I just purchased a 1953 mercury engine. I’m taking it apart to get it tested before I get too excited. looking at the carburetor situation, I don’t want to run the original mercury carburetor. I see my only option to keep a traditional hot rod look is to convert it over to a ford intake. when I do so, I would like to run two carburetors. I would also like to run the factory generator in the factory location. Is that possible? I did see on craigslist this intake and carburetor set up. I was not able to buy it as someone else bought it who was closer. But, would this intake work with the factory generator location? And if so, does anyone know what a part number for this would be. or does anyone have a suggestion for traditional look with the the mercury intake? Thank you.
A rochester 2G small base carb will bolt on to the mercury intake, run it backwards and the fuel inlet is right where the merc fuel pump is. They are simple to work on and have about the same flow as two stromberg 97s. There are electric choke versions or it's easy to adapt a manual choke linkage to them. I've done two that way, they work very well.
Dak Rat. I did see that as an option. thanks. something to consider if i cant find that intake. i want to keep the generator in its location
First, I am a great fan of 2G's on a car with a hood. I have found that both automatic choke versions of the Mercury (divorced and regular) will hook up to the right 2GC simply by bending a linkage rod or shortening a tube. I think itis time for a tutorial on the various types of flathead dual manifolds.There are basically 5 types that I see. The first are the antique old weird ones. These are generally inefficient and expensive, so best left to collectors and high-end "traditionalists". Second are the "Hi-rise" type, like the Edelbrock "Slingshot" and the old Tattersfields and Thickstuns. I just don't like the looks of these in general so have avoided them. Conventional knowledge says all but the Edelbrock are poor performers, while for some reason the Edelbrock's are stellar performers. The third type is what are called "Supers". These have each carburetor placed squarely above each group of four intake ports on the block. These manifolds come with exhaust heat (Navarro Universal) or without heat. Here is a picture of a "Super". These obviously should not be used with progressive linkage and will not work with the stock generator location. The fourth type is what I called "Biased". This type has the carbs positioned so that the front carburetor is very close to the stock position, with the rear carb between it and the fuel pump. This is probably the best type to run progressive on. Most of the time, it will function like a stock setup running on the front carb, with the rear carb kicking in a full throttle. Not the most efficient fuel distribution, but an improvement. Here is a picture of a "Biased" manifold. This is probably the easiest option to install and use. The fifth type is what a call a Regular". It has evenly spaced carburetor that are moved closer together than on a "Super" . I have heard that these can be used with both straight and progressive linkage with variable results. Some guys say they run great on progressive others don't. These all will accept an alternator in the stock position, but vary by manufacturer about generator mounting (most will). Here is a picture of a "Regular". There are differences in flathead dual manifolds, so some thought should be given to what your purpose is. I will admit that I have limited experiences with the "Regular" and "Biased" manifolds because they just look inefficient to me. I like a "Super" on a car without a hood, or a 2G on a car with a hood. I have had some experience with 4 BBL's on these (Holleya, WCFB's, and small-base 4G's), but have come to embrace the 2G's, mainly for cost reasons. Both types seem to have about equal performance.
OK. lots to take in here. Thanks. I have a great 53 ford engine that will serve my project nicely. But when i got the Mercury, i thought i was in a great position. Now i see its a bit more complicated. but thanks for the info. first things first- i need to have the block checked, then work out the detail. Thanks for all the info
Tubman, The intakes you call "biased" are actually "regular duals" designed for early pre-'49 engines, where the generators sit farther back because of the more compact/shorter front engine packaging. You'll notice the absence of 8BA style oil fill and road draft ports. Ben Chirco, The only real difference between a late Mercury and Ford flathead engine is the crankshaft stroke., 3 3/4" Ford vs 4" Merc. The blocks are the same, so until you measure the stroke, you really don't know what you have. Intakes, heads, exhaust, oil pans, water pumps, flywheels etc. are all interchangeable and don't define an engine 70 or so years old with bolt-on changes likely made in it's lifetime. I would invest in one or more flathead Ford books to learn more about the engines.
V8 Bob, and everyone else Thanks for the help. I have been to the machine shop, Its a true mercury. It has not been magnafluxed yet, but is standard bore. So far it looks good. i will pick up a book or two to read up, this is a retirement project and just trying to get all the parts together, so when it happens-retirement that is, i will be ready to go..
The second intake pictured in @tubman post will work with an original generator however it doesn't have the road draft tube and oil fill set up. A few things to consider Ben but you can overcome these with some old timey hot rod ingenuity.
Bob, Maybe true but Tubman's nomenclature makes good retrospective sense considering the various appearances of the carb locations. We know the gen got in the way, etc. but "biased" and such more explains the performance and functional stuff at a glance IMO. Where would the Eddie Meyers high rise fall in? D
My point with the early regular dual is what they are, and have been called since day one. You won't see the description "biased" on any ad. No disrespect to tubman, but that's what they are. As far as the Eddie Meyers "high rise", the presently made '49-'53 intake is stated as a two-piece long runner, and is like a super dual for effective carb location, but like a regular for actual carb placement, allowing stock generator placement.
No disrespect taken, as I seem to see things as they are, not from what they have been called. I'm really not that interested in finding out, but from what I see, about the only flathead dual you could run with a progressive linkage is what I have labeled a "Biased". With the primary so near the stock location, it would probably run fine (on one carb) most of the time. When you floored it, there would be more airflow, but I don't know about fuel distribution. It's all about looks anyway. I swear I had an 8BA Edmunds dual manifold in this configuration at one time. Maybe I'll start digging through the pile some day. The one thing I do remember about it is that I considered it the ugliest one out there. I could be wrong, and they never made an 8BA version, but you can bolt just about any manifold to any block. Considering the airflow through the engine in an 8BA is the reverse of the earlier engines, it is not a trivial task to make it work properly. (You should probably run a PCV system anyway.)
I don't know where mine fits on the list. the generator is in the stock location and the carburetors are mounted backwards.
rustyrim, From the picture, the generator looks off centerered from the carbs. Am i correct? what kind is it?
My first flathead dual was one of those "ugly" 8BA regular dual Edmunds on my '51 for a short time, and it ran fine with straight linked 94s, but eventually switched to a "normal" looking (to me) Edelbrock regular dual, again with straight linked 94s. I agree the Edmunds are the not then best looking intake, imo! (I sold the Edmunds on Ebay, and the buyer was Charlie Price of Vintage Speed in FL. who was collecting all things Edmunds at that time, about 20 years ago.) One difference you did not point out with your well done intake post is carb mounting, or angle. The '32-'48 Ford/Mercs ran torque tubes, with their engines sitting level in the chassis, along with their carbs. The switch to open drive lines in '49 resulted in their engines angled down in the rear, requiring the carb bases to be angled forward to level the carbs. So, '32-'48 production and most early style intakes have flat carb bases, while '49-'53 production and most late intakes have the bases angled forward. This has nothing to do with performance, just overall looks. Running an early intake on a '49-up results in the carbs angling towards the windshield as an example. One exception I know of is Navarro, at least with his tripple I run on my roadster, where the carb bases are flat like early, but with provisions for oil fill and road draft in the front like later intakes.
Here is a photo of the old Edelbrock intake I mentioned earlier with carbs and a generator installed.
the generator is stock and centered on the intake, the picture I took makes it look that way. it is a Hexagon tool intake.
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