just doing some research for my genuine original Mercury Marauder factory intake manifold for my 430 engine. this was supposed to be a dealer installed option, but i do know of a guy that bought a new 1958 merc with the 400 HP 3x2 option installed at the factory. anyhow, I found a picture of an original setup, and thought I would share the picture. I know the 1961 Ford 390 3x2 engine had special Holley 2300 carbs that had the airhorn cut off to clear the adjoining carb, and the 1963 or so T-Birds had a 390 3x2 engine that the carb bases of the manifold were actually progressively high to clear the carbs with the full air horn. I am looking for Holley 2300 carbs to rebuild for my 430. the guy that had the new 430 1958 Mercury Marauder said if you wanted to pass a car going down the road, that you had to wait until you were in the left lane to floor the 430, because the car actually "jumped forwards" when you floored it and it shifted to passing gear and those end carbs opened!
The Holley 2300 carbs that I know about are for Mopar 6 packs,,,,,,get your bill fold out,,,,,they are not cheap at all . Very good looking pic,,,,that’s a clean setup . Tommy
If this is a numbers matching show car, and you want original carbs, I hope you have a long live expectancy (to find them), and extremely deep pockets (if you do get lucky enough to find a set for sale). Would be much easier to find the much more common and much cheaper 390 tripower carbs with the mechanical linkage. In 60 plus years of working on performance carburetors, I have personally eyeballed one set at the Springfield, Missouri swap meet. The guy had the complete set-up, manifold through air cleaner; but that was a long time ago. Good luck. Jon.
The older we get, the faster we wuz. You'll enjoy that 430" tri-power and get lots of props because it is so unusual. Just don't expect it's going to be a rocket ship by today's standards. It is/was only faster than the other old slow cars back in the day. jack vines, who drives a dual quad Packard V8, fastest thing around in 1956, but careful who he chooses off against today.
You might be better off buying 3 new 350cfm’s and making progressive linkage. I have 3 280 cfm off a 60-61 Merc 292’s and did just that on a 311” GMC 6. The center one keeps the choke. With a little enginuity you can make a large air cleaner.
My father has a 55 thunderbird with a full roller 302, ported stock heads, factory tri power and 5 speed. Its pretty spiritual when the 3x2s start to eat....
Not an expert, but I thought the sixties Tbird had a flat manifold to clear the low hood on those cars, while the three carb 390 and 406 Galaxies had the stepped manifolds. The end carbs had the tops of the carb body milled off simply because those carbs didn’t have chokes, not for clearance reasons.
All FE 3X2s are at the same level. But the t-birds are “ flatter” than the other FEs, due to the engine in t-birds setting at a different angle than other cars. And all FE 3X2s have the air horns cast to fit a d shaped air cleaner. Here is a non t- bird intake. On a t- bird intake the carbs are more in line with the valve cover mounting surface. All FE 3x2 carbs, retained the choke housing. Some were drilled some were not. Bones
The Jalopy Journal
