Ebay- "flywheel-forward marine Hemi specific" Lath

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mart
Posts: 536
Joined: Tue Mar 22, 2005 2:06 pm

Ebay- "flywheel-forward marine Hemi specific" Lath

Post by mart »

Found on Ebay - Rare 'flywheel-forward
marine Hemi specific' Latham blower!

Check this out. I just spotted this on ebay. It's a vintage Latham supercharger - rare enough in it's own right, but this was one is supposedly a reverse rotation unit specifically for a Chrysler marine hemi and intended to be driven off the flywheel. The vender - with verification from the original owner of Latham - claims it is one of very few made, specifically for the Canadian Coast Guard for use in some hemi powered pursuit boats. If true, this has got to be one of the "rarest of the rare" marine hemi hop-up items. By the way - I'm not the vender - I just spotted the item on ebay and am passing the info on to the group, so please don't e-mail me with questions about. I'm only the messenger.

mart
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Ebay item number 320015352202

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/LATHAM-S ... dZViewItem

Description:
"This is a Lathum Supercharger Model 21-AL Serial #001376. This has been stored for thirty years in a friend of a friends garage. That was over 30 years ago. Apparently it had not been run a lot. It has 4 corvair turbo charger Carter YH carbs on it. With it are some mounting brackets I guess for the Hemi engine. It appears to be in excellent condition , the bearings and rotation is good and sound. I suppose this blower could be adapted to other engine applications for that nostalga look.Neat looking supercharger for anyone wanting to run something different. I have not taken it appart so it is being sold as is, and based on its history , appears to be a good unit.Feel free to ask any questions and I will gladly try to help. I have just received some updated history on this unit from the owner of the Latham Supercharger Company and it is as follows and I quote: " This unit was originally purchased by the Canadian Coast Guard for pursuit boat usage. It was for a Chrysler 392 Hemi marine engine. As was the standard marine setup back then, they drove off the snout of the engine so the flywheel was forward.As such accesorys run off the flywheel and ran backwards.This blower is that way. It is a reverse rotation unit and cannot be used for automotive type engines. The clue is in the front mounted idler pulley,you can see that the load of the belt would be on the wrong side. There is an L in the model or serial number to note this. The market for this is in the vintage boat market where they use the original engine installation. It would be period correct."
Bailiesdad
Posts: 433
Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2001 6:00 pm
Location: Maryland

Post by Bailiesdad »

"It was for a Chrysler 392 Hemi marine engine."

Sounds very interesting...
mart
Posts: 536
Joined: Tue Mar 22, 2005 2:06 pm

Post by mart »

Bailiesdad wrote:"It was for a
Chrysler 392 Hemi marine engine.
"Sounds very interesting...
I read that too in the ebay ad. I think
the claim that it was originally intended
for use on a - quote - "a 392 marine
hemi" might be a bit of a
misconception and common urban
myth.

Most likely, the intended Coast
Guard application was for a marine
hemi all right - but a 331 or 354
hemi, not a 392.

As far as I know, Chrysler only ever
produced a dedicated factory "marine
hemi" in 331 and 354 cubic inch sizes.
No factory produced, dedicated 392
marine hemis. If you go on ebay or
surf the net you can find a lot of
references to so-called "392 Chrysler
marine hemis" - mostly from people
who "used to know someone, who
who new somone (else etc)., who
used to have one once"! But then,
also as evidenced by some of ads
and posts on ebay and elswhere on the
net, a lot of people seem to think too,
that any and all early hemis (even
DeSotos and the little Red Ram
Dodges for that matter!) since they
are "hemis", therefore must be 392's!
'A little knowledge is dangerous thing'
and the stuff that urban myths and
legends are made of! As far as I know
and from everything I've seen out
there, the 392 was only ever used in
1957 and '58, Chrysler only, high-end
passenger cars - mostly 300's and
Imperials - and there were no 392
marine, 392 industrials, or 392 Dodge
truck engines, ever.....at least *not*
from the factory.

mart
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tmiklos
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Dec 30, 2011 5:29 pm

Re: Ebay- "flywheel-forward marine Hemi specific" Lath

Post by tmiklos »

A 354 Chrysler Hemi with a Latham Axial Flow Supercharger... this was installed in an early 1950s Chris Craft 22' Sportsman.. It was reported to move that boat near 70 mph... This engine was installed in 1957 in that boat... As shipped from Chrysler Marine it was a 354/ 225 hp. Don't know what the HP would have been with the Supercharger... The Latham Supercharger has 4 Carter YH Carbs. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid= ... =1&theater
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