grey motor harmonic balancer. The original GMH grey motor harmonic balancers have a flat face, though only the central hole (which is tapped to 11/8” UNF to accept the harmonic balancer puller tool). However, aftermarket grey motor harmonic balancers are available from PowerBond, and supplied by Rare Spares. These are Rare Spares part number 7401305 for the wide-belt FX/FJ (PowerBond part number HB17B-N) and 7408676 for the narrow-belt FE-EJ style (HB1049-N). Anecdotally (and just in case any of the red motor guys are reading this ), the respective EH-HZ red motor part numbers are M40284 and HB17A-N. Each of these aftermarket harmonic balancers has three concentric bolt holes, as shown in the images below.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/6_zps6bb6e95e.png) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/5_zpsec6a1a75.png) ($2)

The holes are tapped through the hub to 3/8-24UNF on a 213/16” (71.44mm) PCD. Whilst the holes are ostensibly there to mount a modern harmonic balancer puller tool, they also make a very neat mounting point to bolt up a flat pulley. The bolt-up pulleys from Holden red motors and Commodore Starfire 4-cylinder engines have this PCD, and are a neat bolt-on fit. An alternative is to find a flat pulley from another vehicle, drill three holes to the PCD above and bolt them on. Note that if you are sourcing pulleys (either drive or driven) from a wreck, almost all early Holdens (FE-WB, LC-UC Torana, VC-VK Commodore, VN-VS 308’s) used the 11A metric/0.440 imperial pulleys. Be wary though that many of these models had the larger 13A metric/0.500 imperial pulleys on air conditioning. From VL Commodore onwards the six cylinder engines began to move towards the ribbed vee-belts. Additionally, care needs to be taken to ensure that the pulley is truly centered before marking out and drilling the holes. This is particularly important if the pulley chosen does not have the same centre bore as the grey motor crankshaft (~1”). For example, small block Chev (SBC) double-row flat alloy pulleys are readily available. However, the SBC crank diameter is ~1¼”. This means that there is a risk that a SBC pulley will not be centred, imparting vibration to the crankshaft (they grey motor needs no help in this department). The holes could be drilled oversized (sloppy on the bolts), tentatively fitted up and then the crank spun around. By watching the pulley spin, the out-of-centre can be seen. Some gentle taps with a hammer can get the alignment closer to centralized before tightening the bolts. All up, not the best process for removing crank vibration. An alternative is to use a concentric ring (like a thin washer) between the oversized (eg SBC) pulley bore and the grey motor crankshaft. Finding the exact correct size ring (or turning one up on a lathe) is equally not that easy.

For the supercharger driven pulley, it is not too likely that a pulley will be sourced from another vehicle at the wreckers, and will instead need to be sourced from the aftermarket. Aftermarket pulleys are often sourced from industrial, rather than automotive suppliers. This means we will probably be mix-and-matching an automotive drive pulley with an industrial driven pulley. Aftermarket industrial pulley profiles are often referred to in articles about Norman superchargers (for example in Supercharge! Eldred refers to his HR Holden Type 110 supercharger being driven two ‘A’ section belts, and his Australian Grand Prix Triumph TR2 G.M. 271 supercharger being driven by four). A common specification for industrial (often referred to as “classical”) pulleys is ISO 4183:1995 Belt drives -- Classical and narrow V-belts - Grooved pulleys (system based on datum width). This aligns well with the standards used by the Mechanical Power Transmission Association (MPTA), a North American association which drives vee-belt standardization. Classical pulleys are labeled by a letter (A, B, C, D) in increasing order of width. Note that there are standard classical pulleys, and deep groove pulleys, which have different dimensions. The table below shows the various automotive and classical pulley dimensions:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/7_zps9367adec.png) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/8_zps170a7f3e.png) ($2)

The table below shows the dimensions for the various automotive and classical pulley sizes of the same rough size as an early Holden in order of pulley (and hence belt) width (perhaps a little easier to use than the table above):

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/9_zps005674dd.png) ($2)
From the table, we can see that if we want to mix and match automotive and classical pulleys:
• an A standard classical pulley will be closest to the original 0.440 narrow grey motor pulleys used on FE-EJ Holdens, whilst
• an A deep-groove classical pulley will be closest to the 0.600 wide grey motor pulleys used on the earlier FX/FJ Holdens.
Given that we would ideally like to utilise the common (and cheap) 11A metric automotive belt profile, this means we are hunting for an A classical pulley.

Aftermarket die-cast aluminum pulleys are available from Stenco, an Australian manufacturer based in NSW: http://www.stenco.com.au/images/STENCO-Brochure.pdf. Stenco make both tapered bore and straight bore pulleys. The Norman supercharger shafts are straight bore, with the bore diameter around the varying between .868-1”” and with a variety of keyways. When using Stenco pulleys it is likely that the pulley bore (and potentially also the keyway) will need to be bored/recut to suit the Norman supercharger. As an example, the pulley on Gary’s Type 65 Norman is a Stenco 5” 2A unit. The 2A reflects a double pulley and A-profile. I suspect that this is a part number 2A0503 whose 1” bore and 3/16” keyway were machined back to 0.890” and ¼” respectively. Note that Stenco are quite capable of producing one-off pulleys to given bore/keyway dimensions. Be wary however in measuring a Norman supercharger in that they are a delightful mixture of imperial and metric sizes – as an example, the Type 45 supercharger pulley has a 30mm bore and a 3/16” keyway.

Note that for those wishing to drag race their Norman blown vehicles under the Australian National Drag Racing Association (ANDRA) rules, the ANDRA Rulebook General Regulations indicate that cast supercharger pulleys are prohibited in ALL classes. This would negate the ability to use STENCO pulleys. The Regulations also indicate that all vehicles equipped with belt driven superchargers must be fitted with a guard to prevent fuel line damage in the event of belt loss, except in cases where braided lines are used. As an aside, the typical Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) grey motor road racing classes (Na for Touring Cars pre-1958 and Nb for Production Touring Cars per-1965) do not allow supercharging as it was not an original GMH option… vehicle wishing to compete in CAMS events with a Norman blown grey would need to compete in Regularity events where there are not supercharger prescriptions.

In order to drive the belt, the vee-pulley must have sufficient friction with the drive belt. Vee-belts do not actually bottom-out in the grooves, but instead transmit their driving force through the side walls of the vee groove. As load increases, the belts smoosh further into the groove, increasing the contact area and hence grip. The amount of grip that we can generate with a vee-belt is proportional to the square root of the belt/pulley contact area – doubling the contact area gives 40% more grip. There are two number of ways we can increase contact area:
a) By using larger pulleys. The relative sizes of the pulleys (drive and driven) is largely determined by amount of boost required, which we have calculated below. In practical terms for our Norman supercharged grey motor, it is likely that there will be limitations on the availability of the crank pulley. This will probably then lead to using whatever crank pulley is available, then tuning the supercharger driven pulley. If we have a choice, we should aim for larger pulleys. As well as increasing contact area, the larger pulley diameters tend to flex the belt through less of an angle. This dramatically reduces belt loading and increases belt life. As a rough guide (and as noted in Supercharge!), we should be aiming for pulleys no smaller than 4” in diameter. As a comparison, the standard grey motor harmonic balancer has a 45/8” diameter, an approximately 1” bore and a 3/16” keyway.
b) By increasing belt wrap. Belt wrap is the amount (or angle) that the belt is in contact with the supercharger pulleys, measured through the pulley centerline – see image below.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/10_zps146fedc2.png) ($2)

The higher the belt wrap, the more contact area and better grip. Often we have little choice about where the crankshaft and supercharger pulleys are relative to each other – manifolding becomes the constraint. This means there is not much room to move the supercharger around to increase belt wrap. However, we can sometimes use an idler or tensioner pulley to increase belt wrap, as we will see below.

Whilst steel is far stronger than aluminum for supercharger pulleys, we are often likely to be limited to what is available in the market place. Chromed-steel pulleys should be avoided where possible due to the very slippery chrome surface promoting belt slip. Where aluminum pulleys are used, consideration should be made to having the groove faces hard anodized to reduce wear. Plastic is generally not suitable for supercharger pulleys, though is sometimes used for idler pulleys, and will be discussed below.

Having sorted out our belt and pulley, we can now look at tensioning it. As the supercharger drive belt is loaded, there is a strong tendency for the belt to move into a more circular shape. This phenomena is called orbiting, and can be seen by the green belt shown in the image below.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/11_zpsc6fb4ccd.png) ($2)

Orbiting reduces belt wrap, which in turn reduces the grip that the belt has on the pulley, leading to slippage. To reduce orbiting we can put the belt under tension in a number of ways.

In the standard Holden grey motor lineup, the engine belt is crank driven, and drives both the engine fan/water pump, and the generator. This lineup is shown in the image below.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/12_zps9a93eafc.png) ($2)

Whilst the crank pulley and fan/water pump pulley are fixed to the engine, the generator is able to pivot about two points. By moving the generator in the direction of the blue arrow, additional tension is placed on the belt. The factory specification for belt tensioning indicates there should be 3/8” of slack between the fan/water pump pulley and the generator pulley. I will refer to this type of drive system (where one of the driven pulleys and attached equipment swings) as “swinging” in the text below.

A similar swinging drive system can be used to provide tension to the supercharger belt. If the same drive belt is used to drive each of the engine fan/water pump, the generator and the supercharger then the tension can be applied by swinging the generator. A swinging system of this type is shown in the image below.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/13_zpsaf2acb3f.png) ($2)

This type of system however tends to have very low belt wrap, significantly increasing the amount of tension required to achieve a non-slip drive. Additionally, the belt is now driving a fan, a water pump, a generator and a supercharger. This is a significant amount of load for one belt to carry. For these reasons, this type of drive system is not recommended.

A different swinging drive system can be achieved if a dedicated supercharger drive belt is utilized. In this case the tension can be applied by swinging the supercharger. This type of drive system can achieve good belt wrap, lowering the amount of tension required to achieve a non-slip drive. Given the belt is dedicated to driving the supercharger, the loading is lessened (and either fewer belts can be used, the belt profile reduced or the belt life extended). However, swinging the supercharger is not without it’s down sides. The carburetor must also swing with the supercharger, which can provide some unique float bowl angles and hence additional work to attain a satisfactory fuel level. Further, the manifolding between the supercharger and the engine’s cylinder head must have sufficient flexibility to allow the supercharger to move. This can be achieved by the use of pipe, either rubber/silicon or convoluted metal. A drive system of this type is shown in the figure below, and also in the photograph below of the supercharger removed from the Bobcat custom humpy, and subsequently fitted to Anthony Harradine’s EJ Holden Premier.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/14_zps91a5af34.png) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/15_zps5e7e2903.png) ($2)

Anthony’s system has a triple-groove pulley fitted to each of the crank, fan/water pump and supercharger. Two of the three grooves on these items are belted together, giving the green drive line shown in the image above. The third pulley groove on each of the crank, fan/water pump and supercharger is also run to the generator, which has a single-groove pulley. Both the generator and supercharger can be independently pivoted, providing belt tension as per the blue arrows above.

An alternative to a “swinging” drive system is to apply an idler (also known as a jockey or tensioner) pulley to the system. In this case the driven pulleys are all fixed, and the idler pulley moves to provide belt tension to the supercharger.

The “idler” drive system shown below has a dedicated supercharger drive belt(s), shown in green. The idler pulley is placed inboard of the belt.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/16_zps77ec0ac5.png) ($2)

By moving the idler pulley in the direction of the blue arrow, additional tension is placed on the belt. In this case the idler pulley runs on the vee-side of the belt, and must have a vee-pulley face. Systems of this type reduce belt wrap, increasing the amount of tension required to achieve a non-slip drive. The drive system on Gary’s Type 65, shown in the image below, has an inboard idler drive system.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/17_zps31dd2f1b.png) ($2)

The idler drive system shown below again has a dedicated supercharger drive belt(s), though in this case the idler is placed outboard of the belt.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/18_zpsdd384cbf.png) ($2)

In terms of location, note that supercharger drive belts have a slack side and a drive side. Like a piece of rope, the crank can pull on a belt but cannot push on it. With the crank rotation as per the blue arrows in the image below, the slack side is on the driver’s side of the vehicle, and the drive side of the belt on the passenger’s side.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/25_zps3b2648c5.png) ($2)

Where a choice is available, the idler should be installed on the slack side of the belt. This reduces loading on both the belt and the idler. The idler pulley should be located at least twice the idler pulley diameter away from the nearest other pulley. This gives the belt a chance to relax after it’s last bending, get aligned if the pulleys are not dead-true and also to pass through some air and cool down, each of which will extend belt life.

Regardless of whether a swinging or idler system is used is, the belts are under considerable duress during service. Stops, starts, acceleration and deceleration, the odd blower bang and constant vibration all add up to gradually slacken the belt tensioning. There is a trick that can both assist in maintaining tension, and also in getting the right tension in the first place. This is to utilize a turnbuckle (or similar threaded connector) to push against the idler pulley.

A single 11A vee-belt has a width of 11.2mm, and would run readily on any of above pulleys. A twin 11A pulley has an effective belt width around 25mm, which would rule out the use of the Gates TrueAlign 38015. The pulley that stands out though is the Kilkenny Castings KC160, pictured above. It has a width suitable to run either single or (most) twin vee-belts. The chromed steel look is also period correct. The pulley runs a SKF 6203-2RSH bearing, which is rated to 12,000rpm. The pulley internal bore is 17mm, suitable for an M17 bolt to be used as a shaft. M17 bolts are somewhat unusual, but have a shank diameter around 16.974mm. An alternative is to use a ¾” bolt (19.05mm) and turn the shank down to just under 17mm.

One issue that needs to be checked is the speed that the idler pulley operates at. The large diameter of the crank and supercharger pulleys will generally mean that bearings will tolerate the speeds involved. The smaller idler pulley however can often spin much faster. The pulley speed is proportional to the diameter of the idler pulley i.e.:

Idler pulley speed = crank pulley speed x (crank pulley diameter/idler pulley diameter)

As an example, the Gates DriveAlign pulleys noted above have a nominal speed limit of 8,000rpm. If we assume the crankshaft pulley is approximately the same diameter as the grey motor harmonic balancer (45/8”, or 117mm), and that we are running at a grey motor typical rpm redline of 4500rpm, then

8000 = 4500 x (117/idler pulley diameter)

, and we see we can go down to an idler pulley as small as 66mm diameter without any speed concerns (i.e. each of the above pulleys would be OK). Checking the Kilkenny Castings KC160,

Idler pulley speed = 4500 x (117/82) = 6420rpm

This is well below the 12,000rpm pulley speed limit, again making the Kilkenny Castings KC160 an ideal candidate.

Regards,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger fiddler).

Ladies and gentlemen,

As noted in some of my earlier posts, I am pulling together a Guide for Norman superchargers. Whilst the Guide has a strong technical content, it will also contain a number of Norman supercharger-related anecdotes. I have previously posted two of the stories – one on a twin-supercharged Elfin land speed record holder, and one on speedway Normans. I have also been pulling together an anecdote on Eldred Norman, which I will now share below. Any errors in this anecdote are mine. Apologies in advance if I have failed to acknowledge the owner of any of the information – happy to correct (or delete) as requested. So here goes – hopefully an interesting story. Please bear in mind that I have written it for an audience interested in early Holdens, and who (like me) may not know what a monoposto is (I learn something every day).

1. Foreword, Forewarning and Thanks.
In the anecdote below I will try to paint a picture of an Australian character who was larger than life – Eldred Norman. I will focus on Eldred’s mechanical exploits, but also try to paint a picture of the times that he lived in and the people surrounding him. I will give some of the history of the vehicles Eldred campaigned, both prior to and following his ownership. I apologise in advance in that it can be hard to follow a timeline in the material below… Eldred would be racing a new vehicle while people were still campaigning his old one. I have roughly broken the story up by the vehicles he drove to try to help this.

I owe a huge thanks to Ray Bell for allowing me to use the information in the article he wrote about Eldred for Motor Racing Australia magazine (http://www.motorracingmag.com.au/). I have drawn quite a few facts from the article, and in some cases have directly quoted it, particularly where Ray has captured the spirit of the issue far better than I could.

Having said that, the information noted below is based on a variety of material, including that written by Jon Chittleborough in the Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, an obituary written by the late John Blanden, a collation of anecdotes drawn together by Ken Messenger for the Sporting Car Club of South Australia magazine in the early 1980’s, an article on the Zephyr Special written for the Australian Motor Sports Magazine of February 1960, and an article written by Ted Robinette for his Technical Workshop column in issue 258 of Australian Street Rodding magazine. I would like to particularly thank both Patrick Quinn from Vintage Racecar magazine (www.vintageracecar.com) for access to the article he wrote on the Zephyr Special for the February 2007 edition of the magazine (not to mention educating me on Valano Specials… but that’s another story).

I have also drawn material from a wide variety of online sources, with thanks to several forum members who have corrected my appalling knowledge of circuit racing. Eldred was a frequent occupier of column space in many newspapers, and in particular Adelaide’s Advertiser. The National Library of Australia online files recording this era are outstanding resources – see the image below of Eldred in his late 30’s perched in his Maserati, taken from an (Adelaide) The News article of September 1952.

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The article celebrates Eldred winning the Sporting Car Club of South Australia’s Morgan Trophy, awarded by the Morgan Motor Co Ltd UK for the most successful (top aggregate points) in speed events (races and hillclimbs). Eldred would also win the R.J Kennedy Perpetual Trophy for the leading club competitor in motor sporting events in that year. I have also drawn material from With Casual Efficiency, written by Dennis Harrison. This book chronicles the history of the Sporting Car Club of South Australia, which awarded Eldred the two trophies above. A special thanks also to Terry Walker for his excellent online recording of Western Australian race history, to Graeme Snape for braving a cold shed to take measurements on the Zephyr, and to Toby Carboni for having the patience to talk me through some of the Double Eight’s history.

A word of warning regarding the information below, most notably the anecdotes. Eldred was a particular larrikin, and stories of his exploits are legend. As one commentator has posed:
“One of my favourite Eldred stories occurred when I was driving up to a Port Wakefield race meeting at a sedate 70 mph and being passed by a tow car and trailer complete with Eldred sitting nonchalantly on the trailer mudguard doing up the exhaust manifold nuts on his Maserati race car as they whizzed by.”
Many of the people who witnessed the events below have sadly passed away. It has also been nearly a century since Eldred was born. In the eighty years of time since Eldred starting making his story some of the anecdotes have “matured”. Caveat emptor.

2. Eldred’s History, and Family
Eldred De Bracton Norman was born on the ninth of January 1914 in Adelaide, South Australia. He was the second of six children of Australian-born parents William Ashley Norman, solicitor, and his wife Alma Janet, daughter of Daniel Matthews. Eldred’s father William dabbled on the sidelines of building caravans for sale and hire. Thomas Magarey, an Irish-born miller and pastoralist and Member of the South Australian House of Assembly and the South Australian Legislative Council was Eldred’s great-grandfather. Eldred’s brother, Murray, was later to be killed in a motorcycle accident, tempering Eldred’s passion for two wheeled machines. Eldred attended Scotch College Adelaide and studied law at the University of Adelaide for four years, driving a Bentley during his student days. His 1934 exam results for Psychology are still available from the online version of the Advertiser (Eldred passed with Credit). In 1938 Eldred set up an engineering workshop and motorcar-dealership in Halifax Street Adelaide. Rejected for military service in World War II because of asthma and flat feet, Eldred drove taxis, then began to make garden tools and to manufacture charcoal-burning gas producers to power vehicles. His Ace Gas Producer was unique in providing cockpit controlled lighting.

Eldred was to meet (and in May 1941 to marry) Nancy Fotheringham Cato, a 24-year-old cadet journalist working at Adelaide’s The News newspaper. Nancy was born in Glen Osmond in South Australia on the eleventh of March 1917, and was a fifth-generation Australian. She studied English Literature and Italian at the University of Adelaide, graduating in 1939, then completed a two-year course at the South Australian School of Arts. Nancy’s The News cadetship lasted from 1935 to 1941.
As noted in Ray’s article:
“They met one night when, at a gathering, Eldred was playing “Tell me Tonight” on the piano. Nancy had two suitors, one holding each hand, but the strikingly attractive young woman only had eyes for the pianist”.

The vehicle taken by Eldred and Nancy on their honeymoon was fitted with one of Eldred’s Ace Gas Producers. The couple invested £6 for charcoal for the journey, with Eldred stopping along the route to Queensland, axe in hand, to top up on charcoal from the bushfire stricken roadsides. Eldred and Nancy had three children in the space of three years – Michael, William and Bronley (Mike, Bill and Bronnie). In filing out one of the children’s birth certificates, Eldred listed his occupation as “retired”, and his hair colour as “burnt umber”.

Bronley, pictured below with Eldred and Nancy, was born in 1943 and started writing while still in primary school.

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She was educated at the Presbyterian Girls' College from 1949 to 1960, then trained at the Adelaide Kindergarten Training College from 1961 through 1963. She worked in kindergartens and nursery schools in Australia, England, the United States and Canada before deciding to leave teaching. She worked in the tourism industry for a while and lived at Tewantin, Noosa, working for Telstra and writing plays. Bronley began writing seriously in 1980, mainly one-act plays. Several have been staged by Little Theatre groups. Bronley became a member of Playlab (one of the largest theatrical publishers in Australia and the only professional organisation that works across the lifecycle of play – from initial idea to the stage, and on to the page) in 1985. Bronley’s drama works include Cyclone Warning (1980), The Girl in Green (1983), Nineteen Eighty-Three (1984), Eliza Fraser (1986), The Hand of Fate (1987), Letting Go (1989), Travellers (1994), A Game of Chance (1994) and Jessie Who (1995). Bronley co-authored I remember when ... : a social history of the Nambour Manual Assistance Centre (1990). Bronley’s work A Game of Chance also appears in the second volume of the anthology Noosa One-Act Winners (1994), which also contains her mother’s work Travellers Through the Night.

Bill Norman, pictured below, has followed a number of trades, including journalism (authoring for example the Motor Sport column in the Canberra Times in the late 1960’s), Sydney based manufacturing and farming.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Bill_zps6ae445dd.png) ($2)

Where Bronley followed her mother’s passion for literature, Bill inherited his father’s love of racing. Bill started racing at Mallala Race Circuit South Australia in a Standard 10 aged seventeen, winning his first race due to a handicapping mistake. He moved on to Steve Tillett's 1947 MGTC Special which had won the 1951 Australian Grand Prix on handicap. Bill took the MGTC to outright fastest position at the Canberra Sporting Hillclimb at Lakeview, Australian Capital Territory in 1965, running 22.1 seconds against a field of twenty-nine vehicles. Bill’s passion for racing has seen him own vehicles including a homemade Nissan Clubman TC2, a Mallock U2 powered by a supercharged Ford Cortina engine and a Reynard 92D Holden V6 F4000.

Mike Norman inherited his father’s pragmatic engineering skills. Having left home to go fishing, Mike later moved into an engineering role, operating Offroad Automatics Pty Ltd at Magowar Road in Girraween, Sydney. Whilst the business was involved in fitting automatic transmissions to Range Rovers, Mike also commenced manufacturing superchargers, as we will see below.

3. The Bryant Special – an introduction to twin V8s.
Eldred’s motor vehicle forays began at around the age of five at Port Noarlunga, a suburb in the city of Onkaparinga, South Australia. Having been left for a short period in a Stanley Steamer (similar to that shown in the image below), Eldred managed to crash the vehicle into a wall.

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In (much) later years (sometime between 1936 and 1937) Eldred purchased the Bryant Special, shown in the image below.

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The car had been built by Max Bryant of Clare together with Peter Hawker in 1934, and was also known as the Bungaree Bastard (Bungaree was the name of the sheep station in the north of South Australia established in 1840 by Hawker’s grandfather George Charles Hawker). The Bryant Special had two Essex four cylinder engines coupled together, a format that probably influenced Eldred’s construction of the Double Eight in later years. The Essex engines in the Bryant Special were likely to either the 2371cc "L-head", though potentially also the earlier 2,930cc "F-head” (both engine types were rated at 55bhp). The engines are believed to have been sourced from Norman “Wizard” Smith, albeit in single format. Smith held records for travelling between major cities and was an incredible autosportsman. He also worked for Dalgety & Company, Sydney agents for Essex cars around 1920.

In Bryant and Hawker’s hands the Bryant Special was driven at Sellick’s Beach (30 miles south of Adelaide) for the Sporting Car Club of South Australia’s Grand Opening Speed Meeting on Labour Day 1934. Bryant and Hawker also drove the vehicle at Buckland Park Beach (15 miles north of Adelaide). The Buckland Park Beach course was typically an oval lap, some two miles long with Hawker holding the lap record in late 1935. Hawker attempted to establish a national speed record in January 1935 in the Bryant Special at Buckland Park Beach (see image above right from the Advertiser of 29th January 1935), and held a novelty race against a Tiger Moth airplane (the plane lost due to headwind). The Bryant special was capable of 90mph on the sand, and could readily average 70mph over a two-mile course. With Casual Efficiency notes that on February 2nd 1935 Hawker attempted a national speed record at Sellick’s Beach, in the A class (unlimited). Being a flying start he crossed the start line at some 110mph, though a puff of blue smoke before the end of the course revealed that No.8 piston on one of the engines had failed. This effort was captured in Perth’s Sunday Times the following day. The Essex was also campaigned at the Sporting Car Club of South Australia’s first hillclimb at Newland’s Hill, Waitpinga in April 1935. Unfortunately, it broke a tailshaft and stripped second gear, reported by the press to demonstrate “it’s unsuitability for hill-climbing”.
By 1937 the Bryant Special was in Eldred’s hands. As reported in the Advertiser on the 8th of March 1937 under the banner “SPEED RACING AT BUCKLAND PARK”:
“Interesting motor cycle and motor car racing was presented by prominent speedmen at Port Gawler beach. Buckland Park, on Saturday afternoon. The non-appearance of E. Normans 'Bryant Special' robbed the car events of much interest. He had trouble with the car on the way to the beach.”

… and from the Advertiser on the 13th of April 1937 under the banner “SPEED METING AT BUCKLAND PARK”:
“Anzac Holiday Events
Entries for the Sporting Car Club events at the Anzac Day holiday (April 26) speed meeting arranged by the Southern Cross Motor Cycle Club at Buckland Park will close next Tuesday with the club secretary (Mr. G. L. Morris), or at the club's office in T. and G. Building. There will be two events, a six-mile handicap and a 20-mile handicap. Entrance fee for each race will be 2/6, and all competitors must hold A.A.A. licences. Minimum prizemoney will be: Six-mile, £1 and 10/; 20-mile. £2, 25/. and 15/. It is expected that the Miller car which was imported for the Grand Prix will be raced by its owner. Mr. Eric Morgan, and that the double-engined Essex car, previously owned by Mr. Peter Hawker, will be raced by Mr Eldred Norman. This car holds the fastest lap time ever registered at Buck- land Park. It averaged 71 m.p.h.. at the meeting conducted by the Sporting Car Club in January, 1935.
A post-meeting report from the Advertiser on the 27th of April indicates that tides cut the event short, and reports only results for motorcycle racing.

4. The Double Eight – a twin V8 monster from Army surplus
In 1946 Eldred was purchasing ex-army vehicles left behind by the Americans for Bill Hayes and returning them to Adelaide. He partnered with Ron Mann, a friend from his university days to make two trips to the Australian Territory of Papua-New Guinea (PNG did not become an independent nation until 1975). A 7,000-ton ship was chartered to carry home the vehicles from the Port Moresby auctions. Tasked with getting six of the trucks between Darwin and Alice Springs at a time, Eldred connected them road-train fashion with timber poles and drove them himself without sleep. In hilly country the sixth truck was started, otherwise only the lead truck pulled.

During one of the trips (which brought home fifty-five jeeps, around forty Blitz trucks and numerous generating and welding plant – see photo below) Eldred acquired a war-surplus Dodge weapons carrier chassis. This may have been the ½-ton VC series, or later WC series of military light trucks.

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Eldred used the Dodge to construct a race car - the “Double Eight” (sometimes referred to as the Double V8, Bi-Mercury or Double Bunger). Eldred’s Double Eight, shown below with Eldred in the cockpit, was built from bodywork from aircraft and a tubular steel chassis with four-wheel independent suspension. The initial configuration, as shown in the image below, was a two-seater though the vehicle was to have several changes to bodywork over the years.

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Power came from two Ford Mercury 239ci side valve flathead V8 engines for a total capacity of 7,800cc. These engines were good for 100-110bhp each when run independently, giving Eldred some 200bhp in the Double Eight.

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Whilst weighing in at a hefty 2500lb, the Double Eight had a power to weight ratio two and a half times greater than an FB/EK Holden. The Double Eight also had radiators, with one mounted up front and the other at the rear behind the driver. Despite the radiators, engine cooling suffered, with a tendency to overheat on long races. The engines were coupled flywheel-to-crank snout with a double-row Renold chain. The engines were timed to fire as a V16, with a Scintilla magneto providing spark. This large machine had water-cooled drum brakes supplied by four US-made Toronto fuel pumps. The drum brakes produced spectacular clouds of steam as Eldred applied them (the water activated by a switch on the brake pedal), despite being undersized for the task. The rear brake drums were built inboard, operating on the back axle and additionally cooled by a fan worked by the tail shaft. The Double Eight was fitted with truck wheels, which were later drilled out (presumably to lighten them). The wheels would come under some scrutiny at an Australian Grand Prix, as we will see below.
Being South Australian road-registered, Eldred was frequently seen driving the Double Eight around the Adelaide hills… with trade number plates tied with string or a strap around his neck. During road testing of the Double Eight on the Port Wakefield Road beyond Gepps Cross a faulty steering pitman arm caused Eldred to pull into a service station. With the car up on the hoist it was evident that the spanner being used was a good fit. The spanner was welded into position and the car returned to service. Between 1948 and 1951 he drove the car successfully in hill-climbs and various race tracks in three States. The vehicle was also driven long distances to compete at tracks such as Fisherman's Bend, Victoria… a 900-mile roundtrip journey, sans mufflers.

The clipping below, from the News of the 19th of April 1949, shows the Double Eight at the Barossa Festival (Nuriootpa circuit, South Australia).
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The clipping below is from the News of the 8th of October 1949. The meeting referred to at Woodside, South Australia was the scene of a tragic double fatality during motorcycle
races.

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The Double Eight was also raced at Fisherman’s Bend later in October of that year.
In addition to circuit racing, Eldred raced the Double Eight at Sellick’s Beach, South Australia where racing was undertaken between mile posts. An annual speed trial and motorcycle races were held on three kilometres or more of sand along Aldinga and Sellick’s Beaches up to 1953. The Double Eight won both the unlimited scratch race and over 1500cc handicap race held at the beach by the Racing Drivers Association of South Australia in April 1950. This event drew more than 5,000 spectators. One Sellick’s Beach incident involved Harry Neale at the wheel of the Double Eight. The incident started with a fire and ended with the Double Eight deposited into the sea, ripping off the bodywork and leaving Harry sitting on the chassis, wet but unhurt – see clipping below from the Broken Hill Barrier Miner of the 2nd of May 1950.

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This is likely to be the same event as that depicted on the cover of Australian Motor Sports Magazine of June 1950 (see image below), which depicts Harry behind the wheel of the Double Eight at Sellick’s Beach. Harry (also known as the “Black Prince” as he drove in black trousers, pullover and helmet) was six-times Australian Speedway Champion, and sadly passed away at Claremont Speedway in 1959.

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Eldred’s can-do, larrikin spirit was also evident in the way he once retrieved the telephone cables laid out for communication between officials at each end of the Sellick’s Beach strip… by fitting a bare rim to the Double Eight rear axle and firing up the twin V8s to power what must have been Australia’s most powerful fishing reel.
The Double Eight was also campaigned in hill climb service, and was entered in the South Australian Hill Climb Championship at Glen Ewin, Houghton in March 1950. On the day Eldred’s was the fastest car. The image below, taken From With Casual Efficiency, shows the Double Eight at this meeting (the image is labeled as 1948 in the text, though I believe that to be an error).
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/DoubleEightGlenEwin_zpsb30a7fdb.png) ($2)

The Double Eight marked the start of Eldred’s entries into the Australian Grand Prix. The 34-lap January 1950 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula Libre motor race held at the three-mile square layout clockwise street circuit in Nuriootpa, shown below.

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Formula Libre (or “Free Formula”) allows a wide variety of types, ages and makes of purpose-built racing cars to compete "head to head", with the only regulations often governing basics such as safety equipment. Eldred’s Double Eight was driven by Harry Neale, came 5th in the over 1500cc championship, though retired from the Grand Prix after only two laps. Bear in mind however that only thirteen of the field of twenty-nine vehicles actually finished. The image below shows the Double Eight at the 1950 Grand Prix.

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Eldred entered the Double Eight in the Onkoparinga class handicap at the Woodside circuit in October 1950, coming second place by one minute despite having speeds of up to 120mph on the straight. The Double Eight was also entered (and took third place by 3.6 seconds slower than first place) in the Western Australian Hill Climb Championship at Mundaring in February.

The 1951 Australian Grand Prix was again run as a Formula Libre event in March at Narrogin, Western Australia. Getting the #10 Double Eight across to Perth proved to be a challenge. Eldred travelled with Steve Tillet, who was also entering his MGTC in the Grand Prix. The MGTC was loaded onto a truck, and a trailer fabricated to carry the heavy Double Eight. The trailer had eight pairs of small dual wheels. Whilst unused, the trailer tyres were old, with many being consumed during the journey. The truck turntable also failed, which Eldred welded up using locally sourced fencing wire. This repair was faster than one driver they passed who had been waiting three weeks for an axle to arrive.

The 4.4-mile anticlockwise Narrogin circuit is shown below.

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Eldred won one of the races early in the day before lining up for the main Grand Prix event. The bodywork of the Double Eight had been drastically changed prior to this race, turning it into a single seater and reducing weight. Additionally, holes had also been drilled in the truck wheels. The Double Eight is shown at this meeting in the two black and white images below, taken by Len Moore.

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While leading on the seventh of twenty-four laps the Double Eight again broke down (this time due to suspension failure with the front axle locating rod coming adrift), leading to Eldred retiring from the race. Laurie Bug was Eldred’s mechanic, and travelled to Narrogin with Eldred for the event. Laurie saw the failure, and realized he had been working on the suspension prior to the race. Knowing Eldred’s volatile temperament, Laurie made himself scarce for the rest of the day.
The photo below shows the #10 Double Eight at the meeting.

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Steve Tillet (pictured in the image below) went on to win the Grand Prix on handicap, with his MGTC later purchased by Eldred’s son Bill (see below).

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The Double Eight was sold by Eldred later in 1951 to Syd Anderson. Anderson was proprietor of the Sydney Anderson Automotives used-car dealership in William Street, Perth and once Western Australia’s largest hire fleet owner with some thirty cars. During both Anderson’s and subsequent ownerships the car was modified repeatedly. According to legend, Anderson swiped a large mixing bowl from the kitchen, cutting it in half to make two air scoops for the Double Eight.

Anderson raced the Double Eight extensively, including the following West Australian meetings:
• The Great Southern Flying 50 meeting at Narrogin in March of 1952, winning the scratch race for over 1500cc (Eldred’s Maserati, see below, picked up the under 1500cc win), and coming eighth in the meeting main race (Eldred came second). Anderson can be seen in the #2 Double Eight in the photo below. The photo is labeled as Narrogin in 1952, though Eldred’s Maserati appears absent. The driver lineup, using Terry Walkers race results appears closer to Caversham in 1953.

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• The Northam Flying 50 meeting at Northam in April, winning the three-lap scratch race for over 1500cc. Anderson also competed in the five-lap handicap but did not land in the top three positions. He did however place fifth in meeting main race.
• The Goomalling Speed Classic at Goomalling road circuit in June. Anderson placed the Double Eight fourth in the fifteen-lap handicap for Racing Cars, first in the three-lap scratch race for Racing Cars over 1500cc and first in the five-lap handicap race for Racing Cars. Anderson is shown driving the vehicle at the 2.4-mile anticlockwise circuit in the colour photograph below. The Goomalling circuit layout is shown below the photograph.

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• The Great Southern Fifty meeting at Narrogin in March of 1953, winning the three-lap scratch race for over 1500cc (Class A) and the Sports Car open handicap. In the race Anderson battled Sid Taylor in his TS Special and Sid Negus with his Plymouth. For several laps the drivers moved up the field but did not alter then positions with each other. Finally Anderson, the only driver off scratch, overtook Negus and almost headed Taylor. They finished together. It was in this lap that Anderson clocked 1 min 40 sec for the lap, an average of 80 mph for the circuit. The image below shows Anderson at this event, and receiving laurels at the meeting.

[URL=http://s929.photobucket.com/user/V8EKwagon/media/Andersonflattyre_zpsde08248d.png.html](http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Andersonflattyre_zpsde08248d.png) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Andersonlaurels_zpsfde7ee6d.png) ($2)

The images below show Anderson campaigning the Double Eight at this meeting (and on the same corner chasing an MG in the second image).

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• The Caversham Speed Classic in December of that year, winning the three-lap scratch race for racing cars over 1500cc, placing second in the five-lap handicap for racing cars and third in the twelve lap handicapped main event for racing cars.

Anderson also competed in speed trials in the Double Eight. At Narrogin Airstrip in February 1954 he recorded the fasted time for the Standing Quarter for Racing Vehicles at sixteen seconds, and also for the flying quarter at 8.9 seconds.

Anderson entered the Double Eight in the Johore Grand Prix in Malaya in 1953. The race was not held in 1954 due to concerns raised by the Johore Welfare Committee, a part of the state government, and would not be held again that decade. This was the first time that an overseas entrant and vehicle had entered the Johore Grand Prix. Anderson can be seen in the image below, together with Neil Moncrieff's 1100cc Cooper JAP twin (for the curious, JAP stands for JA Prestwich Industries, an English precision engineering company which produced engines from 1895-1963, often used in racing).

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Unfortunately, Anderson had to retire from the race due to overheating. Freddy Pope (then president of the Singapore Motor Club) was the winner in the #22 Jaguar XK120S.
In one incident during his ownership of the car Anderson was badly scalded when the radiator plumbing in the cockpit let go. At some stage between 1953 and 1955 Anderson ceased racing the Double Eight.

The next person to campaign the Double Eight was Toby Carboni. Carboni was a seasoned racer, having competed in the 1954 Redex reliability trial in the #254 Ford Customline at the age of 20 (though Carboni travelled from Sydney through Townsville to Darwin then Perth, he did not finish). Carboni also raced stock cars in the 1950’s at Claremont Speedway, and owned the ex-Potter and Winters "Vandal" Top Fuel car (a 1963 Plymouth Super Stocker known locally as the “Ramcharger”). Carboni would later found Perth’s Carbon Brakes with Greg Nolan, along with five other successful businesses as diverse as a Cleenaway operation and a spaghetti factory.
After racing in the Redex, Carboni was working for his brother’s truck repair business. He was tasked to take a six-wheel drive GMC truck to Syd Anderson’s business in William Street Perth to pick up a vehicle. Whilst finalizing the hook-up, Anderson appeared in a business suit, offered Carboni his business card and a job as a manager any time he wanted one. Carboni took the GMC back to his brother, returned on a motorcycle and took the job as foreman. Interestingly, Anderson had failed to mention to the old foreman that they had a new one… which became apparent when Carboni arrived for his first day of work! Not long after starting, Carboni noted that Anderson had the Double Eight tucked away in the rear of the yard under some sheet metal. After some discussion, Anderson told Carboni that provided he could get it going, he could use the Double Eight for races… as long as he didn’t beat Syd!. Carboni towed the car back to his home, and repaired it. He was then granted a permit to drive the car to work and back each day – all the way across the city of Perth!
In the period of 1955-1957 Carboni raced the car extensively in Western Australia. The images below show Carboni in the Double Eight.

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Carboni remembers racing against Anderson at one track, and waving to each other as they progressed. Anderson lost control, skidded off the course and crashed, with his helmet seen to go flying. Carboni approached, fearing the boss had been decapitated due to his waving. Anderson was non-plussed, telling Carboni to get the Double Eight ready for the next race – and he had better win it! He can also remember spinning the car off the track through gravel at Busselton, convincing the boss he was racing as fast as he could.

Carboni entered the Double Eight in the following events:
• The Northam Flying 50 in August of 1955, placing sixth in the seven-lap racing car handicap (Anderson was racing an Austin Healey in that race and came fourth – luckily Carboni did not beat the boss). Carboni also entered the three-lap scratch race for racing cars over 1500cc though did not finish.
• The Western Australian State Championships in September. In the first heat of Race 1 of the Racing Car Championship, Carboni placed fifth (Anderson’s Austin Healey coming in third). Returning for the second heat of Race 3, Carboni retired after seven laps (Anderson winning this race).
• The Caversham Benefit Cup in October, placing fourth in the three-lap racing car scratch race.
• The Spastic Welfare Cup at Caversham in November. Carboni entered the six-lap handicapped Race 2 though retired after two laps. He returned for the twenty-lap handicapped Spastic Welfare Cup for Racing Cars but again retired after ten laps.
• The six-hour Le Mans Production Car Meeting at Caversham in May of 1956, placing second in the three-lap racing car scratch race and second outright in the fifteen lap Triangle Cup scratch race for Racing Cars (though not in the top four handicapped places). Carboni also raced in the main six-hour event in a Holden (with his brother Vince), placing fourth (he returned in an Austin Healey for 1959).
• The 152-mile Australian Grand Prix at Caversham in March of 1957. Carboni entered the Double Eight in the class for Racing Cars, and was gridded between Syd Taylor in the 3.8L Plymouth Special and Syd Negus in the GMC-powered TS Special. Anderson noted the grid position, and mentioned to Carboni that he should be careful, as Taylor and Negus were his mates. Carboni queried Anderson – what do you mean mates? This is a race! Unfortunately, Taylor and Negus viewed that the wheels and tyres on the Double Eight were not appropriate to racing, and raised a protest with the circuit officials. The protest was supported, and Carboni was not allowed to start.

By mid 1957 the racing game was changing, with cars coming under increased scrutiny. Being constantly under the microscope made racing the Double Eight difficult, and Carboni ceased campaigning the machine. The colour image below shows the car chasing Sid Taylor (in a TS Special) and Syd Negus (in a Plymouth) off the straight at Caversham, and is likely to be either the 1953 Caversham Speed Classic (Anderson at the wheel) or the 1955 Caversham Benefit Cup (Carboni at the wheel).

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The Double Eight was then sold by Anderson to James Harwood, a navy veteran, musician and motor enthusiast in Perth. Harwood tossed a penny with Anderson to decide the purchase price - either £50 or £100. Harwood won. The vehicle was then towed to a business in which Harwood was a partner - Performance Cars at 173 James Street Perth where Bill Strickland (the renowned sports car and speedway speedcar/modified sedan driver) removed the two Ford V8 engines. The engines were later sold to a speedboat constructor. The Double Eight body was then placed outside Harwood’s business as advertising, though was removed a few days later at the request of Perth City Council.

Keith Windsor bought the Double Eight body (probably in 1957) and installed a V12 Lincoln Zephyr engine, shown below.

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Lincoln produced these engines from 1936-1948, ceasing production nearly a decade before Windsor’s repowering of the Double Eight. I’m not certain if Windsor used the 267ci, 292ci or 306ci engine (110-130bhp), though in any case was a marked reduction from Eldred’s 478ci (~200bhp) twin V8 powerplant. The images below show Windsor and the #20 Double Eight in V12 format.

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Windsor debuted the V12 Double Eight in the Christmas Cup at Caversham in late November 1958, competing in the five-lap racing car scratch race for over 1500cc, though did not place in the top three positions. Sadly, Windsor found the V12 vehicle was not manageable and subsequently scrapped it.
The image below is of the Double Eight, though I am not sure of the period or location (the vehicle appears in single seater format, so probably 1950 or later).

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5. The Maserati 6CM – a gentleman’s car re-engined from scratch.
After the Double Eight, Eldred then bought a 1936 Maserati Type 6CM. The vehicle is shown below during part of its later life in Europe, and has a layout similar to the line drawing.

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6CM stood for 6-cylinder monoposto (monoposto is a fancy Italian way of saying single-seat). The vehicle was fitted with a twin overhead cam 1493cc engine (shown below), with the GM Roots supercharger driven directly off the crank and being fed by a Weber 55AS1 carburettor. Eldred’s vehicle (chassis 1542), one of only twenty-seven built, had some 175bhp on tap… a power to weight ratio four times greater than an EK Holden.

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The Maserati had originally been delivered to Franco Cortese in April 1937. It then went to Scuderia Torino and to Ecurie Auto-Sport for de Graffenried and Balsa after World War II. It was later sold in the United Kingdom to Sam Gilbey (1947), then to Colin Murray (1949). Murray raced the vehicle in the Formula 1 class, including:
• The April 1950 Goodwood circuit race,
• The June British Empire Trophy at the Isle of Man circuit. He vied against a thirteen car field, though retired after nineteen of the thirty-six laps due to an accident,
• The August Silverstone race. He again retired, for reasons unknown, from the field of nineteen (which included Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss).
Murray brought the car to Australia in 1951, racing it in the March 1951 Australian Grand Prix. Like Eldred, Murray did not finish the race, completing nineteen of the twenty-four laps against a field of twenty-eight (remember that Eldred, in the Double Eight, completed only seven laps during this race).

Murray (who is shown in the photograph below under the bonnet of the Maserati at the 1951 Australian Grand Prix) sold the Maserati to Eldred.

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Eldred built from scratch a new engine block from steel blocks and welded sleeves with hard chromed spun-steel liners, cast two new magnesium bronze cylinder heads with hardened steel inserts and revised valve geometry, adapted connecting rods from a Singer 1500 (purchased by Jim Gullan in the UK and air freighted over), pistons from a BSA motorcycle and reconditioned the rest of the engine. Reading through what Eldred built from scratch shows an incredible engineering feat… and essentially a new engine (the Maserati crank was however salvaged). Eldred’s engine delivered 200bhp at 6,000rpm from the newly engineered engine, four and a half times higher power to weight than our EK Holden.

Nancy was concerned with Eldred’s health during this feat of engineering, working long nights in the cold shed. She admonished him
“For heavens sake, Eldred, bring it inside and work on it. You’ll die if you keep working out there every night!”.
The next day Eldred removed the dining room window, lifted the engine inside by a crane and worked on it each night… on the large, French polished dining table given to them as a gift by a friend. As Nancy later recalled:
“How could I complain. After all, I had burnt it (the table) with the iron!”.

Eldred circuit-raced the Maserati in the 10½-mile race held at the Woodside closed-street circuit in October 1951. The course route is shown below.

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Some overnight welding work by Eldred saw a chipped second gear tooth replaced in the gearbox of Stan Jone’s Maybach I. Eldred finished the Woodside Jubilee for High Powered Cars race in third position, with his gearbox repair taking Jones’ Maybach to second place. After finishing the race Eldred stopped in the pits, raised his bonnet, and with a pair of pliers released two tins of pork and beans that had been wired to the exhaust manifold to cook. Eldred’s culinary skills were noted in Adelaide’s News The Odd Spot column. The vehicle was also planned to be raced at the Lobethal, South Australia street circuit in December of 1951, though South Australian cabinet came to the conclusion that “Highways or roads controlled by the Highway Commissioner will not be closed for such events”.

Similarly to the Double Eight, the Maserati saw service in a variety of forms of motorsport. In December the Maserati was entered in the 460-yard Glen Ewen hillclimb at Houghton, South Australia recording the fastest time, breaking the previous hill climb circuit record and winning the meeting’s Unlimited class race. The vehicle was crashed in the March 1952 hillclimb at Collingrove, South Australia, stripping the gearbox in the process. This made for hard work in preparation for the Great Southern Flying 50 at Narrogin, Western Australia a week later. Eldred did however manage to get the Maserati back into working order and 1700 miles across to Western Australia. He achieved first place (and fastest lap at 2:27) in the under 1500cc scratch race, third place in the five-lap handicap race (posting both the fastest time and fastest lap at 2:20), and second place in the main handicapped Great Southern Flying 50 race event (again posting fastest time and fastest lap at 2:19). Remember from above that Anderson had also entered the Double Eight at this meeting – see the clippings below from the West Australian from the 14th and 22nd of March 1952.

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The Maserati also got a work-out in March 1952 for the public opening of the Collingrove Hill Climb track (see clipping below from the Sunday Mail of March 1952 and track layout).

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Eldred posted the fourth fastest time of the day (43.2 seconds), and won the category for Racing Cars over 1500cc and all supercharged. Nancy would also compete in this event, which was one by Judy Rackham in an MG TC.

The clipping below is from the News of the 21st of July 1952.

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Whilst campaigning the Maserati, Eldred also drove other vehicles. In May of 1952 he won the South Australian Sporting Car Club's reliability night trial in a Holden. Only eleven of the twenty-two starters finished, with Eldred losing 580 points over the ninety-mile course, returning at 1am. In a normal trial of this kind, the winner would have lost 30-40 points and got home by about 10.30pm.

Eldred raced the Maserati in the April 1952 Australian Grand Prix. This was again a Formula Libre motor race, held at the 3.8-mile anticlockwise Mount Panorama Circuit near Bathurst, in New South Wales. The course is shown below, along with a blurry image from the Advertiser of April 8th 1952, shows the Maserati prior to the race.

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Eldred did not finish the race, completing ten of the thirty-eight laps due to engine troubles (the Maserati’s supercharger relief valve had come unscrewed). Eldred’s race-mate, Frank Kleinig, had to retire his Kleinig-Hudson 8 Special after only four laps. Kleinig’s name will be familiar to early-Holden fans as the man responsible for quite an array of grey motor speed equipment.

Several articles indicate that Eldred’s ownership of the Maserati sowed the seeds of a lifelong contempt for small capacity engines with multiple camshafts, a view that is likely to make many early Holden enthusiasts smile. The noisy supercharged Maserati was never very fast, and had an insatiable appetite for pistons, including melting one out at Sellick’s Beach in October of 1952. The photo below shows Eldred (on the left) racing the Maserati on Sellick’s Beach (alongside Tom Hawke’s #5 Allard on the right) at this meeting, the first all-car beach program held in South Australia after the war. Tom Hawkes (who usually ran under the banner of 'Ecurie Corio') was from Geelong, with the Corio name coming from nearby Corio Bay.

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Bill Norman remembers being employed at age six to tightening the Maserati engine's many inaccessible nuts, one-sixth of a turn at a time.

By 1953 the Maserati had been twin-supercharged, adding a second-hand Arnott supercharger to the existing GM Roots machine to deliver 285bhp,. The Arnott supercharger sat in the cockpit under the scuttle. The first supercharger remained crank driven, with the second supercharger duplex-chain driven off the first (that is one looong drive chain, running the length of the engine).

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The car was being tested at the Collingrove hill-climb on Easter Monday. The vehicle would not run under 40mph, was good for 0-120mph in ten seconds, would stay at 120mph at half throttle, got 80mph in first gear and slurped methanol at one mile to the gallon. The power to weight ratio was now six and a half times greater than an EK Holden.

The vehicle returned to Port Wakefield, South Australia for the Anzac Day race of April 1953, the Official Programme of which noted:
“Eldred is never one to let the grass grow under his feet or the Maserati’s wheels”.

The clipping below is from Adelaide’s Advertiser of the 6th of October 1953, again linking the Maserati to Collingrove hill climbing.

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Eldred also raced at the Port Wakefield Tourist Trophy race that month, snapping the gear lever off the Maserati and finishing in third gear at 9,000rpm (the redline was 7,000rpm…) despite suffering badly from hay fever. A race report from one of the Gawler Airstrip meetings indicates that “Eldred Norman drove a steady race in the Maserati, stopping once to admonish two small boys who were too close to the track”.

Alex Rowe was a close associate of Eldred Norman. Alex was significantly involved in South Australian speedway, building a number of supercharged engines. Alex was made an OAM on the 26th of January 1987 for service to speedway racing, an honour he shares with the likes of Bill Wigzell, Allan Grice, Craig Lowndes and Mark Skaife. In the mid 1950’s to early 1960s Alex Rowe had a workshop 9 Eliza Street St Peters, Adelaide. Alex later moved to what was called the St Peters Speed Shop in Payneham Road, St Peters and then to Winston Avenue. Rowe and his wife Helen later ran the Golden Fleece Service Station in about 1967/1968 at 87 Winston Ave, Melrose Park (now the current Winston Avenue Music Shop), and lived nearby at 130 Morgan Avenue. Rowe did a variety of work, including manufacturing and selling floor shifters for early Holden grey motor crashboxes. Part of the workshop would later be offered to Eldred to manufacture superchargers in the 1960’s (Eldred had his own workshop in Halifax Street). Eldred’s larrikin nature was well demonstrated one Friday night when he popped around to visit Rowe’s Eliza Street workshop in the early 1950’s... in the Maserati. The South Australian Police were looking for a race car seen coming up King William Street from the Halifax street region... funnily the car ‘vanished’ around Franklin Street! On arrival Eldred leapt from the vehicle and had time to light a cigarette before the Police pulled up. The Police ran in and asked whether a racing car had just driven in. “It went that way” said Eldred, after which they departed. This makes two Australian capital cities (Perth and Adelaide) to witness Eldred’s race machines trundling along, after Carboni’s daily commute in the Double Eight described above.

Eldred sold the Maserati in October of 1953 to Ted McKinnon (a Melbourne motor dealer), who raced it in the 1953 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park, Victoria (again in Formula Libre trim). Ted finished 15th out of the thirty-nine car field (Eldred did not enter the Australian Grand Prix in 1953). The vehicle then passed to Eddie Thomas in 1954, possibly for the Seaton brothers, who entered it for Ken Cox the same year. Cox later raced it with a Holden engine from 1957-1959, mainly on Victorian country tracks. The Maserati fell into disrepair, and was sold by Gavin Sandford-Morgan to Alf Blight in 1966. It was restored over many years until it raced at Mallala in 1982. Alf is shown at Amaroo Park in the 1980’s driving the #79 Maserati in the image below.

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The Maserati passed to the United States, then to Robin Lodge (United Kingdom) in 1987, René Mauriès (France, who held it from 1988-1997, having been sold to him though Christies Monaco sales
for $197,000), until sold at auction to Bernie Ecclestone in 1997.

6. The Singer SM 1500
Eldred’s racing interests were diverse, as can be seen in the cuttings below from the Port Wakefield Grand Opening Speed Meeting programme of January 1953, and the 21st of October 1952.

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The advertisements (which both use the same photograph, just cropped differently) show Eldred winning the Production Car Handicap at Sellick’s Beach. The #39 vehicle Eldred is driving is a production Singer SM 1500 Sports, with a 48bhp 1497cc engine. The Production Car handicap referred to is Eldred's Sellick's win from October 1952. The 2nd place win ten days earlier is probably Eldred’s also. As an aside, it is interesting that there were three Singers in the 1938 Australian Grand Prix referred to in the advertisement, piloted by Seville, Pike and Beasley. All three retired from the race (an interesting way to advertise for new car sales). The 1939 Australian Stock Car Championship was Brady's win at Lobethal.

In November of 1952 Eldred entered the Singer in the Collingrove hillclimb, recording a time of 51.5 seconds in front of the crowd of 4,000 people. As noted above, Eldred won the South Australian Sporting Car Club’s Kennedy Memorial Trophy that year for gaining the most points in all forms of competition. He went on to enter the Singer (as the #53 Maughan Thiem Motor Co Ltd vehicle) at the Port Wakefield Grand Opening Speed Meeting of January 1953 taking second place (he was also racing his #5 Maserati at the same event, also gaining second place).

7. The Triumph TR2 – a cross country driven Grand Prix machine
After not competing in the Australian Grand Prix in 1953, Eldred returned in 1954. In the interim he had purchased South Australia’s first Triumph TR2 by Christmas 1953. The Triumph was registered SA 1435 and bought for £1,189 – see clipping below from Adelaide’s News of the 22nd of February 1954.

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The original disc wheels were replaced with wire wheels, and an overdrive fitted (operated by a lever mounted beside the transmission tunnel). The vehicle had a completely standard white body and red interior, with a passenger tonneau, single aero screen and headlight tape... no roll bar or seatbelt. The Triumph utilized a Standard Vanguard engine, fitted with a 136ci/rev G.M. 2-71 supercharger, driven at 1.1:1 by four A-section belts and producing 12psi of boost. Eldred experimented with home-made fuel injection, eventually returning to a 2" SU carburettor. Engine internals were largely standard but the crankshaft was ground undersize, then built up with hard chrome. The Triumph was fitted with oil and water reservoirs, pressurized from the GM supercharger and controlled by a tap on the dash. The small 12½ imperial gallon fuel tank was replaced with a larger 30 gallon unit. Tyres were Adelaide-made Hardie cross plies, similar to those used later on the Zephyr Special.

Mac Wilton was one of Eldred’s racing mechanics for a period in the 1950’s. Wilton arrived in Adelaide from England, and went job hunting the next day. After securing a job, Wilton walked down King William Street and was attracted by Eldred’s parked Triumph. Eldred wandered out and started talking to Wilton. Soon thereafter Wilton found himself employed as a racing mechanic, at less money than the job he had secured earlier in the day (ten shillings a week for endless hours). Wilton however viewed his time with Eldred as both fascinating and memorable, sharing many of Eldred’s highs and lows. Mac’s section of Eldred’s Halifax Street workshop became known as Dr Mac’s Surgery.

In November 1954 Eldred and Dr Mac drove the Triumph 1300 miles to Southport, Queensland ready for the Australian Grand Prix.

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The Triumph was towing a trailer over mainly unpaved roads with two 44-gallon drums of methanol racing fuel. The 5.7-mile clockwise Southport circuit is shown below.

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Winning the Brightways Trophy and Cords Piston Ring Trophy support races on the morning of the Australian Grand Prix gained him entry into the main race. Eldred removed the #8 Triumph’s engine decompression plate, gaining some power for the race in which he came fourth. By the end of the race the supercharger drive belts had stretched so much that boost had dropped from 12 to 8psi. One of Eldred’s race-mates, (later Sir) Jack Brabham, had to retire his Cooper T26 after only one lap, whilst the 4.3L Maybach Special II of Stan Jones broke in half at two chassis welds, depositing Stan in the scrub at 100mph. The images below show Eldred and the Triumph at the 1954 Australian Grand Prix.

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Eldred’s Triumph was driven from the Grand Prix track, and without any rebuild it then towed the trailer, trophies and two Longine watch prizes 1300 miles back to Adelaide, rattling gently from cracked pistons. The photo portfolio given to Eldred as a prize was later cut up by Nancy as it showed “Miss Cord Rings” by Eldred’s side.

Whilst the Triumph is famous for its Grand Prix performance, it also received a considerable workout in other events, as can be seen by Eldred’s (aquatic) racing in the clipping below from Adelaide’s Chronicle of the 24th of June 1954.

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The race shown is the mud-trial run by the South Australian Sporting Car Club, in which Eldred and Nancy took third place. The course included a creek crossing and hill at Brownhill Creek, a narrow hills track at Coromandel Valley, and the crossing of the Finniss River as shown to the right with a mud slope and sand course. Imagine doing that in a modern Grand Prix car, and afterwards racing in a Grand Prix.

The Triumph was also entered in the Collingrove hillclimb of April, and took first place in the 1,001-2000cc class at Port Wakefield in that month. In September the Triumph was raced at Fisherman’s Bend, Victoria then at the Port Wakefield races a day later. Eldred was to come fourth in the Churchill Motors scratch event at the latter meeting. The image below, from Adelaide’s Advertiser of the 8th of October 1954 shows Eldred preparing the Triumph.

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In one incident in the Adelaide hills, Eldred noted that the Triumph’s tyres had all deflated. The cause was finally found – high loading under speed had forced open all the tyre valve stems.

After Eldred’s campaigning, Eldred’s Triumph was raced briefly by his Eldred’s good friend Andy Brown then disappeared. The image below, taken from With Casual Efficiency, shows Brown in a supercharged Triumph TR2 in the fourth row of the starting grid of the third qualifying heat of the Australian Grand Prix at Port Wakefield in 1955.

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It is likely that this is Eldred’s vehicle. Brown was not successful in the qualifying rounds, and did not proceed to the main Grand Prix event. Eldred was racing his new project at this event, which we will see below.

8. The Zephyr Eclipse – incredible engineering.
Eldred formed a relationship with an Adelaide Ford dealer, Eclipse Motors, and race a Zephyr sedan. The Zephyr sedan had a link to his next mission – a car for the 1955 Grand Prix. Eldred assembled a new car in ten weeks, only coming inside the house to eat and sleep in order to complete the new Zephyr Eclipse. As the design of Eldred’s Double Eight was likely influenced by his ownership of the Bryant Special, this new project is likely to have been influenced by the Clisby Special. The Clisby Special was built by Harold Clisby, and raced against Eldred in events like the Collingrove Hillclimb. The image below, taken from With Casual Efficiency, shows the Clisby Special at Collingrove in 1952.

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The vehicle utilizes a unique chassis/driveline technique (where no chassis is used other than a tube enclosing the driveline) which Eldred was to use in his new project. Clisby’s special utilisd a Douglas 350cc motorcycle engine, and with no body weighed only some 336lb, It had a power-to-weight ratio around 1½ times that of our EK Holden.

Eldred’s design was initially laid out in chalk on his workshop floor, with a heap of components from the wrecking yards supported on house bricks so that Eldred could get the wheelbase and seating position right - the driver of the Zephyr sits offset to the right. Like Clisby’s design, Eldred’s was unique in using no chassis – the front crossmember, engine and transaxle are all stressed chassis-members. The Zephyr engine was canted 45º to the right with a modified FJ Holden front crossmember. The crossmember is bolted to the timing cover, itself made from a hollowed-out piece of steel. A large diameter 6” tube bolted directly to the engine extending back to the rear-mounted clutch and transaxle, with the drive shaft running through the tube. The overall result is a wheelbase of 6’ 9.8” and a track of 3’ 11”. The humpy front end was fitted with unequal length wishbones, coil springs and telescopic shock absorbers. The rear end was fitted with a single upper transverse leaf spring, lower wishbone and telescopic shock absorbers, all bolted directly to the three-speed ZF transaxle, from a Tempo Matador truck. Double universal half-shafts provide drive. A Holden steering box is used. The body, fuel tank and seat are bolted to brackets welded to the tube, with the fuel tank immediately to the drivers left. The gearshift is high on the left side, almost chest height, with the shifter connected to a ball joint and an exposed square rod that runs along the top of the tube toward the rear. Girling drum brakes were taken from a 1.5 tonne Standard Vanguard, covered by 5”x13” wheels made from FJ Holden centres machined down to fit Zephyr hoops. Tyres were 6.4x13. The front wheels were originally drilled to lighten them and increase cooling, though this idea was later scrapped due to weakening of the wheels. The motor was originally a Ford Zephyr 2,262cc unit, supercharged at 1.5:1 with a Wade RO20 supercharger operating at 10psi. The supercharger is connected to the motor via rubber hoses and fed via a single 23/8” SU carburettor. The carburettor was rumoured to be either from Stan Jone’s Maybach Special Mark II, which crashed at the Australian Grand Prix in Southport, Queensland in 1954 (remember that Eldred campaigned the Triumph TR2 at this meeting), or from a Mayback military vehicle. The truth however is that the special methanol SU was specifically ordered from SU in England, and picked up by Alf Harvey from the SU factory before being delivered to Eldred (this story was shared by Alf to Graeme Snape). The SU is fitted with a second fuel bowl to prevent starvation. The fuel tank is pressurised (via a regulator) from the supercharger, though could be pumped up by hand by the driver for start-up. Visible through the hand-made wood and aluminium steering wheel were five gauges, with no tachometer (Eldred arguing that he valued a speedometer more). Recent photos shows this has increased to six.

On completing the car, Eldred drove it to Adelaide (with trade plates) to have the body hand-built in aluminum. Bear in mind that during this journey the bodyless vehicle was running open exhaust headers, punching out some 116dB… sixteen times louder than average family sedan at 76dB, and similar to putting your ear 1m from a car horn. Nancy and Bill followed the new race car to Adelaide in the family Ford Zephyr convertible. The top bodywork section of the Zephyr was able to be lifted off for access, with the front grille showing a remarkable similarity to the Tempo Matador bonnet badge (see image below)… though of course with an “N” for Norman.

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The two-piece body is in light aluminum with an undertray suspended by brackets from the tube and the front cross-member. The bright yellow paintwork was completed with road-marking paint.

The completed Zephyr weighed in at 1,527lb. The engine generates 280 to 300bhp (… a standard Zephyr is around 86bhp) – a power to weight ratio some 6½ times that or our standard EK Holden (… a bit higher than Clisby’s 1½ times). The Zephyr is good for 90mph in first, 130mph in second and on a long straight just under 160mph in top. Nancy’s recollection of the Zephyr was that it cost some £10,000 to build.

On firing up and test driving the newly built Zephyr Eldred realized that his connection to the Tempo Matador ZF transaxle had delivered three reverse gears and one forward. Eldred is said to have laid into the work bench with a hammer for half an hour on realizing. On further test driving (along Halifax street) the sump was holed, a nasty thing to repair as the sump was difficult to remove. Eldred went down Halifax Street to Carrington Street, home of the Adelaide Milk Supply Co-Operative Limited (Amscol’s) Ice Cream works (pictured below) and returned with a bucket of dry ice. He filled the sump with the dry ice, allowing him to weld out the hole without distortion.

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Eldred found that the low-volume Zephyr oil pump was not up to the task, and replaced it with an agricultural-type gear pump at the end of the camshaft sitting out over the front cross member. Hoses run to the wet sump, oil filter and back into the main oil gallery without the use of an oil cooler.
John Cummins remembers watching Eldred in the Halifax street workshop shaping springs from flatbar. The intention was to make driveshafts for the Zephyr that would also act as suspension… one design feature that did not end up on the finished vehicle.

The early name for the car was a bit of a mouthful - the Norholfordor - because it was built by NOrman from HOLden, FORd and Tempo MatadDOR parts. For the curious, a Tempo Matador was a VW-powered light commercial vehicle made from 1949 to 1954. It was then called the Eclipse Zephyr. The name Eclipse came from the Adelaide Ford dealer, Eclipse Motors who gave Eldred the Zephyr motor.

The 80-lap October 1955 Australian Grand Prix was held at the Port Wakefield circuit, in South Australia. The 1.3-mile clockwise circuit is shown below.

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Refueling during the race was undertaken from a 44-gallon drum pressurized with nitrogen oxide to speed things up. Eldred and the Eclipse Special finished eighth out of a field of twenty-three. The race was won by (later Sir) Jack Brabham in a Cooper T40, six laps ahead of Eldred.

The Zephyr Special was so unconventional that it was referred to as that "diabolical device". As Ray relates:
“Scrutineers, too, found he had the answers. Concerned that the Eclipse Zephyr may not be strong enough, they obliged him to prove it was. “It’s strong enough o hold up a truck” Eldred boasted and was made to park it under a tabletop and jack up the tray body. Even so, many bets were laid about how many laps it would last before it broke in half!”

The photo below shows the #2 Eclipse Zephyr Special in 1955, taken in the pits at the Australian Grand Prix at Port Wakefield.

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There is a fair chance that one of the gentlemen in the photo is his mechanic, Ramon Monkhouse. Ramon remembers that one of the teething problems with the Zephyr Special was that it was always tested on a straight road, and subsequently suffered from fuel starvation on corners.
This was Eldred’s fifth, and sadly last Australian Grand Prix entry as driver, having entered in 1950 (DNF), 1951 (DNF), 1952 (DNF), 1954 (4th position) and 1955 (8th position). Whilst he did not collect too many trophies, Eldred did have his own trophy cabinet of melted pistons, broken valves and other mementos carefully arranged behind glass.

The image below shows the Zephyr Special at Port Wakefield some time after the Grand Prix.

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Like anything that Eldred built, the Zephyr has its share of anecdotes. After lunch on a particularly dusty day at the Port Wakefield circuit Eldred’s pit crew desperately tried to push start the Zephyr Special. With no success from the pushing, they then resorted to towing the Zephyr through the pits. Finally, with a few pops and bangs the zephyr fired up – spitting out flaming pieces of rag out of the exhaust. One of the helpers then admitted he had carefully tucked a piece of rag into the enormous SU carburettor before lunch to prevent the dust from getting into the engine. Whether the forgotten rag was passed through the supercharger, cylinder head and out the exhaust, or instead was blown out the inlet by a blower bang is debatable, though in either case must have been spectacular.
Eldred’s practical (and somewhat agricultural) approach to engineering was also demonstrated in another discussion held with an enthusiast who had fitted a supercharger to a Morris Minor. To richen the mixture on the Morrie’s SU carburettor he had started to fiddle with the needle profile. This was done fairly exactingly by marking along the length of the needle at 1/8” increments and taking diameter measurements. The needles were then mounted in a lathe and the appropriate sections carefully machined down with some fine wet and dry abrasive paper to arrive at the “required” diameter. The enthusiast realized that Eldred’s recently completed Zephyr Special was also supercharged and fitted with a huge SU carburettor. Figuring that Eldred would have gone through a similar and probably more sophisticated exercise in matching a suitable mixture needle profile to suit the supercharged Zephyr, he approached Eldred. Eldred then proceeded to reach into his pocket and pull out an old tobacco tin, opened it up, and tipped out three or four of his “mixture needles”. The needles looked like 3” brass nails varying anywhere from hexagonal to triangular in section with very heavy filing marks along the length. On seeing our Morrie owner’s surprise Eldred commented that he needn’t be so fussy, as Eldred merely filed another flat on the SU needle about wherever he thought the mixture needed to be enriched.

Eldred entered the car in the March 1956 Argus Trophy. This was a twentyfive mile support race for the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park circuit, Victoria. However, he did not win the race.
In late 1956 Eldred sold the Zephyr Special to Keith Rilstone, telling Keith "You will make this car perform" (which Keith did). The photo to the right is of Keith competing in the #2 Eclipse Zephyr at the Western Australia Racing Car Championship meeting in October 1961 at Caversham military airstrip in the Swan Valley (Keith retired from the race).

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Caversham became Western Australia’s first dedicated motor racing circuit, and hosted the Australian Grand Prix in both 1957 and 1962. Military needs resulted in the Western Australia Sporting Car Club, the operators of the circuit, moving to their new home at Wanneroo in 1968.

The photograph below is from Rilstone’s ownership, and were taken at Mallala Race Circuit South Australia.

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The photo below shows Rilstone working on the Zephyr at Port Wakefield in October 1959.

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Rilstone fitted the Zephyr Special with the newer (and larger) 2,553cc Mk2 Zephyr engine with a Raymond Mays head that he got from Charlie Dean at Repco. The head had apparently been purchased by Repco for evaluation during the design of the Hoden Hi-Power head. Rilstone also made changes to the front suspension, adding an antiroll bar and lowered the top wishbone pivot point, thus lowering the roll center of the car. Shock absorbers were moved outboard of the coil springs. PBR assisted in the setup of dual leading shoe brakes based on Vanguard components and fitted with twin boosters. Over time Rilstone increased the reliability of the car, getting to the point where he wouldn’t even wash it, in case he jinxed it.

In 1959 Rilstone took second place in the Zephyr at the CAMS Gold Star race at Port Wakefield. In the same year he piloted the Zephyr Special in the Westernport Cup at Phillip Island gaining 5th place. In December of that year he recorded 124mph over the Flying Eight Mile at the Weapons Research Establishment Institute Sprints in South Australia.

Rilstone campaigned the Zephyr Special through several years of the Australian Drivers Championship series. This was a CAMS-sanctioned Australian motor racing title for drivers of Formula Libre cars, contested over a number of rounds. Points were awarded for various placings in each round, with the overall highest number of points at the end of the series being awarded the CAMS Gold Star.
• 1957 was a nine-race series. Rilstone placed fourth in the October Wakefield Trophy race at Port Wakefield circuit, earning him equal 17th position (of 22 positions) in the Australian Drivers’ Championship.
• 1958 was also a nine-race series. Rilstone placed third in the April South Australian Trophy Race at Port Wakefield circuit, earning him equal 11th position (of 15 positions) in the Australian Drivers’ Championship.
• 1960 was also a seven-race series. Rilstone placed third in the October Advertiser Trophy Race at Mallala circuit, earning him equal 10th position (of 18 positions) in the Australian Drivers’ Championship.

The image below, taken from With Casual Efficiency, shows the Zephyr (at far left) at Port Wakefield in Easter 1957.

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The image below shows Rilstone in the #8 Zephyr at Port Wakefield in 1960.

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Rilstone entered the Zephyr Special in the 1961 Australian Grand Prix at Mallala, which was a round of that year’s Australian Drivers Championship. The dark green Zephyr can be seen in the left background of the photo below.

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The Zephyr started on the third row of the grid, but did not finish the race. The Zephyr Special was the first of seven cars to retire from the seventeen car field, completing thirty-three of fifty laps (105 miles). Whilst Rilstone returned to the Australian Grand Prix in 1964 (in a Ford powered Elfin FJ), the 1961 race represented the last time one of Eldred’s machines competed in the Australian Grand Prix. Eldred’s vehicles thus entered the Grand Prix a total of ten times:
• the Double Eight in 1950 (DNF) and 1951 (DNF), and a non-start (DNS) in 1957 under Carboni,
• the Maserati 6C in 1951 (DNF, albeit under Murray’s ownership), in 1952 (DNF), and then in 1953 (15th position, under McKinnon’s ownership),
• The Triumph TR2 in 1954 (4th position), and probably in 1955 under Brown (though did not get past qualification), and
• The Zephyr Special in 1955 (8th position), and in 1961 (DNF, under Rilstone).

Rilstone also entered the Western Australia State Championship in October 1961, competing in Event 5 the fifteen-lap Racing Car Championship. The Zephyr retired after ten laps. He also competed in the Advertiser Trophy at Mallala in October 1962. After qualifying fourth, Rilstone retired having completed twelve of the twenty-five laps. The image below shows Rilstone in the #8 Zephyr at Mallala in 1962.

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Rilstone ran the car competitively right through to 1963 before selling it to Robin Reade. Robin had the vehicle until 1964, when it passed to Don McArthur, and then in 1968 to two young gentlemen who utilized the vehicle as a beach buggy. The car slowly lost shape, with the friendship of the two gentlemen equally declining. They finally decided to split the car between them, engaging a local garage to break the car behind the engine. It then sat in the mechanic’s shed for some years as the workshop had not been paid for the work.

The vehicle was tracked down and rescued in 1973 by Ken Messenger. Messenger purchased all the pieces and brought them together before running the car in historic racing. The Zephyr would melt pistons at the Sporting Car club of South Australia’s Historic Races in April 1975. Messenger then sold the vehicle in 1978 to Peter De Mack in Adelaide, who completely rebuilt the car.
The #6 Zephyr is shown in the image below in 1983 being driven by Kevin Shearer at the Victor Harbour Quarter Mile Sprints (Alf Blight was at the wheel of Eldred’s Maserati for the same event).

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The Zephyr Special was purchased from Peter by Graeme and Robyn Snape of Gundagai NSW in 1983. Graeme is shown driving the (now green and #6) Zephyr in the image below.

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The current engine is bored 0.040” over, balanced and has conrods from a Toyota twin-cam engine running on the standard Zephyr crankshaft. Mahle pistons are fitted that Peter de Mack had made during his ownership. Except for the original drop gear, it’s been some time since the gears in the gearbox resembled anything that left the ZF factory. First gear in the Zephyr Special is actually the same ratio as the original third and the box lost its reverse years ago. The car’s Achilles heel has always been the transmission, although that was sorted out once the Snapes found the right steel to make the input and output shafts. The car has thrown one rod in the Snape’s ownership due to low oil pressure. The car is very hard on clutches being very high-geared with 90mph in first gear, 130mph in second and more than 150mph in top. It will see close to 160mph down the straight at Eastern Creek and Phillip Island, pulling 6,300rpm. In a straight line it is a very stable car, but it hates fast, sweeping corners due to its short wheelbase.

When the Snapes were considering taking the vehicle overseas to the Goodwood meeting in 2000, the Zephyr Special was deemed to be a protected object under the Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act 1986, requiring a permit from the Commonwealth Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts for its temporary stay overseas.

The photos below are from the Snape’s ownership of the Zephyr. The photos below in the #6 guise I have taken from Patrick’s article, whilst those in #5 guise from Ted’s.

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9. Odds and Ends – The Trials Vehicles
In the same year that Eldred sold the Zephyr Special, he also competed in a round Australia trial (the 1956 Mobilgas Trial). Eldred drove car #54, a Ford Anglia 100E. The navigator was racing identity David Harvey. Unfortunately, the Norman/Harvey entry did not finish. This was a grueling race, with only two of the thirteen Fords entering finishing (Holden did little better with four of thirteen entrants finishing). Whilst Eldred did not compete in the earlier 1953, 1954 and 1955 Redex trials (nor the later 1956, 1957, 1958, 1964 Ampol trials nor the 1958 Mobilgas trial), he does get a mention in the advertisement from Adelaide’s Advertiser (3rd of July 1954, se clipping below), which indicates Eldred used Redex. Note that the article but does not list him as a Redex trials entrant (it does however list “Possum” Kipling).

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Some of Eldred’s race vehicles are a little harder to tie down than those noted above.
• Soon after starting out, Eldred purchased an ex-Black and White Holden taxi. The taxi was suffering badly from big-end noise. Eldred announced they were entering it in the Advertiser 24 Hour Trial the next weekend. After shimming the bearings with cut-down Benson and Hedges tobacco tins, he won the trial. During trial racing Eldred was known to keep himself awake by butting cigarettes on the back of his hand. He once became annoyed by a car which would not move over, until it was rammed with vigour.
• It is believed that a Ford Prefect used by Eldred in the 1956 Advertiser 1000 Mile Reliability Trial had some secret weapons: for short period power, a container mounted above the carburetor filled with nitromethane; windscreen wipers were put on the headlights, operated in conjunction with washers activated by the navigator from an upturned Holden fuel pump operated by foot; and tractor tread tyres. The weapons must have worked, as Eldred won.

10. Post Racing – inventions and travels
After selling the Zephyr in 1956, Eldred abandoned racing to concentrate on inventing. He built a large astronomical telescope in the property’s tin shed, then a rotating observatory in the "plane paddock". The plane paddock had an old twin-engined bomber training aircraft that Eldred had brought back from one of his trips to Papua New Guinea. The Norman children would play in the aircraft, and later cut it up with an axe. Eldred’s sunny observatory, complete with opening roof, became a favourite for Nancy’s writing. A car gearbox was employed to rotate the truck chassis base (mounted to a twenty-tonne block of concrete) to compensate for the earth’s rotation. The telescope operated with both pneumatic and hydraulic components, and had no fewer than twenty electric motors. Scientists from the Weapons Research Establishment (the Commonwealth body engaged in defence research, ammunitions and explosives or weapons industries, based in Salisbury South Australia) would visit to see his home-made automatic telescope mirror-grinding machine complete a cycle, watching as it automatically applied paste, water, rotated, oscillated and separated, grinding mirrors to a tolerance of 0.000003”. Eldred’s 14” cassegrainian telescope (a reflecting telescope that has a paraboloidal primary mirror and a hyperboloidal secondary mirror) is shown in the image above right from Ray’s article, and was later sold to Clive Clisby.

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An anecdote related to Eldred’s observatory, Eldred’s fear of spiders and some interesting inventing is related by Ray:
“Steve Tillet once offered Eldred Norman a cigarette, handing him a tin which, when opened, revealed the arachnid. After letting out a scream, Eldred’s reaction was rage. Steve bolted out of the workshop and jumped into his Morris Minor, with Eldred in hot pursuit. A couple of times around the block and Eldred got alongside and pushed him into the gutter. He was about to pummel him when three police officers walked up...
So real was Eldred’s fear of spiders that he went to great lengths to keep them out of the observatory. But then. If anything caught his attention there seemed no limit to the effort he would expend...
A rail of aluminium was installed right around the base on the outside. It was insulated from the building, and located so that any visiting spider had to climb over it. Which was pretty tough, because it carried 2500 volts!”

Many of Eldred’s prototypes, including a car tow-bar and a photographic device to capture burglars, never reached the production stage.

With Nancy, he made a motoring trip in 1961 which took them through seventeen countries, including the Soviet Union, Poland, East Germany, Turkey, Iran and Pakistan. A sign of the times was ASIO’s interest in Communism. There is a one hundred-page file covering Commonwealth Police investigations into the Norman’s activities. ASIO intercepted the Norman’s mail and recorded telephone conversations leading up to their trip. A confidential memo dated April 1961 to Headquarters ASIO from the Regional Director South Australia, indicates that they have nothing known regarding Eldred, but Nancy's name was linked to others (details blacked out in the public report), was present at a public meeting of note, and had signed a petition organised by 'Overland' (a magazine who’s editor was an ex-member of the Communist Party). The Prime Minister Robert Menzies was well known for his anti-Communist views, and was kept informed by memo of the goings and comings of Eldred and Nancy. The trip was undertaken by shipping a 1961 Ford Falcon station wagon to Spain, complete with oversized 50-gallon fuel tank and camp bed in the back. They applied for passports to go to USSR and China in 1961. This request was vetted by ASIO, as part of their 'investigation' of the couple.

On returning from their trip Eldred and Nancy accepted an offer on the “plane paddock”. Whilst the labourers had to break up Eldred’s twenty-tonne concrete foundation, they had few tree stumps to clear… Eldred had done so some time previous with the gelignite noted below.

As Ray notes:
“No longer did the cleaning lady come in twice a week. She had worried Norman, desiring only to get her job done. For him it was a nuisance that she wished to hurry him, his daily reading of the newspaper before coming out to breakfast became a barrier to the smooth passage of her working day. Sometimes she would wash up the breakfast things before he rose, so that he would find the French polished table bare. One morning Eldred put an end to that problem. He got the hammer and put nails into the table to hold the table cloth on! It was not the only time he’d done something seemingly destructive around the house. A pop-up toaster insisted in troubling him, so he threw it on the floor, pumped on it and threw it out the window and over the hedge, where it lay for years.”

11. The Norman Superchargers – father and sons.
Eldred is also renowned for his sliding vane supercharger manufacturing, which started in Adelaide and then continued after the family moved to Noosa in 1966. He is likely to have been influenced by a second-hand incomplete Arnott supercharger he purchased during his ownership of the Maserati. Eldred manufactured eight different superchargers (the Type 65, Type 70, Type 45, Type 75, Type 90, Type 110, Type 265 and Type 270), and adopted some truly innovated designs, including a supercharger clutch drive reminiscent of Mad Max’s car. Eldred’s superchargers ended up on a number of Mike and Bill’s vehicles, including an ex-PMG FE van and Bill’s supercharged MGTC, a winner at Lakeview Hill Climb in October 1965. Eldred’s reflections on supercharging were published in his book Supercharge! published in 1969. The image of Eldred below, taken from Supercharge! shows Eldred in his forties.

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Eldred’s habit of road testing race vehicle continued, with his HD Holden utility acting as a test-mule for many of his superchargers. The HD had all drum brakes… interesting to handle given that when fitted with the Type 110 supercharger and Eldred’s own twin-needle 3” SU it could make 140mph. Only seven or eight of Eldreds’ 3” SUs were ever made between around 1969 and 1971. Note that the large SU on the Eclipse Special was not one of Eldred’s, rather it was from a specialty order from the UK. When fitted to a 186ci Holden red motor and Type 110 supercharger Eldred’s 3” SU would only lift around ¾ of its piston travel at 6,000rpm. Barrie Broomhall Motors had the first electric dyno in Queensland and one of the first in Australia. This was a measure of his business acumen and many noted engineers and companies hired his workshop to do development work on their projects. Among the more famous was Eldred Norman doing testing with supercharging.

Eldred’s passion for sliding vane superchargers was taken up by his son Mike. Having been raised on a diet of supercharged vehicles, Mike Norman began building some superchargers from Eldred’s design in 1973-1975. Unfortunately, the original patterns and moulds for Eldred’s superchargers, stored under the house in Noosa, had been lost. From 1978 (through to 1984) Mike ran Offroad Automatics Pty Ltd at Magowar Road in Girraween, Sydney. Whilst the business was involved in fitting automatic transmissions to Range Rovers, Mike began to tinker with superchargers around 1983. Mike manufactured an improved version of the sliding vane design in Sydney the mid 1980’s, making six models (the 150, 200, 250, 300, 350 and 400). Around 1984 Mike was commissioned to supercharge the new four-door Range Rover owned by the managing director of Leyland Australia. This vehicle originally had 9.5:1 compression, and required new low compression pistons to go with the supercharger, manifolds and water injection. All up the project cost around $3500. Bear in mind that a new Range Rover in the UK was selling for around $18,000… This is roughly the equivalent (in today’s money) of buying a 2014 Holden Statesman and supercharging it for $13,000. Mike ceased automatic transmission operations in Girraween in 1985, moving to Noosa. The advent of newer more efficient supercharger type such as the Whipple and Eaton superchargers made for a declining market, and supercharger production was ceased.

Whilst Eldred’s Norman-supercharged HD Holden utility is renowned, Eldred did not actively race superchargers of his own design, instead utilizing Roots, Arnott and Wade superchargers. However, both of Eldred’s sons ran cars with Norman superchargers onboard. Bill started racing at age seventeen in a Standard 10 (shown with Bill in the image below), fitted with a steel-cased Type 65 supercharger.

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Bill won his first race at Mallala circuit in GT class. After serving a hard life on the track, the Standard 10 was later road-registered by Mike, though did not last too long. After limited success with the Standard 10, Bill then purchased (and later rolled) Steve Tillet's 1947 MGTC. Bill is pictured in the MGTC in the image below.

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The standard 1250cc pushrod overhead valve XPAG engine had been fully balanced after fitting a 90-tonne crankshaft. The cylinder head was treated to porting and large valves, and a high overlap camshaft fitted. Bill fitted a steel-cased Type 65 Norman supercharger (seen in the image below), using flexible piping to connect it in suck-through mode. Boost pressure was operated at 10psi, with carburettion was via a 1½” SU.

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To improve braking the MGTC was fitted with finned brake drums, air scoops on the brake backing plates and competition linings. Handling had been improved by the use of telescopic shock absorbers all round, 15” wheels with wide rims and radial tyres. To reduce weight, the body had a fiberglass tail and an aluminum bonnet, with a Vertex magneto removing the need for a battery. Running methanol, the MGTC’s power had increased from 55bhp to 85bhp (65 bhp at the rear wheels), giving a power-to-weight ratio 5½ times greater than our standard EK Holden.

Bill also owned the front-engine supercharged Ford Cortina engined U2 around late 1968/early 1969. The vehicle had previously been owned by Tony Simmons, who crashed and very badly hurt himself at Oran Park circuit.

Pictured below is Bill Norman’s LC GTR Torana. Bog stock standard, complete with 161ci (2600cc) straight-six and a Norman Type 110 supercharger.

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The car had standard brakes, wheels, radials, suspension, exhaust, head and cam, with race preparation limited to a home-made aluminium bonnet and door skins, and the interior gutted. The supercharger never reached its full potential as the relief valve spring lifted constantly (too light). The photo was taken at the Warwick Farm (Sydney) esses during a Sports Sedans practice on the 2nd of May 1970. Bill can be seen thrashing the Torrie at the same meeting in the last few seconds of the 8mm video clip here: http://www.youtube.c...h?v=jjgNQy6YIRk. Bill competed at this circuit the following day at the Royal Automobile Club Trophy event in the closed sports sedan race. He was slow off the grid when the supercharger blew back, finishing eleventh after passing a half dozen cars during the ten-lap event.

Whilst Bill was driving the Type 110 Norman supercharged GTR Torana, it still was not quick enough. Eldred’s answer was to build a Hillman Imp with a Buick Fireball aluminum 215ci V8, complete with the Type 270 supercharger and Corvair gearbox. The whole mechanical package was contained in a triangulated frame connected to the chassis by pins for easy removal. The Hillman was test driven for a few yards (snapping the input shaft in the process), though sadly was not completed prior to Eldred becoming ill and passing away. The Type 270 supercharger survived, and is currently owned by Mike Norman. Mike Norman also drove an ex-PMG FE panelvan (repainted from red to grey) with a Type 65 supercharger around 1964-1965, and a 350 supercharger fitted to a 122ci SOHC Triumph Dolomite Sprint (I currently own the supercharger).

12. Other Pursuits
Norman and Nancy pursued a wide variety of interests, including literary. Eldred for example had written a six-article series for the Motoring News section of Adelaide’s News in 1952 (including How Compression Operates). He also tried his hand at writing at this stage, completing (though not publishing) The Memory Beam (an alien story with brain erasing) and Coffins in the Sky. Nancy worked as a journalist and art critic for the Adelaide News, and became a poet and novelist. Her most famous trilogy All The Rivers Run, was published in 1958. The story was adapted to a television mini-series starring Sigrid Thornton and John Waters which ran from 1983 through 1989. Nancy also wrote The Dancing Bough (1957), Time, Flow Softly : a novel of the River Murray (1959), Green Grows the Vine (1960, with a dedication for Eldred), But Still The Stream: a novel of the Murray River (1962), The Sea Ants: and Other Stories (1964), North-West by South (1965), Brown Sugar (1974), Queen Trucanini (1976, with Vivienne Rae Ellis), Nin and the Scribblies (1976), Mister Maloga: Daniel Matthews and his Mission, Murray River, 1864–1902 (1976), The Noosa Story: A Study in Unplanned Development (1979), Forefathers (1983), The Lady Lost in Time (1986), A Distant Island (1988), The Heart of the Continent (1989), River's End (1989, with Leslie McLeay) and Marigold (1992). Her poetry includes The Darkened Window (1950), whilst she also authored the play Travellers Through the Night and edited the Jindyworobak Anthology (1950). Nancy became prominent as a conservationist and Aboriginal Rights activist.

An active member of the Sporting Car Club of South Australia, Eldred often took his children to events, leaving Nancy free to write. During a trip to Darwin Eldred had swapped a bottle of whisky for a .45 caliber sub-machine gun. An earlier purchase of a truck had yielded crates of ammunition. During construction of the Sporting Car Club of South Australia's 0.4-mile hill-climb track at Collingrove in the Barossa Valley, Eldred used the sub-machinegun to hammer soil in around fence posts. Another version of this tale is related by Geoff Berry in With Casual Efficiency. Berry assisted in the construction alongside Eldred, and, indicates that the gun was used to dig holes in order to place gelignite for blowing up stumps and rocks (rather than tamping down fenceposts). For years the case of hundreds of bullets lay open in the shed for the three Norman children to play with, together with a quantity of dynamite which Eldred finally disposed of when it began to weep nitroglycerine. Eldred was one of the foundation directors of Brooklyn Speedway South Australia Ltd, the company which built and operated the Port Wakefield track from early 1953. In 1958 Eldred would gift two hundred and fifty of his shares in the Brooklyn Speedway Company to the Sporting Car Club of South Australia. The image below, taken from With Casual Efficiency, shows (from left) Andy Brown, Gavin Sandford-Morgan and Eldred at the Easter 1963 meeting at Port Wakefield, where Sadnford-Morgan had won the Sports Car scratch race.

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Stories abound of how Eldred outpaced police as he tested cars on the road between his Adelaide workshop and his Hope Valley home. The police would be on his doorstep moments later, looking to nail him for driving an unregistered vehicle. "Oh, no, it hasn't been running at all... not for a couple of days" he would tell them. Feeling the warmth of the engine cover, the police exclaimed that it retained its heat well and departed. Eldred soon learnt that it wasn’t a bad idea to hose down the bodywork after such a run. His tactics were not always successful though, as the clippings from the 11th of May 1938 and 3rd of October 1946 edition of Adelaide’s Advertiser below show.

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Eldred was also booked for speeding over an intersection (with fines of £1. and 10/ costs in November 1939), and with driving an unregistered car (no penalty, though slugged with 7/6 costs) in August of that year. In one of the incidents above, the Assistant Police Prosecutor noted that “Practically every regulation In the Traffic Act has been broken”. In another incident, when the magistrate shook his head and said, "What will I ever do with you? You come in here so often it’s a waste of the court’s time" he quickly answered back: "Could I have a monthly account?". In 1962 the South Australian Police booked Eldred for low level speeding when he was heading to a race meeting, most likely to watch the first Elfin Formula Junior in action. Eldred was outraged to be caught by the state's first Police radar - he considered it to be unsporting of the Police. He went to enormous trouble in an attempt to prove that the radar was inaccurate. He even went to the extent of obtaining the exact same model of radar unit and spending weeks testing it for potential flaws by attaching strips of reflective alluminium to rotating wheels. When his court day arrived Eldred wheeled the radar unit into the court, to the consternation of the Police prosecutor. The magistrate found the offence proven but did not resort to a conviction, due to Eldred's GOOD DRIVING RECORD!

Eldred’s larrikin nature and engineering practicality are also demonstrated in the following anecdote from Steve Tillet. At a South Australian Sporting Car Club meeting Eldred had been told that Steve’s firm were installing a camshaft grinding machine. Eldred indicated that he had a Holden camshaft, and that as Holden spares were fairly sparse he wanted the camshaft ground. Steve went to Eldred’s Hope Valley home at the appointed time to pick up the camshaft, and Eldred started looking for it. As they walked through the house he noted that Bill, then about three years old, was walking up and down on the piano keyboard. "That kid's got an ear for music," Eldred told him. Finally, with no sign of the camshaft, Eldred called out to Nancy and asked if she'd seen it. "Is that that metal stick with the lumps on it?" she responded. "Yes, that's it," said Eldred. "Okay, I was using it to break those rocks out the front...". Nancy had a pile of rocks she was using for lapidary, so the camshaft was lying covered in dirt in the pile. Eldred picked the lump stick up and handed it to the cam grinder, "A bit more lift and a bit more overlap and they'll never catch me in the trials!" he said.

13. Larrikin Anecdotes
Some other Eldred Norman anecdotes include:
• As a child, Eldred’s father William operated a steam engine at home. The boiler pressure relief valve stuck, allowing the pressure to build to an alarming level. Being frightened to approach the boiler he rushed upstairs, took aim with a rifle and shot off the valve. In a separate incident, Nancy’s .22 rifle was employed during a trip to Fannie Bay (near Darwin, Northern Territory) to hunt a rat. The near dark conditions almost lead to the loss of a toe. Back home, Eldred’s issue of feral cats was solved by use of a length of guttering. The guttering was sealed at both ends and a rifle pointed down the length. Some milk bait and a length of string attached to the trigger led to the demise of many moggies (the exact number being subject to much speculation).
• On one interstate trip, towing a race car on the trailer behind the family Zephyr sedan Eldred proposed to travel with the least number of stops. Just before departing, Eldred purchased 200’ of rubber piping, draping it around the interior of the tow car. He reasoned it would be cold travelling at night, and connected the piping to the cars radiator to act as a heater, as well as to a container under the dash for warming beans. The Falcon car used for the Norman’s overseas trip had been fitted with a similar heater to allow them to stop for a cuppa en-route.
• Eldred’s love of warmed beans was matched for his love of chocolate. Whilst an ice chest was used inside the house, a dedicated kerosene fridge was located outside for the chocolate.
• On another interstate racing trip, Eldred’s packing must have been rushed as he forgot his shoe laces and the collar stud for his good shirt. He showed his ingenuity by arriving at the celebration dinner discreetly using welding wire for his shoes, and a nut and bolt for his collar.
• Eldred’s workshop office air conditioner car radiator fed chilled water from a drum of ice, electric fan. Eldred bough quality cotton handkerchiefs by the carton from David Jones, used them for wiping dipsticks and cleaning sumps then discarded them in a corner.
• When Eldred wanted to better enjoy his home movies, he built a bigger screen… around sixteen feet wide and ten feet tall. The screen was set-up in the front yard, with the projector on the verandah some eighty feet away.
• From Ray’s article:
“His workshop was to become the centre of his activity for some two decades. It was here he became the first person in Australia to put a racing car into series production. This started with a conversation with Steve Tillet, who frequently met Eldred for lunch. Many of Tillet’s stories about Norman commence with “I met him for lunch one day…” and continue with a story that reveals that Steve had to wait around and in doing so noticed things in the vicinity. In this case it was five Morris 8 van rolling chassis at the agents Motors Ltd. “They’d make a nice little racing car” He told Eldred “and the 4.5 diff ratio would be just right”. By 11 that night he had bought them for £200 each, the first chassis had been shortened and he was waiting for Snow Young to come around the next day to build an alloy body. According to Steve, they were quicker than an MG and sold for £450 each. Tillet recalls that David Hopkins bought one and Bill Hayes raced one at Woodside, but the last car was not finished. It had the front axle split and converted to swing axles, the rear end was coil sprung and had trailing links, and it hung around until bought by a certain youngster named Garrie Cooper in 1955. Known as the Cooper Butler (Norm Butler was to buy it and race it), Cooper never called the completed car an Elfin, but it started him on his way.”
Cooper went on to build three Cooper Butler vehicles (not to mention developing Elfin). It is possible that the first one, built from Eldred’s Morris chassis, is shown in sepia below.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/cooperbutlerblackandwhite_zps33cb6b7e.png) ($2)

The second (red) Cooper Butler, based on an Austin A40 is also shown.

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• Ray also relates the following tale, one that Eldred favoured sharing:
“Like the time he got bogged in Western NSW. Hoping for a passing motorist to help got him nowhere, only one T-model going by while he was there, and it was driven by a farmer with his hat down over his eyes and his pipe upside down. There were however cattle in an adjacent paddock. Cutting the fence, he rounded up one and used fencing wire to hitch it to the car. It wouldn’t budge. More fencing wire was wrapped around one of its horns, then attached to a plug lead. The animal moved, got him out of the bog, and got itself jammed between two trees.”

14. The Passing of Two Legends.
Eldred was sadly taken by lung cancer on the 28th of June 1971 at Noosa Heads. Nancy passed away at Noosa on the 3rd of July 2000. Both Eldred and Nancy were recognised in a number of ways. Nancy, pictured below, was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in June 1984 in recognition of services to Australian literature.

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The Canberra suburb of Franklin includes Nancy Cato Street. The Jubilee 150 Walkway is a series of one hundred and fifty bronze plaques set into the pavement of North Terrace, Adelaide. It was officially opened in December 1986 as part of the celebrations commemorating the 150th anniversary of the founding of the state of South Australia. The plaques contain the names and deeds of one hundred and seventy people who made major contributions to the founding and development of South Australia. The plaques are arranged in alphabetic order. Eldred’s plaque, shown below is located between the Art Gallery Of South Australia and the University of Adelaide.

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Whilst Eldred was nominated for Life Membership of the Sporting Car Club of South Australia in 1958, this was not granted as he had not been a member for ten unbroken years as per the constitution (his pre-war membership period apparently did not count). In 1963 Eldred financed the club’s trophy for Meritous Service, with the proviso that it was not for achievement in motor sport. The resultant Eldred Norman Perpetual Trophy has been awarded annually ever since.

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger fiddler).

Ladies and gents,

Some interesting photos to add to the thread.

The two photos below were taken by the late John Brown, and show Bill Macintosh’s Norman-supercharged FJ Holden in Gympie, Queensland 1988.

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Looks to be either a Type 65 or Type 70, running twin SUs. Does anyone know anything about the car, or where it is now?

I feel somewhat guilty about the four photos below. The Norman shown belongs to John Brown. I had been having a good conversation with John over his Norman, though typically of me I kept getting sidetracked into other early Holden go-fast gear. When I visited and saw John’s Norman, I was foolish enough to not have taken a camera with me. John promised me that he would take some photos, which he did in the week or so before he passed away. Its typical of John that he went well out of his way to do this for me. RIP mate, and thankyou for the photos.

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John’s Norman is an early water-cooled Type 65, with cast iron casing, steel rotor and aluminium end plates. This is the same as the Type 65 run in Bob Moule’s Bobcat humpy, which is currently living in Anthony Harradine’s EJ Holden Premier. Note that the water jacket nipples are offset, with one at either end of the casing. This is different to later Type 65s, where the nipples are in the middle of the casing and aligned. John’s Norman has the “NORMAN” cast outlet manifold, with the swoopy u-piece to bring the supercharger outet back up towards the bonnet, running between the engine and supercharger. This manifold uses a hose connection to run to the airhorn of the standard inlet manifold. Note the nipple on the discharge plenum for measuring boost. The mountings for John’s supercharger locate the unit low on the passengers side of the block, effectively replacing the generator. The generator is then located up high, close to the bonnet. John’s supercharger has been fitted with an aluminium box plenum inlet manifold... not sure what carbs it has been set up for. The drive end shows an open-race ball bearing. Most of these have been replaced over time with sealed bearings, so John's may not have been worked on for a while. The non-drive end of John’s Norman is blanked with aluminium plate.

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger fiddler).

Ladies and gents,

Another newspaper clipping has surfaced (with thanks Kevin – appreciated) from Adelaide’s The News newspaper of September 28th 1964:

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Some interesting info here. The main photo shows Mustard’s twin-Norman supercharged Elfin, the subject of the Bluebird/Elfin landpseed trials anecdote I posted here a while back. The gentleman on the left of the photograph is Andrew Mustard, though I am not sure who the person on the right is (could be Eldred, though I have never seen him in eyeglasses before).

The article also shows Eldred busily working away on supercharger fitments for early Holdens, including the new EH. Note that the model indicates Eldred is making two versions, using the standard carb:
a) 7 ½ to 8 psi boost for acceleration, and
b) A 5½ psi boost for sustained high speed.
This is the period of time where Eldred was making the Type 65 and Type 70 superchargers (rather than the later Type 45/70/90’s).

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger fiddler).

Ladies and gents,

In the post below, I am going to cover some of the things to work through in getting a manifold made up for your Norman supercharger, including Interpreting some of the guidance from Supercharge! and Supercharged! Design, Testing and Installation of Supercharger Systems. Before I launch into it, I’d like to thank Pete Mallaby, who made up the manifold I have been working on. Pete has taken my poor description and crappy details and made a truly beautiful piece of steel. Any issues with the manifold (like my bad measurement… as we’ll see) are my fault alone. For anyone wanting a good bit of steel (or ally) made up, I would highly recommend Pete’s work. Contact details for Pete’s business are:
Mallaby Sheetmetal
65 Piercefield Rd, Mt Thorley NSW 2330
PO Box 1, Broke NSW 2330
Telephone: (02) 65746300
Facsimile: (02) 65746311
Email: admin@mallaby.com.au
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The manifold should be kept as near to the cylinder head as possible. Longer distances makes top end performance suffer, although does not affect mid range torque. Some early grey motor Norman superchargers were mounted in place of the generator, as per the left hand image below.

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This made use of the standard GMH inlet manifold, and a length of rubber piping. Later grey motor Norman installations mounted the supercharger on a custom box manifold, as per the image in the middle. This positioning was also used by Mike Norman for Holden red motors. Red motor superchargers made by Eldred used the lineup shown to the right above, where the supercharger is mounted on the drivers side of the engine and a hose/piping used to go over the rocker cover to the standard inlet manifold. Whilst the left and right image line-ups give some flexibility in supercharger location, the middle image gives the shortest distance. It does however mount the supercharger very high, and can cause bonnet clearance issues.

For the middle option, the most satisfactory manifold (according to Eldred) is a box manifold feeding by short stub pipes direct into the inlet ports (the middle image above). Eldred recommended making the box of 3”x2”x 10-gauge tube (the modern equivalent to this is 50mmx75mmx4mm RHS). Bear in mind however that the early superchargers are very heavy… an alloy-case Type 65 with a 2” SU bolted to it weighs 20½kg! This means the box needs to be fairly substantive to prevent bowing.

The Norman supercharger is provided with a series of tapped holes in the casing, which are in the footprint of the supercharger mounting face. This makes it difficult to bolt to the box. One option is to run the bolts (studs) right through the box, as per the left hand image below.

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However, this option means that the bolts must be sealed to the box with washers and/or sealant, and will be prone to leakage (especially following a blower bang). Another option, as shown in the second image from the left, is to split the box to allow access inside. The box top half can then be bolted to the supercharger before the two halves of the box are bolted together. This process however gives a large flange joint in the box, which would be even more prone to leakage. It also places the nuts inside the box. Whilst the nuts can be locked or safety wired, it is not too comfortable a place to have them… a loose nut sucked through the engine is no laughing matter. An easier method is to top the box with a flange, as per the third image. This avoids leak-prone joints or piston-destroying nuts inside the box. Note that the Norman supercharger can be rotated and mounted sideways to increase bonnet clearance, as per the image to the right. Provided the carburetor-to-supercharger manifold still mounts the carburetor(s) in the correct orientation then no loss of performance results (the Norman does not know or care what way it is turned).

The third image above is perhaps the neatest solution, and is the same one as used by Eldred for his grey motor manifolds. A word from the wise – when specifying the width shown with a red arrow in the image to the below, make sure that you allow enough spave not only for the bolts to straddle the box, but also the bolts heads.

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Being foolish, when I had the manifold shown below made I forgot to allow for the bolt heads (and later felt like a right proper tool). Whilst allen-head capscrews only have small heads, even they take up space.

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The dimension shown by the red arrow above needs to be a touch under 2” for Type 65’s, and will vary with different superchargers. You’ll note in the image below that I had to make an alluminium sandwich plate to correct my mistake.

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The plenum (or box) part of the manifold serves two purposes. Firstly, it takes the discharge flow of the supercharger and distributes it to each of the cylinder head ports. Secondly, it acts as a pulsation dampener, smoothing out the flow (remember that our positive displacement Norman supercharger pushes out discrete “packets” of discharge every time a vane passes the outlet… the engine cylinder head valves equally cause pulses as each opens and closes). According to Eldred in Supercharge!, the manifold plenum volume should have a total capacity equal to about half the swept volume of the motor (for our 138ci Holden grey motor this would be 69ci or 1130mL). Corky Bell (Supercharged! Design, Testing and Installation of Supercharger Systems) is a bit more generous, indicating that the plenum should be at least as large as the swept volume (138ci or 2260mL). There is a balance here though in that the bigger the plenum, the more air/fuel mixture is present… and the bigger the explosion during a blower bang. The manifold I had made up has an internal volume of 106inch3 (120inch3 if you include the runners), or some 87% of the grey motor swept volume. This is a good balance between pulsation dampening and minimizing a blower bang.

It’s a good idea to weld some nipples onto the manifold to allow connection of boost gauges etc – one ¼”NPT and one 1/8”NPT nipple is a minimum.

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Whilst square-end pipe stubs welded to a section of RHS will work, the plenum to runner transition should be made as smooth as possible. Ideally, a bell shape can be made into each runner with the dimensions as shown in the image to the right.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/7_zpsf6810826.png) ($2)

We will want to mount the relief valve on the manifold. The relief valve should be as large as practical and as close as possible to the supercharger outlet. Eldred recommends one at either end of the manifold. The box “lid” (or walls) will mount the relief valve, often achieved by drilling and tapping studs into the top of the box. The relief valve studs I will show below are ¼”-28 UNF thread. Good engineering practice is to engage the threads by 1½ times the bolt diameter, or in this case 3/8”. Making the box top 3/8” thick is a bit heavier than Eldred’s 5/32”, but it does mean that we can remove substantive amounts of steel (for more than one relief valve, or for tapping boost pressure gauges and water injection) without weakening the manifold. An alternative is to use a thinner lid, together with some nutserts, a thick mounting boss/compensating ring or to weld the relief valve studs on.

Of note, if you are making the supercharger manifold yourself you will have opportunity to weld/fit/fiddle/cut/weld/repeat to your hearts content. If you are having the manifold made by an outside shop (and your welding is as poor as mine), your ability to rework the manifold is limited. A key dimension that is painful to estimate is the exact location of the supercharger in space. A little too far forward or back and the pulleys will not line up. Whilst they can be shimmed, it is a lot easier if they don’t have to be (remember that driven pulley location on the Norman can sometimes affect drive end rotor clearance…painful to fiddle with). To solve this, it is recommended that the manifold top plate/lid/flange be made “closed” initially (at least if a workshop is making the manifold for you). The manifold is then bolted to the engine, and the supercharger sat in place. The supercharger can then be moved backwards and forwards until the drive and driven pulleys are aligned. Allignment can be checked by running a straight edge (steel rule, or a long spirit level) across the face of the pulleys. There is a pretty fair chance that the drive and driven pulleys are a little bit different (for example the belts spaced apart slightly differently). The best reference point to use (i.e. the point to see is “lined up”) is probably the midpoint between the two belts on both pulleys (rather than the pulley faces), as per the green arrow on the diagram below.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/12_zps2d8138cc.png) ($2)

This will require you to measure off the straight edge onto the pulley edge. The supercharger position is marked onto the manifold, and then the manifold removed. The hole for the supercharger to pass air/fuel into the manifold can then be cut out, and the mounting holes drilled. This gives excellent pulley alignment without having to shim the pulleys.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/8_zps4bad4360.png) ($2)

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/9_zps2b2f9c84.png) ($2)

Another word from the wise. Mike Norman’s superchargers mount through rails cast into the supercharger, which are fitted with steel inserts. These are pretty square, as they are made by extrusion. Eldred’s superchargers however are individually drilled. Experience has shown that the holes are not all that square. One way to transfer the exact hole location to your new manifold is to use some transfer ink. To do this, clean both the manifold and the supercharger faces, then paint the supercharger face with engineer’s blue (for example Dykem 75182 Hi-spot Marker). This is a paste that is easy to spread, and does not dry out for months. It is used in industry (where two parts are to be mated together) to detect high spots on bearings, gears and other close fits. When the two parts are pressed together, the footprint of the supercharger should transfer to the manifold, showing exactly where the bolt holes are. The footprint can then be marked onto the manifold with a scribe and centrepunch. The engineer’s blue can then be cleaned up with some kero.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/10_zps1f992bc9.png) ($2)

Sadly, when I tried to do this it is evident that the Norman gasket face is nowhere near flat enough to transfer properly (it will need some good thick gaskets). After cleaning off all the engineers blue (I had blue fingers for days), I had to manually measure out each bolt hole from a reference point, estimating centres. If an engineering shop is making the manifold for you, they may well need the actual supercharger to work from.

Finally, bear in mind that the manifold and supercharger is going to be quite heavy, putting a considerable load on the cylinder head to inlet/exhaust manifold bolts. To prevent sagging over time (and hence leaks), some bracing is required. I made up some support braces to run from the manifold to the cylinder head bolts, using some 20x5mm flatbar.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Manifoldbracestocylinderheadbolts_zps11479be7.jpg) ($2)

Whilst two braces are probably adequate, in theory you can mount many more on the cylinder head bolts. The braces (one flat, one S-shaped) simply bolt up to the supercharger manifold at one end and fit under the cylinder head bolts on the other. Of note though is that when the 5mm thickness of brace is put under the cylinder head bolt, the bolt only bearly engages some thread before tightening (if you try to tighten the cylinder head bolt back up to 65ft/lb, the bolt slips due to too few threads engaged. This is because the GMH cylinder head bolts have a very short thread length (which is why I ran out of thread). The idea behind this is that you only cut enough thread to do the job – any unengaged thread acts as a localised stress riser, leading to fatigue failure of the cylinder head gasket joint. As an aside, the GMH bolts are also reduced in diameter (they should be 7/16” diameter, but are less than that) to ensure that all the remaining threads are fully engaged. This reduces the bending stiffness of the bolt, increasing fatigue strength. To solve the short bolt problem, remember that GMH made both “long” cylinder head bolts (part number 7401119), and “short” ones (part number 7401120) for the grey motor. The bolts on the supercharger side of the cylinder head (passengers side) are the short ones (7401120), and are 7/16”-14UNCx3½”. I didn’t measure a longer bolt (from the drivers side of the cylinder head), but from memory the longer bolts are ½” longer (7/16”-14UNCx4”). The simple solution is thus to find a spare “long” bolt and use it.

With the manifold all prettied up, it’s time to think a bit harder about our relief valve. I’ve used the aluminium plate type valve favoured by Eldred, which consists of two aluminum plates (one circular, one triangular). Dimensions for the plates are shown below.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/14_zpsa606338f.png) ($2)

Note that at the dimensions shown, the three ¼”UNF mounting bolts/studs do not quite clear the circular disc – either make three small notches in the disc, or increase the 2.4” measurement above slightly to space the bolts further out.

A hole is cut into the top of the manifold using a holesaw to allow the gas to pass out through the relief valve. From earlier postings, we need a minimum of a 2¼” diameter hole for red motors, and no less than a 1 9/16” (a little over 1½") hole for grey motors. These dimensions will give a sealing face (a ring shape) of 5/32” and ½” thick respectively. The hole I cut in the manifold above is 1.73” (a poofteenth bigger than the 1.68” internal width of the box section, and hence as big as can be done with that manifold). Note that the valve need not be mounted on the top of the box section – it will work equally well on the side (though avoid the bottom of the box as it will tend to accumulate any dirt, oil or condensing fuel, making the valve unreliable). I used some rubber sheeting under the circular plate to act as a gasket. You could also use normal paper gasket, but bear in mind that what comes out the valve is flaming, ignited fuel/air at a great rate of knots. Paper may not survive, and a leaking relief valve will sideline you in the Woolies carpark.

I also drilled three holes for the relief valve mounting bolts, and tapped them to suit ¼”-28UNF. I’ve used bolts here. The position of the relief valve bolts (how far they are screwed into the manifold) determines the spring compression, and hence the pressure setting of the valve. The more they are screwed in, the higher the valve set pressure. The only down-side of using bolts is that the bolt holes go all the way through the manifold (i.e. they are not blind). This means that gas can pass from the manifold up the threads, causing a leak. The bolts will need to be sealed (with thread sealer, just like some water jacket bolts on cylinder heads) when they are finally tested and set. It is probably neater to use studs, with nuts on the top to adjust. The studs can then be permanently sealed into the manifold. As a note, the bolts (or studs) used should be high-tensile, as they are under a pretty fair load constantly – mild steel may stretch over time.

The relief valve uses a (used) Holden grey motor valve spring to provide pressure. These have a spring tension of some 85lb/inch (i.e. if you compress the spring ½”, it exerts 42.5lb of force, if you compress it 1” it exerts 85lb of force). At 1” of compression we are very close to coil bind, meaning the maximum force we can exert with this spring (by compressing it 1”) is 85lb i.e. we can adjust the spring to deliver from 0 to 85lb of force on our aluminium disc. For the hole I cut (1.73” diameter), we have a cross sectional area of some 2.2inch2. By acting over the 2.2inch2 of manifold hole, the manifold pressure would need to rise to approximately (85lb ÷ 2.2inch2 =) 39psi before the spring is overcome and the valve lifts (at maximum spring compression). All up, it means we have an adjustable relief valve that can deliver from 0psi to 39psi. Cut the hole a little bigger, and you can handle a little less pressure. Use a stiffer spring, and you can handle more pressure. From previous posts, we set the valve at 150% of the targeted boost pressure. If we target 10psi boost (realistic for a Norman), we set the valve to 15psi.

With the valve assembled, it is now time to undertake the pressure test. The intent of the pressure test is to check that relief valve pops at the right pressure… too low and we will leak fuel/air, and too high and the manifold may rupture. The idea here is to test at multiple spring compressions. Having done that, for a given spring we will know that say 0.5” of compression gives you say 3psi setting, 0.8” compression gives you 8psi etc. That way you will not need to pressure test the manifold again if you pull the valve apart, just adjust it to the right compression distance. I made some blanking plates out of galvanized plate for the three runners, and out of vinyl-coated chipboard for the supercharger hole. I have glued some rubber sheeting to the plates with contact adhesive to serve as gaskets during pressure testing.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/15_zpsec9d95d0.png) ($2)

The blanking plates for the runners were held in position with clamps, whilst I used the supercharger mounting holes to clamp on the chipboard blank. You will need to plug off any spare tappings in the manifold with steel or brass plugs. To measure the pressure, I used the same boost gauge I intend to use in the vehicle. When pressure testing, it is important to check each time that the valve is adjusted square. I measured between the top and bottom plates (see photo), and adjusted the bolts to square up the valve.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/16_zpsd71a160d.png) ($2)

The “zero” setting (i.e. the valve only just seated, with bugger-all spring tension) is a measurement of 1.94”. I used some soapy water around the relief valve to detect the onset of leakage, and the air compressor (gently!) to bring the manifold up to pressure. Be wary here that if you are heavy handed, or the manifold is weak it can go bang and throw steel at high speed for a long distance - good idea to clear the shed and wear a faceshield for this one.

Once you have finished the testing (and confirmed tha the vavle pops at the right setting), the valve must be locked. There is a risk that the bolts either vibrate loose over time (leading to leakage from the valve), or are accidently tightened right up in the future (leading to the valve not opening when it needs to). To prevent this, I have cross-drilled the bolt heads and fitted safety wire (I love drilling 1mm holes through high-tensile steel bolt heads on an angle). Safety wire works by connecting the bolts together in pairs. If one bolt tries to vibrate loose, the wire pulls on its partner. The wire is installed in such a way that the bolt being pulled on tries to tighten up. This provides resistance, and stops the first bolt from loosening. The wire also acts as a reminder that the nuts should not be played with (and hence inadvertently tightened).

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/17_zps8eb3f700.png) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/18_zps28fc4082.png) ($2)

You could always use locknuts, Loctite or jam nuts… I think lockwire looks cooler though. Those forum members with an aviation background are cordially invited to stop laughing at the quality of my lockwiring… at least it’s better than my welding .

I know that this seems to be a lot of stuffing around for the relief valve. Bear in mind that we are protecting the car (and anyone around it) from an uncontrolled explosion. Blower bangs are pretty common in race vehicles, though hi-powered dragsters are normally fitted with blower restraints (webbing) to hold the bits together during a bang. Our old Normans normally don’t use blower restraints. Anyone who is still not convinced that a supercharger bang is a major event should watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ll3EvNMBgLA.

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger fiddler).

Ladies and gents,

In the post below, I am going to cover the way that the ignition system can be changed to reduce knocking (pinging) in our supercharged grey motor. By retarding the timing, the engine will have less tendency to knock.

Our standard Holden grey motor has three separate components to ignition timing:
a) Advance which is added by rotating the distributor then bolting it down. This is often referred to as “flywheel advance”, and is constant regardless of what the engine is doing. For a grey motor, this is typically 2º.
b) Mechanical advance (sometimes called centrifugal advance). This is accomplished inside the distributor by a combination of spinning weights and springs, and varies with engine speed. It works by rotating the top of the distributor shaft clockwise to open the points earlier. For a grey motor, the following is a typical mechanical advance curve:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/1_zpsaad52f16.png) ($2)

Note that there is a range of advance for a given engine speed (between the two red lines), as not all distributors are quite the same. The faster the engine spins, the more the distributor advances the timing (up to 28-32º at 3450rpm). The mechanical advance component can thus be described as “28-32º all-out at 3450rpm”.
c) Vacuum advance. This is again accomplished inside the distributor, but is driven by the vacuum module sitting on the side of the dizzy. The module is connected to the inlet manifold – the more vacuum in the inlet manifold, the more the vacuum module advances the timing. It works by rotating the breaker plate (and the points attached to them) anti-clockwise to open the points earlier. For a grey motor, the following is a typical vacuum advance curve:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/2_zpsae8f4e1b.png) ($2)

Note that there is again range of advance for a given vacuum (between the two blue lines), as not all distributors are quite the same. The higher the engine vacuum, the more the distributor advances the timing (up to 14-18º at 10-12”Hg of vacuum).

The total timing advance we get is thus a combination of flywheel advance (how far the dizzy body is turned), mechanical advance (how far the dizzy shaft top is turned) and vacuum advance (how far the points are turned), and depends on both engine speed (rpm) and load (vacuum). This needs thinking through in light of supercharged operation.

So just how much advance do we need for our Norman-blown grey, and how do we set it up?

Our first option (Option 1) is to rely on flywheel and mechanical advance alone, and set them up so that they do not offer too much advance as boost increases. From Supercharge!, we can see the following advice:
a) For every degree of “effective compression ratio” increase, retard the timing by 3º (for example, an engine on 9:1 might require 40º advance at peak r.p.m., whilst the same engine on 12:1 would only require about 32º). “Effective compression ratio” is a calculated number which tries to blend together an engines normal compression ratio with the “squeeze” obtained by supercharging. Effective compression ratio can be calculated as:
Effective compression ratio = √((Boost+14.7)/14.7) x static compression ratio
For example, a vehicle running 5 psi boost with a static compression ratio of 8.8:1 gives:

Effective compression ratio = √((5+14.7)/14.7) x 8.8 = 10.2
Note that Weiand use a different formula:
Effective compression ratio = (Boost/14.7+1)x static compression ratio
This gives a different result to Eldred’s method (for example, our 5 psi/8.8:1 vehicle would return an effective compression ratio of 11.8). The difference in calculation is something to be mindful of (for example if the effective compression ratio table in the Weiand Supercharger Installation Instructions Part A are used).
b) Undertake the timing reduction by reducing centrifugal advance, not by reducing flywheel advance (i.e. by regraphing the distributor, not by rotating the distributor).
c) Retard the distributor itself approximately 4º in addition to allow for decreased octane.

An additional set of advice is given by Weiand:
“We have achieved our best results with 12 to 20° of initial lead with a total lead of 32 to 36°. The advance should be in by 2,000 to 2,500 rpm... We have found that for all of the engines that we have dyno-tested, that the best power is obtained with 32° of total spark advance, with the entire advance coming in by 2,800 rpm. This is the maximum power with 108-octane race gasoline. You will probably not be able to use this much advance with pump gasoline. Our tests have shown that dropping the total spark advance back to 25° results in a loss of only two percent of power and torque up to 4,000 rpm and four percent of power and torque at 5,500 rpm. For this small loss in power, there will be a considerable reduction in detonation.” - Weiand Supercharger Installation Instructions Part A.
Weiand’s advice is consistant with guidance from other sources, for example:
“For most applications, the distributor should have a centrifugal advance mechanism set up so that the entire advance is in by 2,500 rpm. Typically, 34 degrees should be a safe level of ignition lead to provide close to optimum performance.” – Chevy High Performance Magazine

We can cross-check the Weiand guidance against Eldred’s views. If we take a grey motor running 7.25:1 static compression and add 10psi of boost to it, Eldred calculates
Effective compression ratio = √((10+14.7)/14.7) x 7.25 = 9.4
This is an increase of (9.4 - 7.25 = ) 2.1 degrees of compression, to which Eldred would recommend (2.1 x 3 = ) 6½ degrees of centrifugal advance timing reduction, plus up to 4º of static advance reduction. Our factory grey motor running flat-out has 32º of centrifugal advance, which we would reduce to 25½º. We also have 2º at the flywheel which would be reduced by around 4º, giving a total of 23½º total advance. This is pretty close to the guidance given by Weiand (around 25º total advance). As an interesting aside, early VW’s typically started with timing of 10º flywheel advance, and around 26º of vacuum advance (no mechanical) to give 36º total. This was tuned for the Judson supercharger by reducing flywheel advance by 5-7½º to give 28½-31º. This is again similar to Weiand’s advice.

So as a practical guide for setting up supercharged timing for a grey motor under Option 1, the following is a starting point:
a) Disconnect the vacuum advance and plug off the inlet manifold connection.
b) Regraph the distributor to give the following centrifugal advance, all-in at 2500rpm:
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/3_zps0aad54c7.png) ($2)
If you are unsure as to your compression ratio (say because the head has been worked) or boost level, then aim for 25º centrifugal advance, all-in at 2500rpm,
c) Set flywheel advance at 2º, and reduce/advance as necessary (probably 1-4º) to reduce knocking.

Option 1 is thus dependant on a particular engines boost/compression, but in summary uses no vacuum advance, changes mechanical advance from “28-32º all-out at 3450rpm” to (roughly) “25º all-out at 2500rpm” and tunes using the flywheel advance.

Our second option (Option 2) is to try to get full advantage of the mechanical advance, yet reduce timing as boost increases. We could do this with an electronic boost retard box, though this is not too period-correct. One way to do this is to utilise boost retard in a manner similar to vaccum advance (i.e. by rotating the breaker plate inside the distributor - kinda like vacuum advance in reverse). This is not as simple as just connecting up the factory Holden grey motor vacuum advance unit to boost pressure due to the internal configuration of the unit. As can be seen from the diagram below of the factory unit, vacuum acting on the green diaphragm causes a compression spring to compress, pulling on the rod to advance timing. Adding boost to the factory grey motor unit tries to make the spring stretch, bottoming out the unit.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/4_zps56980fdc.png) ($2)

What we are looking for instead is a setup similar to that shown below.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/5_zps85fc0310.png) ($2)

As an aside, this type of boost retard should not be confused with vacuum retard where timing is retarded with increasing vacuum, not boost. Vacuum retard is an evil process used as an emissions control device (lowering NOX emissions by dropping combustion temperature) in vehicles like the 1971-1976 Triumph TR6 and 1969-74 Jaguar Series ll and XJ6. As an example of a vehicle that did use the type of boost retard we are looking for, Chevrolet released the Corvair Spyder from 1962 with a 150hp turbocharged option. This vehicle did not use vacuum advance, but instead used a similar type of diaphragm module to measure boost. As boost increased, timing was decreased. Timing for the Corvair Spyder was as follows:
a) Flywheel: 24º
b) Centrifugal: 10-14º all in at 4500rpm
c) Boost retard: 7.5-10.5º per psi, all in at 1.5-2.5psi.
Thus a Corvair Spyder motor operating at 4500rpm and 2.5psi boost would have ignition timing of 24+10-11 = 21-23º. This is pretty close to the guidance given above by both Weiand and Eldred.

In Supercharge!, Eldred mentions this type of boost retard unit, indicating:
“It is difficult to get the correct spring tension and amount of travel correctly balanced with the boost pressure. However for those interested in trying this a total movement of the plate mounting the points, in the region of six degrees of the distributor will cope with an eight pound supercharge. The distributor itself will have to be advanced about eight degrees over the normal setting to compensate for the total loss of what was formerly the vacuum advance mechanism.”

In summary, Option 2 uses factory mechanical advance, reduces timing with increasing boost, and tunes with flywheel advance. Without using a boost retard box, Option 2 is not an easy one to pursue.

Option 3 is a simplistic version of Option 1, and is used by many race vehicles. This involves locking the distributor. Locking the distributor means that both the vacuum advance and flywheel advance are disabled, and all timing is done by changing the flywheel advance. The advance/static compression ratios shown for Option 1 can be used (or the simplistic 25º advance used as a starting point). Locking the distributor makes it’s operation more simple (and hence more reliable), though means that all the advance the car needs comes on at very low rpm and is fixed. This is OK for a car that runs flat-out all the time (like speedway or drag cars), but not so good for cars that operate over a wide range of speeds and loads (like your typical road car). At low rpm, a fixed-timing road car can perform quite poorly. Another drama of fixed timing is that it gives waaaaaay too much advance at startup compared to a “normal” engine. When cranking over the engine, the engine may fire the charge early (especially if the engine is hot), making the piston push backwards. This can break teeth from the starter or ring gear. One way around this is to install an ignition isolation switch inside the cabin, in parallel to the factory Holden key-switch. Turn the ignition isolation switch to off (ignition off, no spark) until the motor is cranking over strongly (2-3 seconds) then flip the ignition system back on.

In summary Option 3 is simple and reliable (lock the advance at roughly 25º)… just not well suited to anything that runs other than flat-out the whole time.

Whilst the above deals with mechanical and flywheel advance, we also need to think about vacuum advance. Opinions vary greatly as to the need for it in supercharged vehicles. For example:
a) Moss and Judson both recommend using vacuum advance with their superchargers,
b) Holley (Procharger) provides for a vacuum advance connection in their supercharger manifolds,
c) Several of the MSD Ignition boost retard units allow for programmable vacuum advance, and
d) Shorrock disconnected vacuum advance with their superchargers.

Generally, the supercharged engine will still develop vacuum (not boost) under cruise conditions, and vacuum advance can be useful for throttle response and fuel economy. Our first option for vacuum advance is to simply disconnect the vacuum advance and block off any connection on the inlet manifold. This is simple and cheap, though does sacrifice some throttle response and fuel economy.
Alternatively, we can look at There are two positions we can take our pressure/vacuum signal from:
a) Ported vacuum – this is taken upstream of the carburettor(s) butterfly and will always be vacuum (never pressure), or
b) Inlet manifold – this is taken between the supercharger and the cylinder head, and will vary from vacuum to pressure depending on engine load.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/6_zps42a3ff8f.png) ($2)

The two different locations will vary in pressure/vacuum as follows:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/7_zpsbbc7596f.png) ($2)

Note that this will vary slightly with configuration – for example if the carburettor is too small, then vacuum will be higher (lower pressure) at the inlet manifold but lower (closer to zero) at the ported vacuum connection.

If the standard ported vacuum connection location is used to set the timing, the distributor will still see vacuum under off-idle and cruise conditions (and advance the timing) – no harm there. However, as engine load (and hence boost) begins to increase, the distributor will continue to see vacuum, increasing timing (by up to 18º for a standard grey motor vacuum unit and distributor!). Advancing the timing with increased boost will cause substantive knocking.

Vacuum advance can be plumbed into the inlet manifold. In this location, the unit will see vacuum under off-idle and cruise conditions (and advance the timing). As engine load (and hence boost) begins to increase, the distributor will see boost (an absence of vacuum) and will reduce the (vacuum) timing advance to nil. The problem in doing this though is that at idle the distributor sees vacuum and retards timing. This can give a significant bog when you first put your foot down.

Whether or not we choose to use vacuum advance, we may wish to check the mechanical advance curve. Without putting the distributor on a regraphing machine, you can check the mechanical advance curve by marking the flywheel. The normal process for setting ignition timing utilizes a timing light. The light is connected to cylinder #1, and the engine allowed to idle at 480-520rpm. At this speed, a typical Holden grey motor should have zero (at most 1º) mechanical advance. Early Holdens were designed to run timed spark vacuum (the vacuum port connection is at the throttle body above the throttle plate), giving no/little signal to the vacuum advance module at idle (and hence no vacuum advance). Thus at idle we are really only checking the flywheel advance. For our Holden grey motor, when the timing light flashes it is aimed at the timing ball on the flywheel. The ball is located at 2º flywheel advance (note that the flywheel also has a “UC” mark a little anti-clockwise, which marks Top Dead Centre, or 0º advance). So our timing light is really checking that we have 2º of flywheel advance in our standard grey motor. The grey motor flywheel ring gear has 113 teeth (roughly 1/3 of a tooth per degree). Thus if we flash the timing light at more than 3450rpm, the dizzy should have advanced the timing 28-32º, or 9-10 teeth clockwise. To check the advance, put a series of coloured dots (with paint) under the flywheel teeth e.g.
0º mechanical advance = factory steel ball.
5º mechanical advance = red paint dot = 1.5 teeth to the right (clockwise) of the factory steel ball.
10º mechanical advance = blue paint dot = 3 teeth to the right of the factory steel ball.
15º mechanical advance = white paint dot = 5 teeth to the right of the factory steel ball.
20º mechanical advance = green paint dot = 6 teeth to the right of the factory steel ball.
25º mechanical advance = yellow paint dot = 8 teeth to the right of the factory steel ball.
30º mechanical advance = purple paint dot = 9 teeth to the right of the factory steel ball.
You can then run the car up to a given rpm, flash the timing light and see how much advance you’ve got by looking at what coloured dot is illuminated.

At some stage I’ll come back to ignition timing and post more – I currently know how to simply limit vacuum advance, but want to play around a bit more with mechanical advance in the standard GMH dizzy. The aim is to give a simple, no welding, backyard way to setup the dizzy for a supercharger. Watch this space.

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger fiddler).

Ladies and gents,

In this post I will add some of the fiddly bits and pieces I have learnt in the last month in finishing up the Type 65 Norman rebuild.

Some time back I took a good look at drive pulleys and posted the results here. My original intention was to use a GMH red motor twin pulley as a drive pulley. These will bolt to the aftermarket grey motor harmonic balancer using the three “remover/puller” holes. I bought two GMH pulleys, bolted one of them up OK, pulled it off, cleaned and painted it… must have handled the two pulleys a dozen times. I need my eyes checked. Would you believe it, the GMH pulleys are two different groove sizes. For example, one groove is 5.25” diameter, the other 5.10” (the other pulley I have is 5.23” and 5.09”). Doesn’t sound like much (and hard to see by eye unless you are looking for it). However, for our use as Norman supercharger twin-pulley drives they are not suitable. Connecting two different drive pulley groove diameters to the driven pulley (same groove diameter) puts the pulleys into bad conflict. One belt would slip badly. For example, on the 5.25”/5.10” pulley, at idle the belt would slip 8” every second, and at full noise 80”. Way too much. I guess GMH only ever drove two different accessories (e.g. airconditioning and power steering) and never ran them as a twin belt.

To solve the drama, I have bolted up an alluminium twin pulley from a Chev (eBay special). It took some machining to fit, but at least is now the same pulley diameter (trust me… I measured it repeatedly). The bad thing about using Chev pulleys though is that the internal bore is much larger than the grey motor crankshaft (the Chev is 1.1” versus the 1” grey motor crank). This means it can be quite hard to centralise the Chev pulley onto the grey motor crank. I tried using one of the harmonic balancers as a template, and even taking quite some care could not get the three holes drilled perfectly concentrically. If using the Chev pulley it is recommended to either get a hub centric ring made up (a washer 1” ID and 1.1” OD), or to have the three mounting holes professionally drilled by a machine shop (3/8-24UNF on a 213/16” (71.44mm) PCD). Note when buying a Chev pulley that you will typically want one that lies very close to the harmonic balancer (rather than the “long water pump” type that stick out further). A Speedmaster PCE239.1008 item is not a bad choice (http://store.speedmaster79.com/).

The Chev drive pulley is 5.457” diameter, giving this particular Norman a drive ratio of 1.23:1. A fair amount of overdrive, though suitable for the Type 65. With a 6,000rpm practical redline on the Norman, this will impose a redline of no more than 4800rpm on the engine.

With the drive pulley sorted, I turned my attention back to the idler. From my previous posts, we identified that the Kilkenny Castings KC160 was a suitable candidate to run on the back side of a double vee-belt setup. These are intended as replacement idler pulleys for VN-VP Commodores. The bearings on the KC160 are a weird unit – 40mm OD and 17mm ID. The 17mm internal diameter is painful, as it is nigh-on impossible to buy an M17 bolt to act as a pulley spindle. One option that is useful is to replace the bearing with a 40mm OD/19.05mm ID bearing (bearing part number 6203-¾). These are an oddball bearing, with a metric OD and ¾” imperial ID. This would allow you to use a ¾” high-tensile bolt as the pulley spindle. In this case, it was easier to machine the existing spindle down to ¾” (and no… I couldn’t machine down to 17mm and use the existing bearing as the spindle threads clashed). Many thanks to Cooper for helping with the machining on this one – very much appreciated.

With the idler pulley sorted, I shimmed out the pulley spindle with some washers to align the pulleys and then chose belts. I ended up using two 11A1385 belts. This is the longest belt that the setup can handle, with the tensioner almost making the back of the belts touch.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Beltgap_zpsb5276b1a.jpg) ($2)

Whilst you could readily run smaller belts on this setup (for example 11A1375 or shorter), I maximised belt length to maximise belt wrap. This setup has 230º of wrap on the driven pulley, 155º on the drive pulley and 80º on the idler. These are pretty damn good values, with no need to tighten the absolute crap out of the belts to prevent slippage.

The belt tensioner on this Norman has been described in earlier posts, and works by clamping on to the supercharger drive-end snout. There is potential for this clamp to slip over time, allowing the belts to lose tension. To address this, I bought a small stainless steel turnbuckle from Bunnings, which bolted to the existing idler arm (see the earlier post which shows some drilled and tapped holes on the drawing). With a little persuasion, the other end of the turnbuckle now fits to the thermostat housing bolt.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Idlerconfiguration_zps41355c91.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Drivebeltalignment_zps35c84b4c.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Drivebeltalignmentwithtensioner_zpscced9f67.jpg) ($2)

This is a very neat way to put tension on the idler, and stop it vibrating loose over time. It also means you can tighten the belts easily without trying to hold tension on the idler pulley with a long bar.

With the idler sorted, the grey motor fan became an issue. I needed to space the fan out some 1⅓” to clear the idler pulley (this gave 5mm clearance between the idler pulley and fan blade tip). A 2” thick Speco fan spacer will do the trick (part number 501707), cut down to 1⅓” thick. Be wary that the standard grey motor water pump shaft protrudes through the pulley, so the back of the cut-down spacer will need a 1” diameter hole drilled in it to suit. The standard grey motor fan bolts onto the water pump pulley with four short ¼”-28x½” UNF bolts, with some longer ¼”-28 UNFx2” bolts from SuperCheap needed.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Drivebeltandfanspacer_zpsb600f6cd.jpg) ($2)

One drama here is that there is only 1” clearance between the fan and radiator in a standard FB/EK Holden - you may need to move the standard radiator forward to suit. An alternative is to run an electric fan, though this doesn’t feel too period correct.
I ran some new 5/16” steel fuel line to feed the SU. As the SU has a barbed inlet fitting this needs a short length of rubber hose to join. The steel fuel line thus needs a bead rolled into the end of it to prevent the rubber hose blowing off. A simple tool to do the job is sold by Aeroflow (part number AF98-2019).
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Fuellinesetup_zps53d15e52.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Fuellinerouting_zps7e41e153.jpg) ($2)

One trick here is to utilise the existing grey motor fuel line by joining it with a brass coupler (½”-20 UNF threads and a 45º double flare seat either end to suit the original 5/15" GMH fuel line). Couplers like this are available from NBS Brake Supplies (http://www.nbsbrakesupplies.com.au/). This is handy also for anyone wanting to plumb twins or triples.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Fuellinecoupler_zps850b8a8f.jpg) ($2)

And here a photo of the near-finished Norman:
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/BlownNorman_zps1b3a0087.jpg) ($2)

For this particular unit, my story ends here. I was pretty keen to fire it up, though the exhaust manifold I had would not allow the supercharger to fully sit square on the cylinder head. It would need some meat ground off the supercharger-to-cylinder head manifold to sit flat. As my exhaust was different to the one that will eventually go on the engine, I didn’t want to randomly grind some metal off the manifold. Even with a good sized gap in the inlet, this thing wanted to fire… the three seconds of running Norman that I got was sweet, sweet music. The Norman has now been packed up and sent back to it’s rightful owner. With a bit of luck, we’ll post some more here when it gets fired up in anger 8) .

Next Norman project will be to overhaul one of Mike Norman's units. Similar to the Type 65 above, but some subtleties. Following that, it's probably time to tackle my clutched Type 70 (the same type as Eldred was running on his HD ute). Watch this space.

Cheers,
Harv

A short note here on gilmer drive belts. As per the discussion above, a gilmer drive belt on a Norman supercharger is not ideal, but equally is not uncommon on the later (Mike) Norman superchargers. The gilmer belts allow for zero slippage, and can break belts (or crankshafts or supercharger rotors) during a blower bang. Assuming that your new Norman has come with a gilmer drive pulley (and perhaps a belt), the question becomes what type of belt to put on the system (or what type of pulley to buy to suit the other one). The name “gilmer” is used somewhat loosely to describe a wide variety of belt profiles. The belt manufacturing industry refers to these belts as “timing belts”, as they allow positive synchronization between two pulleys. The one thing these belts have in common is that they have teeth, which in turn mesh with teeth on the drive/driven pulleys. However, some caution needs to be taken before rolling into your local Repco store and asking for a gilmer belt.

The first difference in gilmer belts is the belt profile. Gilmer belt drives are typically either trapezoidal, curvilinear, or parabolic profile. The trapezoidal profile, available since the 1940’s, is the easiest to identify. The trapezoidal pulleys and belts have flat peaks and roots, with sharp corners. The curvilinear and parabolic belts are harder to pick, as they come in a variety of configurations, including:
• High Torque Drive (HTD) – a curvilinear belt introduced by Gates in 1971.
• Super Torque Positive Drive (STPD) – a modified curvilinear profile introduced by Goodyear in the early 1970’s
• GT – a modified curvilinear design developed by Gates in the late 1970’s and often seen in US NHRA supercharger drives in current use.
• Reinforced Parabolic Profile (RPP) – a parabolic profile introduced by Dayco (Carlisle) in the mid 1980’s.

The comparative profiles of the trapezoidal, HTD, STPD, GT and RPP profiles are shown below:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/1_zps74dd07b5.png) ($2)

Care needs to be taken in that whilst some of the above pulley systems are compatible with each other, some will only run their belt profile on their particular pulleys. If in doubt, it is wise to take the pulley (or belt) to a power transmission company (like CBC Bearings) for identification advice.

The next area in which there is quite some variation in gilmer belts is in the belt pitch. The various belt profiles have pitches as per the diagram and tables below.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/3_zps1c38f3b4.png) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/2_zps0f1d7146.png) ($2)

Note that the pitch distances shown above are measured on a belt, where the middle of the belt is shown by the green line (in the image below).

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/4_zps37e9e208.png) ($2)

This is not quite as simple to measure on a pulley. The image to the right shows a purple pulley, running a black belt. The green line again shows the middle of the belt. When measuring the pitch of the pulley, it is measured at the middle of the belt. Measuring on the middle of the pulley teeth (where the blue dots are in the image) will give an incorrect pitch (too small).

The next area that gilmer belts vary in is the belt width. Thankfully, this is a lot easier to measure than pitch, by measuring across the pulley face. Finally, like vee-belts a gilmer belt will vary in length. Some suppliers specify the belt by the circumference (similar to a vee-belt), whilst other classify belt length by the number of teeth the belt has.

Whilst many of the rules for setting up gilmer pulleys is identical to that of vee-belts, some good guidance is given in A study of supercharger belt failures, National Dragster July 24 1992, and as shown by the purple arrows in the image below:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/5_zps3d3e1ec8.png) ($2)

• Pulley alignment needs to ensure that pulley centers are no further than 0.020” misaligned on a 75mm drive belt.
• Back tension idler pulleys should be no less than 4½” diameter to reduce bending stress on the belt.
• Drive belts should be tensioned such that 10lbf is required to deflect the belt 5/16” at mid-span on the drive portion of the belt (between the drive and driven pulley) on a warm engine.

Whilst a number of sources are available for drive (and driven) pulleys, one local source is Naismith Engineering (http://www.naismith.com.au/pdf/timingpb.pdf). Engineering suppliers like CBC bearings (http://www.conbear.com/) can provide supercharger belts in a variety of profiles and lengths.

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger fiddler).

Ladies and gents,

This post contains some odds and ends that I have learnt over the last few weeks. Apologies if it seems a bit random… that’s one of the downsides of me writing this as an ongoing forum thread rather than a completed Guide.

A while back I took a good look at the rotor vane material. The vanes used in early (Eldred’s) Norman superchargers are made from canvas Bakelite. This is made by applying heat and pressure to layers of cotton fabric impregnated with Bakelite (phenolic) resin to make a laminate, and can be identified by the brown colour. The later Norman superchargers (Mike’s) vanes were changed to a more modern epoxy resin based binder over a fine fabric matrix, supplied by a firm in Sydney. The cream coloured material was much stronger and wear resistant than Eldred’s Bakelite vanes. Mike could remember that it was labelled as something similar to “F4” or “F5”, though we were not certain of the exact material. I had suspected that the material was either National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) FR-4 or FR-5 fire retardant glass-cloth reinforced epoxy laminate, but was not certain. FR-4 is a form of fibreglass.

I put the search for Mike’s material on the back-burner, but recently revived the issue when I needed to buy some replacement vanes. On working through the issue, it is unlikely that FR-4 or FR-5 was the material used by Mike. The main reason behind this is the hardness of the FR-4 material. The diagram below shows a number of hardness measuring scales on the left: HB (Brinnell hardness), HV (Vickers Harness), HRA (Rockwell A hardness), HRB (Rockwell B hardness), HRC (Rockwell C hardness), Scleroscope, HK (Knoop harndess) and Moh’s Scale. These are various tests used to measure hardness, whose scales partially overlap. On the right are some materials, arranged against the scales in order or harness – diamond at the top as very hard, and lead at the bottom as very soft.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/hardness_zpsrwcyfzzj.png) ($2)

We can see that in the middle are cast iron and cold drawn steel, which were used for Eldred and Mike’s respective casing liners. Note that Bakelite is lower on the scale than either of cast iron or cold drawn steel. This means that Eldred’s Bakelite vanes are softer than the casing liners, and will wear out. This is a good thing… if the vanes wear out they can be easily replaced, but a worn-out bore is fatal. When the Bakelite starts to wear out, it exposes the cotton fibres in the resin. These are softer than the iron, and again do no damage to the liner. FR-4 has a very similar hardness to Bakelite - about 110HRM when measured on the Rockwell M hardness scale. At first glance, it thus appears that FR-4 is softer than iron or steel, and hence an acceptable choice for the vanes. However, the Rockwell hardness test is really measuring the hardness of the FR-4 resin binder that is on the surface of the vane. As an FR-4 vane wears down, the soft resin binder is worn away, and the glass material becomes exposed. Glass is very much harder than steel, as we can see from the diagram above. The upshot is that for FR-4 vanes, the nice soft resin binder wears out, then the hard glass reinforcement would wear the hell out of the casing. This is why FR-4 is not a suitable material for supercharger vanes.

We can see that in the middle are cast iron and cold drawn steel, which were used for Eldred and Mike’s respective casing liners. Note that Bakelite is lower on the scale than either of cast iron or cold drawn steel. This means that Eldred’s Bakelite vanes are softer than the casing liners, and will wear out. This is a good thing… if the vanes wear out they can be easily replaced, but a worn-out bore is fatal. When the Bakelite starts to wear out, it exposes the cotton fibres in the resin. These are softer than the iron, and again do no damage to the liner.

FR-4 has a very similar hardness to Bakelite - about 110HRM when measured on the Rockwell M hardness scale. At first glance, it thus appears that FR-4 is softer than iron or steel, and hence an acceptable choice for the vanes. However, the Rockwell hardness test is really measuring the hardness of the FR-4 resin binder that is on the surface of the vane. As an FR-4 vane wears down, the soft resin binder is worn away, and the glass material becomes exposed. Glass is very much harder than steel, as we can see from the diagram above. The upshot is that for FR-4 vanes, the nice soft resin binder wears out, then the hard glass reinforcement would wear the hell out of the casing. This is why FR-4 is not a suitable material for supercharger vanes.
Working through, it appears that the material Mike used is much more likely to be F57. Tenmat Feroform F57 is a laminate (cloth layers in plastic), just like canvas Bakelite and FR-4. F57 was designed as a non-asbestos wearing and bearing composite. It is a cured phenolic resin matrix, reinforced with a woven aramid fibre cloth - aramid fibres are the same stuff that is used in Kevlar. F57 was specifically designed for rotor vanes in compressors and vacuum pumps. It has a hardness similar to Bakelite, without the abrasiveness of glass fibre. Some properties of both F57 and Bakelite are given below:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/table_zpsvvcnwop6.png) ($2)

Both F57 and Bakelite sheet can be purchased from Bearing Thermal Resources Pty Ltd:
5 Kerr Court Rowville, Victoria 3178 Australia
Telephone: (03) 97642009
Facsimile: (03) 97641009
Email: sales@btresources.com.au
Internet: www.btresources.com.au

If anyone wants replacement Bakelit or F57 vanes for their Norman, give me a yell. I also have some rotor springs (the new Inconel ones that do not fail like the original carbon steel ones).

Another issue I had put on the back-burner was the uses of hoses on Norman superchargers. Some of the Type 65/70 Normans have a “low mount” bracket, where the supercharger sits in the place normally occupied by the grey motor generator. This location requires the supercharger discharge to be connected to the cylinder head (inlet manifold) via a pipe or hose. Similarly, the later Type 75 superchargers used on red motors mounted the supercharger on the drivers side of the engine, and crossed over the rocker cover using hose connections. It is possible to just use rubber hose… but it will not last long, and if it bursts, you have a fuel/air mixture screaming out right near the hot exhaust.

The basic specification for the hose is as follows:
a) Must be compatible with a mixture of petrol, oil, air and water vapour. Preferably also compatible with ethanol (modern pump fuels… or E85) and methanol. Most modern turbo silicone hose (the stuff you see on modern Zim Pirate intercoolers) is only rated for air, and won’t handle the petrol (let alone alky).
b) Must be able to withstand a working pressure of 10psi (common Norman discharge pressure limit), and preferably 20psi (a 10psi Norman has a the relief valve set around 15psi… nicer if the valve lifts before the hose bursts).
c) Must be able to withstand a working temperature of 120º, and preferably 160ºC. This may be lower with water injection, but better safe than sorry.
d) Must be able to withstand a working vacuum of 22”Hg. This is because at idle the supercharger discharge manifold is under vacuum. This is the hard part… we are after a combination of a vacuum and pressure hose.
g) Assuming you are aiming to use a (relatively standard) inlet manifold, the BXOV-1 throttle body bore is 15/16” (33.3mm). We want a hose with an ID around this size.

The above combination is not an easy specification to meet. I did a lot of calling around, including both automotive suppliers and industrial suppliers like Pirtek. Most could not meet the spec. The closest I came was a lined silicon hose from RP Wallis. They do a 32mm hose (SFL32), 90º elbows (SFLE90-32) and 45º elbows (SFLE45-32). They also do 45mm, but that is probably a little too big unless you use a custom manifold. Contact for RP Wallis is as per below:

RP Wallis Wholesale Sydney
Unit 2/158 Newton Road
Wetherill Park, NSW, 2164
Telephone: (02) 9756 5111
Facsmile: (02) 9756 5658
Email: sydenquiries@spareco.com.au

An alternative to using this hose is to use a convoluted (bumpy) hose. This is similar to what Bill Norman did on his Type 65-blown MGTC, and looks more period-correct. A hose that is suitable for this is IRCOSD-938. This is a 38mm ID/63mm OD pipe, rated for 75psi pressure, -380mmHg vacuum and 120ºC. but only 38mm ID. Pipe is 63mm OD.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/convoluted%20pipe_zpsephjpurs.png) ($2)

The hose is available from Pirtek:
Pirtek Fluid Systems Pty Ltd
Telephone:134 222
Internet: http://www.pirtek.com.au/

Cheers,
Harv (deputy aprpentice Norman supercharger fiddler).

Ladies and gents,

In the post below, I’d like to show you the guts of one of the early Norman superchargers. This one sold recently, and the new owner has been kind enough to pass on some cool photos – many thanks Ian. Each new Norman I get to look at helps to piece together more of the puzzle, and Ian’s Norman is no exception.

Ian’s Norman is an early steel-cased Type 65 (one of Eldred’s, and similar to Ted Robinette’s). The casing is a typical Type 65 with seventeen external casing ribs, seven bridges across the inlet port, eight bridges across the discharge port, and ten bolt holes over each of the inlet and discharge ports.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/15_zps5ihtq6b1.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/4_zpsktwvvufw.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/3_zpslaz79lol.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/2_zpsja92c9xw.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/5_zpsqhykmvb9.jpg) ($2)

Interestingly, Ian’s Type 65 has had a water jacket brazed on at some time in the past. This is identical to the water jackets seen on Anthony Harradine and John Brown’s Type 65s.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/1_zpsmjzomski.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/6_zpsyvbscaq7.jpg) ($2)

Now that I have seen three identical ones, I suspect that Eldred started out with the steel cased air cooled Type 65’s, then moved to the steel cased water cooled Type 65’s (by brazing on a cooling jacket), then finally to the alloy cased water cooled Type 65’s (like Gary’s). Notice the shape of the brazed on 90º water fitting (nipple) – this is similar to other Normans of that era. There appears to be yellow paint on the outside of the casing. I have seen similar yellow primer/undercoat on other Type 65 Normans. Gary’s had a layer of this stuff that had stuck like dog poo to an army blanket – I had yellow boogers for a week after cleaning it up :lol: . Ian’s casing shows the circumferential scratches typical of a Norman, and probably wants a hone before putting back into service.

The drive end plates look to be cast alloy, correct for any Norman supercharger, and have the five bolt holes as expected, together with a welsh plug in the non-drive end.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/11_zpsuen1avw5.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/10_zpsnxerekcx.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/8_zpsourxgcek.jpg) ($2)

The unusual thing is that there is no “Norman” cast into the end plates, which both Eldred’s and Mikes had. I had at first suspected they were non-genuine end-plates, but a little bit more of the puzzle has since fallen into place. Note the image shown on the brochure below, which is also a Type 65... Interestingly, the drive-end end plate does not appear to have Norman cast into it, nor have the boss cast into it that “NORMAN” is cast into.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Go%20with%20safety%20brochure%20cover_zpsztoafa4r.png) ($2)

This is just like Ian’s Norman, and supports my theory that Ian’s are genuine Norman end-plates. The non-drive end and drive-end stamping (522) is also unusual – I haven’t seen this before. It is definitely not a serial number (or at least not a sequential one), as there were not 500-odd Type 65’s made. It could be a numbering sequence that did not start with “1”, or it may be a date code (perhaps the 5th of February 1962).

Ian’s Norman has the four vane steel rotor typical of Type 65’s.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/7_zps1pgdblyd.jpg) ($2)

Whilst the fabric inside the vane binder looks right, the colour of the vanes is unusual. The Bakelite used in the early Norman superchargers is normally very dark brown. It could be that a different grade of Bakelite was used, or that the vanes were replaced with the latter Feroform F57 material. One thing to be wary of is if the vanes have been inadvertently replaced with fibreglass, which is also this light colour. Fibreglass is much more abrasive than Bakelite, and can scuff the bore.

Type 65 Normans have a threaded nut on the end of the drive shaft, whereas Ian’s has been shortened, and the end of the shaft (on the left of the photo below) tapped to take an end-keeper set screw.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/9_zpsii7c54gw.jpg) ($2)

I suspect that this was a normal Type 65 Norman drive shaft which has had the end cut off it, then drilled and tapped for the set screw. This was probably done when the vee-pulley was changed out for the gilmer drive.
Ian’s drive pulley looks to be a 30-tooth trapezoidal profile, heavy-duty (½” pitch) H-belt, attached via a collar onto the shaft, with an interference fit. Interestingly, this Norman has unusual thin shim plates between the rotor and the end plates (i.e. running on the inside of the casing).

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/14_zpshawpycb3.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/12_zpsboxd0x6t.jpg) ($2)

My guess it that it was a normal Type-65 shaft, which originally ran a vee-belt pulley. Someone wanted to change it to gilmer drive, and did not want the tip of the rotor shaft sticking out beyond the gilmer pulley (may have clashed with a radiator). They then cut the threaded end off, fit the gilmer pulley (with it’s collar), and then drilled the end of the rotor shaft out for the keeper/setscrew. Once the keeper/setscrew was in place, my guess is that they found out that the clearance between the rotor and drive-end plate was huge (much more than 0.010”). This would allow a lot of gas to bypass the rotor, and give crappy boost. They then fitted the shim onto the drive-end to reduce the clearance. Looks like it was once held on to the end plate with gorilla-snot contact adhesive (the yellow crap on the end-plates). The problem is, the shim (and layer of contact adhesive) would need to be incredibly flat – any warpage would mean it would brush the rotor (remember we are only talking 0.010” gaps). The shim would also be under vacuum (near the inlet) and pressure (near the discharge) at the same time. This pressure difference would almost certainly cause the shim to flex and brush the rotor, causing the marks that can be seen on the shim.
The shim at the non-drive end was probably fitted for the same reason – to reduce non-drive end clearance.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/13_zpsfxv3plzp.jpg) ($2)

This is not needed, as the non-drive end clearance can be set by changing the end palte gasket thickness(es). The non-drive end however “grows” as the exchanger gets hot, with the clearance decreasing (this is why the non-drive end is a 2-piece roller bearing that can slip). If they shimmed the non-drive end to a tight tolerance, it would “bite” every time the supercharger warmed up.

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger fiddler)

A bit of an update on Ian's Type 65, which I described above. Remember that Ian started out with a typical "been under the bench for years" Norman that looked like this:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/_20_zpsbdjwbsxv.jpg) ($2)

He's since finished the strip down, and had the drive end pulley bolt hole drilled and re-tapped on centre. Along with some new bearings and a clean-up, I've sent him some new Bakelite vanes, and some mighty thin gasket sheet to set the non-drive end clearance. Sadly, his drive-end end plate had a crack in the seal area. He has bitten the bullet, and had new drive-end and non-drive end plates machined up:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Ians%20new%20end%20plates%20outside%20view%203_zpshy9ljq3o.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Ians%20new%20end%20plates%20outside%20view%202_zpsx8opj8i8.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Ians%20new%20end%20plates%20outside%20view_zpswjjjzuf6.jpg) ($2)

This is about as close to Norman porn as you can get :mrgreen: . Gotta love machinists who can do off-centre turning.

In the mean-time, I've nearly got Gary's 350 Norman finished... just gotta lap-in the new F57 vanes.

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger fiddler).

I got reminded by Mike that this year marks the 51st anniversary of the Norman supercharged Elfin, operated by Andrew Mustard and Mike McInerney setting the following Australian national records:
•   the flying start kilometre record (16.21s, 138mph),
•   the flying start mile record (26.32s, 137mph), and
•   the standing start mile record (34.03s, 106mph).
The vehicle falls into the FIA Category A Group I class 6, with the record set at Salisbury, South Australia on October 11th, 1964. These records stand in perpetuity (i.e. they can no longer be challenged under CAMS rules).

This October long weekend also marks the 50th anniversary of Mike’s attempt (in twin-Norman supercharged guise) to pursue the standing ¼ mile, standing 400m and flying kilometre records (October 1965). Sadly, the twin-Norman supercharged Elfin no longer holds those records, as the ¼ mile and flying kilometre (together with a few more records) were set at this time by Alex Smith in a Valano Special.

Happy Golden Jubilee, Mr McInerney.

Regards,
Harv

Ladies and gents,

This post has some photos of the overhaul I recently completed for Gary’s 350 Norman.

The Norman was originally running a suck-through 2” SU on some form of cross-flow four cylinder engine… probably BMW. It’s been stripped down and rebuilt. Overall in excellent shape, though the vanes showed delamination and were replaced with new F57 ones, and one vane spring had fractured (all vane springs replaced with Inconel). I understand this one is going back into storage for the time being… if one of you guys distracts Gary long enough, I’ll bolt it to a red motor ;D

There were quite a few learnings along the way, some of which I’ve posted here. I’ll comb through the notes I wrote for Gary and post a few more of the learnings over the next week or so.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Completed%20passengers%20side_zpsxherdtck.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Completed%20discharge%20manifold_zpswlcxphpl.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Completed%20relief%20valve_zps30vmr6oq.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Completed%20non%20drive%20end_zpsc5gzc55g.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Completed%20float%20bowl_zpsolxwasbt.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Completed%20overhead%20view_zpso0nhcwnl.jpg) ($2)

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Completed%20shaft%20greaser_zpswsevlcpq.jpg) ($2)

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Completed%20drive%20pulleys_zpsylcozvpr.jpg) ($2)

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Completed%20snout_zpsbe74wuzf.jpg) ($2)

Cold air intake… big enough to swallow a pigeon:
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Completed%20carb_zpsf86v6wuh.jpg) ($2)

Mad Max meets Mike Norman… if you see this in your rear view mirror, be afraid… very afraid:
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Completed%20front%20view_zps5ak58vet.jpg) ($2)

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger fiddler)

Ladies and Gents,

As I was overhauling Gary’s 350 Norman, I took detailed notes and photos to send to him. I’ve finally had some time to trawl back through my notes and pull out some of the learnings. The post below covers them, albeit in no particular order.

When the original vanes were pulled from the Norman, it was apparent that they had started to suffer from delamination. The photo below shows two of the vanes, with the delaminations highlighted by the match heads.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Vane%20delaminations_zpsqsiqlsdl.jpg) ($2)

For replacement vanes, I got hold of some F57 (a Bakelite replacement which we have discussed before). The photo below (from top to bottom) shows the original Norman vane, an F57 vane cut to size, the F57 vane blank and a Bakelite vane blank.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/vane%20blanks_zpsafftafpf.jpg) ($2)

Note that I now have a stockpile of both F57 and Bakelite vane blanks. They are large enough that they will suit all Normans, with the exception of the Type 270, Type 265 and perhaps Type 90 (never had one of these three apart). If anyone wants some, give me a yell. I also have the replacement Inconel valve springs that prevent spring shattering.

I started by cutting them the F57 blank length (see diagram), going slightly oversized.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/vane%20lapping_zps3a1ow8ny.png) ($2)

This is a short length of cut, and easy to do with a hacksaw. The length needs to be then lapped down so that the vanes are exactly as long as the rotor. I held off lapping until the vanes were trimmed for depth. The next cut I needed to make was for height. This is a looooong cut, and a hacksaw would give a very wobbly finish. This needs to be fairly straight, as it provides a flat scraping/sealing surface against the casing wall. To do this, I put the angle grinder into a drop-saw jig, and set up a fence to run the vane along. This gives a nice, parallel and neat cut.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/vane%20cutting%20jig_zpszyoi02tc.jpg) ($2)

The final "cut" I needed to make was for depth. This is done by lapping the vanes down on lapping plates, aiming for a flop fit in the rotor. I’ve made up the lapping tool to do so (see drawing) out of some angle iron.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/vane%20lapping%20tool_zpsd8lbsxxv.png) ($2)

The superchargers made by Mike Norman have steel liners pressed into the vane slots and riveted in place. Interestingly (…maybe frustratingly), the resultant vane liner slot is nowhere near parallel. The root of the slot is narrower, whilst the drive end overall depth is narrower than the non-drive end. This makes the lapping a fun process – as the vane is rubbed against the lapping plate, you need to bear down slightly harder on the areas that need to be less deep. I was lapping with 80 grit paper, and spent quite some time on just one vane – the Kevlar reinforcing is softer than the sandpaper, but still resistant to being abraded. In the end, I went back to P40 paper, then smoothed out with finer grades.

Having got the vanes sized correctly, I lapped down the length dimension - fit to rotor, check how much the vane hangs out, lap it down, repeat... a lot. With the dimensions finalised, I cut the spring notches and ground the relief grooves on the back of all three, using a diegrinder then flat file. The relief grooves are oriented on the downstream (low pressure) side of the vane. This configuration allows the vane slot root to vent. As the vanes operate in an oil film, there is a chance that the vanes form a seal in the vane slot, and either draw a vacuum at the vane root when sliding out, or build pressure at the vane root when sliding in. The grooves allow the vane root to vent, preventing the vane sealing with oil and not being able to rise/fall in the vane slot. An alternative way would have been to machine the relief grooves on the upstream (high pressure) side of the vane. The theory in that type of location is that higher pressure air/fuel can get under the vane and lift it, increasing vane seating pressure and getting a better seal. I have not seen this configuration put into place in Norman superchargers, but have heard of it being done for some Wray superchargers. The finished vanes are shown in the image below, along with the original Norman vanes.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Original%20versus%20new%20vanes_zpsukp3zdf6.jpg) ($2)

Another lesson learnt on the 350 Norman relates to the end-plate gaskets. None of the Normans made by Mike Norman that I have pulled apart have had these gaskets (whilst Eldred’d did). The gaskets seal the end plates to the casing. They also provide a means of setting non-drive end clearance, by varying gasket thickness. In the case of Gary’s 250 Norman, the non-drive end clearance was sufficient that gasekts were not required to increase clearance. To seal the end plates to the casing, I used a thin bead of sealant in the groove that exists for exactly that purpose (even if we used gaskets, I would still add the sealant). This is very different to Eldred’s Normans, which have no groove and needs some form of gasket to seal. I used a fine bead of Permatex Ultra Black sealant in the sealing groove. This is a highly flexible oil resistant sealant, good for up to 260°C (intermittent) service.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/End%20plate%20sealant_zpsrz8yf2wb.jpg) ($2)

In some of Mike’s Normans a long drive shaft was ordered by the customer. This allows the supercharger to be mounted further back along the engine and still line up with the crank pulley. The longer drive shafts were fitted with a support assembly, indicated by the arrow in the diagram below:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/greaser%20red%20arrowed_zpsy9glhuzp.png) ($2)

The shaft support assembly fits over the drive shaft between the end plate and the driven pulley, and is fastened onto the end plate by set screws. The intent of the shaft support is to provide a location for the belt tensioner to mount – the photo above shows the belt tensioner clamped in place over the tensioner. The drive shaft spins, but the shaft support remains static, with the belt tensioner clamped over it. In the image above, to the left of the red arrow

The image below shows Gary’s shaft support.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Shaft%20support%20assembly_zpstopjf7wf.jpg) ($2)

From left to right on the newspaper:
a)   A mild-steel ring. One side pushes up against the supercharger drive-end bearing, the other is pushed on by the inboard shaft support assembly bearing.
b)   The inboard shaft support assembly bearing. This allows the shaft to spin whilst the idler pulley arm remains static.
c)   A long mild-steel spacer. One side pushes up against the inboard shaft support assembly bearing, the other side is pushed on by the outboard shaft support assembly bearing. Notice that above this spacer in the photo is the shaft support itself. It runs on the outside of the bearings, with the long mild-steel spacer running inside it.
d)   The outboard shaft support assembly bearing.
e)   A second mild-steel spacer. One side pushes up against the outboard shaft support assembly bearing, the other side pushes up against the drive pulley hub.
f)   The greaser seal. This is designed to keep grease inside the shaft support.
g)   The drive pulley hub. One side pushes up against the second mild-steel spacer, the other is held in place by the jam nuts. The drive pulley hub mounts the drive pulley.
h)   The jam nuts. These push the whole assembly together and are installed on the end of the supercharger shaft thread. Note that these are castellated nuts, and need a hook-spanner to get them off.

The shaft support has a grease nipple fitted to it (in the little hole in the photo above, though absent from the photo). It also has a grease relief valve, fitted into an aluminium grease ring that slides over the shaft support. The grease ring is sealed to the shaft support by o-rings, and is fed grease from the shaft support through the big hole in the photo above. The basic lineup (without any shaft spacers) is shown below:
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/greaser_zpsbumsqpxo.png) ($2)

The intent is to pump grease into the annulus between the long mild-steel spacer and the shaft support – where my finger is sitting in the photo below.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Shaft%20support%20grease%20application%20area_zpsbqxggdjg.jpg) ($2)

The grease then runs left and right along the shaft, and into the inboard and outboard bearings – where those orange bits are in the photo above. Any excess grease pressure then vents out the grease relief valve. This prevents the grease gun from pressuring up the annulus, and bending the crap out of the bearing inner races (bear in mind that a grease gun can exert incredible hydraulic pressure… 15,000psi). Note that this only greases the shaft support bearings, not the supercharger bearings. Of note, the modern bearings I have fitted to Gary’s Norman are sealed. In the photos above, you can see orange rings on the bearings. These sealing rings keep grit and crap out, and the bearing grease (installed at the bearing factory) permanently in. This means that there is no need for regreasing, and that the shaft support grease nipple and relief valve are redundant.

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger fiddler).

Ladies and gents,

Some more info from Gary’s overhaul.

Similarly to Eldred’s superchargers, Mike’s superchargers used a cast manifold between the carburettor and the supercharger. The photos below show one of Mike’s manifolds. The manifold will fit the 350 and 400 Normans (and probably the 300), it appears to be too long to fit the shorter Normans (150, 200 and 250)

Whilst the manifold below is a genuine Norman manifold, it has been butchered a bit:
a)   by welding on an inlet flange to suit an 1¾” SU carburettor (2 1/8” centres, square pitch),
b)   by welding on a great big bit of aluminium bar to act as a carburettor spring return (with four holes to allow you to adjust spring tension), and
c)   By welding up the tappings in either end of the manifold.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Norman%20inlet%20manifold_zpsghoep6y2.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Interior%20of%20Norman%20inlet%20manifold_zpsqw8d8c7b.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/End%20view%20of%20Norman%20inlet%20manifold_zpsthkyxzrt.jpg) ($2)

Eldred’s manifolds bolt directly to the supercharger using studs. As I found out the hard way, the stud holes in Eldred’s superchargers are not precisely spaced. Mike’s Normans however do not bolt the manifolds directly to the supercharger. The extruded aluminium supercharger casings are made with channels either side of the inlet and discharge ports. The channels are used to locate steel strips, with tapped holes drilled into the strips. Studs, or short set screws, are used to mount the manifolds to the steel strips. The manifolds are this not positively bolted to the superchager – they rely on the clamping force of the steel strips against the channel to stop the manifold moving. The photo below shows the channels and a steel strip being fitted in place.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Inserting%20manifold%20stud%20plates_zpsg4nrhexi.jpg) ($2)

Pictured below is a home-made relief valve (from Gary’s 350 Norman), similar to the ones made by Weiand (part number 7155), The Blower Shop (part number 2589) and AussieSpeed (universal backfire valve).

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Relief%20valve%20assembly_zps8liv2bni.jpg) ($2)

This is a rubber-sealed rectangular plate held in place by two springs. Two studs screw into the aluminium adaptor, with some 5/16-14 UNC nyloc nuts used to compress the springs. The two brass sleeves shown in the photograph above are used to set how far the nuts can tighten – shorter sleeves let the nuts tighten more, which compresses the springs more, and gives a higher relief valve pressure. I really like the use of these brass spacers – they mean that every time the valve is reassembled, you know you are setting the correct relief valve pressure (provided the springs have not lost tension) and do not need to pop-test. The springs have a tension of 88lb/inch, and can compress from a free length of 1.169” down to 0.739” at coil bind (0.43” of compression). This means that between the two springs the clamping force is 0-76lb. The rectangular relief valve hole in the manifold has a cross section of some 0.92inch2. This means that the relief valve (with the current springs) can be set from 0-82psi. The current brass spacers give a spring compression of 0.338”, a clamping force of 59lb, and a set pressure of 64psi. Note that all the above is by calculation only, and would need to be verified by a pressure (pop) test before the manifold was used in anger. I’m not a big fan of nyloc nuts on relief valves, (which is why I used safety wire on Gary’s Type 65 relief valve), though it will work as long as the nyloc nuts are new. Not a good idea to reuse the nuts. Very, very rough calculations show that 4 inch2 of relief valve area is appropriate for the red motor type Normans (200ci/rev) operating around 4500rpm. The smaller Normans (80ci/rev) would still need around 2 inch2, though are safer at 4 inch2. This means that the relief valve shown above (0.92inch2) is a little small, as are the Weiand (0.8inch2) and The Blower Shop (0.44inch2) offerings. Relief valves of this size should either be doubled up (one at either end of the manifold) or used in conjunction with a burst plate.

One other item of note from Gary’s 350 Norman overhaul is that the rotor has a keeper fitted at the non-drive end of the rotor driveshaft. This consists of a set screw and washer, which fit into the tapped end of the rotor shaft.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Tightening%20non%20drive%20end%20bearing%20retainer_zpskfymjg6h.jpg) ($2)

The purpose of the retainer depends heavily on what size washer is used. One option is where the washer is sized such that it is small enough to pass through the bearing outer race. This allows the rotor to move as much as it wants relative to the casing, and only holds the bearing inner race onto the shaft (bear in mind that Norman non-drive end bearings are two piece, allowing the inner and outer races to slip over one another). Realistically, the bearing inner race is a press fit onto the shaft, and unlikely to move (i.e. this option is not very useful)

The better option is where the washer diameter is large enough to bear against the bearing outer race. With the rotor cold, the washer almost touches the bearing inner race. As the supercharger heats up, the rotor grows and the inner race moves towards the end of the casing. The distance between the washer and outer bearing increases. As the rotor cools again (when the vehicle is stopper), the washer approaches the outer race. If the rotor is given a shunt towards the drive end, the washer bears against the outer race, preventing the rotor rubbing on the drive-end end plate.

A further set of three keepers are fitted to the drive-end end plate. These small tabs retain the drive-end seal into the end plate, as per the image below. This prevents high boost pressure from driving out the seal. The drive end keepers appear to have been fitted to all of Mike’s Norman supercharger.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/DE%20bearing%20keepers_zpsiwwk18da.png) ($2)

I have also seen similar keepers fitted to some Norman non-drive end end plates in order to prevent the welsh plug being blown out under boost.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/1500%20eBay%20June%202015%207_zpsva6tgfc6.jpg) ($2)

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger fiddler).

Ladies and gents,

As I’ve been working through the Norman supercharger history, I keep running across links to Australian motorsport. I’ve run across another such link, and am interested in hunting it down. It involves an air cooled Type 65 Norman that changed hands a few years ago. The Norman was running triple 1.25” SUs when sold. Heres some of the story:

Kevin Wood owned an Elfin 600 with a 1st series Toyota Celica engine and Norman supercharger. The blue vehicle was purchased for $2,000. Kevin did not run the Elfin with a body, instead using large wings front and rear. The Norman had been sourced from Barry Bray's Datsun 2000 powered A30 sports sedan, whilst the Elfin had once belonged to Barry Kirk. Kevin sold the Elfin to Roger Seward for $8500, who fitted a Lotus twin-cam and got a historic log book before onselling the Elfin for some $30,000. Peter Smeets bought the motor and Norman supercharger, and gave the Celica motor to Jim Doig for a bottle of red wine. The supercharger was sold to a person who was putting it on a FB Holden, along with a copy of Eldred’s Supercharge! book. This is the person I am hunting down. The FB owner was a young gentleman who worked at Bunnings Marion, South Australia.

Interested to hear from anyone who knows of the mysterious Marion owner.

Cheers,
Harv

The photos below show Ian Richards self-built Viper Peugeot. The vehicle was built around 1967/1968.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Ian%20Richards%20viper%20photo%20from%20Fred%201_zpslpeta9oq.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Ian%20Richards%20viper%20photo%20from%20Fred%202_zpsibcligal.jpg) ($2)

Ian used to transport the Viper to various racing circuits on the tray of a Peugeot 403 utility, with parts of the Viper protruding into the utility cabin through a custom-made hole. Ian currently runs his own team of F3 cars, with a more refined transporter :D . In between times Ian built and raced the Richards F2 cars winning the 1983 Australian F2 title. Ian was an apprentice fitter and turner at Southcott’s when he built the car in his Mum’s shed. A fellow pattern making apprentice made the patterns for the rear uprights from a photo in a book complete with “Viper” cast into them. A chassis jig from the WRE (Weapons Research Establishment) car club was used to position the frame, which was then arc welded by a guy that worked at Holden’s using “very skinny electrodes” (race car chassis in this era were typically brazed together using nickel bronze). Ian cut the close ratio gears for the Volkswagen split case gear box himself, using ratios suggested by Garry Cooper (of Elfin fame). More assistance from Elfin came in the form of the nose cone, which was made by an Elfin panelman as an afterhours job at Ian’s mum’s shed. The car raced without wings initially, then with suspension mounted wings (which were banned worldwide after failures in F1 in Europe) then with chassis mounted wings.

The Viper ran a Peugot 403 motor. However, the 403 motor tended to crack the block at the cylinder liners. The block was replaced with a 203 block, which was bored out to suit. Ian worked with Alec Rowe, with Alec being no stranger to Norman supercharged Peugeot motors. The Pug motor was fitted with an air-cooled iron cased Norman (very likely to have been a Type 65). The casing was lightened by machining some of the fins back. The heavy steel rotor was replaced with a lightweight aluminum unit, with steel driveshafts pressed in. Boost was around 8-10psi. The Norman had a tendency to break the lightweight rotors, with replacement units having the vane root web thickness increased. The Viper ran a single DCOE Weber carburettor on alcohol, with a supplementary fuel injection to provide enrichment as not enough methanol would flow through the Weber.

I believe the photos below show the car in later revisions, with some changes in induction evident. The Norman however remained on the vehicle throughout it’s life. The vehicle was eventually broken up, with the Norman-blown pug motor being fitted by Ian into a speedcar owned by Dennis Freeman. The back-end of the vehicle would find a home in a Corolla Sports Sedan in Port Pirie.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Richards%20Viper%20at%20Malalla%20maybe_zpsk5tlgofi.png) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Viper%20maybe%202_zpsm2tbmbr8.png) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Viper%20maybe_zpsfx3748la.png) ($2)

Cheers,
Harv

Following on from my Eldred Norman anecdote, I got to thinking about the period in Australia’s automotive history. The 1950’s and 1960’s were a period where we still relied heavily on local product – the market flooding of readily available imported go-fast parts for the small block Chev had yet to occur. This need for local equipment spurred on some very cool Australian engineering, including Eldred’s work. In the local forced induction field, there were numerous people bolting on (or making kits for) imported superchargers. This is a phenomena we see today with both Harrop (who kit out the Eaton TVS machines), the Castlemaine Rod Shop (who kit out the Aisin SC14 machine), and Yella Terra (who kit out the Eaton M90). Sprintex are perhaps the only Australian company who manufacture their own (twin screw) machines.

What is interesting (and also rather cool) is that Eldred was not the only Australian who was manufacturing superchargers (and not just kits) in the 1950’s and 1960’s period. One of Eldred’s contemporaries, competitors, and fellow South Australian was John G. Wray. The anecdote below tries to paint a picture of the Wray supercharger history. Just like my Eldred Norman anecdote, a word of warning regarding the information below. Some of the people who witnessed the events below have sadly passed away, including John Wray. It has also been half a century since the Wray supercharger was conceived. This anecdote has been written drawing together information from a broad variety of sources, many of whom are trying to remember events of fifty years ago. There may be inconsistencies with the information, or outright errors. Caveat emptor. I also owe a debt of thanks to a great number of people who helped pulled together the pieces of the “patchwork quilt” that became my Wray anecdote.

1.   J.G. Wray
John Graham Wray was born in 1930, at an unknown location, in Australia. John married, and he and his wife Margaret did not have children. John spent some of his early years in England with his wife on a working holiday. His interest there was in automotive engineering and sporting cars. On return to Australia John was working as a Castrol sales representative, with Margaret working as a nurse. Over time John accumulated quite a few engineering tools and machines. He eventually started a small engineering shop (J.G. Wray General & Maintenance Engineering) at Newman Lane Glenelg, South Australia. The shop catered for general and maintenance engineering with John and staff being involved with the following activities:
•   Small production runs of components for machinery,
•   Design, manufacture and maintenance of machinery for the testing and manufacturing of automotive components,
•   Design, manufacture and maintenance of machinery for the textile industry,
•   Manufacture of marine components,
•   Manufacture and maintenance of mining equipment, and
•   Jobbing and ‘one off’ work.
Wray Engineering raised patents for example on a “burr beater” agricultural implement.

John owned a white hardtop MGA 1558cc twin-cam that he either brought back from or imported from the UK. He later sold the MGA to purchase an Alpha Romeo GTA. John’s main interest at that time was with yachts, bringing with that interest numerous customers to the company with the manufacture and development of marine parts and marine maintenance. John constructed a 30ft double-ended fibreglass ocean going yacht in one of the workshop bays. He used the yacht for many years until health issues forced him to sell it. His other interest in later years was exploring outback Australia in his 4WD. John passed away about eight years ago in Adelaide. The following article is drawn from the (Adelaide) Advertiser of the 14th of October 1954:

Vintage Racing Car Has History
Historic Racer
A vintage racing car, now being rebuilt in South Australia, has one of the most colourful histories of any vehicle in this State, and because of its age an even more colourful one than the ex-Prince Birabongse, MG K3, owned by Andy Brown. The car is a 1923 2-litre Miller, owned by Gordon Haviland, and at present being rebuilt by John Wray and Len Poultridge. Believed to be the first Miller to leave America, the car was taken to Europe in 1923 with two other Millers to compete in under 2-litre formula races. Count Louis Zborowski took delivery of the first car and entered it in the Spanish Grand Prix, run at Sitges-Terramar, in which he finished second. The other Millers also ran against Zborowski in the Grand Prix de l’Europe, at Monza, one of them, driven by Murphy, scoring third position. Count Zborowski kept his car when the other two returned to the US, and raced it in late 1923 and early 1924 before competing in the 1924 French Grand Prix. Well known author and writer in 'Autocar,' S. C. H. Davis was Zborowski's mechanic on this occasion. The introduction of the supercharger on other vehicles gave the Miller a considerable disadvantage in this event, but when 'blowers' were fitted, an American driver, Harry Hartz, covered 50 miles at 135 m.p.h in 1925. The Miller did not finish in the French Grand Prix, and Count Zborowski was killed at Monza shortly afterwards when his Mercedes skidded into a tree during the running of the Italian Grand Prix. All Zborowski's cars were then sold. The car was bought by Dan Higgen and raced at Southport Sands, in England in 1925. The Miller covered the flying kilometre in 25 seconds, and finished fourth. It raced in several events at Brooklands and in other meetings during 1925 and 1926. The car came to Australia a year or so later. It has had several owners in this country and competed in numerous hill climb and other events. The body has been lowered, but it still retains its original Miller engine. Picture shows John Wray working on the car this week.

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A South Australian with a passion for old race vehicles who goes on to build his own superchargers? Sounds like another gentleman we have met before . As an aside, Count Zborowski built and raced the original Chitty Chitty Bang Bang… with a 23-litre Maybach aero engine (!). The Miller 122 shown in the photograph above is centrifugally supercharged.

Wray superchargers were manufactured at the Glenelg factory up until about 1967. The company moved to larger premises at nearby 46 Byre Avenue, Somerton Park in 1970 (now home to Tintworks window tinting), where production continued until about 1983. The image below, lifted from the internet, shows the Somerton Park facility in 2009, which is very similar to how it looked in the early 1980s.

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John Wray’s direct involvement in the manufacture of the superchargers continued until about 1974. Wray superchargers manufactured after that time were still made at Wray Engineering, but manufactured by staff after hours and on weekends, with little to no advice from John. Batches of superchargers would be made, and sold to speed shops. It is estimated that around fifty superchargers were built in this fashion. Whilst quite a few people were employed at the Wray works, a few were heavily involved in the supercharger side of the business. James (Robbie) Robinson started at the Glenelg workshop and moved to Somerton Park. He was a leading hand until he left about the mid 1970’s. Greg Pill started as an apprentice in 1970 and worked there until 1985, having been a leading hand for about nine years. Robert (Bob) Cronin worked as a machinist from about 1975 until 1983. We will hear more about Robbie, Greg and Bob (and their vehicles) later in this anecdote.

2. Wray Supercharger Models
Like the Norman and Judson superchargers, the Wray supercharger was a sliding vane unit operating at relatively low pressure (~5psi boost). Like the Judson, and unlike some Normans, all Wray supercharger casings are 100% air-cooled. Wray offered two sizes, the smaller having a displacement of 60ci/rev (960cc) and the larger a displacement of 96ci/rev (1530cc). Note that these capacities of swept volume are calculated using the “modern” method of measuring them. In the example drawing below this means work out the volume shown in red, and multiplying it by six (yes, yes, I know, the Wray has four vanes… . it’s just an example ).

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An alternate method was used in this period by Eldred Norman (and is noted in his book Supercharge!). Referring to the drawing above, Eldred’s method determines the volume shown in orange. Eldred’s method is neither more right nor more wrong than the “modern” method… just different. It also gives different results – a lot smaller number than the modern method. As an example, when we measure a Type 65 Norman supercharger using the modern method, we get 118ci/rev. However, when we measure the Type 65 using Eldred’s method, we get 67ci/rev (near enough to 65ci, and hence the name). The modern method is heavily dependent on port timing, whereas Eldred’s method is independent of port location. Using Eldred’s method, the table below compares the Wray superchargers to their contemporaries:

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Both Wray supercharger sizes were available with the inlet and outlet port 180º apart (the “T” model) or 270º apart (the “L” model), giving a total of four variants – L60, T60, L96 and T96. Whilst the literature shown later in this anecdote indicates a T60 being made, it is not certain that this ever eventuated.

The L superchargers allow a more compact design, allowing installation between the engine block and the firewall of BMC vehicles. The supercharger was bolted directly to the cylinder head, the inlet manifold ran across the bottom of the casing, extending past the end plate. A downdraft carburettor was located next to the end plate between the engine block and the firewall. The larger supercharger casings were produced in two models: the first with the same design porting (90º) as the smaller superchargers, and the second with a cross-flow (180º) porting. The variations were achieved by utilizing an internal chamber (in the casting) between the liner and the outlet port. The liner porting was the same for both models.

The small L60 and T60 superchargers were originally marketed and sold in kit form for the various BMC ‘A’ and ‘B’ engines (including Minis), Ford Cortina 1.2-1.6L four cylinder engines and Renault R8/R10 956cc-1289cc models. The larger L96 and T96 superchargers targeted the 132.5-138ci Holden grey engine. Over the years the superchargers were sold and put to use on numerous applications ranging from 750cc motorcycle engines through to the 202ci Holden red engine.

The image shown below is taken from the 1968 Aunger Speed Equipment Retail and Mail Order Catalogue, and shows some of the Wray kits offered. It is a little cheeky… the image to the bottom right is a Judson supercharger kit and Holley carburettor to suit an Austin Healey Sprite.

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The image below shows both the larger and smaller Wray superchargers (photo: Fred Radman). Note the absence of the T60 supercharger in the image… it may never have been made by J.G. Wray.

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Some Wray superchargers were stamped with serial numbers, including the first one (Mike McInerney, who test-piloted it, can remember John Wray stamping the machine). However, the process was not systematic – none of the those manufactured during Greg’s time at Wray Engineering were numbered, nor any that returned for maintenance.

The newspaper clipping below is from Adelaide’s The Advertiser of Tuesday, February 7th 1967:

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Interestingly, Andrew Mustard was a sales agent for Wray. From my earlier anecdote, Mustard was involved in the Bluebird land speed trials, and owned the Norman-blown Elfin which still holds Australian land speed records. The Elfin, and those records, get a mention in the sales literature below, which I have drawn from Fred’s collection:

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It is interesting that Mustard describes phenomena that still apply today – the lower engine stress associated with supercharging, and the effect of valve overlap on boost.
Most of the Wray superchargers were installed by the purchasers, while a few custom installations were done at the factory.

3. Wray Supercharger Construction
John Wray designed and made all of the drawings, timber patterns, tooling and jigs for the Wray superchargers. The pattern for the L96 is shown below (photo: Fred Radman).

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The main castings were cast elsewhere, while the machining and assembly was all completed in the engineering factory. With the move from Glenelg to Somerton Park a privately owned foundry was located at the rear of the property, and they provided the castings.

Early Wray superchargers were manufactured with cast iron liners, which were machined and honed. The liners were changed to a seamless steel design which reduced previous issues with liners cracking and/or breaking (we’ll hear more about one such event later). The steel liners were not treated or honed. The liner shown below (photos: Fred Radman) is an early one. The ports (oval slots) are parallel to the casing, and were referred to by Wray as Mark 1 porting. Norman superchargers have similar parallel porting.

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The steel pointer in the Fred’s photo below is indicating the wear in the bridge pieces between the oval ports (inlet side).

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Later Wray liners had Mark 2 diagonal porting, which imparted a wiping action to alleviate the wear. Judson superchargers used a diamond shaped port for similar reasons. The Mark 2 porting can be seen by the diagonal bridges in the photo below (photo: Fred Radman):

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The early model Wray superchargers had a cast aluminium rotor. Due to a lack of quality control at the foundry these rotors had porosity in the castings, which caused a lack of strength. They occasionally exploded at high speed…. and sometimes at not so high speed too.

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The photograph above (photo: Fred Radman) shows an early supercharger owned by Fred Radman (we’ll meet him later in this anecdote), complete with cast rotor. The supercharger later split a rotor, though after cutting the drive belt the car was able to be driven home. With the end plate off there was visible wear to the vane slots, with the ends starting to flare out. The split rotor is shown in Fred’s photo below - the crack originated at the corner of the slot, which is a stress riser:

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In about 1970 the cast rotors were no longer produced, and instead aluminium billet extrusions were used. This reduced the frequency of rotor failures, though is no guarantee – some of the later rotors have cracked. The photo below, from John Bowles, shows a later rotor with a crack under the black “C” mark:

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The rotor drive shafts were generally of a standard length. Custom orders were catered for with longer shafts and drive plate end castings with longer snouts to support the longer drive shafts. Wray supercharger rotors employ four vanes made from fibre reinforced Tufnol (Tufnol, like Bakelite, is a cotton reinforced phenolic resin). The vanes were cut to a rough size, then ground to final size (length, width and thickness) on a tool and cutter grinder. No springs or grooves were used with the vanes. The photo below, from Fred Radman, shows the vane profile:

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Lachlan Kinnear remembers a discussion with Alec Rowe quite a few years ago. The conversation discussed the first Norman superchargers, and how Eldred had found a Judson supercharger. Apparently Eldred measured the critical dimensions to make the initial Normans. Whilst the Wray rotor dimensions are similar to Norman and Judson superchargers, they are not identical. The measurements may have been changed slightly by Eldred, or may have been scaled from photographs. Dimensions for the Judsons, Wrays and a range of Normans are shown below:

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The Wray supercharger drive end was fitted with two 6303 sealed single race ball bearings and a spacer sleeve retained with a circlip. The non-drive end used one 6303 bearing retained with a circlip and a welsh-plug end cover. Note that this is similar to a Judson (which uses a single 6203 ball bearing at each end of the rotor), but different to a Norman, which has a single race ball bearing at the drive end and a roller bearing at the non-drive end, which slips the inner and outer races to allow the rotor to grow under heat. The Wray, like the Norman, uses a single lip seal (TC12420 for the Wray, with the Normans using a variety of seals) to seal the drive end. The Judson is different, using two seals on the drive end and a single seal on the non-drive end.

The Wray supercharger cast end plates were machined in a lathe. The clearance between the rotor and the drive end plate was set and the non-drive end clearance governed by the expansion of the rotor and housing. The expansion of the alloy rotor and the housing was similar and if the initial manufactured clearances were correct there were never any issues of seizing. This again is different to the early Normans, where there is significant difference in the growth of the steel rotors and alloy casings.

Wray Engineering manufactured various cast aluminium manifolds which were supplied with the ‘kits’ and these along with other designs were also available to customers to assist with other variations for individual installations. Otherwise, fabricated steel manifolds were easy to manufacture. The ‘kits’ did not have relief valves, though many of the later custom installations incorporated the valves, which were manufactured in the workshop. The image below (photo: Fred Radman) shows the T96 intake manifold. Note that the same casting is used for a single-barrel downdraft carburettor (the upper image), or a sidedraught carburettor (the lower image). The sidedraught option is effected by cutting the casting off at the flange. The pattern was originally made to suit the downdraught carburettor and then was modified at a later stage

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Two-stroke oil was generally added to the petrol in the fuel tank for lubrication. Some customers added ‘oil injectors’ (like the Marvel Mystery Oiler used in Judson superchargers) to the inlet manifold to negate the need for premixing oil/petrol in the fuel tank. Typical Marvel oilers are shown below (photo: Fred Radman). Water injection was also used in some installations.

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Various carburettors could be used; the preferred choice for later Holden installations being a 2” SU carburettor and a downdraught for the BMC kits. Manifolds could generally be machined or modified to suit various choices of carburettor. The photo below shows a T96 supercharger with a Weber DCOE adaptor, whilst the second image shows a fabricated Weber DCOE to L60 adaptor (photos: Fred Radman):

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The engineering drawings below come from Fred’s collection:

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4. Wray-blown Vehicles
Wray superchargers were fitted on a very wide range of vehicles. The first was Mike McInerney’s FJ, shown below.

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The FJ was Mike’s first car, an ex-Department of Supply 132.5ci FJ Holden utility (in Maralinga Gray colour) which he bought at auction in 1960 for £165. The Department of Supply was an Australian government department that existed between March 1950 and June 1974, and managed aluminium production, tin import, control of atomic energy materials, supply of war material, building and repair of merchant ships and promotion and production of liquid fuels. Mike used the vehicle for milk-rounds from 1962 through 1965. In 1965, with the Wray works still operating from Glenelg, Mike fitted the first prototype large Wray supercharger. An adjustable oil injector was used to provide lubrication, with the bottle mounted on the scuttle. A sight glass was fitted to the injector to show the flow of straight 30- weight engine oil. Mike milled the head to take Holden 179ci red motor stellite valves (10% larger on the inlet and 5% on the exhaust than the standard grey) and lowered the compression ratio. Mike also milled and fitted main bearing cap bridges to the crank. The three-speed crashbox had a floor shift built by Alex Rowe (a joy to double clutch), 11” disc brakes on the front (a NSW-based company made them to fit onto the standard FJ Holden 15" wheel hubs), Dunlop R5 racing tyres, and ladder braces to strengthen the subframe to the chassis rails. The engine could pull from 10mph through to a top speed of about 90 mph in top gear, was very quick off the lights and very flexible throughout the rev range. The engine did not have a ‘big’ camshaft. It had a sign on the back, opposite the number plate – “Supercharged by Wray”… reminiscent of the “Supercharged by Norman” emblems of the era.
Mike did not have a relief valve fitted between the supercharger and the cylinder head, giving no overpressure protection in the event of a blower bang. Following a bang in Mildura, the blower cracked the cast iron liner bridges which act like a grille across the supercharger discharge port. The bridge pieces ended up in #6 cylinder of the grey motor. Mike disconnected the blower belt and drove back to Adelaide at low speed (some 400km…). On pull down of the grey, there was a damaged #6 piston and some hammer damage to the valves and valve seats. On tear down of the blower, it was noted that the rotor vane slots were wearing. The supercharger was rebuilt using a tougher alloy for the rotor and the casing liner was engineered from bore casing steel. The sleeve was pinned using a dowel with the front end plate as the locator. It was decided to follow the wisdom of Alex Rowe and mix two-stroke oil (about 2-2.5%) with main fuel for vane lubrication. The oil injector was deleted, and a relief valve installed. Mike took the ute to Darwin in August of 1968 and sold her in December 1969 to buy a brand new 1969 Holden V8 4-speed ute.

The photo below is of the Wray fitted to Mike’s FJ, running a single grey motor Stromberg carburettor (photo: Mike McInerney).

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Note the “W” and fins cast into the inlet manifold.

A few months after Mike supercharged the FJ, Ian Robinson (Ronnie) installed the smaller model Wray supercharger on his street-driven 1310cc Mini Cooper S. The Mini is shown below:

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The photo below shows the interior of the Cooper… with a suspicious looking boost gauge on the far right hand side of the cluster .

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The Mini’s engine is shown below.

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Robbie had bought the Mini new, having to wait twentyone weeks for the vehicle to be imported from the UK. The car was the 6th in South Australia. Robbie had a penchant for speed, with the brand new (and as yet naturally aspirated) Mini clocking some 90mph down Pirie Street, Adelaide in the early hours of his first day of ownership.

On fitting the supercharger, the car was found to run hot. A second radiator was installed in what was becoming a very cramped engine bay. The twin down-draught carb shown in the photo above would later be replaced with an 1¾” SU from a Jaguar. The SU’s needles were turned down on a lathe to suit the increased fuel load. The Mini was fed a diet of 115 octane fuel from BP, along with upper cylinder head lubricant added to the tank. A decompression plate was manufactured from 1/8” steel plate, with XW Falcon pushrods being used to bridge the increased distance.

The Wray-blown brick was quite a weapon… Robbie would own the machine for three years, and only hold his license for a few months in that time. The locals would pause in sipping their pints at the local hotel as the Mini spun 360º on it’s way past from the train station. A journey from Adelaide to Mildura (some 400km) was completed by the brick in 3¼ hours… the 75mph (120km/h) average speed probably had something to do with the empty fuel tank five miles from the journey’s end.

The local Police were equipped with Valiants, with Robbie keeping them busy. One journey over the ranges had the Mini clocked at 130mph, followed by 115mph past the local shopping centre. Slowing down over the railway tracks, Robbie made a wrong turn and ended up in a dead-end. The Valiant, in hot pursuit, was not as agile as the Mini and failed to negotiate the last corner. The Police, climbing from the damaged Valiant, were none too amused, and decided Robbie would probably be better off walking for the next 5½ months.

On getting his license back, some testing was in order. A large model Wray had been fitted to a bloke’s white Mark 1 Cortina GT. This engine was a five-bearing 1500cc with four-speed gearbox. The Corty was almost too hairy to drive, easily breaking traction in first gear, especially if the road was wet. The “test run” between the Cortina and Mini in the local hills got a little out of hand, with the Cortina ending up on it’s roof on the train tracks. Robbie would be walking for another two years two months after that drive.

Robbie’s wife also pushed the car hard. Refuelling the car at the local service station, the attendant refused to add upper cylinder head lubricant to the tank. A phone call had to be made to Robbie to prove that his wife was correct. When the tank was full (with the required lubricant too), the Mini departed at some speed… leaving black tracks for quite some distance down the street. Another incident saw the Mini clocked by amphometer at some 75mph in a 30mph zone. This also didn’t impress the local Police (though the “Unmarked Police Car” sticker on the rear window may have had something to do with that).

Sadly, the Mini was eventually written off.

Robbie can also remember a Datsun 1600 that received a Wray supercharger. The car was used to impress potential customers. On launching the Wray-blown Datto, non-believers would be asked to open the doors on the moving car. The supercharged engine torqued the body so much that the doors could not be opened.

Greg Pill built a Wray-blown XR Ford Falcon stationwagon, shown in the images below (from Greg):

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Greg’s Falcon ran the 170ci Pursuit straight-six engine, which was available from 1961-1972 (XK, XL, XM, XP and XR Falcons), and was good for up to 111BHP in naturally aspirated form. Greg’s 170 used short deck height pistons to lower the compression to 8.25:1, a worked cam, extractors and a ported and polished head. Two additional mounting plates were welded to the cast head which provided three ports. Greg utilised the larger of the Wray superchargers, mounting it via a box manifold with mounting bolts passing through the pressure envelope and sealed with rubber washers. The supercharger was fed by twin 1¾” HD SUs with the angled main body (the inlet manifold mounting face is equally angled to ensure the float bowl orientation is level). A double v-belt from the crank drove the water pump and alternator. The water pump pulley was machined to suit a gilmer belt which then drove the supercharger. A little unorthodox, but a smart way to solve the problem of fitting everything within the confines on the right side of the motor. A relief valve was fitted to the top rear of inlet manifold. The Wray delivered some 14psi of boost, and was street driven and never raced. Greg sold the Ford without the supercharger.

The photo below, which I have taken from the internet, shows a Wray fitted to an unknown 1990’s rotary vehicle using twin HIF7 SU’s. I suspect this is John Basset’s (from Southern Fuel Injection, and linked to Globe Industries) RX3, which later was sold in Western Australia:

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The smallest engines installations were fitted with Wray superchargers were two speedway motorcycles installed in 1976 for Bob Cronin. The first vehicle was a Birmingham Small Arms (BSA) Rocket 3, running on methanol. The BSA was Bob’s first venture into speedway racing - with no previous experience for him and his passenger on a ‘home made’ bike they were very competitive. The BSA Rocket 3 (a.k.a. Triumph Trident) was a three cylinder 750cc air-cooled pushrod overhead valve engine coupled to a dry plate clutch and four speed gearbox (some 200-odd were lucky enough to get a fifth gear). Over 27,000 Rocket 3/Tridents were produced during its seven-year history… though only Bob’s two would be Wray-blown . In the image below (photo: Greg Pill), the Wray T96 supercharger can be seen nestled below where the fuel tank and seat join.

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Bob’s second outing into home-made crotch rockets was powered by a sleeved-down 750cc Volkswagen engine. Bobs theory was that if the test engine worked in competitive service then a stronger, better engine would be built using after-market crankshaft, crankcase and heads. Initial engine was a 1200cc (40hp) crankcase, modified 40hp heads, custom cylinders utilizing 750cc Suzuki water-bottle pistons giving a capacity of 750cc. The Wray T96 supercharger was installed and can be seen in the image below (photo: Greg Pill), nestled below the fuel tank.

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The bike had a very low centre of gravity, light weight and high power. Both of Cronin’s Wray-blown speedway outfits were tested and raced at the Rowley Park Speedway in Adelaide. They were very successful due to impressive power outputs. Unfortunately they were too successful; culminating in 'blown motors' being banned.

The Western Australian MG fraternity, recipients of the last batch of Wray superchargers, remain strong users of the machinery. Kevin McMahon runs a small Wray on his MG TC & Y Special (shown below in Kevin’s photo, followed by an image I lifted from the internet), as has Peter Compton, Rob Bodkin, John Bowles and Ed Farrar.

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The Wray on Kevin’s Special was reworked by John Bowles, who machined the nose so that the bearings could accommodate the front engine attachment. Ed Farrar machined the vanes. The Special runs around 7½psi boost, indicated by a Spitfire (aeroplane) boost gauge. The video below shows Kevin’s vehicle at the 2015 Northam Flying 50:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKT8oyDycEE

The Special sees active race service, having beat both a Morgan and a Mazda MX5 at Barbagallo Raceway prior to blowing the gasket between the supercharger and inlet manifold.

Don Tosler (Toesler?), from the Rostrevor area of Adelaide built a mid-engined (Wray-blown 16TS) Renault 750 as a sports sedan hill climber. Mid-build, CAMS changed the rules, banning mid-engined cars and forcing Don to campaign the car under a different class, competing at circuits that included Collingrove.

Don Fraser from Revmaster Engineering Camshafts (Sheldon Street, Norwood) was a 1960s boat racer who had an Amilcar with a Wray-blown 2242cc Whippet motor. Amilcars were made in France between 1922 and 1938, whilst Whippets were made by Overland (Willys) in the US from 1926-1931. Don built the Amilcar in 1975. Pictured below (photos: Fred Radman) is the modified HS8 S.U. carburettor from the Amilcar. This used a Lord mount to hang the float bowl. The 3/16” jet is home-made… and somewhat larger than the factory 0.125”. The needle is stainless steel.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/amilcar%20SU%201_zpsr37vecon.png) ($2)

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/amilcar%20SU%202_zps45ckxmdf.png) ($2)

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/amilcar%20SU%203_zpsnotkjkod.png) ($2)

Don removed the carburettor along with the supercharger prior to sale as he was using it on his new set up. The Wray was subsequently replaced with a Roots supercharger with twin SU carburettors. The vehicle passed from Don’s hands to Neil Sullivan in 1999. The photos below show the Amilcar in it’s Roots-blown format:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/one_zps08x2abac.png) ($2)

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/two_zps9wpq6anr.png) ($2)

Pictured below (photo: Dave Linton) is Dave Linton’s 1275cc Wray-blown Moke. In the late 1980’s Fred Radman offered Dave a Wray L60 BMC “A” series supercharger kit to install into the Moke. A fresh motor was built, overbored to 0.020” resulting in 1293cc and a compression ratio of 9.75:1. A custom camshaft was re-ground via Chris Milton using the Special Tuning 731 timing. However the lobe centre angle was reduced to 100º. The additional overlap enabled combustion chamber exhaust gas purging with the incoming compressed air/fuel mix. The Moke firewall was modified to allow the drive belt to run directly to the bottom pulley (see the modified red lead painted piece of box chassis section in the photo below). This placed the belt tensioner on the correct side (slack side) of the belt. The alternative (without the box section) places the tensioner on the drive side of the belt. A standard Moke harmonic balancer had a second vee groove cut into it to provide drive for the supercharger. After experimenting with a downdraught D5 S.U. carburettor and a Reece Fish, the carburettor was changed to a downdraught Stromberg as used in a Holden 186 red motor. A variable main metering jet was installed on the carburettor to adjust the fuel mixture. The Moke used a Marvel inverse oiler on the far side of the engine bay (complete with synthetic two-stroke oil). At full noise, the setup generated some 8–9psi of boost. Dave used the Moke daily for six months of the year over a couple of years, as Adelaide has pleasant weather from October to March. The main issue Dave experienced was that of carburettor icing during prolonged light throttle with cold ambient air temperature. Soon after installation the rotor failed, though cutting the fan belt enabled the Moke to be driven home to be repaired. Once the rotor had been replaced there were no other issues with the supercharger. The Moke competed at the Collingrove hillclimb and street drags at AIR. (Adelaide International Raceway). It was driven to the Australian Motorkhana Hay Nationals at Hay, NSW, with the Moke double-entered for two drivers. This is a round trip of some 1300km, with the carburettor icing issue being the only problem experienced on route.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/moke%201_zpsirs5wuzf.png) ($2)

Note the Wray sticker on the air cleaner. Fred had some of these made up in later years (photo: Fred Radman):

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/sticker_zps8dfbcsjg.png) ($2)

The photo below again from Dave Linton shows a T96 on a 1275cc Mini motor. The Wray manifolding has a Shorrock blow off valve which was found to seal better than the earlier plate type. Note that the manifold casting has been cut back to allow for a sidedraught carburettor.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/mini%20engine_zpsm2i8qgwd.png) ($2)

More photos from Dave below:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/dave%202_zps0trtrfxd.png) ($2)

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Dave%201_zpscvfludjd.jpg) ($2)

Lachlan Kinnear has a Wray on a vintage Vauxhall, whilst John Payne has a Wray on a MG Type 2. Lachlan’s Wray has the earlier cast rotor, and was earlier fitted to a Holden red motor from Mannum, South Australia. Lachlan also has the original Wray belt tensioner arm and inlet manifold.

Mike Adi’s (Advance Headers 16 Braeside Avenue Holden Hill South Australia 5088) Gamma Special Goggomobil was initially configured as a Wray-blown VW engine. The vehicle then moved to a Norman, and later to a Toyota (Aisin) SC14 running around 20psi of boost. The Wray was later sold to Brian Paige who fit it to a Simca. The photos below are from Mike:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/goggo%201_zpsyzvmec4e.png) ($2)

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/goggo%202_zpsusj3ajkc.png) ($2)
The Aisin-blown vehicle is shown below at Whyalla drags (I have lifted the images and video from the internet):

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/goggomobile%201_zps0rz7gndr.png) ($2)

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/goggomobile%202_zps1zumjmww.png) ($2)

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/goggomobile%203_zpshlikiac8.png) ($2)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vff3f9X4Ik4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hzBd4qzrLo

… and finally, a photo from Mike of the rear of the car:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/goggo%203_zpsrgc3f90n.png) ($2)

Rod O’Malley purchased a 1275cc MG Midget, and rebuilt the vehicle whilst still in his teens. The car was likely an ex race vehicle, notable through things like circles being painted on the doors (under layers of paint) and the sump plug being safety wired. As part of the rebuild, Rob acquired a small Wray supercharger in pieces. Having made his own manifolds to fit the Midget, the supercharger was reworked by Wray, with the casing rebored and the rotor slots tidied up before new vanes were fitted. The supercharger developed up to 5psi, though at any more loading the single vee-belt suffered slippage or breakage… Rod got around 500 miles from any given belt. Water/methanol injection was added to the Midget. The logbooked Midget would go on to serve as Rod’s road and track car, racing at circuits including Calder, Winton and Mallala. The car also saw service in motokahanas, though would only get 1½ events between gearbox failures. A 5.3:1 differential was later fitted for the Colingrove hillclimb, with the car starting in 2nd gear. Rod eventually sold the car through MG Sales (http://mgsales.net.au/).

Ed Farrar has a Wray-blown Morris Minor ute, which has travelled some 400,000 miles in Ed’s ownership. The Wray supercharger kit was purchased through Don Hall Motors in Subiaco, Perth in the late 1970's or early 1980s. The Morrie originally had a relatively standard 948cc engine, with the Wray kit only taking a few hours to fit. The first test drive of the ute, with Ed’s father riding shotgun, showed the car to be very strong. After a lap around the block Ed pulled up in the nearest straight road… the local shopping centre. From a standing start, Ed warned his father that he would see what the Morrie would do wide open. Ed got wheel spin in first, which continued through second gear. By the time Ed found third gear he was doing twice the speed limit… an inopportune time to pass the local Policeman.

After some 100,000 miles of service Ed was tiring of the engine taking a hammering from the supercharger. He purchased a complete Morris 1100s for $200, pulled the 1100cc engine and cut the end from the crank. A piece of steel was welded to the crank end and then machined to fit the standard lightened four-bolt flywheel and a Mk1 MG Midget clutch with uprated springs. In the following 300,000 miles the Wray-blown 1100 motor would only see one rebuild and one re-ring. As one of Ed’s friends found out, it’s not a good idea to bet the ute won’t do 100mph… Ed won the wager on the way to Esperance, leaving his mates brand new Honda Accord smoking at the side of the road from having tried to keep up. The Morris has seen some good loads over it’s time, often doing diving/camping duties (driver, two passengers, diving cylinders and compressor, tent, outboard motor and fuel tank, and 10’ boat on the roof). The Morrie has a new set of vanes fitted every 20 to 30 thousand miles depending on service conditions with the rotor being given a tickle each time. Ed carries a spare set of vanes under the seat in case of emergency.

Images below of the Morrie are from Ed:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/morris%201_zpskdrgnks1.png) ($2)

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/morris%202_zpsdja1dbkl.png) ($2)

Ed has run his Wray’s hard over the years. While competing in a motorkhana at Mooliabeenee (north of Perth, Western Australia), he ran the Wray without an air filter. The gravel turned a freshly rebuilt supercharger to scrap in a single day.

Ed has also made a number of spare rotors over the years. Ed targets a drive-end rotor-to-casing clearance of 0.002”-0.004” (Norman superchargers can be set to similar tolerances, though 0.010” is typical), and a non-drive end clearance of 0.018”-0.020” (Normans are typically 0.015”, with the early Type 65’s able to be set to 0.006”-0.008”). Ed has seen some Wray superchargers with as much as 0.080” clearance.

The photo below from Ed shows a rotor being machined:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/rotor%20turning_zpsk0orkn0l.png) ($2)

Ed and the WA MG crowd have also continued the development and upkeep of the Wray vanes. Harry Pyle has sourced vane material. At some time in the last ten years the vane material became a problem, probably because the thickness had been rounded to millimetres. Chris Foreman of Armstrong Energy (181A Star Street Carlisle, Western Australia, telephone (08) 93612761) is able to supply the thicker vanes but can also machine them to fit the rotor. He is also cutting diagonal grooves designed by Ed Farrar to help seat the vanes against the casing. Ed originally found the concept for the grooves in an American publication on sports car modification. The grooves are shown in the image below:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Farrar%20vanes_zps4nef3pvx.png) ($2)

Note that this is similar to the grooves used in the Norman superchargers produced by Mike Norman (see image below). Eldred’s machines did not use grooves.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Norman%20vane_zpswoetfzuv.png) ($2)

The Farrar-modified Wray grooves are cut to one third of the vane thickness. The grooves are used to assist the vanes in being able to move in and out of the rotor. Sliding supercharger vanes are normally a “flop” fit, though may experience some changes in dimensions due to moisture, fuel properties or dirt. If the vanes become a tight fit, the oily environment they operate in may allow them to form a seal with the rotor. In this case, the vanes will draw a vacuum at the vane root as they try to slide out, or will build pressure at the vane root as they slide back in. The grooves allow the vane root to equalize pressure, allowing the vanes to slide freely. The slots also allow some flow of air/fuel/oil around the vane, helping lubrication. The Farrar-modified Wray grooves are sufficient to eliminate vane rattle at idle. At idle speed the centripetal force on the vane is low, and they can lose contact with the casing wall, giving a rattling sound. For the (Mike) Norman superchargers, the grooves are not sufficient to stop vane rattle, and springs are fitted under the vane (the square notches in the yellow vane show above are used to seat the springs). The Farrar-modified Wray grooves are angled, helping to sweep out any debris arising from vane wear.

Ed also has a complete spare Wray supercharger, and rebuilds Zoller sliding vane superchargers. Arnold Zoller (1882-1934) was Swiss machine technician, and worked for Fiat for several years designing racing engines before co-founding a business marketing the Nazzaro car. From 1917 he worked for Argus Motoren, focussing on developing the supercharger, particularly for two-stroke engines. This lead to the invention of the Zoller sliding vane supercharger in 1927, which were used in vehicles including BMW, DKW and NSU.

Another Wray-blown Morris Minor was owned by Phil Evans from the Morris Minor Centre, Adelaide. His ute ran a standard 948cc motor with extractors and the supercharger, and was used as the regular pick-up and delivery vehicle for the business.

The photos below, from the owner, show Tim Billington’s T96 Wray. This machine was purchased by Tim from a Mr Booth of Cooroy, Queensland around two years ago. It is an early Wray, with the early Mark 1 type porting. The manifold face that can be seen with a looooong stud hanging out of one hole was later modified by Wray to have four smaller bolts in addition to the three shown on Tim’s. Tim’s fabricated tensioner is not a factory (cast) Wray unit. On the periphery of both the casing a hole is noticeable at about the one o’clock position. This hole is used to install a locating dowel, that ensures the end-plates are rotated correctly with respect to the casing’s inlet and outlet ports. The end plates have a similar hole, along with another 180º around the periphery. The original Wray tooling has provision for drilling these holes (we’ll hear more about the tooling later), though not all Wrays had the dowels drilled. The carburettor-to-supercharger manifold (complete with grey motor BXOV-1 Stromberg carburettor) was cast before the pattern was altered to allow for both downdraught and sidedraught carburettors - the sidedraught carburettor boss is absent, and the speed stripes and “W” is as cast, not machined down as per the later Wray manifolds. Tim’s machine is destined for a Holden grey motor.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/tims%207_zps0ctb08zc.png) ($2)

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/tims%206_zpsa4tqo3nt.png) ($2)

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/tims%205_zpsglf9b3bt.png) ($2)

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(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Tims%202_zpsoxgtqvmn.png) ($2)

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Tims%201_zpsvg3m20hp.png) ($2)

Gary Crosswell’s FC sedan is Wray-blown with an L96 (serial number L96/105), running on the over-bored (149ci) Holden grey motor. In lieu of the normal Stromberg, Gary’s Wray is fed by one of Eldred Norman’s massive 3” SUs.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Garys%202_zpsfgd7torq.png) ($2)

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Garys%201_zpsj1qh2aog.png) ($2)

Video of Gary’s machine is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0x9rSqMfkKk

5. The Last Wrays
The last production of the Wray supercharger was an order in 1983, consisting of a mix of twelve superchargers (eleven small and one large model) for the MG TC Owners Club in Perth. These were to be installed on 1250cc MG TC and TD's, with the larger supercharger for 1588cc-1622cc MGA's. Interest in the order was sparked by Ed Farrar, with the order placed by Harry Pyle. Darryl Robins and Harry attended the MG Nationals meeting in Geelong in their MGTC’s. On the return trip to Perth they called into Wray Engineering and collected the batch of superchargers. Darryl had no passenger on the trip back and was able to carry most of the superchargers on the floor of his car, whilst Harry had two behind his seat. Harry would later note that in trying to fit one of the superchargers to an MGTC, a very large hole is required in the louvered bonnet side. Harry’s son Philip engineered a clever modification, turning the supercharger so that the inlet becomes the outlet and rephasing the end plates so compression happens between the inlet port and manifold port. This also entails drilling additional holes in the end plates – see photo below

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/drilled%20end%20plate_zpshh9tqdj3.png) ($2)

Harry would go on to run the Wray-blown MGTC for six years as everyday transport. It is suspected that the supercharger is currently running on Kevin McMahon’s MG TC & Y Special, which we saw above. Harry was told in Adelaide that the patterns for the large supercharger would be destroyed, and that his was the last of the line. Thankfully, the moulds survived, and would lead to a later generation of superchargers… more on that below. Harry’s large Wray passed on to his son Philip, then to Colin Bonney unused, then onto Mike Sherrell. John Bowles assisted Mike by designing and building brackets and a manifold to finally fit the large Wray on to Mike's MGTC Special. The supercharger and kit were later onsold to Canada (more on this below). Philip Pyle fitted his small Wray in about 1984 to his Morris Minor convertible. Some years later Peter Compton fitted his small Wray to his MGTC. Pete Harper purchased a Wray supercharger some years ago from a Mr Muir, along with the pulley/speed scale paperwork. The machine is pictured below, running a Holley Model 1904 carburettor (the 1904 was common in Judson applications). The manifolding suits the BMC "A" series engine. The machine has never been installed or run. It is likely that this machine was part of the last batch of twelve.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/holley%20manifold_zpskdqbguwp.png) ($2)

As noted above, Harry Pyle’s large Wray was sold on to Mike Sherrell. The supercharger was destined to be fitted to Mike’s 1949 1275cc MGTC/9349 XPAW motor. In July 1998 work began on a plenum chamber, with the supercharger being fitted over the next few months. The Wray-blown MGTC was fitted with an 1¾” S.U. carburettor, running a 0.125” jet and UVF needle. It’s first outing was at the Joondalup Round the Houses meeting in October 1998, and was nothing short of spectacular. Boost was off the dial, with the MG rocketing away from the other racers at the start, only to fuel up and bang the relief valve. The mob would then swarm past the MGTC, wreathed in clouds of black smoke. The XPAW would then clear its throat and roar away after them. With enormous torque it would rocket out of the course's tight corners and soon be up and through the pack, only to have the whole process repeat itself over and over. It may have taken some time to get the grin off Mike’s face after the race. The MGTC was in for some serious tuning before it’s next outing. A larger drive pulley was fitted, reducing supercharger speed to 85.7% of engine speed. This reduced boost to a more sane level (if 12-14psi can be called sane). The relief valve spring was reset to around 16psi, whilst the SU needle was leaned up to UVA. The distributor advance was retarded severely. Tuning on the rolling road showed the MGTC was producing 80bhp at the rear wheels, almost double the factory offering and the most the dyno operator said he had seen from this type of MG engine on his equipment. The tuned MGTC made a stunning performance at Ellenbrook, Western Australia in May 2000. A sprint had been set up around the new roads and curbs of a subdivision yet to have houses built. Such an event was perfect for the small vehicle, with more than a few eyebrows raised at the performance - 56.4sec, placing it before fiftyseven other cars including Westfields, Porsche 911s, Nissan Skylines, BMW M3Rs, a Holden VT Commodore HSV GTS, Ford GTHO, Lotus Elise's, Alfa Romeo's, Jaguar E Type and Datsun 260s.

While the car was performing strongly, overheating was becoming a problem on the longer events. In November of 2002 the head gasket let go at the Wanneroo Historics meeting. Tear-down showed a totally destroyed head gasket. To combat the problem, Michael tried blocking off all the water holes between head and block with cast iron inserts, though this lead to the engine running too hot. The final solution (in December 2003) copied the factory race engines, where a 1" pipe is run from the top rear core plug to the back of the cylinder head. The MGTC has run in this guise ever since with no gasket failures and at the coolest of temperatures.

Sadly, in May 2004 disaster struck in the middle of a motorkhana. The Wray seized and stopped dead, with the engine spinning at some 6000rpm. One drive belt snapped, but the other belt kept driving. The supercharger had swallowed one vane and cracked the other three. The tear-down showed the Wray driveshaft had a 270º twist, with the pulley key disintegrated. The casing liner was 0.040" out of round, and the rotor slots opened up. After some major repairs, the Wray returned to service, thought he increased clearances would only support 8psi of boost. Michael sold the Wray, which made it’s way to Vancouver, Canada. The MGT has since been Roots-blown. The photos below, from Mike, show the Wray-blown track terror:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/MGTC1_zpsykid1u5t.png) ($2)

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/MGTC%202_zpsylez5uen.png) ($2)

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/MGTC3_zpsu2ugbczl.png) ($2)

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(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/MGTC6_zpsnaqookpn.png) ($2)

6. Fred Radman and the Second Generation of Wray Superchargers
The Wray superchargers were largely being sold in batches to speedshops. Once the speedshops mark-up was added, the superchargers became expensive. The lack of demand for superchargers, possibly due to the ability to install a V8 engine with cheap horsepower into various cars; and the lack of enthusiasm by John Wray and staff (who in previous years had an interest in performance vehicles) led to the stop in production. The drawings, patterns and tooling were sold in about 1986 to Fred Radman, starting a new era in Wray superchargers.

In the late 1970’s, Fred’s interest in supercharging was sparked by the noise coming from a motorkhana being held in a nearby shopping centre carpark at Tea Tree Plaza, Adelaide. On investigation, Fred found one of the competitors to be running a Mini Moke, complete with Formula 5000 slicks. The owner of the vehicle was Rob Searle. Rob was serious about his motorkhana vehicles, having competed in a Morrie ute powered with a supercharged Holden 138 grey motor the year before. Rob had purchased a steel case/steel rotor air cooled Type 65 Norman in pieces, with one end plate missing and no vanes. Having remade the missing components, the Norman was mounted to the grey motor and fed by twin Strombergs in suck-through mode. The Norman was later transferred to the 1275cc Moke engine, and chain-driven. A custom cam was ground up by Chris Milton Motors. Rob found that the suck through system experienced throttle lag, and modified it to run blow-through. A single SU carburettor was mounted in a pressurised box, made from an old saucepan. The SU would later be replaced with a Reece Fish carburettor. A Stromberg throttle body was employed as a waste gate, controlled by flexing a Holden fuel pump diaphragm to begin wasting at some 15psi of boost, Under load, the induction and exhaust noise of the little brick engine was incredible. (photos: Fred Radman)

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Rob would later go on to wreck out the Moke, selling the Norman to Dennis Boundy to place into a Holden museum. The ex-Moke Norman supercharger is shown in Dennis’ photo below:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/boundy%20norman%201_zps4vlqzqny.png) ($2)

Dennis is no stranger to Norman superchargers… his Norman blown FJ sedan is legendary for running some 113mph on the Lake Gairdner Great White Dyno. The FJ runs a water cooled Norman, mounted on the drivers side of the grey motor and fed by a 350 Holley. The water cooling is run through a water/air intercooler. Dennis’ photo of the Norman blown FJ are below:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/boundy%20norman%202_zpszq1rlrbd.png) ($2)

A few years later, with the noise of the Norman-blown Moke still ringing in his ears, Fred went on to purchase his first supercharger. This was a small model Wray, which had come from a Renault 8 or Renault 10. A few years later still a second Wray was purchased, again small model complete with a Mini fitment kit. The earlier supercharger was onsold to Kevin Shearer, whilst Fred still has his second supercharger.

In the late 1980’s, Fred got into contact with John Wray, who in turn directed him to a Greg Pill, who had worked for Wray and had the moulds and tooling. This was around the time that the final batch of twelve superchargers was being made the MG TC Owners Club of Perth. Fred can remember meeting John Wray, who carried a small book of engineering details Fred purchased the casing moulds and tooling, and went on to cast his first supercharger. Pictured below are some of the drawings, sketches and doodlings which came with the moulds and tooling (photos: Fred Radman):

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/drawings%204_zpsemutjieo.png) ($2)

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The pink drawing in the upper photo nearest the camera is a Holden grey motor manifold (sadly, no patterns or jigs exist for this one).

The small foundry used for Fred’s first casting run in Magill, Adelaide did not produce a satisfactory casting, and Fred changed to the Castech foundry (in Wingfield, South Australia - http://castech.net/) for all subsequent work. The casing castings for the Radman superchargers were done in CC601 (A356/A357) aluminium alloy, which was later heat treated. Machining of the raw castings was undertaken by Bob Jolly. Bob was an ex-Isle of Man bike racer who competed across Europe in the mid-1970s. Bob also scratch built JAP, Velocette, Triumph and Norton gear. He was also the owner of Bob Jolly and Co Machining, which still exists: http://bobjolly.com.au/.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/bob%20jolly_zpsj9lpaezj.png) ($2)

Bob's company was started in 1979 as Bob Jolly and Co Racing, with simple turning and milling operations servicing the racing community from his St Peters, Adelaide workshop. Bob relocated his workshop to Lobethal in the Adelaide Hills, and then to 82-84 Francis Road Wingfield, where they still operate today. All the rotors machined by Bob have distinctive rotor vane slots. The profile of the slitting saw used gives radiused roots, which lowers root stress in the rotor. The photo below (from Fred) shows the radiused vane root profile:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/vane%20root_zpsoerx1okz.png) ($2)

Fred went on to make L60, L96 and T96 machines, along with one T60.

Fred had been told by John Wray that cast iron diesel cylinder liners were used as casing liners in the Wray superchargers. For Fred’s machines, steel bore casing was used, with diagonal ports. Unlike the original Wray superchargers, Fred’s machines had the liners honed. Rotors were machined from 6060 or 6061 aluminium alloy. Like the earlier Wrays, the vanes were made from Tuffnol, which Fred sourced from Cadillac Plastics in Adelaide.

Fred also has the patterns for the Mini and T96 inlet manifolds. The latter can be machined for a single barrel downdraught carburettor, or cut to suit a side-draught SU or injection throttle body.
The Radman superchargers mainly used downdraught Stromberg carburettors with a variable main metering jet. Pictured below (photo: Fred Radman) is a D5 factory down draft S.U carburettor, used on the early Radman Mini setups. The adaptor mates it to the stud pattern on the intake manifold. Whilst it worked well it was not an easy carburettor to source, and Fred soon changed to Stromberg carbs for ease of availability.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/downdraught%20SU_zpsuhtathob.png) ($2)

Authors note: I have named the second generation of machines (made by Fred) Radman superchargers, to differentiate them from the Wray supercharger. Fred is modest, and views them as Wrays. I personally think though that anyone who manufactures superchargers from scratch, and continues their development deserves more than a little recognition… hence I’ve kept the Radman naming.

Around one dozen of the Radman superchargers were made, with the finished machines selling for cost at around $1000. Some of the superchargers were stamped with model and serial numbers, whilst others were not. The first of the Radman superchargers was sold to Peter Wilson in Adelaide on the 15th of January 1993 as a “kit” of parts. The liner was not machined for inlet/outlet ports, with Peter undertaking his own port timing. Peter built a Morris 8 special, named Pieces of Eight. Pieces of Eight was built in South Australia between 1988 and 1990, based on a 1937 UK Morris 8 special. It is a fully CAMS accredited Group K vehicle. It has a Morris 8 four-cylinder side valve engine, with the supercharger running at 12psi. It runs a single 1¾” SU on avgas. The car has finned 8” brakes driven by original 1935 hydraulics. Suspension is by Hartford friction shock absorbers, keeping the bounce out of 16”x3½” Dunlop magna wire polished alloy wheels.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/pieces%20of%20eight%201_zpsjmtjrfiu.png) ($2)

The images below (photos: Fred Radman) shows the original Radman supercharger made for Pieces of Eight, along with the original 2” SU carburettor supplied. To fit between the dumb irons on the chassis it was machined down so as to have only one bearing on the input end. The supercharger is directly driven from the Morrie’s crankshaft.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/pieces%20of%20eight%202_zps4uqba3qv.png) ($2)

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/pieces%20of%20eight%203_zpsi0yrqywz.png) ($2)

After the car was sold the supercharger rotor was subsequently shortened and a spacer fitted inside the casing to lower the capacity. Such modifications, whilst unusual, were not unique. Bob Jolly took a T96 casting and cut and shut it to make a T60 for Dave Linton (perhaps the only T60 ever made). Jim Howard from Slider Engineering hard anodised the rotor and also machined and anodised the tooth belt pulley. The cut and shut T60 unit would later be fitted to an Austin 7 race car.

The second Radman supercharger was also sold to another Morris 8 owner, with a further Radman going to an Alfa Romeo-powered Amilcar.

Fred moved to the UK, with sales of the Radman Wrays continuing in his absence by Bob Jolley, Dave Linton and Phil Evans. When Bob sold a supercharger, he often stamped a small “R” (for Robert) into the casing. The “R” is shown in the image below of a T96 Wray (photo: Fred Radman).

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/serial%20numbers_zpsuegimaup.png) ($2)

Fred sold two superchargers whilst in the UK to John Bibby, who rebuilt Shorrock and other superchargers. John still trades as John Bibby Superchargers (72 Feiashill Road Trysull Wolverhampton West Midlands WV5 7HT). The image below (photo: Fred Radman) was taken in the UK at John Bibby’s place, and shows a Cozette eccentric vane supercharger, a Wray L60 sliding vane supercharger and a Shorrock C75 eccentric vane supercharger.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/three%20superchargers_zpsmobldh4y.png) ($2)

Whilst in the UK Fred continued his research, speaking to Tuffnol about improved vane materials.
Sadly, the increasing availability of the Aisin superchargers used by Toyota reduced the market for the Radman superchargers, and no further batches were made. Fred still has a number of the castings and complete machines – the photo below (photo: Fred Radman) shows a manifold Fred recently machined:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/manifold%202_zpstpyh5vp4.png) ($2)

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/manifold%201_zpsz5njzyfj.png) ($2)

Regards,
Harv (deputy apprentice Wray supercharger affecionado).

Ladies and gents,

This post will focus on some of the historic documents that I have been able to get access to of late.

Recently, I have been able to access a copy of the “GO! With Safety” brochure that Eldred printed in the mid 1960’s (no later than 1965… see the Eddie Thomas catalogue below) whilst still living at Tolleys Road, Hope Valley South Australia. My thanks to the gentlemen who lent me a copy… the only one I have seen for sale sold some years ago on eBay for $400 (!). The brochure covers the sale of Type 65 Norman kits for the grey motor (to suit all Holden models, 1948-1963 inclusive). Eldred was selling two kits – one to suit all models FX-FJ (£107 10’), and one to suit all models FE-EJ (£111). In the copy of the brochure, the earlier kit had been discontinued (crossed out by pen) and the latter kit modified to suit FX-EJ (i.e. only one kit for all grey motors). Eldred was also selling bare superchargers for £57 10’, along with individual spare parts (casings, end plates, vanes, bearings, seals, crank and supercharger pullies, supercharger and generator brackets, supercharger outlet and inlet manifolds and elbows). It is interesting that the kits were such that “the average man with a comparatively slight mechanical knowledge can fit it in approximately one half day”. Equally interesting that the tools needed were a hammer, cold chisel, pliers, screwdriver, 10” and 8” shifter and an 18” tyre iron.

Eldred’s take on supercharging the grey was interesting. The kits were designed for the Holden grey motor, or engines of 1000-2500cc. Eldred notes the manifolds were slotted for the BXOV-1 carburettor, or a much larger Nicchi (Nikki) 1 5/8” downdraught which Eldred sold (the Stromberg gave just as good at low and medium speeds, though the Nikki was better up top). This has got me curious - anyone know a vehicle in Australia in the early sixties running a large single barrel Nikki? For the grey, the kits ran at 1.1 times engine speed to give 5psi boost at 30mph and top gear, and 3 psi at 20mph and top gear with the FB-EJ bore (slightly higher with the smaller FX-FC 3” bore). The kits required the use of super fuel, with Eldred noting he was intending to market an 8spi boost unit that had to use 115 octane fuel (bear in mind that modern Aussie pump fuel is typically 91RON, whilst E85 is 105RON and methanol is 109RON). From Eldred: “The supercharger will not give you a racing car’s performance – certainly not on pump fuel, but it will put you on a par with a Valiant or a Holden 179 in acceleration, particularly in top gear. If you tow a boat or a caravan or like to “feel” a car, you cannot afford to be without a supercharger".

The second brochure I have been able to access is a pricelist from the late 60’s. Prices are in dollars, so this is at least 1966 (bear in mind that Eldred moved to Noosa in 1966, and passed away in mid 1971). The prices are all quoted as for Queensland delivery with freight additional – it is a fair bet that Eldred had moved to Noosa by this stage. The brochure indicates the following models of Norman supercharger were available:
Type 65 Standard
Type 65 Lightweight (LW)
Type 65 Super Lightweight (SLW)
Type 70 Lightweight (LW)
Type 70 Super Lightweight (SLW)
Type 75S Lightweight (LW)
Type 75S Lightweight (LW) Deluxe
Type 110 Leightweight (LW)
Type 265 Standard
Type 265 Lightweight (LW)
Type 265 Super Lightweight (SLW)
Type 270 Lightweight (LW)
Type 270 Super Lightweight (SLW)
Standard models have a cast iron casing and a steel rotor. Lightweight models change to aluminium casings (cast iron or steel lined), whilst the Super Lighweight units have aluminium casings, tufftrided cast iron or steel liners and a lightened tufftrided steel rotor. Aluminium rotors are not offered. It is interesting that some of Eldred’s other machines (the Type 45, Type 90 and Type 110) are not offered for sale. The engine capacities suggested for each size machine are as follows:
Type 65: 1250-2250cc (note the GO! With Safety brochure advise above of 1000-2500cc)
Type 70: 1750-2750cc
Type 75S: 2250-3250cc
Type 265: 2500-4500cc
Type 270: 3000-5500cc
Worked motors are recommended to use 2/3 of the above capacities. The brochure indicates that early Holden kits are available for Type 65 and Type 70 superchargers, whilst H-model Holden kits are available using the Type 75. A kit for the Toyota 1900cc motor is also indicated.

A (third) separate pricing brochure adds the Type 110 (both Lightweight and Super-Lite), indicating a target motor of 2500-3500cc. This brochure indicates that the H-series Holden kits are based on the Type 110, using either two 1 ¾” or two 2” SUs. This brochure again indicates early Holden kits using the Type 65 or Type 70, using either the original BXOV-1 Stromberg carburettor or a 2” SU. Interestingly, this brochure indicates that both the Type 70 and Type 110 can be offered with a clutch drive (I have only seen this previously on Type 45, Type 75 and Type 90 machines).

The fourth brochure below was used to sell Mike’s Normans:
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/These%20brochures%20were%20a%20part%20of%20the%20display%20of%20the%20Bobcat%20FJ%20custom%20coupe%20at%20the%20Sydney%20Hot%20Rod%20show%20at%20Darling%20Harbour%201_zpsgjjjhbv1.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/These%20brochures%20were%20a%20part%20of%20the%20display%20of%20the%20Bobcat%20FJ%20custom%20coupe%20at%20the%20Sydney%20Hot%20Rod%20show%20at%20Darling%20Harbour%202_zpsuxoalnng.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/These%20brochures%20were%20a%20part%20of%20the%20display%20of%20the%20Bobcat%20FJ%20custom%20coupe%20at%20the%20Sydney%20Hot%20Rod%20show%20at%20Darling%20Harbour%203_zps4ylassiv.jpg) ($2)
[url=http://s929.photobucket.com/user/V8EKwagon/media/These%20brochures%20were%20a%20part%20of%20the%20display%20of%20the%20Bobcat%20FJ%20custom%20coupe%20at%20the%20Sydney%20Hot%20Rod%20show%20at%20Darling%20Harbour%204_zpsqfk2t5ah.jpg.html](http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/These%20brochures%20were%20a%20part%20of%20the%20display%20of%20the%20Bobcat%20FJ%20custom%20coupe%20at%20the%20Sydney%20Hot%20Rod%20show%20at%20Darling%20Harbour%204_zpsqfk2t5ah.jpg)[/URL

The fifth brochure is a 1965 catalogue for the Eddie Thomas Speed Shop, which draws material verbatim from the Go! with Safety brochure described above:
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Eddie%20Thomas%20catalogue%201_zpsb7or6wgg.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Eddie%20Thomas%20catalogue%202_zpsm1b6345a.jpg) ($2)

The next pieces of this post are magazine articles that I have had for a while, and have drawn on as this thread has developed. Pieces of the magazines have been posted previously, though I will post the entire articles here. The magazine articles are a little less reliable than the brochures and catalogues above… there is sometimes some artistic license used by the writer. The first (and probably most recognizable) is the Blow For Go Norman Style article from Australian Hot Rod of November 1966:
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Cover%20page_zpsfkdvbh33.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Australian%20Hot%20Rod%20Nov%201966%201_zpspe5hk1rc.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Australian%20Hot%20Rod%20Nov%201966%202_zpswms7shrr.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Australian%20Hot%20Rod%20Nov%201966%203_zps9g8vdgrd.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Australian%20Hot%20Rod%20Nov%201966%204_zpsw3agigdd.jpg) ($2)

The second is the Blowers for Holdens! article from The Australian Hot Rodding Review of January 1967:
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/The%20Australian%20Hot%20Rodding%20Review%20January%201967_zpshate2xor.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/The%20Australian%20Hot%20Rodding%20Review%20January%201967%202_zps3vguov1k.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/The%20Australian%20Hot%20Rodding%20Review%20January%201967%203_zpsv3xg1enx.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/The%20Australian%20Hot%20Rodding%20Review%20January%201967%204_zpszxtmbp6w.jpg) ($2)

The third is an article from Hot Holdens and Customs #2, depicting the Norman-blown Alki-Burner:
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Alki%20burner%201_zpsgdu93dvd.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Alki%20burner%202_zpsdlgjubqx.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Alki%20burner%203_zpsozvasfpe.jpg) ($2)

The fourth is an article from The Australian Hot Rodding Review of June 1968, showing the Norman-blown Bobcat:
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/The%20Australian%20Hot%20Rodding%20Review%20June%201968%201_zpsnuyrye2v.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/The%20Australian%20Hot%20Rodding%20Review%20June%201968%202_zpsqueocvj1.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/The%20Australian%20Hot%20Rodding%20Review%20June%201968%203_zps7cfzmf1g.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/The%20Australian%20Hot%20Rodding%20Review%20June%201968%204_zpshuzrmbeg.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/The%20Australian%20Hot%20Rodding%20Review%20June%201968%205_zpsvvqo1eke.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/The%20Australian%20Hot%20Rodding%20Review%20June%201968%206_zps8wlyw0re.jpg) ($2)

The fifth is an article from Adelaide’s The News of September 28th 1964:
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/The%20News%20Septembe%2028th%201964_zpspxb9ypkr.jpg) ($2)

I have copies of another three articles (The Blow for Go! article from the 2009 Street Machine Hot Rod Annual, the Dirty Stuff column from Street Machine of May 2014, and the article on Grantley’s Norman-blown FJ from Chopped Nº. 7), though these are pretty new and I am seeking permission from the publishers to post them here.

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger fiddler).

Ladies and gents,

One extraordinary document I have been able to lay my hands on (with thanks, Ed) is a copy of a thesis written in November 1985 - Rotary Vane Compressors, Testing and re-design of a sliding vane compressor for supercharging. The thesis was authored by Mark Hammond and Edward Vieusseux at the NSWIT. Hammond and Vieusseux’s project evaluated the suitability of a Norman to supercharge engines up to 2,000cc capacity. The work undertook extensive bench testing, including analysis of alternative vane materials. The test mule for this work was one of Mike’s 200 Normans, casing number 2000002S, as shown below:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Ed%20Vs%20200%201_zpsblrf8f6o.png) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Ed%20Vs%20200%202_zpshdhps1a8.png) ($2)

The test rig drove plain air (and in some cases lubricant spray) through the Norman, using a waterbrake dyno driven by a BMC 1800cc engine. Different casing liners were used to give different port timings (0% compression, the standard 16% compression, and a higher 32% compression), along with two rotors (3- and 4-vane).

Some learnings from the thesis:
• The Norman supercharger has an adiabatic efficiency of 45-60% for 2-10psi boost. This lines up pretty well with the numbers I have used earlier in this post when we modelled the Norman. I had assumed 60%, whilst other resources indicate 70% (Eldred) and 50-65% (Corky Bell).
• At 4000rpm (typical operating range for a wide-open early Holden Norman), the volumetric efficiency starts at around 80% at 2psi boost, and drops to 70% at 10psi. Increasing pressure ratio lowers the efficiency due to the increased internal pressure recirculating gas within the supercharger. This is a little lower than the values I used in the modelling – I assumed 90%, compared to literature values of 82-90% (William Lyons), 90% (Royce Brown) and 85% (C.F. Taylor).
• The 200 Norman casing was measured (using the modern method, not Eldred's method) to give 115ci/rev (very similar to the Type 65). The 16% internal compression ratio of a standard Norman was close to optimal (i.e. increasing or decreasing internal compression was not beneficial).
• Four vane materialss were tested: Bakelite, Feroform F31 (similar to the Feroform F57 I have discussed earlier), Tuffclad Moly (a self-lubricating thermoplastic) and Nylacast Moly (a self lubricating thermoplastic filled with nylon). Of note:
a) vane wear for the Bakelite was very similar to that noted by Mike Norman – about 4-5mm per 20,000km of driving. One of the reasons for this is that Mike’s design has a very high vane tip speed due to it’s large casing diameter – some 49m/s at 6000rpm, which is nearly four times faster than a grey motor piston at redline.
b) using water alone as a lubricant for Bakelite vanes lead to liner scoring. Oil is required.
c) water can be used as a lubricant for the Feroform and Tuffclad Moly materials. It removes frictional heat far better than oil, probably by partial vapourisation.
c) friction power loss was not noticeably different for the different vane materials. However, the Nylacast Moly vanes tended to pick-up in the vane slots (even with water lubrication) and hence are not suitable.
d) Both the Nylacast Moly and Tuffcast Moly were more susceptible to delamination or cracking than Bakelite. The slots cut out for the vane spring carriers act as a stress riser.

• Vane rattle was examined, and found to be due to:
a) too much clearance between the vane and slot. This stops once operating temperature is reached. Note that a clearance of 0.005” was recommended for Bakelite vanes (this is perhaps a little more accurate than Eldred’s “flop fit” specification), and is a useful number for anyone milling down their own replacement vanes.
b) low speeds (<1500rpm) where the small centrifugal forces are unable to overcome slot friction and the weight of the vanes. This is where the vane springs are useful. Of note, there was no discernible power loss from using the vane springs (i.e. they do not increase friction, as the centrifugal forces on the vanes far exceed the spring tension).
• Whilst four-vane rotors are more efficient and do not increase shaft power, they are not a simple swap-in for the exiting Normans. Four-vane rotors were tried, but delaminated over 2000 pm as the vane stroke was too high in the existing casing. A word to the wise – if replacing the rotor in one of Mike’s Normans, do not be tempted to use a 4-vane design unless the end-plates are remanufactured to give less vane stroke.
• The seal between the end-plate and casing was effected through the use of a synthetic sealing strip (I have yet to find one of these in a Norman… they tend to get discarded, and replaced with a line of sealant like Sikaflex
• Just like Roots superchargers, the positive displacement Norman delivers a pulsing flow at the discharge ports. Four-vane rotors delivered smoother flow than three-vane rotors. The attached graph shows how the discharge pressure changes over time. Note that a Norman running at a nominal boost pressure of 10psi has the discharge port oscillating between 7 and 11 psi (albeit over a very short time frame).

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/pressure%20pulses_zpsbtwal1g6.png) ($2)

• The nature and surface finish of all sliding surfaces have to be very hard and smooth to reduce friction and vane wear. A surface finish of <16µinch is recommended, as per the red line in the chart below. As a comparison, a rough turned item with visible toolmarks is about 500µinch, a smooth machined surface around 125µinch, bearing surfaces are around 32µinch, and fine lapped surfaces are around 1µinch.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/surface%20finish_zpsro9ccifz.png) ($2)

The document also contains a compressor map for the 200 Norman – this is the only Norman compressor map that I am aware of:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/200%20Norman%20compressor%20map_zpsuk3a8wo1.png) ($2)

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger fiddler).

Ladies and Gents,

Attached below some more photos of Matt Brown’s Norman. From what I can see:

It's a Type 65 Norman. It could either by a Lightweight (solid steel rotor) or Super Lightweight (steel rotor made hollow by welding steel plates together). Matt has weighed the machine, and it seems very light (10.7kg, whilst Gary Claypole's Lightweight weighs 20kg). I am itching to see the rotor in Matt’s machine… it could well be a Super Lightweight rotor, which I have not yet seen before in the flesh. Looks like a home-made carburettor-to-supercharger manifold, but a pretty good copy nonetheless.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Mounted%20on%20motor%20showing%20drive%20end_zpsb7a91r8r.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Mounted%20on%20motor%20showing%20welsh%20plugs_zpsdkibvbt6.jpg) ($2)

The casting number (22) is pretty meaningless. All the alloy cased Type 65's that I have seen (e.g. Paul's, Gary's) have that same casting number.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/casting%20number_zpsviwapmse.jpg) ($2)

The drive-end plate stamping (516) is interesting, and more like a serial number. The numbers were not consistently applied by Eldred though (for example neither Paul nor Gary's has an end-plate stamping). This is the third one I've seen - Ian Barnard has 522, and Ted Robinette has 513, both on steel-cased Type 65’s.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/non-drive%20end_zpsxxt5zc3h.jpg) ($2)

The non-drive end is interesting. Most Type 65's have a plain end-plate boss, into which is driven a welsh plug. Matt’s machine non-drive end end-plate has been drilled and tapped for four setscrews. I have seen this on other machines, including both my Type 45 and Type 75. I suspect that the four holes mean that Matt’s machine was once fitted up with a clutch (the same as my Type 75), which would make it a Deluxe. The four holes allow the clutch hydraulic driver unit to be bolted to the non-drive end of the Norman. The other clue is that the non-drive end of Matt’s driveshaft has a nut fitted, the same as my clutched Type 75. The non-clutched Normans (like Gary’s) have just a bare shaft sticking out through the bearing on the non-drive end.

I've seen rotation directions stamped into Normans before, sometimes as plain arrows, sometimes as ROTATION, but this is the first one I've seen with MUST ROTATE stamped into it.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/drive-end%20stamping_zpsyypbkkny.jpg) ($2)

Matt has two supercharger-to-cylinder head manifolds. One looks to be made from steel, and mounts the supercharger up high (this is the one that is being used to mount the Norman to the red-painted grey motor in the photos above). This is period correct. The other manifold is used to mount the supercharger low, in the place that the generator normally sits. The slip-in flange is unusual, and probably robbed off an original carburettor-to-supercharger manifold - they normally have a hose connected where you have the flange. There are very few of these manifolds surviving - Anthony Harradine's supercharger (ex Bobcat) in his EJ Premier is one of few.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/manifold_zpsunbcyzs4.jpg) ($2)

Cheers,
Harv

One project that is slowly percolating along is my meth monster Norman. I intend to Norman-supercharge my FB daily driver, and putt around running on SU carbs and petrol fuel. For the nostalgia drags (and maybe some Wednesday night WSID drags) I will change the intake to Hilborn injection, and the fuel to methanol. I’ve got the supercharger and injection, and have been slowly piecing together the other bits (dry sump etc). I’ve been slowly accumulating the bits for the fuel system:
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Meth%20monster%20fuel%20plumbing_zpse3yrh6o3.png) ($2)

I wanted a Moon tank to fuel the alky into the meth monster. It took me a while, but I finally got all the bits together and got the fuel tank made up. The Moon tank will sit in front of the grille, and be able to be removed when the car is in daily-driver use. I looked at buying a genuine Moon tank, but they are around $550. They do not have enough fittings for fuel injection, so I would have to have some nipples TIG welded in. They are also not baffled (the fuel return would churn the tank up), so the Moon tank would also need to be cut open to put in a baffle. For that much money, and still needing work, I figured there had to be a better way.

I took a brand-new 8.5kg gas bottle, which owes me about $30 from Bunnings. Assuming the tank is about 75% full, and that the meth-monster is punching out around 150BHP, the tank should last about 20 minutes on petrol, or 8 minutes on methanol. 8 minutes should be enough for queueing in the staging lanes, a run down the strip, and the return lane drive back to the pits.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/tank%201_zpssr1ngyyo.jpg) ($2)

I cut the foot ring and valve collar off the bottle, and ground the welds flush. The inlet/outlet valve for the bottle unscrews. It is a tapered gas thread (¾”-14NGT), and took a damn long extension bar to get enough torque to get if off. I don’t need that particular hole, and sourced a plug to suit. Finding a NGT plug is near impossible, and I ended up having a good conversation with Gameco (http://gameco.com.au/) who confirmed that ¾”-14NPT is very similar to NGT, and close enough for what I intend to do with it. Probably wouldn’t use a NPT plug for LPG service, but OK for this job.

I then marked out and drilled holes for the fittings. The top of the tank has two returns (primary and secondary bypass), which have -6AN nipples (the equivalent of 3/8” pipe). I made a slit in the tank wall, and have inserted some steel plate 1” under the two return lines. This plate acts as a baffle/splash plate, preventing the returning fuel from stirring up (and aerating) the tank contents. This type of baffling is recommended by Kinsler for Moon tanks (see the diagram down the bottom of page 179: http://www.kinsler.com/Kinsler-Handbook/HTML/#178). The tank has another -6AN nipple for a tank breather. The breather gets a nice filter, and also a rollover valve (in case things go pear-shaped). The fuel tank outlet (under the tank) is plumbed with a -8AN nipple (½” pipe). A second -8AN nipple will let me fit a drain cock. I used an early Holden filler neck (many thanks Jim), which has an original Holden cap on it (should match the era of the FB nicely). The ANDRA rules require that the cap be “positively locked”. There is a small lug on the tank to anchor safety wire. I will drill a small hole in the cap to suit the safety wire, and solder the original cap vent hole shut.

The two legs under the tank have been cut from steel plate. They are a little long for now, but can be trimmed later. I will make up some brackets to pick up the FB bumper bar irons (plan at this stage is to unbolt the bumper bar centre section and leave the two end sections in place). Still got to give the tank a rub back and some paint… not sure what colour yet but probably silver RustGuard.

By using scrap, and my brother-in-laws welding skills, the tank owes me about $60 all up. By the time I refitted a Moon tank it would have cost $620. Not a bad saving.

Cheers,
Harv

Ladies and gents,

Having spoken to the seller, I thought I’d post some more info on the Norman that is currently on eBay, along with some things that stood out for me.

The unit is a water cooled, cast iron cased Type 65. The unit was run in an FJ Holden hillclimb car in the early 90’s. The unit had gone through several owners (mainly changing hands without being on a car) prior to purchase. The humpy was running a grey motor with a Vauxhall 12-port head and crank. The motor had been bored out significantly, and had a habit of blowing the copper head gaskets (between bores) when running in supercharged configuration.

The vehicle originally ran motorcycle carbs (probably Amals), though suffered from fuel surge. The carbs were replaced by the Norman, fed by the twin 2” SUs (that’s a lotta carb for a Norman blown grey that is not running alky). The Norman was later replaced by triple SUs. The vehicle ran BP100, with water injection. Drive for the Norman was taken from a chain. This required a significant drive shaft extension, made to be a tapered (interference) fit to the original supercharger drive shaft. The driveshaft extension has been subsequently cut off. The Norman was run without water cooling (due to the short duration hill climbs it was used for), with the water inlet/outlets blocked by brass plugs.

The Norman has been rephrased at some stage – notice that the end plate holes have been redrilled. The end plates are eccentric, so turning them in this manner moves the “low point” (where the rotor is closest to the casing). This can change both the Norman capacity and pressure output (depending on how much rotation is achieved, and in which direction). It would be interesting to see the internals of this machine to map out the exact change (hint hint… if someone purchases this machine, please give me a yell and I’ll walk you through how to remeasure the Norman). Rephasing Normans is unusual, though is relatively common in Wray machines amongst the MGTC crowd (see my Wray anecdote for details of this).

The Norman is also unusual in that this is the first time I have seen the serial number (481) stamped on the casing and the carburettor-to-supercharger manifold. All other early Normans I have seen have been either unstamped, or stamped on the end plates only. Note that the non-drive end plates on this machine have not been drilled and tapped, signifying it has been a Standard (unclutched) model rather than a Deluxe (clutched).

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/bridges%20view_zpsibmthyo2.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/inlet%20manifold%20stamping_zpsfbrtepih.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/casing%20stamping_zpsqmpejfvn.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/casting%20marks%202_zpsaolpycei.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/casting%20marks_zpsrjaarjhr.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/drive%20end%20view_zps0rn33ugm.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/non%20drive%20end%20view_zpsel6h5tey.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/on%20motor_zpsndt19yhh.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/overhead%20view%20closeup_zpsizohsyhe.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/overhead%20view_zpsj1mog7mv.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/probably%20idler%20pulley_zpsny9izthu.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/side%20view%20with%20rattlecans_zpsatoae9jf.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/twin%202inch%20SUs_zpsckd3edhq.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/twin%20SUs%20on%20manifold%202_zpspmirj7ox.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/twin%20SUs%20on%20manifold_zpske3dqz5o.jpg) ($2)
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/two%20inch%20SU%20ram%20tubes_zpsorj5eto3.jpg) ($2)

Cheers,
Harv

Ladies and gents,
I was working through my Norman notes, and came across some material that I don’t think I’ve posted before – apologies in advance if I have.
In my previous Wray supercharger anecdote, I mentioned that in the local (Australian) forced induction field there were numerous people bolting on (or making kits for) imported superchargers in the 50’s and 60’s. Whilst this is a little different to Norman and Wray (who were building superchargers from scratch), the kit builders were both contemporaries and competitors to the Norman supercharger.
One such contemporary was Barry Ekins. Barry originally became interested in superchargers when he bought a Marshall-blown 1300cc MG/TA Special around 1959. The car, owned by Alan Tomlinson, had previously won the 1939 Australian Grand Prix in Lobethal, South Australia. Tomlinson, who won the AGP at age 22 and is shown in the event in the photo below, has described the circuit as “bloody dangerous” to drive on.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/AGP%20MG_zpsaevpd5to.png) ($2)

Barry operated in the late 1960’s in Sydney, utilising the Marshall-Nordec Roots-type supercharger.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/nordec%20logo_zps2wefcyy8.png) ($2)

Marshall is a large UK automotive and aircraft company, which started in the early 1900's and continues to operate today. I have confirmed that this “Marshall” neither manufactured superchargers, nor licensed the design (with thanks to Marshall, who were incredibly helpful). Sir George Godfrey and Partners made Marshall-Roots superchargers, both for aviation service and for automotive use. There are a number of advertisements advertising them doing so:
http://www.aviationancestry.co.uk/?companies/&companyName=Sir+George+Godfrey+%26+Partners
Godfrey traded from at least the 1930’s, until being taken over by Howden Wade Ltd (who were once Wade Engineering, and now trade as Hadron SR) in 1955. I have been unable to trace back the origins of the “Marshall” component of the Marshall-Rootes name for these type of superchargers, despite much hunting.
Godfrey supplied the Marshall-Godfrey superchargers for the World War 2 effort, where they were used as high-altitude aircraft cabin blowers and for snorkel blowing on submarines. Following the war, a significant number of these machines were surplus. L.M. Ballamy was able to secure the rights to use these surplus machines for automotive supercharging. Ballamy did not manufacture the superchargers, rather they “kitted” them into post-war vehicles including Ford 8s and 10s, Vauxhall 10s and 12s, MG TCs and even at least one E93a Ford Prefect. Ballamy’s company, L.M. Ballamy, Consulting and Experimental Engineers began in the UK in 1939. In 1946 the business was reorganised as North Downs Engineering Co (Nordec). The company continued supplying supercharging kits (based on the Marshall supercharger) as well as retaining the rights to some of Ballamy’s patents. In 1947 some of Nordecs engineers, designers and managers departed to form Wade Superchargers. Thus both Nordec’s staff, and Godfrey’s company, ended up with Wade. Wade derives from it’s company name from those of the founders, Bryan Winslett and Costin Densham. Wade is familiar to many Aussies for their Rootes-type RO superchargers, including the model RO20 utilized on Peter Brock’s 1970 HDT 186ci LC GTR Torana rallycross vehicle “The Beast”.

But I digress ;D

Barry sourced the superchargers (originally intended for either aircraft cabin pressurisation or industrial service) from Marshall-Nordec in the UK, along with some aircraft repair companies. A visit to the UK in 1968 saw Barry return with around 150 superchargers. Barry would provide his "tame pattern maker" with manifold mock-ups (two flanges and a piece of bent wire), with the pattern maker delivering to him the finished cast manifolds. Relief valves for the machines (originally intended for air compressors) were manufactured by Clisby, and sourced from McPhersons hardware in the Sydney CBD. Barry used ex-aircraft gauges, plumbed with copper pipe. Whilst the thermostats were removed when fitting an Ekins kit to a Mini, the grey motor kit thermostats were soldered/braised open (Barry found that removing them directed the flow of water at the radiator cap, blowing it off).
Barry made kits for around 400 vehicles, including around 25 Holdens and 100 Volkswagens (which largely used the J-75 model Marshall-Nordec). The image below shows the Volkswagen kit:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Ekins%20VW%20kit_zpsyrssebqt.png) ($2)

The image below shows a typical endplate made by Ekins:
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/ekins%20endplate_zpshv7l015z.png) ($2)

Barry’s machines were also used in some historic racers, and some ski boats (Barry was interested in skiing as a hobby). The majority of Barry’s works were done in 1968. Barry remembers supercharging a new Holden Monaro (probably a HG or HT). The customer wanted the largest setup available, and despite Barry’s advice a supercharger and manifold was imported from the US… costing half as much again as the new vehicle price. The kit was removed after one years use due to the high fuel costs. When Barry ceased his supercharger work he pursued his own Volkswagen service business. Most of the manifold moulds have since been destroyed.

The “BLOW it Man” article below, from The Australian Hot Rodding Review of November 1968 shows some of Barry’s work.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/The%20Australian%20Hot%20Rodding%20Review%20November%201968%201_zpsdqu0rpo5.jpg) ($2)

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/The%20Australian%20Hot%20Rodding%20Review%20November%201968%202_zpsyzyjm08e.jpg) ($2)

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/The%20Australian%20Hot%20Rodding%20Review%20November%201968%203_zpsrorbimmn.jpg) ($2)

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/The%20Australian%20Hot%20Rodding%20Review%20November%201968%204_zpseg7keb2r.jpg) ($2)

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/The%20Australian%20Hot%20Rodding%20Review%20November%201968%205_zpswf0bcglw.jpg) ($2)

Cheers,
Harv

Ladies and Gents,

Wanna see something cool 8)?

I have owned my Type 110 Norman for quite a while… pulled it apart, measured bits etc. In all that fiddling, I missed something until Fred pointed it out (many thanks Fred).
On the non-drive end of the Type 100, a fitting has been made that screws into the end of the rotor.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/IMG_0190_zpstgqbysak.jpg) ($2)

The rotor non-drive end normally has a rotor keeper screwed into it (see my earlier posts). The fitting in my Type 110 replaces the rotor keeper, and has a bayonet fitting at the end. The bayonets protrude past the end of the casing.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/IMG_0191_zps6bytgnmr.jpg) ($2)

The purpose of the fitting is to provide a drive for a fuel pump (to suit mechanical fuel injection). Fuel pump drives are typically hex drive, as per the photo below (which I have borrowed from the HAMB):

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Hilborn%20pump%20hex%20drive_zpsotivbumq.jpg) ($2)

Older fuel pump drives however were tang drive, as per the photo below (again borrowed from the HAMB):

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/Hilborn%20pump%20tang%20drive_zpsiuoiaakp.jpg) ($2)

The tang from the fuel pump engages the bayonet on the supercharger fitting. This allows you to bolt a fuel injection pump (eg Hilborn, Enderle, Crower) to the rear of the Norman. The crank drives the supercharger, and the supercharger drives the fuel pump. This saves having to drive the fuel pump from either the distributor/magneto, the camshaft end, or the crank.

Whose up for a Norman blown, injected grey ;D?

Cheers,
Harv

Ladies and Gents,

Every now and then something unusual comes along. This was one of those weeks.

Some time ago Matt purchased a Type 65 Norman. He had weighed the bare supercharger, and came up with a very low number – 10.8kg. This sounded a bit funny to me, as Gary’s Type 65 was a hell of a lot heavier – 20.5kg with the carb hanging off it.

The Type 65's were made in four different formats:
a) Air-cooled Standard models, having a cast iron finned casing and a steel rotor.
b) Water-cooled Standard models, having a cast iron casing with a water jacket welded on, and a steel rotor.
c) Lightweight models (LW), which change to an aluminium casings (cast iron or steel lined), having an integral cast water jacket yet retained the steel rotor.
d) Super Lightweight (sometimes labelled as Super-Lite), having aluminium casings, tufftrided cast iron or steel liners and a lightened tufftrided steel rotor. The Super Light Weight rotors were made from steel, initially milled from a billet, then with steel flat bar electric stick welded in place with the whole assembly then machined… no small task! A kerosene-fired forge (with a Type 45 supercharger blowing air through it) was then used to heat treat (normalize) the rotors (I own that Type 45 forge blower :)). A Super Light Weight rotor, in an early Type 65 casing, is illustrated in Eldred's Supercharge! booklet:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/SLW%20rotor_zps2jipy2eh.png) ($2)

In an advertising brochure, Eldred listed the Type 65 Standard models as weighing 25kg, the Lightweight models as weighing 16kg, and the Super Lightweight as weighing 13kg.

Gary's Type 65 is a Lightweight model, and weighs 20.5kg with the carb and drive pulley on. Eldred reckoned it should weigh 16kg, not 20.5kg. There is perhaps a kilo or two in the carb and manifold, so close enough.

What caught my attention about Matt’s is that it weighs 10.8kg. Allow a few kilos (as per Gary's) would suggest that the machine may have be a Super Lightweight, with the funky rotor.

Some mechanical investigations by Matt shows something cool – his Norman has an aluminium rotor, with the bare rotor weighing in at 5.6kg. Ian’s standard steel Type 65 rotor weighs 9.6kg - 4kg more than Matt's.

Matt’s ally rotor, shown below, is the only ally Norman rotor I have seen (other than the later 3-vane ones made by Mike), as almost all Eldred’s are steel.
(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/rotor%20on%20sheet_zpsksezyxce.jpg) ($2)

The ally rotors are noted in a number of places:
From the Blow! For Go article, Australian Hot Rod November 1966:
“Eldred has made up several in forged aluminium on special requests but says that a considerable amount of research has proved conclusively that the steel rotor has up to eight times the life of it’s alumium counterpart, so steel it is”.
From the Blowers for Holdens! article, The Australian Hot Rodding Review January 1967:
"The new series has steel vanes rather than the previous alloy, to cut down the wear factor"
From the GO! With Safety brochure:
"The steel rotor is used in preference to an aluminium one as it's wearing qualities are very much superior. Naturally, it is heavier, but because of its comparatively small diameter the additional weight is of little disadvantage when accelerating."
From a Pricelist, June 30th 1968:
Owing to the poor wearing qualities aluminium rotors will not be supplied with any of these units. The 'Tufftrided' steel rotor is only fractionally heavier than aluminium and has at least 12 times the life".
From Eldred's Supercharge!:
"This type of supercharger has also got a bad name as many of them are made with aluminium rotors, both for reasons of lightness and of cost. Unfortunately this material has very poor wearing qualities as well as causing high frictional loads. The steel rotor has almost eight times the life of its aluminium counterpart and involves much less friction. Also the steel rotor can be nitrided by a new low temperature process which more than doubles the life again, as well as increasing the resistance to fatigue stresses. The steel rotor can be made almost as light as aluminium by a rather complex machining process."

All up Matt has a pretty unique, very early rotor.

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger fiddler).

Ladies and gents,

As part of my meth-monster project, I decided that I would fit an aftermarket camshaft to the Norman-blown grey. Whilst the bog-stock grey motor cam is fine for normal street use, the intent for the meth-monster is to flog the living hell out of the motor at the drags. After some digging around, I had a conversation with Clive from Clive Cams. The intent was to custom re-grind the cam to maximise valve lift, and increase exhaust duration whilst minimising overlap where possible. The grind that Clive came up with is shown below - the standard grey motor camshaft specs are in black, whilst those for the meth-monster cam are in red:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/meth%20monster%20cam%201_zpstpqypjzh.png) ($2)

As we can see, Clive has held both the exhaust and inlet valves open longer. For our inlet valve, we get the diagram below (using the Advertised numbers), with the bog-stock grey motor shown in dark blue and the meth-monster cam shown in pale blue:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/meth%20monster%20cam%202_zpspxa0wak8.png) ($2)

For our exhaust inlet valve, we get the diagram below (again using Advertised values), with the bog-stock grey motor shown in dark green and the meth-monster cam shown in pale green:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/meth%20monster%20cam%203_zpsyiq4oqtm.png) ($2)

The increased durations will help the motor breathe, as will the increased valve lift. The only drama here is the increased duration, as per the diagram below:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/meth%20monster%20cam%204_zpsuz140chx.png) ($2)

In a supercharged engine with high overlap, what tends to happen is that the pressurized inlet charge blows into the cylinder and straight out the open exhaust valve. This will give poor economy and poor emissions performance, and can lead to a loss of performance at low engine speed where boost is low. It will also have an increased tendency to bang the blower… my meth-monster relief valve will get a bit of a workout.

Additionally, increasing overlap will also reduce the boost pressure. Imagine that I started the meth monster with 10psi of boost pressure and the standard GMH cam. Fitting the Clive cam will drop boost pressure down to about 5psi of boost.

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/meth%20monster%20cam%205_zpsjuqmqmjv.png) ($2)

This will then become a balance - the overlap may be of help at high RPM (like the meth-monster on the drag strip), but will lead to a low boost, sluggish vehicle at low RPM. Will the boost loss be outweighed by the increased duration? Hard to tell without putting the vehicle on the long black dyno.

The table below weighs up the meth-monster cam (in red) against some commercially available grey motor (naturally aspirated) performance cams:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/meth%20monster%20cam%206_zpsh1vmkzfd.png) ($2)

Interestingly, for the same meth-monster service Camtech recommends the Part Number 609 camshaft shown in the table above in blue. Whilst this is very similar in duration to the Clive cam, Camtech’s overlap is larger (64º compared to the 50º for the Clive cam), indicating that Clive has got clever in minimising overlap (targeting earlier exhaust opening and later inlet closing, rather than later exhaust closing and earlier inlet opening). Even with Clive’s magic, 50º is a lot of overlap for a blown motor. Compare for example the supercharger camshafts available from Lunati for small block Chevrolets – the advertised overlap is reduced from a typical factory SBC value of 35º to nil, with even their all-out blower cam only having 25º of overlap.

So what did I end up with? A cam that is going to help with the top end, though is likely to be sluggish down low and lift the relief valve a fair bit. The plan at this stage is to screw the engine together with a stock grey cam, have a play, then fit the Clive cam later. I’ll share the results as they come in.

Cheers,
Harv (deputy apprentice Norman supercharger fiddler).

Ladies and gents,

Sometimes a real gem shows up in the most unexpected places. While Fred was looking through some of the original Wray supercharger paperwork, he found the document below, stapled into an Arnott supercharger instruction book:

(http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad136/V8EKwagon/FJ%20ute%20dyno%201_zpszaz5dkhr.jpg) ($2)

It’s a tune-up and dyno card for Mike McInerny’s Wray-blown FJ Holden ute, which I covered in my Wray anecdote. The car was dyno-checked by Mike and John Wray as the vehicle ran the prototype Wray supercharger, and it was somewhat of a guess as to what was going on in terms of output, etc. At the time, Mike and the Wray team were discovering issues with cracking liners, breaking liners, oil lubrication, timing of ignition, blower pressures… often learning and improving the supercharger the hard way.

BP Marleston those days was run by Stan Keen, who had the only workshop on the south side of Adelaide with a dyno. The workshop was only some two miles from Garrie Cooper and Elfins at Edwardstown. Stan would go on to run Stan Keen Dyno from 1968, which later became Turbotune. Turbotune closed in the middle of this year, to be replaced by the High Performance Diesel Service Centre. During the run on the rolling road Mike’s FJ managed to wheelspin the rollers, despite running a big set of Dunlop L section racing tyres on the rear. The factory grey delivers around 70hp at the crank, so the 70hp at the rear wheels of Mike’s ute is perhaps 30% more power (driveline loss). Interestingly, the increase in torque is minimal - the factory grey motor 110ftlb has decreased slightly to 103ftlb (400ftlb at the rear wheels, though multiplied by the diff at 3.894:1).

As Mike points out, any new car would make the efforts on the FJ laughable. But at the time, it was a scourge to many… albeit an absolute slug alongside Wray-blown Robby's Cooper S brick.

Cheers,
Harv

Ladies and Gents,

An interesting machine has appeared in recent weeks – one of Eldred’s Type 265 Normans. The machine was purchased by Peter from a mate in the late 70’s. The mate in turn had purchased the machine from a gentlemen west of Toowoomba, Queensland. The machine has seen some use, having wear on the belt tensioner pulley and some minor marking inside. The Type 265 has since sat idle, though Peter has been taking a look at it over recent weeks.

The Type 265 was manufactured by Eldred by bolting together two Type 65s. Peter’s machine is mounted on a red motor supercharger to cylinder head manifold. The carburetor to cylinder head manifolds are cast in two piece, and then welded together. The manifolds have bosses that can be milled/tapped to suit different carburetor combinations, either twin carbs or triples. It is possible that the configurations were
a) manifolds run separately (no welding), with one downdraught carburettor per supercharger bank, and
b) manifolds welded together, with three sidedraught carburetors into a common plenum.
Peter’s Type 265 is a water cooled unit, with the standard “Casting Number 22” cast into it. The serial number (535) is stamped under the front of the unit. This is the highest serial number I have seen on a Type 65. The supercharger weighs 118.4 pounds (less carburettors). The rotor is solid steel, weighing near 50 pounds on its own. The rotors bear two-piece vanes, 9.921" long (standard Type 65 vanes are 10”). The Norman is fitted with triple H6 SU carbies, though these were not on the unit when purchased. The unit has no relief valve.

This is a pretty unique unit - I know of only one other survivor (a Type 270), owned by Mike Norman.

I've got some photos, but having trouble posting them now that PhotoBucket doesn't want to play with me.

Cheers,
Harv

It is a very, very small world.

Richard Lock, based in Melbourne owned an LC GTR Torana, with a port and polished head, 20/60 cam and extractors. Richard contacted Eldred Norman to enquire about a supercharger to suit. Elded indicated that he had several people waiting for new units, though he did have one used unit (a Type 110 Lightweight which had seen service on his son Bill’s LC Torana) that he could sell. This is the same vehicle that Bill was punting around Australian race tracks that has been discussed in the thread above:

Richard agreed, and travelled to Noosa to have the supercharger fitted. During his visit, Richard took a ride in Eldred’s Norman-blown HD ute, watching the front end rise several inches as Eldred engaged the supercharger clutch from inside the cabin. The Type 110 supercharger came complete with twin 1¾” SU carburettors and a water injection system, and was run at 9psi boost. The water injection system was supplied by the plastic bottle seen in the passenger front end of the engine bay, and used vacuum to automatically draw water into a box on the SU’s via brass nozzles. The supercharger’s twin SUs would not fit under the Torana’s bonnet, and a hole needed to be cut. Richard drove the completed car back to Melbourne, terrorising local GT Falcon owners for a number of years. The car made the occasional run at Calder Park, returning a time around 15.3 seconds. The car was taken to the Firth Motors workshop at Queens Avenue, Auburn (Melbourne) for a tune. Harry was not impressed with the water injection, and disconnected it. The engine began to suffer from pinging, and ended up blowing the ring lands from the pistons around Christmas 1971. The GTR engine was rebuilt and swapped into Richard’s early Holden, with a new GM parts XU1 engine going into the Torana. The Type 110 sat for some time before being sold around in the early 2000’s to a gentleman from Werribee who was aiming to put it into his HR Holden.

Apologies for the lack of photo... PhotoBucket still doesn't like me. Have uploaded on over on the FB/EK forum for those interested.

Cheers,
Harv

Quote from: Harv on May 19, 2014, 10:36:11 AM

FE-FC Holden Discussion Forum

Technical Board => General Technical => Topic started by: Harv on June 25, 2013, 10:14:03 AM