Tiny, tiny supercharger

[Forgotten Field]

This is about the size of a six pack, and the second one came with a USAAF acceptance tag from 1944. What are they and does anybody need them before they go to a hot rod project?

[Bill Greenwood]

That piece might be a cabinpressurzation blower. I haven't seen one, but it says Boeing on it and a B-29 was pressurized. It looks too small to be for an engine. The cooling fins show it probably was a compressor. Ask/offer it to Gary Austin. My idea is only a guess, don't really know.

[retroaviation]

Man, I don't know what it is either. But that isn't to say that it isn't for a B-29, as I have yet to memorize all of the parts on that airplane. It sure looks cool though.

Gary

[Rogue]

What kind of drive is it.

[Bill Greenwood]

By the light if day I went back and read the label again. It does not say supercharger, it says Superchargers, Inc. so that is the co that made it, not necesarily what it is. And what I thought was Boeing may not be. Us pilot's just fly em, we leave that complicated stuff to guys like Gary. It's obviously a gizzmo.

[Bill Greenwood]

Could BW be Borg Warner who made auto power steering components I think?

[Second Air Force]

That looks similar to the Judson supercharger that was built for VW engines in the late forties. Is the input shaft splined or set up for a pulley drive? The oiling port makes me think this was used on some form of ground equipment, either way it is a cool little piece of history!

Scott

[Django]

What kind of hot rod project?

[Mudge]

Well...Obviously it says

BW Superchargers, Inc.
Division of Borg-Warner
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

I've looked at all the Borg-Warner sites I could find with no luck even finding a contact that I could send the picture to for an ID.
I even went to the Borg website but they were busy assimilating some planet, so I gave that up.

Mudge the obtuse

[Forgotten Field]

It is a supercharger, and it has a shaft input from reverse side, to the left of where the data plate is. The intake and outtake connections are about the size of a WWII jeep carb flange pipe- about 2.5-3 inches in diameter. It has a USAAF acceptance tag and a part number. I'll get a photo of that posted later.

Gary, can you check the parts manual and see if anything like this shows up in the B-29 manual?

[Jesse C.]

Cute little guy! I usually mess around with the Dragster variety and this would be neat on a Harley or 4 Cylinder engine.

I can post the pic on my drag group and see if any of the old guys who dug around the surplus depots back in the day might know more about it.

Heck, one of them built a drag car from old PBY struts!

[Jesse C.]

Well, I asked around and this is the answer I got. Your may differ!

Well Jesse,
It sure does look like a small Rootes to me me, and that tag backs that
right up.
However, when I showed it to a couple guys here at T&D that have mucho
old-school, and military surplus yard experience, they both said
"circulation pump" as if in unison. While the flange on top might be for a
carb, that could also be where air piping installed. The mounting "feet"
suggest it is mounted to a flat surface next to a power source and spun to
rid a room/cave/tent whatever of bad air.
That was as good as they could splainify, and the "supercharger" tag threw
them both. That oil-fill cup tells me it isn't aircraft, but the safety wire
around the bolts says military quite loudly.
Flyin'


Hope this helps out on the myster of the lil blower

[retroaviation]

Nothing in the B-29 manual about it.

Gary

[James D]

Send it to me, and I promise to send you pictures of how it looks fitted to my Bug motor!

[Second Air Force]

James D,

I never thought we'd get split-window Beetles involved in WIX discussion! I still have a feeling this little beauty was part of some ground power unit or other vehicle.

Scott