I believe that the "Fire Starter" name came from the 2140 on the 53 Lincoln. Lincoln engineers decide to get better performance from the 318 engine by connecting the mechanical advance to the accelerator pedal. If the engine got flooded, the normal procedure is to floor the pedal to clear the flooding. This gives you 12 degrees of mechanical advance in addition to the 3 degrees of initial advance, increasing the possibility of backfire greatly. Backfires will set the flooded intake on fire and the carburetor. I found this out on the first summer that I had my 53 Lincoln. It leaks down and floods the engine. The 10% ethanol fuel has made it difficult for me to stop fuel leaks in the carburetor and I am still trying to find out where the leak is coming from. The carb leaks down to empty after sitting more than 24 hours.. I have 2 on my bench that I am using to try to find the problem and the only way that I have been able to stop the leak is to put pressure on the accelerator pump needle.
Back in the day a friend of mine put a Mercury 312 with a Wolverine cam and a 57 Ford dual Quad NASCAR set up in a 55 Ford Fairlane that ran really well. We had a lot of fun with that old car.
The Jalopy Journal
