430 Merc runs 14.02 at 101.5, 420hp

[WerbyFord]

For any of you still having doubts about the MEL check out these sites and Brian Stefina's Super Marauder:

http://www.blip.tv/file/433815/

The video is totally cool but so are the underhood pictures.
I am trying to get more detail but from the article it looks like it is a nearly stock 430-6v, my guess is with a cam like the one Merc intended to put in there, some cleaning up of the heads, and that's about it.
Dyno'd 420hp at 5500.
4.56 gear and 3-on-the-tree.
That is a pretty hot old Merc.

Edit - 14.02 at 101.5, hey .02 is 3 feet which is the better part of a fender-length win.

[Shelby#18]

I sure like that a lot! Thanks for posting!

[reijerlincoln]

Nice article. And look at that Mercury go!

[66Lincoupe]

420 horse, but how many million pound feet of torque?? Horsepower sells cars but torque wins races!

I wonder what real numbers my 462 will put out?? I need to find a local shop to dyno it...

[Chris Craft crazy]

Wow, that's crazy stuff... That's a BIG car..... a lot of younger motorheads that have never heard of this motor were jaw hanging that day.

[WerbyFord]

66L:
Actually, I will give you my opinion of that old phrase about torque winning races -
Torque is completely meaningless.
I can send 1200 ft-lb of torque to the rear axle - easily - with my bare hands (and a 6 ft pipe.....)
But, so what?
I can't make that pipe do work - action - at the RATE at which a big MEL can.
And, torque times rate = horsepower, which is the only thing that matters.

So why does peak torque *seem* to matter as much (or more than) peak power?
It just so happens that on most of our old iron, peak torque is made at an rpm which is close to the bottom of the shift.
And the bottom of the shift is more important than the top of the shift, just because you spend (waste) more time down there. But it's the horsepower at the bottom of the shift that matters - not the torque. However, since the two are proportional and "peak torque" is reported there, that's what we look at. And without doing all the math, the pair of numbers - peak torque and peak power, give a pretty good indication of how a package is going to run.

How much?
Well again, MEL dyno data is very sparse, but per the Gonkulator I use, a well-built 430 MEL is going to be 480-490 ftlb which is my guess for the fine looking Merc in the video.

CCC -
As far as weight - cars were a lot lighter back then for their size. The article states that Merc at 4264 lb, seems a few lb light to me, and we never weighed our 58, doggone it, but I bet it's close. That is only about 100 lb heavier than a new Dodge Charger, lighter than a Ford Explorer, and way lighter than any full size Mercedes. Not so bad!
Still, 14.02 at 101.5 in a pure stock contest is hard to argue with.

[Chris Craft crazy]

A comment on the weight again: That Merc is about 700 pounds ? heavier than that Chevelle tho, if memory serves. So double whammy on the Chevelle.

[Theo]

Had to watch the video again. What a proud horse. Nice run.

[430 6V]

No cleaning up of the heads, they flow very well as they are. The race allows extra compression and Melvin likes compression. The chamber is a slow burn so best total timing is on the high side at 43 degrees. The 2.5" mandrel exhaust also helps.

[srm351]

I think the links on this post need to be updated or deleted. I get a page with a bunch of pictures of classic "Cougars" if you know what I mean. Definitely not safe for work...