Flathead Engine Hats
Description: Robert Paxton McCulloch formed McCulloch Engineering in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the city in which his grandfather made millions as an early pioneer of electric utilities and manufacturer of electric trolleys. McCulloch hired on a number of engineers at the firm, including Francis L. Colburn, who designed a simple, easy-to-install centrifugal supercharger. McCulloch began offering the superchargers as kits for Ford’s flathead V-8 engine, advertising them to truck owners as well as racers and owners of every day street-driven cars. The crankshaft-driven supercharger had a fixed 6:1 ratio and was seated horizontally between the carburetor and intake manifold. McCulloch first offered the kit in 1937 and by 1942, his sales topped $3 million.
Description: Speed-O-Motive got their start manufacturing custom pistons for flathead racing engines, but eventually began distributing speed parts and offering high-performance engine rebuild kits for pretty much every V8 application out there. If you couldn't swing by their Los Angeles area shop, you could mail order your parts, even complete engines after they begin offering turn key balanced and blueprinted crate racing engines. These crate strokers all ran Speed-O-Motive racing pistons, and the rest of the build leveraged top shelf goodies from other manufacturers.
Description: As post-war America began hot rodding and drag racing, Richard Lockerman founded Lockerman's Porting Service in Long Beach, California. Lockerman started out focusing on flathead V8s, but went on to offer his exquisite port and polish services on any heads that were brought in. In addition to one offs for local hot rodders, Lockerman did all of the port work for TRACO - the largest, and most respected race engine builder for elite competitors of various racing series throughout the '60s and '70s. Even as technology advanced, Lockerman continued doing his thing in his machine shop that remained a time capsule from the '40s, well into the '70s, and that's exactly how he wanted it... old school until the very end.
Description: Celebrate a true post-war legend with this authentic 1947 Indian Chief motorcycle graphic. Featuring the iconic skirted fenders silhouette, powerful V-Twin engine detail, and high-contrast distressed typography, it's the ultimate trigger for classic American motorcycle mechanics, vintage garage collectors, and heritage riders looking for premium retro automotive style.
Description: While he had been making hot rod parts for several years prior, Bill Von Esser opened his speed shop at 3307 West Irving Park Road in Chicago back in 1947. He expanded his reach beyond the local scene through ads in national hot rod magazines that had people sending away for his first catalog in 1948. While he stocked go fast goodies from many manufacturers, his house machined parts were without question his biggest sellers. From high-performance heads for your flatty to custom Offy throttle bodies, Von Esser's parts were highly desirable, something that has only increased decades later.
Description: Eddie Meyer went into business repairing and tuning Model T's in Redlands, California back in 1919 as Eddie Meyer Engineering. When he wasn't working on customer cars, he was moonlighting as a race car driver, running a highly tuned Rajo Model T with great success in '23 and '24. Bud, Eddie’s son, joined the business in 1928, leaving Eddie to run the show, and Bud to run the shop. To get closer to the hot rod scene, Bud moved the shop to Hollywood in 1939, and began producing some of the most outstanding flathead speed equipment ever made. Eddie Meyer intakes and heads were top shelf add-ons for dry lake racers and street racers alike, and remain legendary pieces for collectors and enthusiasts to this very day.
