I've been obsessed recently about doing something to improve the performance of the t-bird. Nothing crazy, but I want to spice up a little beyond it's lackluster reputation. Y-blocks are small motors by American V8 standards. The biggest they can be bored out to is about 332 ci, significantly smaller than the venerable 350 Small Block Chevy (like the LS1 motor in my '04 GTO). My t-bird's motor is a 292 bored .040" over, so it's still under 300 ci, making less than 200 hp ... to push a 3000 lb car. Kinda wimpy, huh?
I went to a cruise night on Wednesday, which happened to feature the local thunderbird club. There were many little birds there, including two '55's and a '56. One of the '55's was immaculate, with a tri-power intake... by that I mean "three deuces", or a "3x2", three two barrel carburetors in a row. His was an Offenhauser manifold with three matching Stromberg 97's. This set up is NOT the most powerful intake for a y-block, and it is very difficult to setup to run well... but it is amazingly cool looking! See for yourself:
The '56 at cruise night had some more significant modifications, most of which were internal to the engine. The obvious things on the outside of the engine were the FPA long tube headers and the Blue Thunder intake:
These modifications are, of course, not period correct, but the make a LOT of horsepower - about as much as you can with a y-block! The owner claimed 400hp, which is an awful lot for a 55 year old 312. This setup is also attractive to me, but it just doesn't have the visceral appeal of the tri-power. Oh, also note the lack of power steering and power brakes. This makes for a very clean engine compartment, and the car really doesn't need them. I'm keeping this in mind.
Anyway, all this performance talk got me thinking. One easy way to get "period correct" performance on a '55 is to use '57 heads and intake. 1957 was the pinnacle of Ford y-block performance. Competition with Chevy was fierce, and Ford was determined to stay in the horsepower lead. In 1958, Ford shifted away from the y-block to a new, larger FE engine for it's performance cars... but in 1957, you could order a t-bird with a 300hp supercharged 312! The "budget" t-bird engine was a 212hp 292, which is the same size but more powerful than the engine in my car, even though it has a 2 barrel carb and mine has a 4 barrel! The secret to this power was some subtle cam timing, a better distributor, but most importantly the high-compression, big valve ECZ-G heads. Every Ford y-block in 1957 had them. They will bolt on to any y-block, regardless of size or year. For my engine, they would raise the compression ratio from 8.5 to 9.0, and provide much better intake flow, easily yielding an additional 25-30 horsepower! The next best thing to "G" heads are the 1958-59 5752-113 heads, or "113's". They are good for 8.9 compression ratio on my motor, flow as well as "G" heads, and are a little stronger due to thicker construction. Needless to say, "G" and "113" heads are in high demand among y-block aficionados. With y-blocks becoming a more popular motor for hotrods, "G" heads have become very scarce. Believe me, I've looked for months - I couldn't find any for sale, let alone any I could afford!
Here's where it gets interesting. Thursday night, just before going to bed, I decide to check eBay for y-block heads one more time. Yes, this has been an obsession for me... I want to let go, but I'm going to check one more time. There, among the older, less desirable heads is pair of 113's, with a "buy now" price that is very affordable! I pinch myself, check the fine print, and start to realize that these are, indeed, within my grasp! I buy the heads, and send a message to the seller asking for crating and shipping to my home. I go to sleep thinking "God is good", and knowing that he has blessed me, even in my selfish obsession. Amazing!
But wait, it gets better! Late Friday morning I check my eBay messages, and find out that the seller is driving to my town for a vacation with his family, and is willing to bring the heads with him! I call the number he gave me, and he says that he is on his way, and yes, he's bringing the heads with him. All I can think is "wow"! So, Friday evening I drive 10 minutes, and meet the guy. He's a down to earth, humble man, who tells me the story of restoring a 1957 t-bird for sale at auction, because business is slow at his metal processing plant! The t-bird came with these 113 heads, but the car is worth more with "number matching" heads (remember the "G" heads?), so he took these off, cleaned them up and ultrasonically tested them at work, and then sold them to me! I thanked him profusely, paid him, and gave some coupons I had to take his kids to the zoo. God is indeed good, and He is working on something both subtle and profound here. I really need to think about this.
My vague and abstract dream of making this t-bird into something special is becoming more concrete, more of a vision around which I can start directing my actions. I'm starting to understand more about the things I want for it and the things I don't want, to form an intention for this car. I'm beginning to envision what I want for it's character.
I believe that my heavenly Father gets a kick out of delighting me, just as I get a kick out of delighting my boys. He does this in ways that are unique, personal, and consistent with what he wants for my character. While I don't understand every cause and effect, I don't believe in coincidence. I choose to believe that God provides things even as mundane as 113 heads as a way of delighting me, using the opportunity to have me meet a very thoughtful, interesting and humble man, whom God just happens to also have blessed with a family vacation!
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