Frank brought up a potential problem with this engine being the 285hp version. The dual point distributor has Mallory points. Is it possible that Ford ever shipped this engine with Mallory dual points? Once again, I have gone back to the original family and asked if anyone knows about distributor work being done? So far the consensus is that the original owner did not install these points. We may not know the real results of this engine until it gets down to the cam. I am hoping that sometime after next week, Mike and Frank can come up to Arlington for a look see. Then we can haul the engine out and send it away to the Y block experts. 

 

Frank, Sent you an email.
Mike

miker
55 bird, 32 cabrio F code
Kent, WA
Tucson, AZ

Miker, Let me know what you find. Looks like a real one to me.



Frank/Rebop

Bristol, In ( by Elkhart) 

I sure hope you and Frank are up to coming up to Arlington to see what it is we have. I will attach the original invoice that just came in. It doesn't help much though.
Let me know what Frank has to say.

New to forum guy here who does recognize the pictured distributor. When I hopped up my 55 T Bird in the mid 60's I replaced the stock vacuum distributor with a '57 blower distributor from Ford. The distributor was hard to find at the time as it needed the tach drive in order for me to keep the stock tach useable. I can also attest to the clutch pivot keepers popping out due to the engine torquing over and serious wheel hop. I also installed a different distributor cam that gave me a quicker throttle response, but it made the engine hard to start.

Some added thoughts and comments two days later. ~ I still  have my T-Bird. My modifications were: '57 312 heads out of an old police interceptor automatic trans. High ratio rocker arms, higher compression ratio and larger valves. Runners were polished and opened up around the valve guides. Valves were tulip ground and Oldsmobile valve springs installed. Melling super full camshaft and Jahns 5/8 " dome pistons installed with a full race balance. 0.030 over bore for the new pistons, 57 T-Bird blower distributor, Edlebrock dual 4 intake with a pair of Cadillac large venturi WCFB carbs. Straight linkage adjusted so the secondary did not open until 70 mph in straight high gear. ~ The problems I encountered were: clutch linkage coming apart when hammering the throttle, Crankshaft pulley damper shifting on the pulley, serious wheel hop and axel wrap, adequate breathing for the crankcase and generators coming apart. The latter was due to the higher than I thought engine RPM. The stock tach uses a wind driven (squirrel cage inside a squirrel cage) connection to the needle from the input cable and in my case was no where correct at higher RPM's. I routinely turned the engine to 5K on the tach which was probably closer to 7K. I finally changed the generator pulley size so I could keep the generator from slinging apart (and keep the fan belt from slinging off). I don't really know what the top speed is on the car. It has seen 128 and would cruise at 118 doing about 20 miles to the gallon on the highest test gas I could get. My wife and I managed to whip all but the fuel injected corvettes we could find willing to do some green light go. ~~~ About dual valve springs. The second or inner spring is actually a damper to try to stop valve chatter. The stock valve spring is 70 pounds open. They tend to float at higher RPM's and are the cause of most Y block failures. Oldsmobile valve springs are 108 pounds closed. The heads are frankly thin over the combustion chamber and back in the 60's were not milled unless that area was reinforced. Usually accomplished by drilling a hole through the head deck and installing a bolt through the water jacket and then welding the bolt to the deck before milling. Dome pistons were a much safer way to raise the compression ratio. 

Robin, I don't know enough about E codes to be of any use. There's a chance I'll see Frank tonight at the local show and shine. If so, I'll see if he's available. I'm going to PM you my contact info also.

I'm up in Kent, the deserts a bit hot this time of year.

miker
55 bird, 32 cabrio F code
Kent, WA
Tucson, AZ

Anyone have a picture of the brass screen used in the aircleaner? Sounds like something I need to add to mine incase of a fire which can happen.

Frank Stubbs lives just an hour South of me. I am in Arlington, WA.
Does Miker live in Kent WA or Arizona? If he is a snowbird, then maybe he is still up here in the PAcific Northwest. Kent is only an hour and a half away.
I would like to get both of them up to Arlington at their convenience to get their first look at this Bird. I think this is going to be fun.We will all learn a lot.
I did hear from the daughter or niece of the original owner today. Here is what she had to say. It looks like she thinks I sold the car. I did set her straight on that. 

Here is what my uncle Milt's brother said:When Milt bought the T-bird it had a I believe less than 1000 miles. I'm not sure if it was owned by someone other than dealer.  The engine was never worked on.   It had a motor mount problem that when revved  allowed the engine torque to the right and the clutch pivot rod would pull out of socket that  made clutch peddle to drop to floor board .I believe he replaced the motor mount .  All other parts should be original.  The hard top without the porthole is rare also.  I always knew it was a (super Bird)  sorry to hear it was sold, had hoped someone would have restored it.

Thanks for the second, Charlie. But you sure hit the "who's who" list for early birds.

miker
55 bird, 32 cabrio F code
Kent, WA
Tucson, AZ

Robin
It is generally held in belief that the 285 engines used heads that were "broached".

Simply said  - cut by .060 , if you could get to the 1" pad on the head and clean it off really good and see what the measurment is, that may be an elementary way to tell if your engine is a 285 H.P. build.

Oldmics