A couple of questions about the Revell Nailhead engine.

[Plowboy]

I'm using the Nailhead engine from the Revell '29 roadster in a '39 Ford project and have a slight issue. From the beginning, I've planned on using the six carb setup. But, I just noticed that the valley cover has two holes where the fuel block for the fuel injection mounts. These will show with the six carb setup.

First question: Would the fuel injection setup be suitable for the street? My understanding  (very little) of that setup is that it requires a high pressure or cam driven fuel pump. I'm thinking a normal mechanical fuel pump wouldn't work.

Second question: Could I simply cut away the molded in fuel lines from the fuel block and replace them with new fuel lines to the carbs? Or would that be a bad place for a fuel block. If it works for the fuel injection, it should work for the carbs, correct? Or would the street engine produce more heat and be susceptible to vapor lock? 

I want to use the kit valley cover and carbs. But, I don't want the exposed holes showing. Besides scratch building another valley, I don't know of an alternative. TIA! 

[Ace-Garageguy]

Conventional wisdom back in the dim recesses of time was that the Hilborn system, being pretty much an idle-or-full-throttle setup, couldn't be run on the street.

This was generally true, and you're correct that the stock fuel pump would not be sufficient to operate it.

HOWEVER...at least one wizard tuner WAS able to tailor the intermediate fuel delivery curve and get decent street performance from the Hilborn setup. There's even an article on the tricks he used to do it in an old issue of Hot Rod. The constant-injection Rochester setup on the early Corvettes and the CIS system Bosch made for lotsa cars in the '70s and '80s were quite like the modified Hilborn rig in some aspects of their function.

You're also correct in thinking that engine-mounted fuel blocks for carbs aren't the best possible idea, for exactly the reason you're thinking...vapor lock.

Again HOWEVER...by mounting an electric pump as a pusher close to the tank, feeding the mechanical pump (or not), with a pressure regulator and a T fitting allowing fuel to flow back to the tank in a return line, vapor lock could be pretty much eliminated. Sometimes, simply fitting small return line could be sufficient, but an electric pusher pump is just about 100% insurance.

EDIT: If you're concerned about where you can drive a Hilborn-type injection pump on a street engine, one easy solution is an angle-drive under the distributor or mag.

 

Edited September 2, 2019 by Ace-Garageguy

[Plowboy]

Thanx Bill! Sounds like I'll be better off to scratch build a new valley cover to use with the carburetors.  

[espo]

You might also check to see if you have any other kits with the nail head Buick engine in them. Often these were offered with dress up items like a finned aluminum or chrome valley cover. Even if you had just a standard stock one you could foil it to look like chrome. 

[Deuces]

How's about the AMT '66 Riviera kit??? I think it has the factory finned covers and also dual quads.....

[Plowboy]

The only Buick kit I have on hand is a '66 Skylark. I can make a valley cover for this engine quicker than I can find one. Especially looking through my stash of parts. Thanx for the suggestions!

[GaryR]

The Ivo car has four,

The Nancy roadster has a blown one.

The same ( I think) in the parts pack is fuel injected. Valley covers are easy to make.

[Plowboy]

I came up with a simple solution for the holes in the valley cover. I just took a piece of styrene rod the size of the holes, hit it with Molotow, stuck it through from the bottom to where it just stuck up slightly and glued it. The holes are filled and they look like they belong there.