Was there ever a one-off Potvin or other front mount blower setup with two blowers?

[LDO]

I thought I saw one online not long ago. IIRC it had a roots blower on either side of a plenum/manifold. I would guess a central drive with belts or chains spinning the blowers. It is entirely possible that my memory is faulty. Either way, there’s no reason it couldn’t be done on a model. 

[Ace-Garageguy]

You may have mistaken a twin-engined car for a twin blower setup, easy enough to do.

I've never seen a twin front-driven blower setup, but it's entirely possible one exists or could be done. 

Spur gears or chains inside a housing bolted to the timing cover location could certainly be made up, with both blowers dumping into a common manifold. A gear drive might be easier from the standpoint of getting the blowers to rotate in opposite directions.

There's even a 3D print file available...

https://www.threeding.com/3d-model/19335-diecast-engine-v8-with-double-potvin-supercharger-scale-1-25

EDIT: Pumping losses through the convoluted intake pipes were the main reason front-drive blowers fell out of favor, long about the same time efficient Gilmer belt drives hit the market. Before Gilmer belts, top-mounted blowers had been driven by multiple V-belts or chains, both methods having their own sets of inherent problems.

Front-driven blowers could still have a place on an LSR car however, as the aero-drag that top-mounted blowers produce becomes a limiting factor after a certain speed. More drag takes massive increases in power to overcome, so there may very well be a tradeoff where the power-making limitations of a front-drive blower would be less of an issue because of drastically reduced drag.

Edited February 17 by Ace-Garageguy

[Mark]

I've never seen a single engine with two crank-driven blowers, but there was a dragster with two engines (inline, not side-by-side) with a single blower.

[Ace-Garageguy]

RE: 3D files above, there's even a twin Potvin-style reverse-flow setup for a flathead Ford available...

https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/various/twin-potvin-blown-reverse-flow-flathead-ford-bullys_custom_model_parts

[LDO]

1 hour ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

You may have mistaken a twin-engined car for a twin blower setup, easy enough to do.

I've never seen a twin front-driven blower setup, but it's entirely possible one exists or could be done. 

Spur gears or chains inside a housing bolted to the timing cover location could certainly be made up, with both blowers dumping into a common manifold. A gear drive might be easier from the standpoint of getting the blowers to rotate in opposite directions.

There's even a 3D print file available...

https://www.threeding.com/3d-model/19335-diecast-engine-v8-with-double-potvin-supercharger-scale-1-25

EDIT: Pumping losses through the convoluted intake pipes were the main reason front-drive blowers fell out of favor, long about the same time efficient Gilmer belt drives hit the market. Before Gilmer belts, top-mounted blowers had been driven by multiple V-belts or chains, both methods having their own sets of inherent problems.

Front-driven blowers could still have a place on an LSR car however, as the aero-drag that top-mounted blowers produce becomes a limiting factor after a certain speed. More drag takes massive increases in power to overcome, so there may very well be a tradeoff where the power-making limitations of a front-drive blower would be less of an issue because of drastically reduced drag.

Your photo may be what I was thinking of. I believe I saw that car in black & white

[stitchdup]

49 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

RE: 3D files above, there's even a twin Potvin-style reverse-flow setup for a flathead Ford available...

https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/various/twin-potvin-blown-reverse-flow-flathead-ford-bullys_custom_model_parts

theres also this one which is scaled better but only a single blower. I added the belts and dynamo and the carbs aren't on it yet but it turns out much nicer. the one you posted is over wide and rescaling it throws everything off unforunatally. for flatheads 3d has loads of options