51 Ford car question

fixerupper

Well-known Member
Not tractor related at all but a friend bought a real nice 51 Ford car with a flathead 8. In the engine compartment attached to a fender there is a jar that has a hose coming from the top of the jar and going to a plate below the carb on the intake manifold. On the top of the jar there is an adjusting valve connected to the hose and on the manifold the hose Y's off and connects to two tubes that go into this plate under the carb. I haven't seen it, he was describing it to me over the phone. This friend is a collector and he knows his vehicles but he's never seen anything like this. Do any of you guys have an idea what this jar was used for? My guess is it's some kind of an aftermarket performance gimmick that was sold way back then.
 
The old JD "D" ,s of that era had a water pipe with adjustment knob plumbed right into the side of the carb from factory.
 
I'm guessing it's aftermarket water injection.
Made the rounds a few years ago, supposed to
improve mileage, performance.
 
I'll have to ask him if it has any Marvel markings on it. Too late to call him tonight. After looking at the pics in your link I have an idea of what to look for if I see it some day.
 
The windshield squirters back in the day ere vacuum operated. Used a big glass jar. But this sounds more like a water/alcohol injector for boosting fuel milage.
 
It's an oil lubricator for upper cylinders and valves. My brother
has one on a 47 Ford. He puts marvel mystery oil in his.
Whether it does any good or not I do not know. I guess it
wouldn't do any harm.
 
My first car was a 1947 Pontiac.

The car had both vacuum operated rear wiper and vacuum operated windshield washer system.

It also had a dual diaphragm fuel pump so that such things would work when the engine was loaded.

Dean
 
My first car was a 1951 Ford V-8! The thing in question here was indeed an aftermarket water injector touted back in the day as making all kinds of wonderful enhancements for performance, fuel mileage, etc. It was simply a "gimcrack!"
 

Could be for upper cylinder lube,water injection but if there are no hoses going to hood mounted nozzles it wouldn't be for W/W.
If it's water injection its best to use a 50/50
mix of water and methanol.Run more compression and ignition timing without detonation.
As to upper cylinder lube-a little lube up there won't hurt.
 
During that era many "top" devices were sold using different brands of oil for valves ect. We had a Pyroil lube device on the Wisconsin engine on the Model 80 NH wire tie baler. Never did have any valve problems.
 
Bob I sent the owner a link to the Marvel Mystery Oil injector website and he looked at it while we were on the phone. He said his doesn't look exactly like the one on the website but it's close. His jar is a little more squat and wider than the one on the website and the top is a little different. Down a ways on the website is three pics of different styles of this thing so I wouldn't be surprised if there were different styles and shapes through the years. I don't think this is a water/methanol injector because the jar doesn't hold enough volume to go very far even if just a little water/methanol was injected. Water freezes too but maybe a fifty percent mix of methanol would keep it from freezing.
 
Popular in the 60's & 70's sounds like a water vapor induction system. Purported to "increase the humidity" in the combustion chamber improving performance and reducing pre-dentonation (pinging) and carbon build up. Many home made versions out there made from mason jars and fish tank parts. Some swore by them...
 
I had A 1951 ford car with flat head V/8. with 0/drive.I bought new. Sure was A good car. I don t remember it to have the glass jar. But had vacuum wipers. I drove it over 8 years.

Hammer Man
 
MyDad was a salesman for a large auto parts jobber. They had 6 sores in the state.
He bought a new 51 Ford and outfitted it with all the "accessories the jobber sold. Fender skirts, windshield visor, Kleenex holder, rearview mirror attachment the looked up to see traffic light, curb feelers, necking knob, seat covers, flare tail pipe chrome extension, poto o wall white walls. AND the Fuel Mizer water injection system guaranteed for a 5mpg increase.A glas jar on the fenderwell. I helped him install it on a Sunday afternoon, his day "Off"
I was 10 and fascinated with cars!.
 

I vote for it being a vacuum reservoir
for the Vacuum windshield wipers...

Remember how you had to let up on the Gas pedal to let the wipers run, or half see and try to keep going..!!!
Our old '51 Chevy truck had them and with the old 216 engine and 100 Bu of Soybeans, the wipers didnt work on hills at all..!!
That old truck would always top the "Big Hill" still in high gear at 13 MPH...MUCH faster than a tractor..!!
Ron.
 

I know that the Fords still used a FOOT operated windshield washer at lest into 1956...
Worked as nice as Sliced Bread, and was just above the Dimmer Switch...(on the floor)..

Ron.
 
It was indeed part of a water injection system. Water injection came from WWII aircraft. It proved it's worth in heightened performance.
 
I had a '51 Ford convertible with factory windshield washers; plastic bag with pedal pump on floorboard.
I believe the '49-'50 Fords used a glass bottle.
However, I believe what your friend has is the water/alcohol injection system.
Ed Almquist "invented" the system in the late 40s and sold many through his Almquist Engineering Catalogs. I can remember them clearly and they did use a glass bottle.
Like others have said, water injection was used in WW-II planes so he didn't actually invent the idea, only a system for the automobile.
Interestingly, if you go to e-bay, you will find many, many water injection systems for modern automobiles.
That was a surprise to me.
I was able to find various pictures of Almquist catalogs but not a picture of the water injector.
This page gives an idea of the type of automotive speed accessories he was known for.
a184493.jpg
 
My mother bought a new '51 Custom 2 door sedan, V8, with the
newly out "Ford-O-Matic" automatic transmission. I was a teen
at the time and as with a lot of teens, did my best to tear it up
for her. I finally succeeded and she bought a Studebaker. I was
older by then and more responsible.

I saw a '50 the other day and reminded me of how small those
100 hp flat head fords were. Last year I read the book "Wheels
for the World", a biography of Henry and his company. Quite
interesting. On the paper outer wrapper of this hard bound
edition, was a picture of the '49 which was a drastic change from
the age old tradition of exposed fenders. Made good reading if
you are into that sort of thing.

Mark
 

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