Oddball Muscle Cars

[Paul Ceasrine]

Yes, the Marlin goes around the 'Ugly Meter' 360 degrees, and comes back pretty..Unfortunately, it takes 17.6 seconds at 82 mph to do that, in the quarter.That puts it in there with the 66' Belvedere 273/180 HP 2-barrell.I think my neighbor took his car up to Vermont (Mt. Snow), drove it to the top of the hill, removed the drivetrain and wheels, and used it as sled to godown the mountain..You know it had that 3+3 look...Like a 'toboggan'.,,Didn't anybody have a muscle-car Buick Riviera..71'72'/73' era..Paul...

[dakota tom]

There are two versons of the story behind the AMC V-8 I found.

One is that AMC was using the Packard V-8 in the Nash and Hudson cars until Packard did not honor its end of of the deal. AMC was to get engines from Packard and Packard would buy body stampings and other parts from AMC. Then AMC president, George Romney, Mitt Romneys father, ordered engineer Meade Moore in 1954 to design an in house V-8. It was in production in April 1956.

Studebaker also merged with Packard about this time so that may explain the simularities in the engines both being infuenced by Packard design.

The other verson is that a former Kaiser-Frazer engineer, David Potter, who had designed a V-8 for K-F designed the AMC engine. I could not find the book tonight that has a photo of the K-F engine in it, The Last Onslaught on Detroit. K-F managment decided to go ahead with the Henry J car instead of funding the V-8 engine. It looks nearly identical to the AMC engine. They then added the Paxton supercharger to the inline six in the Kaiser cars.

The Studebaker R-3 engine had the Paxton supercharger. A road test had a 0-60 time of 5.5 sec for a R-3 Avanti.

There is a 2 door 1964 Studebaker in my town that was a R-3 four speed originally. The current owner found it without an engine and it now has a R-1 engine but he is gathering the parts to build it to R-3 specs.

In the last year or two of Studebaker production they did use a 283 Chevrolet engine

[dakota tom]

Originally Posted by Jim Cimarolli

How about a 64 Galaxie 500 4 door hardtop with a 427 2X4 carbs and a 4 speed, bucket seats. I know where this car still is today.

I was watching Jay Leno one night. He was taiking about going with his father to order a new car. A 1964-1965? Ford. His father let Jay pick out the engine, He picked out the 427 2X4 engine for him.

The stick shift trans was not uncommon in big cars in the sixties. Some men, like my father, did not like automatics then. My Father ordered a new 1969 Olds Delta 88 4 dr sedan. 350 2 barrell, 3 speed coloum shift going to a Ford toploader 3 speed, One of 12 full sized Olds built with a manual trans. It also has the police suspension package, the only HD suspension option avalible.

The local Plymouth dealer ordered a late sixties Fury III with a street Hemi and had it on the showroom floor when I was 10-12 years old. It was still around the area in a collection.

[Bret Kepner]

Originally Posted by Paul Ceasrine

That puts it in there with the 66' Belvedere 273/180 HP 2-barrell.

I already have plenty of experience with THAT engine so the '67 Marlin would be a "natural" for me!

[Paul Ceasrine]

Bret,What are you a 'masochist'..Next thing your going to say, is that you had a61' Lancer..What is with all the glass,, 67' Marlin,,66' Dodge Charger,,65'/66' Barracuda..I bet that Marlin on the 4-man bobsled-competition,,,would have given the USA team 'Night Train' a helluva run.Paul,,,Go Marlin

[W J]

How about the 1966-67 Mercury Cyclone GT coupe and convertible cars? 390 motors, 335 hp in '66 and 320 hp in '67, scarce, but not really rare......BUT-- supposedly a handful of Cyclone GT cars got factory-built w/410hp or 425 hp 427 side-oiler motors. In '67, just over 3400 Cyclone GT coupes and only 378 Cyclone GT converts built....Anyone seen a factory 1966 or '67 427/410hp or 427/425hp side-oiler equipped Mercury Cyclone GT or know of anyone ever class racing one? This 427 side-oiler Cyclone GT option has to be one of the rarest, and oddest of Ford's Mercury muscle combos, I am thinking.....Knowledgable Ford--Mercury people? Thanks. WJ

[genuine jack]

just a quick note and question on the '57 blower fords .

the supercharged engine was rated at 300 HP , but 340 HP in NASCAR trim .
the 2X4 was rated at 270 HP ... 285 in NASCAR trim .
the cars dominated in nascar in '57 , and in the JR. stock classes in the mid - late '60's . as well as the tudors and at least one [ the "osage yellow hoss" ] fordor hardtop , there were quite a few wagons . and there were 3 supercharged wagons built by the factory in '57 .
i've been looking for info on larry walker's "legal cheater" for years . also tried to locate mr. walker - with no luck . you say the car is in BC and is being restored ? are any photos - or any more information - available ? does anyone know how i might contact larry walker ?
thanx for any help .
jack

[W J]

Originally Posted by genuine jack

just a quick note and question on the '57 blower fords .

the supercharged engine was rated at 300 HP , but 340 HP in NASCAR trim .
the 2X4 was rated at 270 HP ... 285 in NASCAR trim .
the cars dominated in nascar in '57 , and in the JR. stock classes in the mid - late '60's . as well as the tudors and at least one [ the "osage yellow hoss" ] fordor hardtop , there were quite a few wagons . and there were 3 supercharged wagons built by the factory in '57 .
i've been looking for info on larry walker's "legal cheater" for years . also tried to locate mr. walker - with no luck . you say the car is in BC and is being restored ? are any photos - or any more information - available ? does anyone know how i might contact larry walker ?
thanx for any help .
jack

Didn't the '57 T-birds have the 312 Paxton blower motor (1-4bbl) combo, and the non-blower 2-4 bbl. 312 combo as well? I saw a '57 full size Ford w/blower run years ago at the track, but never a '57 blown T-bird running....WJ

[genuine jack]

Originally Posted by W J

How about the 1966-67 Mercury Cyclone GT coupe and convertible cars? 390 motors, 335 hp in '66 and 320 hp in '67, scarce, but not really rare......BUT-- supposedly a handful of Cyclone GT cars got factory-built w/410hp or 425 hp 427 side-oiler motors. In '67, just over 3400 Cyclone GT coupes and only 378 Cyclone GT converts built....Anyone seen a factory 1966 or '67 427/410hp or 427/425hp side-oiler equipped Mercury Cyclone GT or know of anyone ever class racing one? This 427 side-oiler Cyclone GT option has to be one of the rarest, and oddest of Ford's Mercury muscle combos, I am thinking.....Knowledgable Ford--Mercury people? Thanks. WJ

the 427 comets were, indeed , rare . a tudor [ light green , i believe ] has been featured in magazines many times . i've also seen a hardtop [single 4 barrel ] featured more than once . i've seen one or both of these cars at shows in pennsylvania a few years ago . i don't know of any 427 comets that were drag raced by the factory , but eddie schartman led a factory team of 390 C/S comets in 1966 .
as an aside , i used to own a '66 cyclone GT [ 4-speed ] convertible . they were fairly rare - about 2150 built . i lost it while going through a divorce several years ago .

jack

[genuine jack]

Originally Posted by W J

Didn't the '57 T-birds have the 312 Paxton blower motor (1-4bbl) combo, and the non-blower 2-4 bbl. 312 combo as well? I saw a '57 full size Ford w/blower run years ago at the track, but never a '57 blown T-bird running....WJ

yes - the blower and the 2X4 were available in both the ford and the t-bird . there were approximately [ the exact number seems to be in debate ] 214 blower t-birds built .

jack