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Paul (Premier Login FEfinaticP)
Forum Owner
Posted Apr 12, 2006 11:20 AM
Here is a thread three years old, that I exchanged with my buddy Theo, who lives in Germany, and who recently posted photos of his MEL rebuild project which I’m also including here for reference purposes. This gives some of the guys with MEL motors in their Chris Crafts an inside look into what the MEL is all about. It’s basically a very rugged chunk of iron, strong enough to launch a 6000 Lincoln Continental like a rocket. In marine trim, these motors could have easily survived 300-hp stages of tune, but the conservative wisdom of the day selected 275-hp. Even at that rating, the torque was as impressive in a boat as it was a Lincoln.
The MEL series of motors (stnding for Mercury, Edsel, Lincoln) was initiated the same time as the FE series (standing for Ford, Edsel) of which the latter includes the 352, 390, 406, and 427. The MEL was initially intended as a heavyweight, and the FE was eventually built up into a high RPM race contender. The MEL, however, is a heavier design, and is actually quite indestructible as a result of it's initial concept for being. Many are in service today, and with proper care, and perbaps a rebuild, they will probably wear out their owners long before their owners can wear them out.
Here are the emails from 2003, and the photos follow.
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Hey Theo,
I'm pretty deep into antique and classic boating in the US and Canada, having been on an international board of directors (major boating organization) and having owned several classics in the past (now owning 3-1/2, the 1/2 is on the wall of the living room), with FE motors, Chevy, Hercules, and with a lot of info on the MEL.
The MEL was designed and introduced on the same timeline as the FE, but interestingly with a big corporation, not much was "similar". The MEL followed the Chevy 348 concept, with a flat "plank head", same as the revered 409 (normally thought of as a boat anchor in FE circles).
The MEL was intended to be a Lincoln hauler from the start. The FE started being a "medium size" V8 and eventually grew. The MEL was listed at 375 hp, and one of my Lincoln collector buddies said it was detuned in order to avoid torquing the bodies of the cars out of shape, which caused the doors to not want to close.
I've been working on MAJOR research for quite some time on the FE marine history, and of course, the MEL comes into this history in a big way. Chris Craft, here in the US, started a relationship with Chevrolet in 1958, I believe, and that was the year they started installing the 283 in their runabouts. This relationship still exists today. However, shortly thereafter, they established a relationship with Ford for the big MEL, I'll find the exact year and post it, going from memory now. Many MEL motors exist in large Chris Craft boats today, mostly wood cruisers, but many large fiberglass boats like the early model Commander 38' boats.
In 1964 the Commander was introduced. It originally came with a 327 which proved to be too small and the MEL was used for two years. In 1966 the FE 427 was used in the Commander, but that was a year full of labor unrest in the US and Chris Craft ended up going back to the MEL, and then to the Chrysler 413 and 426B, just to have enough motors to continue production. In 1966 the MEL stock was exhausted and I don't think that motor was used in CC boats thereafter due to switching over to the FE.
I interviewed a guy in the CC engine plant (he worked there when they were in operation) and he said the MEL was as good a motor as the 427 was, with regards to service, call backs, etc., from a manufacturers point of view.
My guess is the MEL was a more costly motor to build, especially since it was on a production line for premium cars, and the FE was being produced in huge numbers, with cylinder heads by the thousands, etc. Have you ever heard a MEL in a big cruiser?????? I have, and I can tell you it's a sound that you'll remember. It has the DEEPEST growl I've heard in a boat, very throaty, and when running at cruising speed they just make you want to have another beer or martini, whichever you happen to be enjoying on the aft deck at the time. THe MEL marine motor was offered by Chris Craft in 275-hp trim, and the torque was monstrous, especially when multiplied with a 2.5:1 gear reduction, swinging 24" props, etc.
MEL motors are now in disfavor in boating circles due to "lack of information" and
”fear”. They are fine motors, but people are swayed by "repower" options, and machine shops who just don't seem to know about them, or care. It makes me wonder why people take their hard earned cash, spend tens of thousands of dollars for a repower, when a very reasonable rebuild is all they can possibly wear out in their lifetimes (and then spend the rest of their days rationalizing what they did, lol, to justify the dollars that were expended.)
When I hear of a MEL owner who is doing a rebuild, believe me, I always take the time to congratulate them, as they're doing something for themselves, the motor, and history too. After all, when all the MEL marine motors are gone, nobody will ever be able to hear that sound again, and that is a sad thing. Kids, especially, need to hear that sound. I remember growing up on a lake, and watching the big copper tail pipes of boats when they were fired up. The sounds are etched in my brain. That's one reason I gloss over when I go to a car or boat show, and someone fires up a motor. My wife says I don't listen to anything she says from that moment on, and I'm in a trance, ha ha, it's true.
Herb Hall, at Sierra Boat Works, recently had a beautiful wood Chris Craft 430 rebuilt and installed, and it sold for over $30,000. Without the original motor, it would have been as worthless as a Lincoln Continental with a motor from some other manufacturer. In some cases, like vintage speedboats and cars, having the original motor makes a huge difference on the value. With our Chris Craft cruisers, many think of their motors as throw-away consumables, but there are still a lot of us out there with original power (I'm running a 1966 boat with 427s manufactured in late 1965, still running ever so strong).
regards, hope you and yours are doing well,
P
Thanks, P for taking the time to post some history on marine MELs. My only recollection of MELs in boats were the v-drive flatbottom kind. A fellow I was good friends with had an old wood v-drive with a 430 Lincoln in it. He bought it from the insurance co as a total, the owner torched the boat to collect the insurance on it. The hull was burnt pretty bad around the engine, made it look like fuel leaking. Bill repaired the hull and replaced the carb, distriburer and everything else that was damaged in the fire. The boat was used for skiing and general fooling around type fun. The engine never gave him any trouble except where Bill messed with it, he was a better woodworker than a mechanic. I also remember a few race boats running the MEL [383s and 430s] and they were competitive against the FEs, Pontiacs, Chrysler Hemis [392s] and usually kicked Chevys butts as the 409 didn't make a good marine engine, they [W engines] didn't have the best lower end and could have oiling problems above 5500 rpms. The biggest drawback the the MEL as an engine for this type of boat was the weight, Gawd they were heavy, almost the weight of the 392 Hemi. They also fell out of favor because most machine shops had trouble boring the blocks. Most shops used deck mounted boring bars and you needed to use a angle plate to bore a MEL as well as the 348 and 409 Chevys. Those were the early days, now most shops bore and hone on machines that don't need the deck to locate the boring bar. I remember reading that FoMoCo would test run all 430s to check for smoothness, power and leaks before they were installed in Lincolns [only] starting about 1961 but discontinued this after a couple of years as it was too costly for a production vehicle.
RJP
60 Starliner-- 61 Starliner-- 66 Galaxie-- 67 Fairlane GTA-- 66 Fairlane GTA-- 69 Ford F250 and 3 Ford powered hot boats
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Hello P!
Together w. RJP you would team up perfectly for this branch. I knew that I could count on you guys. I'm glad to see you too, among all these other great posters in this forum. Looks like we're having a solid foundation from the start.
I resemble your statement, that kids should have the chance to hear the roar of brute power engines such as the MEL, the FE and other FORD engines.
I moved into a national resort 6 years ago. I'm trying to learn and teach about what we see, hear and feel. But hell, lesson #1 for both kids was a proud ride on the back seat of my T-Bird only a couple of hours after they were given birth.
They loved to sleep away with that dual exhaust glass pack sound and still like it a lot. As for the trance thing, I'm glad not to be the only idiot that gets his kicks "LIKE THAT!" LOL.
I just came back from a 13 Km trip w. the canu. I live w. the water in front of my front porch.
BTW. you "boat people" might like this one. It is a all out wooden replica of a viking ship they found years ago in Norway. Now it serves as a ferry just half a mile away from the house. It has place for 16 active men plus four inactive. No cabin,...ouuuch!! I wonder how they manged it to make it over to your side of the Atlantic. P. thank you very much for your support.
Lenght is 15 m
width.....3,10 m
bar height...10 m
sailing cloth 40 square m
Best of all 15 hp outboarder hidden in a case and just 0,7 m depht in the water.
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Here’s what Theo started with. It’s enough to make a frightened Chris Craft owner call Crusader, but is it really necessary?
The MEL block (Mercury, Edsel, Lincoln) is heavy, reinforced, and strong enough to last several lifetimes. It has enough meat to withstand many rebuilds.
The bottom end is more “truck like” than race-car. Everything is very heavy and built to last. This same design was used in the biggest gas Ford engine of the era, the 534 truck motor.
Theo thinks the cylinder heads use the same rockers that the FE series uses, and if so, it’s one of very few parts that are able to be interchanged with that series.
Like everything else about the premium Lincoln motor, no iron was spared on any part, including the cylinder heads.
Some people may have heard me refer to the MEL cylinder head as a “plank head” design. Here’s why. Notice the absence of a combustion chamber. The top of the MEL cylinder bore is cut off at an angle, and combustion therefore occurs in the top of the cylinder bore, rather than the cylinder head.
Even in Germany, far away from American suppliers and machine shops, the MEL is a known entity, and takes it’s place next to other exotic machinery. My comparison, this motor is more “tractor like” than high performance European. It is not a complicated device, and it was built for massive torque, something the Europeans never seemed to be able to justify on their continent.
In many cases, old iron simply doesn’t know it’s old. These blocks are so heavy, corrosion is not normally an issue.
Thanks Theo for sharing the photos, there are still many big MEL Chris Crafts out there. People have the option, by doing a simple rebuild like this, they will be able to reuse all of their ancillary equipment, transmissions, etc., potentially saving more money on a repower than I actually paid for my 38 Commander.
Here's more information on the 430 MEL
http://www.network54.com/Forum/message?forumid=424840&messageid=1121486734
Regards, Paul
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