57 thunderbird engine id12/12/2023 ![]() Another novel feature was the power steering hydraulic pump, which mounted on the timing cover on some versions and was driven directly from the crankshaft.ĭespite its multiple virtues, the MEL V8 never gained a foothold in the high-performance world. (We haven’t seen one, anyway.) However, we can see that the production Edsel engines (410 CID E-475, above right) did use thermostatic air control, ducting exhaust heat into the air cleaner housing. While a press photo was released, it doesn’t seem the remarkably modern-looking engine cover ever made it into production. For example, check out the elaborate engine shroud with thermostatic air intake shown above left on an Edsel E-400 V8 (361 CID, FE series). The MEL and 385 engine families share 4.90-inch bore centers, suggesting that the 385 was designed to run on the MEL’s tooling.Īs we’ve seen, Ford wasn’t afraid to try new things in this period. + 462 CID: 4.38-in x 3.83-in bore and stroke, used by Lincoln from 1966 to 1968, when it was replaced by the 460 CID V8 from the Ford 385 engine family and the MEL series was discontinued for good. Marketed as the E-475 V8 in accordance with its 475 lb-ft torque rating. + 410 CID: 4.20-in x 3.70 bore and stroke, used in 1958 Edsel Corsair and Citation. Applications for the MEL V8s break down as follows: While the MEL V8 resembles the big SD V8 in some aspects, it shares no major components with the SD, the FE, or any other FoMoCo engines-it’s a lone ranger. This unusual construction, engineered in part to provide manufacturing flexibility, was a Motor City fad of the late ’50s that was also found in the Chevrolet 348/409 V8 (read our feature on the 409 here) and Ford’s SD series large-displacement gasoline truck engines. Instead, the block deck was machined at a 10-degree angle, forming a wedge-shaped combustion space in the top of the cylinder bore. There were no combustion chambers in the cylinder head. All were built on the same basic architecture with 4.90-inch bore spacing, and they all shared the unusual design feature shown above. But that doesn’t mean the MEL isn’t an interesting engine and worthy of a closer look.īetween 19, the MEL V8 was produced in four displacements: 383, 410, 430, and 462 cubic inches. ![]() (There was a new SD truck V8, too.) The FE (short for Ford-Edsel) went on to glory at Daytona, Le Mans, and elsewhere, while the MEL V8 (Mercury-Edsel-Lincoln) is largely forgotten today. ![]() Next, there were two distinct new passenger-car V8 engine families heading into production, the FE series and the MEL series. First, there was the rollout of an entire new car division, the ambitious but unfortunate Edsel. The Ford Motor Company had a plenty on its plate for the 1958 model year. Ford’s MEL V8 might not have a famous racing record, but it’s worthy of a closer look.
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