The Battlebird was restored about an hour away from where I live and I saw it at a local car show here in the Napa Valley in about 2002 or so (i cant remember). During that time I was extreamly into Y-blocks, as I was planning on taking one to the limits in a Bonneville roadster. I probably spent the entire show talking to the guy about it and other T-birds. After a while I got him to start it up for me and it sounded neat with the 2 into 1 2" exhaust pipes out the side. I wanted to beat the record it set with my Bonneville car so Ive allways looked up to that car as "the old wise record holder for Y-blocks". A year or so later I went off to college but didnt give up on my goal as I collected the nessesary parts and made detailed scale drawings planning out my build. Then I got out of school, got married and am now wrapped up in the reality of "everyday life in the working USA". For the past 4 years the Y-block powered Bonneville roadster has been on the back burner. Lately with all the new developments and interest in performance Y-blocks sombody is bound to get one on the salt before Im even back working on mine. Im still going to finish my car and go to Bonneville just as I have planned on for all these years and Im not going to give up on my goal inspired by the Battlebird and my long upbringing with Y-blocks. The Battlebird is truly a bitchin machine!
These pictures are from when the "Battlebird" was seen inside the rear of a dealership in CA. Notice it has door coverings, carpet, another seat and rear "Nerf" bars added. This is the one that became "98 Marvin Panch's car that sold at R & M auction last year. The story goes that the other one (or 3 ?) were on car lots in CA. also!
I've got an old VHS tape somewhere of this car with some great vintage footage. I think it was one of them budget Nascar videos I picked up on a whim somewhere. Has anyone checked YouTube for anything? It's late some i'm off to bed...
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Just as a reminder; EVERYTHING on the Battlebird except the rear quarters was hammered out of ALUMINUM (Fenders, Doors, Hood, Deck, Headrest/Wing, Tonneau and rear Bumper/Pan). So if you come across some aluminum T-Bird parts or a COMPLETE CAR (OMG!!) its more rare than the Lightweight Factory racers!! The auction one sold for around $350K! Originally they had a FULL Belly pan from front to back (and up around where the rear bumper was) but the drivers complained the car got "flighty" over 125mph (wanted to take off),so they cut the pan back to behind the rear wheels to create more drag to hold it on the ground!! 200mph in 1957 in a flying BRICK....not bad!!
The only reason chevys have set so many records is because those engines were never made with chevy parts. Those two 32's are actually crying to the Thunderbird every night saying: "oh you have shaft rockers like all the racing engines have" "oh you only need 10 head bolts to seal your head gaskets" "oh your bottom end is the same strong design as the 426 hemi" "oh you dont need shims to make your starter line up and work correctly" "oh you dont need to unbolt all the oil pan bolts to get the front cover off to get a new timing chain" "oh you have the famed side oiling oil system" "oh you have the large diameter lifters that allow you to use more exotic cam profiles"
I just ran across this photo I took at Hershey in 2004. It took a while to get this unobstructed shot.
Got my Battlebird replica running this week (with a 2-barrel). Will letter it as when "Fireball" (my Hero) drove it in a 24 hour LeMans type race at Daytona in 1959 and placed 4th or 6th according to which book you look it up in. Now off to the body shop, work out the kinks and then install the Hilborn F.I. and Vertex Mag. Its got great sounding header/pipes out the side. Anxious to get the wheels on so I can get a woodie!! Its been a while since I sold my '57 Fireball and Lorenzens "Starlifter"! Goal is 2-3 months and I'll be at Meets with it!
Finally got my Battlebird done enough to take to meets with the 2-barrel on. F.I. comes next and will take some doing. Read more about it under Holman & Moody Battlebird. Tom
The only reason chevys have set so many records is because those engines were never made with chevy parts. Those two 32's are actually crying to the Thunderbird every night saying: "oh you have shaft rockers like all the racing engines have" "oh you only need 10 head bolts to seal your head gaskets" "oh your bottom end is the same strong design as the 426 hemi" "oh you dont need shims to make your starter line up and work correctly" "oh you dont need to unbolt all the oil pan bolts to get the front cover off to get a new timing chain" "oh you have the famed side oiling oil system" "oh you have the large diameter lifters that allow you to use more exotic cam profiles" <!-- / message --><!-- sig --> __________________ The only part you missed here is the SHORTEST Y block rods are six and a quarter. The fact that the new GM engines have a Y block bottom end just makes me grin.
That car is something to see Tom, inside the right door there appears to be louvers, is that door louvered? Any idea why? Thanks for posting, esp the injectors. I did a doubletake on them until i remembered that the 312 intake runners were sideways and then they made more sense.
Yes, the RH door has in & out louvers. Not exactly sure why but two possible explanations: 1. for venting some air as the side vents would be bad news open and if you look close at the shots of #98 they are screwed down, 2. to help remove the "negative Vacuum" in race cars. Many builders (i.e. "Smokey") built in boxes inside the Rh & LH corner floors to try to help cut down on speed robbing vacuum as was in "Fireballs" Daytona 500 winning '62 Pontiac. Anyone else have any thoughts? Tom
I hate to disagree with the writer but my Father "Whitey Clayton and Dick Troutman" did the metal work on the bodies of the "Battlebirds" and I can document that fact.
Well "whiteyfan",... we would love to see the documentation,... As well as any other information you have on this subject,... The HAMB is all about tradition and setting the record straight before the truth is lost to time. Thanks for posting on this thread.
The mechanic in this photo is Dean McCann. Dean was crew chief for Andy Hotton after Andy aquired them from Holman and Moody. The cars were veryi successful in the mid west in late 1957 and in 1958. Dean was a Ford engineer at this time and worked on the Battlebirds just for fun. Dean was responsible for designing and testing the VR57 supercharger set ups on the Full Size Fords and the Thunderbirds. He was at Daytona Beach in 1957 as part of the Ford Team. Dean was also responsible for many other Ford High Performance parts through the years. Happily, Dean is still with us and was recently at the 2013 Fords at Carlisle. A really nice guy, willing to share what he knows. [/QUOTE]
The engine in the #99 Battlebird was a 368 Lincoln which was bored an stroked to 430 CI. It is not a Lincoln 430.. That engine was not available until 1958.
Very special 312 blocks were sent to Travers and Coon to be built. Fran Sullivan, a genius Ford engineer went to the Cleveland Foundry and had blocks made with lifter bores large enough to use roller lifters. As there were no oil galleys for the lifters, copper tubing was run to each lifter to lubricate them.
This is a very rare photo of the #98 312 powered Battlebird showing the Hilborn Fuel Injection and VR57 phase 1 supercharger set up. This is the set up that allowed this Battlebird to exceed 200 MPH at the 1957 Daytona Beach Safety and Performance Trials. I obtained the verification of the over 200 mph speed from Dean McCann, who was there with the Ford Team.
Photos of the exterior of Peter DePaolo's Long Beach CA shop and of some High Performance Y-Blocks being built. This was the west coast shop. DePaolo also established a shop in Charlotte NC for the east coast. Anyone have a photo of it?
This is a photo of the 312 powered Battlebird at the first Daytona International Speedway 1000 KM race, held on April 5, 1959. The car finished 4th against the newest and fastest european cars. It also beat all the Corvettes.
The Battlebird had been returned to Holman and Moody and was raced by them at Daytona. The car was driven by Ralph Moody, "Fireball" Roberts ,Chuck Daigh and Dick Rathmann
correction The Battlebird finished 5th, bested by 2 Porsche 718RSK's, A D Type Jag and a Ferreri 121. It did beat 20 other entries. The car was own and raced by Holman and Moody in 1959.
My Battlebird tribute car (body built by Tom Kitchen, mechanical modifications by me) taking a few laps at Wall Stadium in Wall NJ 312 powered. Soon to have its Hilborn's back on and running
The interior photo is the Charlotte shop. The guy to the left is Pete Taylor and the other is Joe Rumph. This was about the time the shop changed from DePaolo Engineering to Holman & Moody
The speed of 93 mph was the average speed for the run, not the top speed. It was not a 1/4 mile run, it was a standing start mile. Under those parameters, 93 is very fast.
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