Author Topic: Guy Looking For A MEL Intake Blower  (Read 5853 times)

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chris401

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FrozenMerc

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Re: Guy Looking For A MEL Intake Blower
« Reply #1 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.



« Last Edit: December 03, 2018, 02:22:13 PM by FrozenMerc »

FrozenMerc

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Re: Guy Looking For A MEL Intake Blower
« Reply #2 on: December 03, 2018, 02:20:06 PM »
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chris401

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Re: Guy Looking For A MEL Intake Blower
« Reply #3 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.


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?

FrozenMerc

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Re: Guy Looking For A MEL Intake Blower
« Reply #4 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. 


chris401

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Re: Guy Looking For A MEL Intake Blower
« Reply #5 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.

FrozenMerc

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Re: Guy Looking For A MEL Intake Blower
« Reply #6 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.

Joe-JDC

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Re: Guy Looking For A MEL Intake Blower
« Reply #7 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
Joe-JDC '70GT-500

chris401

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Re: Guy Looking For A MEL Intake Blower
« Reply #8 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.

Leny Mason

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Re: Guy Looking For A MEL Intake Blower
« Reply #9 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 

FrozenMerc

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Re: Guy Looking For A MEL Intake Blower
« Reply #10 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.
« Last Edit: December 07, 2018, 02:28:55 PM by FrozenMerc »

FrozenMerc

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Re: Guy Looking For A MEL Intake Blower
« Reply #11 on: December 06, 2018, 12:58:28 PM »
Delete - I am not sure why I keep getting double posts.
« Last Edit: December 07, 2018, 02:28:13 PM by FrozenMerc »

chris401

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Re: Guy Looking For A MEL Intake Blower
« Reply #12 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?

TomP

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Re: Guy Looking For A MEL Intake Blower
« Reply #13 on: December 09, 2018, 02:43:10 PM »
Interesting coolant flow, where are those block thermostats located?

chris401

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Re: Guy Looking For A MEL Intake Blower
« Reply #14 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.