An original FoMoCo MEL 430 tripower intake, with three vintage Nicson Beehive flame arrestors..polished of course
I'm not so familiar with the MEL, but I'm very familiar with the 429/460, and that block looks VERY similar. I can definately see the influence. Not to mention the main/rod bearings are pretty close, with 3" main bearings and 2.5" rod bearings, plus they both have 4.9" bore spacing. That gives me an idea... mill down those mains on a 4.5" 460 crank, then grab a 462 and bore it .040" over to get a 4.42" bore. You'd end up with a 552 stroker, and nobody needs to know it's not a 410. A traditional engine AND big cubes... no need to compromise with a Flathead or BBC/BBF. The only thing I would worry about is making sure the company making my pistons would know an MEL piston from all the flat tops out there... and I'm sure it wouldn't be right in just one try.
I actually had my father design a computer based spread sheet to determine compression ratio, and Wiseco has cast several sets of MEL pistons now, so they have some experience. I certainly kept my build sheet from them so that I have a reference point should I need another set, or something different. The height of the step doesn't change, it is about ten thou clearance, and the valves are farther down in the chamber. If the step needed to be increased, reliefs could be cut in the step. You could achieve up to about 13 to 1 without doing anything to radical. Pistons for the MEL 430 were made up to that compression ratio, and up to 150 thou oversize. Brian Perrenot is using 100 thou over Jahns piston in his blower install on the Gizzlehopper. Some builds of the 430 have turned down the rod bearings to use BBC rods and pistons, but I think that a big time build would do well with a big crank. You could make serious power.
Cool, so Wiseco sounds like a winner. But I doubt I'll be doing an MEL build for a long time. No job or money right now.
The set above was the forged racing pistons, custom to the MEL requirements...with rings, $1700 beans. Not for the faint of heart. The engine above is balanced, and features a Joe Bunetic marine tripower setup. It has not been cheap, but I have no doubt it will be a cool engine.
The Lincoln version of that is incredibly rare, the Lincoln setup uses an air cleaner housing that doesn't say 400HP (I think) but also lacks the "Super Marauder" script. A setup needing restoration sold back in 06 for $6500 at an RM Auction. I'd kill for one for my '60 Lincoln but it's likely never going to happen... I am told that ONE NOS Lincoln air cleaner exists...
They do come up now and then, but not often. The price seems to vary a lot from set to set. I don't have a need for the car air cleaner, since my tripower is a marine set up, but I have watched the pricing on an original set... It can vary anywhere from 4000 and up. An MEL marine engine with the original car air cleaner and intake/carbs sold on Ebay about six months ago for 5500 dollars. The engine was complete with marine water exhaust etc... so it was a relative bargain.
Thank You ! I will have the car at the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona at the end of the month can not wait for this one. Frenchy
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