430 Super Marauder

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Re: 430 Super Marauder

Post by 58-Pagoda » Mon 10. Dec 2012, 14:43

Motor Life- June 1958
By June 1958, the SM400 option had been on the market for some time. This Motor Life feature describes the system and a little bit of its design.
Motor Life June 58.JPG

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Re: 430 Super Marauder

Post by 58-Pagoda » Tue 11. Dec 2012, 15:51

Motor Trend- September 1958
This is a nice in-depth article by Don Francisco. He is no longer around, but I like reading his articles because he goes out of his way to explain things so the average person can understand. There are a few things I find odd about this article, however, that I will go into and revisit in subsequent postings:

1-The article was published in Sept. 58 which would have been after the switchover to the 1959 model year commenced. From what I have read, the model switchover used to happen in July. Perhaps Don started working on the article in July / August just as the model year was switching over. Ok- so what? Well, if you read the first few paragraphs, he explains that a Super Marauder equipped car was not readily available for him. Wouldn’t a manufacturer have made one available to him of all people? He was a well-known hot rod reporter and writer at the time. It might suggest the demise of the SM400 program happened months earlier, perhaps with the switchover to the new model year.

2- So instead, Don has a super marauder engine built and installed by a dealer over-the-counter. You have to wonder how did he find out he could do this and who suggested it? I am not aware of any advertizing that this could be done other than the 1958 Mercury brochures that offered the Super Marauder as a factory engine option. The last few paragraphs explain that the super marauder should be able to be factory ordered across all Mercury vehicles (note: Mercury-only) but then he goes on to disclose the existence of over-the-counter kits for Mercury and Lincoln super marauders. Again, how would he have known this at that time and who suggested it? This might suggest that the Lincoln SM application was cancelled way before the September 1958 article was written.

*Another interesting note is that he claims the air cleaners are cadmium plated. I don't believe this is correct based on NOS ones that have surfaced. I believe they are polished aluminum.
Don Francisco 1.JPG
Don Francisco 2.JPG
Engine.JPG
Note the color of the tripower intake manifold- as dealer-installed from the power kit. I will have more to say about this in subsequent posts.
Engine 2.JPG
Last edited by 58-Pagoda on Tue 11. Dec 2012, 18:05, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: 430 Super Marauder

Post by 58-Pagoda » Tue 11. Dec 2012, 16:14

Motor Life- December 1958 - Cancellation of the Super Marauder :x
Motor Life reported that the Super Maraunder option would be available for 1959...
Motor Life Dec 1958.JPG

BUT then the December 1958 Motor Trend confirmed that it was indeed cancelled,
and I have not seen any 1959 Mercury brochures that offered the SM400 option. This article is somewhat long but I thought people might enjoy reading the rest of it too.
MT Dec 58 p1x.JPG
1959 SM cancel p2.JPG
MT Dec 58 p3.JPG
MT Dec 58 p4.JPG
MT Dec 58 p5.JPG
MT Dec 58 p6.JPG

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Re: 430 Super Marauder

Post by Shelby#18 » Tue 11. Dec 2012, 16:59

Wow! So much good information. I don't care how long it is.
Thank you for posting. Nice photo of my wagon!

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Re: 430 Super Marauder

Post by Theo » Tue 11. Dec 2012, 17:28

Hey, that's a gigantic thread. BTW Scott, as you were asking, the pics are O.K. They are klickable. Klick them to expand. Once expanded klick them one more time to boost them up to their orig. resolution. Thanx for sharing all this wonderful info and pics.
Best regards
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Re: 430 Super Marauder

Post by 58-Pagoda » Fri 14. Dec 2012, 00:24

Up close and personal
1958 Merc.jpg

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Re: 430 Super Marauder

Post by 58-Pagoda » Sat 15. Dec 2012, 08:53

Hot Rod- July 1959
Hot Rod magazine reported the availability of the Super Marauder package for the 1959 T-bird with the 430. 1959 was the first year the 430 was offered in the T-bird, but the Super Marauder was not a factory installation. This was a conversion offered by Bill Stroppe. Supposedly a different air cleaner had to be used to clear the hood on the T-bird.
Hot Rod 1959x.jpg
1959 T-bird with 430 tripower. Appears to be original Super Marauder intake and carbs, but converted to mechanical linkage and upped from 430 to 516 cubic inches.



This air breather appeared on Ebay and was rumored to have either been for the T-bird Super Marauder application or a Holman Moody application. I've seen several cut-down air breathers and this looks no different, and don't think this would have been put out by Stroppe because it looks half-assed which he was not known for. I include here for reference only as it is the only air breather I have come across that *might* have been used on the T-bird.
$(KGrHqZHJB!E9!gT!2N8BP(+WCWCY!~~60_58.JPG
$(KGrHqJHJCoE9!Npbh)hBP(+W!qqGQ~~60_58.JPG
$(KGrHqZHJBgE9(u3O20qBP(+W!td+Q~~60_58.JPG

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Re: 430 Super Marauder

Post by 58-Pagoda » Wed 19. Dec 2012, 19:58

header.jpg
The Air Breather – “classiest ever used on any Detroit product”

The air breather on the SM400 is unlike anything that had been seen before and has proven itself as a timeless design. Those fortunate enough to examine one up close will marvel in the smoothness of its finish and complexity of its curves and angles with surprising exacting tolerances to the overall fit and finish, particularly how the two halves come together. It really is a wonder how this was managed in the mid-1950s and is a testament to Bill Stroppe’s high quality standards.

There were at least two versions of the air breather that were made, one for Mercury and one for Lincoln- although only the Mercury version is referenced in Mercury brochures, dealer bulletins, and in parts books diagrams. Below are some side-by-side comparisons of the Mercury and Lincoln air breathers.
comparison (2).jpg
Don SM compare.jpg
Scroll to compare snorkels
Don SM compare.jpg (39.05 KiB) Viewed 18987 times
seam.jpg
A couple things are evident.
•The Lincoln version is subdued and devoid of any lettering advertizing the 400 HP of the engine.
•The Lincoln version is also longer than the Mercury by perhaps 2 inches or so.
•The snorkels are different too. The Mercury snorkel is more boxy and points slightly forward to the front of the car whereas the Lincoln snorkel does not.
•The air breathers are not interchangeable! The Lincoln air breather will not clear the firewall in a ’58 Mercury; the Mercury air breather may fit in a ’58 Lincoln but the snorkel will not align properly with the Lincoln heat riser.
•The seam where the two halves meet fits so finely that the seam is hardly visible when fully assembled. The halves are held together by 9 countersunk allen screw fasteners. A 10th serrated fastener is used to secure the heat riser to the snorkel. All fasteners are black oxide coated but are often found to be rusted.


Design by Lynn Wineland- Production by Dean Moon
In honor of Lynn Wineland, I am presenting the man and designer in his own words from what I have been able to find online:

“I designed that (the SM air breather) in the summer of '57 for L-M Division, working through Bill Stroppe. I have one he gave me on a walnut trophy base; it's the earliest version with no name, and scallops on the rear to clear the wiper motor. I had worked at Dearborn for Ford Styling about four years prior but preferred to return to Southern California and wound up as Art Director, then Editor of ROD & Custom at Petersen Publishing. I also styled the fuel pump top/gas filter/distribution block and the rocker covers with the M and fins that matched the filter housing. I've written a history of all this for The Quicksilver magazine and am gathering pix taken at the time.
--Lynn Wineland


Lynn-wineland-1932-ford.gif
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Lynn Wineland was a commercial graphic artist and long-time hot rod enthusiast. He eventually became editor of Rod & Custom magazine in addition to being recognized for helping to develop the mini bike, inventing the name “Go Kart”, and once owning the famed Doane Spencer 1932 Ford. Unfortunately, he died in the 1990s and apparently never completed the article for Quicksilver magazine. It would have been great to see all those old pictures of his work on the Super Marauder project, but the editors of Quiksilver don’t recall ever running his story or seeing the pictures.

After visiting the first Hot Rod Exposition held at the National Guard Armory in Los Angeles, California in 1948, Lynn had seen Doane Spencer's 1932 Ford Roadster, and wanted to build his own version of the car. In 1949 while stationed in Ohio, in the Air Force Lynn started to build his roadster during his off duty time. Lynn's roadster was powered by a 1942 Mercury Flathead engine that was equipped with Navarro heads, a three carb manifold, Winfield SU-1R Cam, and Weber aluminum flywheel. Transmission gears were 1942 Lincoln, 25 tooth. Brakes were Kinmont hydraulics. Taillights were from a Pontiac, and rear bumper was 1931 Austin.
Lynn-wineland-1932-ford2.gif
Lynn-wineland-1932-ford2.gif (145.46 KiB) Viewed 18987 times
In 1951, Lynn exhibited his Roadster at the Indianapolis Hot Rod Show. The car was originally painted black. Lynn thought the color was way too common, and mixed up his own custom Metallic purple that he laid on the car. At the time Lynn was a long friend and employee of John Steen, founder of Steen's Chemical and Lubricants Company. John was also the creator of the Taco Mini Bike. Lynn helped John market his Steen's C Synthetic oil back in the late 1950s, and he was the graphic designerfor the Steen's catalogs and he helped design some of the Taco Mini Bikes. One of Lynn's greatest contributions to the Taco mini bikes was coming up with the actual Metallic Purple color. Lynn had extra paint from the roadster that he knew would look good on the mini bikes, he showed the color to John Steen, and fromt hat moment on Taco Mini Bikes would be recognized and remembered mostly for the Metallic Purple.
124287d0.gif
Lynn hung around Rod & Custom Magazine since its inception, but wasn't listed on the masthead until the Rod & Custom January 1956 issue. In 1957, he was taking jobs as a commercial artist and, as he is quoted above, was responsible for the design of the Super Marauder air cleaner, fuel pump, and cast aluminum valve covers which, along with the intake, were farmed out to Dean Moon for casting. At the same time, Lynn was also hanging around GP Mufflers in Monrovia, CA who was starting to assemble and sell what would later be known as Go Karts. Lynn was working at Rod and Custom and so GP Mufflers hired him to come up with a mail order ad for the little car. This is the moment when Lynn actually names GP’s little car the “GoKart” in a mail order ad in the November 1957 issue of Rod and Custom. By 1958 the business and hobby had exploded overnight and so did STEEN’S C synthetic oil which was used in the Go Kart.
$(KGrHqJ,!lQF!SgRg!)4BQGHUbS3Mg~~60_3.JPG
In 1947, the Doane Spencer Roadster won the Best Appearing Roadster award at the Pasadena Roadster Club's 1947 Reliability Run. At the same show the roadster was invited to be displayed at the first annual Hot Rod Exposition in 1948. After racing the roadster at El Mirage for a while, Doane began to rebuild the roadster preparing it to run in the Carrera Panamericana. The Mexican road race was canceled before Doane was able to run the car, so he ended up selling it to Lynn Wineland.

Lynn put a Ford Thunderbird V8 in the roadster. He also installed a 1937 Ford tube axle, and rear radius rods. Lynn never completed the build, and sold it further to fellow Rod & Custom staffer Neal East in 1968. Neal managed to put the car back on the road, and equipped it with the old 1946 Mercury Flathead V8 and a 1948 Lincoln Overdrive Transmission. In 1995 Neal East sold the roadster to collector Bruce Meyer. Bruce had Pete Chapouris and So-Cal Speed Shop in Pomona, California restore the car to show condition in its most famous form. August 1997 the Doane Spencer Roadster won first place in the Class R Historic Hot Rods category at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. 1997 was the first year hot rods were allowed to take part of the event.
Doane-spencer-1932-ford2.jpg

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Re: 430 Super Marauder

Post by 58-Pagoda » Wed 19. Dec 2012, 20:05

Ok let's get back on track...
•Dean Moon most likely cast the SM400 components in the Fall of 1957 and perhaps into 1958. According to the MoonEyes president, MoonEyes was not formed as an enterprise until around 1961 so it was most likely Dean Moon operating on his own who turned out the castings. The history going back that far is a bit fuzzy. MoonEyes does have many of the old molds that were use in the past and are now producing finned valve covers for the 430 using the original molds. I was told by the President that if there is enough interest in re-casting the air breathers it could be done provided they can find the original molds. Last I checked, they had not been able to find the molds but have several warehouses full of "leftovers" from the 50s and 60s.

•The Lincoln air breather on the famed Jerry Capizzi 1958 Continental convertible is said by the several auctions it has ran through to have been a prototype and the closest thing to a factory installation as would have occurred. The air breather on that car was apparently not painted with red pinstripes. That car is not a J-code vin car, however by comparing its production sequence to other cars close in sequence with known build dates, it was determined that the Capizzi car was built towards the latter part of the 1958 model year run. This suggests to me that if it really was a prototype then the Lincoln tripower option was released after the Mercury version and was only officially around for a few months until all units were liquidated though the dealers.

Capizzi car (Photo Credits: courtesy of Mecum Auctions)
1x.jpg
DA0912-138625_7.jpg
7x.jpg
8x.jpg
Lincoln production sequence 423447 has build code 29D (April 29 '58)
Capizzi Lincoln sequence 423496
Lincoln production sequence 424311 has build code 10E (May 10 '58)

Comparison cars and build dates were found on Chris Whalen’s site. http://public.fotki.com/christwhalen/


Casting flaws
•I venture to say that few air breathers came out perfect. Despite Moon’s success in casting the complicated curves and angles while maintaining tight tolerances, most original air breathers can be identified by the presence of pinholes, pock marks, sometimes ripples, and other casting flaws on the top cover along the front curvature of the first 1/3 or so of the air breather. These may have been due to air bubbles getting caught in the casting.

Click to enlarge
nos 6 ebay.jpg
•On the Lincoln air breather, due to the curved drop-off at the rear of the top cover the outer-most pinstripes are usually a little rougher at the rear and not as perfect as the interior pinstripes. This results in more red paint in those areas. The Mercury air breather does not appear to have suffered that problem.
flaw.jpg
flaw.jpg (25.4 KiB) Viewed 18987 times
Close-up details.
1.jpg
2.jpg
3.jpg
4.jpg
5.jpg
6.jpg
7.jpg
Numbers
As I noted earlier in this thread, there was a conscious effort to offer Mercury SM400 “J code” cars to the public.
•This suggests that there would have been more Mercury air breathers produced than Lincoln ones. Another reason to believe there were fewer Lincoln air breathers made is that the SM400 option was initially only available for Mercury even in “power kit” form.
•In March 1958, Car Life reported the availability of Mercury “power kits” that, unbeknownst to Lincoln owners, could be installed on the Lincoln 430 with little or no modifications.
•By September 1958, Motor Trend reported the availability of both Mercury and Lincoln power kits from the dealer.
•Keeping in mind that the SM400 option went into production cars around April 1958 and the model year changeover to 1959 would have happened in July 1958, this probably left a fairly short window in which one could order a factory J-code Mercury Super Marauder. As we know, the SM400 was not offered for 1959 cars.
•The window to obtain a Lincoln "power kit" was probably even shorter. First off, recall that according to Bill Stroppe Ford cancelled the factory installation J-code program for the Lincoln at the last minute which was after production of the Lincoln air breathers/assemblies had already taken place. By all accounts in the car journals, the Super Marauder offering for the Lincoln was an afterthought to Mercury’s offering and thought to be on account of dealer complaints from Lincoln owners who spent $5k, $6k, or more on a new Continental and then realized their car didn’t come with Ford’s most powerful engine.

•So what are those numbers? It’s hard to say because no one really knows and records have not surfaced.
Anecdotally, Lincoln air breathers do show up less often than Mercury ones. According to the article below, one guess is that Stroppe only produced 55 Lincoln air breathers which may be close to the mark.

Cars and Parts Magazine- January 2003
Cars and Parts mag Jan 2003x.jpg
By my count, I am up to 20 Lincoln air breathers that I have tracked either as having come up for sale or that I have learned still exist from people who have them, and these are original units not reproductions. Some interesting facts I found out: there are 2 in Denmark, 4 came up for sale on online in the last 2 years, and I have heard of one collector who is rumored to be hoarding 3 NOS versions.
Another account from someone who spoke firsthand with Stroppe claims that 250 Lincoln “power units” were made and assembled, including the air breather. I suspect this is a high number and that someone had confused the numbers with the actual number of Mercury units that were made.


Reproductions
•There have been reproductions of both air breathers in the past, some not so good and more recent ones that are excellent. I have read one account of someone who reproduced one as a project for their metallurgy class at school. The one below appeared on Ebay a while back and was fairly represented by the seller as a crude reproduction.
AUT_0701.JPG
AUT_0703.JPG
AUT_0704.JPG
•If you spend some time talking with the people who have reproduced these and learn how much time, effort, and $$ it takes to make these even with today’s technology, you come away with a greater appreciation for what Moon and Stroppe were able to accomplish.

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Re: 430 Super Marauder

Post by 58-Pagoda » Mon 31. Dec 2012, 15:00

Shelby#18 wrote:Wow! So much good information. I don't care how long it is.
Thank you for posting. Nice photo of my wagon!
Just posted another Motor Trend article comparing 2 Mercs. Has some interesting info on detonation in the MEL engines and axle ratio theory. See: http://www.ford-mel-engine.com/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=938

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