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FE Power Forums => Non-FE Discussion Forum => Topic started by: chris401 on December 02, 2018, 10:25:38 PM

Title: Guy Looking For A MEL Intake Blower
Post by: chris401 on December 02, 2018, 10:25:38 PM
Saw this on the MEL forum.

http://ford-mel-engine.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=1642&sid=d1938d1edd8ac2c1528376882053fde2
Title: Re: Guy Looking For A MEL Intake Blower
Post by: FrozenMerc on December 03, 2018, 02:16:48 PM
Weiand made the only "mass" produced MEL blower intakes, they pop up on E-bay from time to time, typically cost $1500 to $2500 depending on quality.  The biggest problem with the Weiand is that they were essentially a race only manifold.  There is no provision for water or a thermostat with the Weiand intake.  Also, the distributor needs to be relocated as it interferes with the Weiand intake.  I am working on making a street friendly MEL blower intake with water, thermostat provisions, and distributor clearance, but I switched jobs and moved across the country this summer and have not got my shop back up and running. 

Here is a picture of the CAD model for the new intake I am working on getting produced.  Hopefully I will have cast aluminum parts by the end of 2019.  I also am willing to sell my Weiand once I get a functional prototype of new intake built.

(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4862/44347857900_7166bfb41d_c.jpg)

Title: Re: Guy Looking For A MEL Intake Blower
Post by: FrozenMerc on December 03, 2018, 02:20:06 PM
Delete
Title: Re: Guy Looking For A MEL Intake Blower
Post by: chris401 on December 04, 2018, 06:03:05 PM
Weiand made the only "mass" produced MEL blower intakes, they pop up on E-bay from time to time, typically cost $1500 to $2500 depending on quality.  The biggest problem with the Weiand is that they were essentially a race only manifold.  There is no provision for water or a thermostat with the Weiand intake.  Also, the distributor needs to be relocated as it interferes with the Weiand intake.  I am working on making a street friendly MEL blower intake with water, thermostat provisions, and distributor clearance, but I switched jobs and moved across the country this summer and have not got my shop back up and running. 

Here is a picture of the CAD model for the new intake I am working on getting produced.  Hopefully I will have cast aluminum parts by the end of 2019.  I also am willing to sell my Weiand once I get a functional prototype of new intake built.

(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4862/44347857900_7166bfb41d_c.jpg)
I didn't know about the MEL blowe intakes at all. Does your piece use the "corrected" coolant flow that routes the coolant like most normal engines?
Title: Re: Guy Looking For A MEL Intake Blower
Post by: FrozenMerc on December 05, 2018, 12:47:21 PM
I didn't know about the MEL blowe intakes at all. Does your piece use the "corrected" coolant flow that routes the coolant like most normal engines?

What do you mean by normal?  Using a stock water pump, the coolant with my intake would be drawn from the bottom rad tank by the pump, pushed into the front of the block, up through the heads, and into the intake at the rear (see the small port in the pic).  Then forward through the intake to the thermostat and out into the upper rad tank. 

Title: Re: Guy Looking For A MEL Intake Blower
Post by: chris401 on December 05, 2018, 01:28:33 PM
I didn't know about the MEL blowe intakes at all. Does your piece use the "corrected" coolant flow that routes the coolant like most normal engines?

What do you mean by normal?  Using a stock water pump, the coolant with my intake would be drawn from the bottom rad tank by the pump, pushed into the front of the block, up through the heads, and into the intake at the rear (see the small port in the pic).  Then forward through the intake to the thermostat and out into the upper rad tank.
A local builder rotated the diverters and flipped the gaskets. He filled his 3X2 intake coolant passage from the rear right to the front cross over. Cooled coolant flows first through the block, then through the heads and forward to the intake crossover like an FE. There are a couple others who run there MEL's that way but this little 550 is the only one I have seen in person.
Title: Re: Guy Looking For A MEL Intake Blower
Post by: FrozenMerc on December 05, 2018, 02:10:18 PM
A local builder rotated the diverters and flipped the gaskets. He filled his 3X2 intake coolant passage from the rear right to the front cross over. Cooled coolant flows first through the block, then through the heads and forward to the intake crossover like an FE. There are a couple others who run there MEL's that way but this little 550 is the only one I have seen in person.

That makes sense.  The '58 430 (Lincoln Premiere - 375 hp, 4bbl version) that I am working with had the front coolant passages between the heads and intake blocked by the gasket, forcing the flow through the rear ports, so I kept the factory logic, however, I can see an argument for coolant stagnating in the head around the front cylinders.  As far as I know, that motor was still factory correct and had never been opened.
Title: Re: Guy Looking For A MEL Intake Blower
Post by: Joe-JDC on December 05, 2018, 10:32:18 PM
Aluminum spacers are available that adapt 460 style intakes to the MEL.  Makes a lot of options available, with just a bit of fabrication skills.  Joe-JDC
Title: Re: Guy Looking For A MEL Intake Blower
Post by: chris401 on December 06, 2018, 11:37:07 AM
Aluminum spacers are available that adapt 460 style intakes to the MEL.  Makes a lot of options available, with just a bit of fabrication skills.  Joe-JDC
For about $300 the 429/460 intake adapter is not a bad idea.

I have four or five extras of the standard cast iron 58-59 four barrel MEL intakes. Some on line call them $500+ high performance intakes. I may fill in the back end with a functional heater fitting and sell a "kit" to flow the water like an FE. Like the local engine it would delete the block thermostats only using the intake thermostat. When I get around to it they will be a good ways south of $500.
Title: Re: Guy Looking For A MEL Intake Blower
Post by: Leny Mason on December 06, 2018, 12:19:42 PM
This is the first I have been involved with A vary cool and smooth running engine,  I two would like to find a blower manifold for one, we made a stencil for the M E L on the valve covers I think it turned out nice and the customer liked it to. Leny Mason 
Title: Re: Guy Looking For A MEL Intake Blower
Post by: FrozenMerc on December 06, 2018, 12:56:50 PM
Aluminum spacers are available that adapt 460 style intakes to the MEL.  Makes a lot of options available, with just a bit of fabrication skills.  Joe-JDC

Stover's Porting in California was (and perhaps still is) making the 460 to MEL intake adaptors, I talked to him about them, but there was still distributor clearance issues, especially with most 460 blower intakes.  The tunnel ram and dual quad intakes are better for distributor clearance.
Title: Re: Guy Looking For A MEL Intake Blower
Post by: FrozenMerc on December 06, 2018, 12:58:28 PM
Delete - I am not sure why I keep getting double posts.
Title: Re: Guy Looking For A MEL Intake Blower
Post by: chris401 on December 07, 2018, 11:23:41 AM
This is the first I have been involved with A vary cool and smooth running engine,  I two would like to find a blower manifold for one, we made a stencil for the M E L on the valve covers I think it turned out nice and the customer liked it to. Leny Mason
That looks good. Did it turn out to be a 58?
Title: Re: Guy Looking For A MEL Intake Blower
Post by: TomP on December 09, 2018, 02:43:10 PM
Interesting coolant flow, where are those block thermostats located?
Title: Re: Guy Looking For A MEL Intake Blower
Post by: chris401 on December 09, 2018, 04:17:24 PM
Interesting coolant flow, where are those block thermostats located?
The MEL had three thermostats. The coolant flowed to the rear through the heads and block up to the rear of the intake, forward though the intake and to the primary thermostat. The block has two thermostats behind each waterpump outlet. The dividers direct coolant through the heads but coolant does not flow through the block until it's thermostats open. I heard that carburetor icing was the reason behind it.
Title: Re: Guy Looking For A MEL Intake Blower
Post by: Leny Mason on December 09, 2018, 11:03:57 PM
Hi, yes we believe it is a 1958 from the numbers that we found, cents then I have found a lot of these  i would like to build one for my 1961 Unibody pick up with a supercharger. Leny Mason
Title: Re: Guy Looking For A MEL Intake Blower
Post by: chris401 on December 11, 2018, 10:42:53 AM
Hi, yes we believe it is a 1958 from the numbers that we found, cents then I have found a lot of these  i would like to build one for my 1961 Unibody pick up with a supercharger. Leny Mason
Look at all those lug nuts! F(airlane)-450?
Title: Re: Guy Looking For A MEL Intake Blower
Post by: Leny Mason on December 11, 2018, 11:38:42 PM
He brought me four chrome wheels with baby moons the hub caps fit terrible, they were uni lugs with ten holes so I sand blasted the inner wheel and painted them to match the car, then made studs that cleared the back of the wheel and put pointed lug nut son all of them I think it looks better than having five holes showing, now it just needs Lake Pipes on it. Leny Mason
Title: Re: Guy Looking For A MEL Intake Blower
Post by: TomP on December 23, 2018, 03:28:33 PM
Thought it might have had a Dana 80 in there and F SuperDuty straight axle.

 Those universal-fit 10 lug wheels are real ugly when used with no hubcaps so I can see why you did that.