Mummert Aluminum Heads on Doan Spencer Thunder bird Home » Keeping The Dream Alive! » Aftermarket Cylinder Heads & Other New Parts http://forums.y-blocksforever.com/Topic112187.aspx

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By ta22 - 9 Years Ago Many of you may have seen the urgent broadcast I posted a couple of weeks ago in the Classified section for a set of aluminum heads. 'Brokengate' (Ted) responded and sold me a set of early castings (079) ---thanks again, Ted.  These heads will be used to replace the original heads modified by ace hot rodder, Doane Spencer (most well known for his iconic '32 roadster), in his 1955 Thunderbird which achieved 149.58 mph at Bonneville in 1961.  After a highway accident, parts from the original Tbird were used by Spencer on a donor car to replicate his original car.  The ECL heads had extreme modifications made by Spencer--the heads were ported to an inch of the lives, valve size and position were changed, pushrod location changed, rocker arm spacers custom made, water circulation moved to the top of the heads with custom fab'd transfer tubes, highly modified aluminum dual 4 barrel intake was used, a self ground radical camshaft was installed, the compression ratio was north of 11.5 to 1.  After years of driving on the street, and at least two re-welds, the area around the valve seats could not be successfully repaired---several areas leaked water.  Mummert aluminum heads were chosen to replace the original heads.  Tony Oddo, Jr of TOE Performance, Suisun City, CA is rebuilding the engine with the new aluminum heads to mimic the Ford cast iron units.  The photos below show the transformation: By ta22 - 9 Years Ago By miker - 9 Years Ago Thanks for sharing that. I know that car has been a point of interest here. It's always nice to see a piece of history being maintained and used. By charliemccraney - 9 Years Ago That is awesome. By ian57tbird - 9 Years Ago Impressive. By Cliff - 9 Years Ago Hi, could you post pictures of the work done on the old heads? (chamber, ports) Thanks Cliff By Ted - 9 Years Ago Great work in making those aluminum heads look like the early heads.  Fifty plus years from now that will be a real head scratcher in trying to figure out where those heads came from.   By pegleg - 9 Years Ago Aha! the plot thickens!! Neat! Do you have the original car or is it going to be a re-creation. Interesting project. Maybe contact Mummert and see if he or Geoff could flow one of the heads to see how well they worked. That would be a subject that would interest everybody! By ta22 - 9 Years Ago Pegleg/Frank/Rebop The Thunderbird/engine combo these heads are being prepared for is the second car.........or recreation as you stated.  The other car which carries the original VIN has a 90's spec SVO C302b headed motor and a Spencer built tube frame with a Valley Customs inspired nose.  I'll attach a photo of  that car. As soon as I can, I will have Tony Jr take some photos of the original heads. If we have the opportunity to flow the original set.....I'm suspecting the as cast aluminum heads will outflow the ported cast units......but that's just a guess.  The original Spencer configuration had 11.5-1 compression and needed good fuel to run.  I don't have dyno numbers with that piston.  Upon purchase, new custom JE pistons that matched the dome of the original Arias pistons were installed with relief's to lower the compression to approx. 10-1.  In this configuration the motor with the ported cast head put out 350 HP.  The car pictured is NOT the car the Mummert heads are going into: By ta22 - 9 Years Ago Just a point of clarification......this car and motor (the one the Mummert heads are going into) were both built by Doane Spencer....it just does not carry the original VIN.  It's a Spencer built car Gary By MarkMontereyBay - 9 Years Ago Is the car getting Mummert heads the Tbird you had at the Saturday morning weekly gathering in Capitola, Ca. a year or so ago? I met you there and you had driven it over from the Bay Area. This is the car with the original SCTA Bonneville plaque on the firewall.  By pegleg - 9 Years Ago Amazing project, real piece of Hot Rod and Y block history. Thanks for letting us see the project underway. By John Mummert - 9 Years Ago I had no idea you planned to make the heads look like the original '55's. Nice job on the external mods. The ECL heads were prone to cracking in stock use so not too surprising they cracked after all of the mods. Thank you for posting this information. In looking at the engine with the C302B heads I've never seen the valve covers used as stud girdles. Very cool. I've just been informed those are Ford Motorsport valve covers By glrbird - 9 Years Ago My understanding is that the drive train was pulled out of spincer's bird when he rebuilt it with the C302B. a low milage bird was bought and all the pieces put on it. By ta22 - 9 Years Ago That was my understanding and what I observed...........but I wasn't there 24/7.............I wondered in a couple times a month.  Spencer also built and installed the chrome moly cage in my Shelby Mustang.  I'm still awaiting some photos from TOE to post re the Mummert head install By ta22 - 9 Years Ago Spencer mods on ECL heads intake ports, photo #1 By ta22 - 9 Years Ago Spencer mods on ECL heads intake ports, photo #2 By ta22 - 9 Years Ago Spencer mods on ECL heads exhaust port photo #1 By ta22 - 9 Years Ago Spencer mods on ECL heads exhaust port photo #2 By ta22 - 9 Years Ago Spencer mods on ECL heads exhaust port photo #3 By ta22 - 9 Years Ago more to come By MarkMontereyBay - 9 Years Ago If it hasn't been previously done, it would be interesting to get the Spencer head flow tested for comparison. By ta22 - 9 Years Ago In the picture from the valve seat side you can make out the outline of the guide he inserted in the heads when he moved the Intake valve toward the exhaust valve to help un-shroud the intake valve. In the picture of the top of the guide you can see the guide is offset to the spring seat toward the exhaust guide By ta22 - 9 Years Ago These photos shows the sleeves he installed in the pushrod holes to allow him to open up the width of the intake ports through the pushrod pinch By ta22 - 9 Years Ago combustion chamber By GREENBIRD56 - 9 Years Ago ta22 - That car you are building the heads for - has made me drool on the keyboard ever since I found it....... keep up the good work!!!!  By ta22 - 9 Years Ago Mark, we'll see if arrangements can me made to flow the heads in the future.  My guess is that they flow at least 15% less than the Mummert aluminum heads.  Significant.  Remember, the Spencer modifications were performed in ~1990..radical and very racy in the day.  Current cam and head technology have transformed the y-block potential.  By NoShortcuts - 9 Years Ago THANKS for sharing these pictures and the information about Doane Spencer's work on this vehicle and its engine.  Your time and efforts are appreciated, Gary.  INTERESTING creative thinking and involved modifications executed by a talented guy. Regards, By NoShortcuts - 9 Years Ago Gary, I'm still studying the five pictures you posted yesterday (Monday, 3/2/15) of the Spencer modified ECL-C cylinder heads.  The second picture of the five you posted shows a picture of just an intake valve seat in the combustion chamber, the bowl area below it, and the shaped valve stem opening. Do you read the dark grey material bordering the valve stem opening, the area at the bottom of the intake valve bowl leading toward the intake port, as being an epoxy filler Doane used for contouring purposes? Again, thanks for sharing all of this with us. By ta22 - 9 Years Ago the finished engine with the new heads.  It has been installed and run as I write this....will be on the road this week By charliemccraney - 9 Years Ago Awesome. By MarkMontereyBay - 9 Years Ago Excellent! By MarkMontereyBay - 9 Years Ago Tony Oddo must have finished his engine. Saw the Tbird highballing down Highway 1 in the fast lane in Santa Cruz towards Monterey this morning. By ta22 - 9 Years Ago yes, it was installed this past week............. By MarkMontereyBay - 9 Years Ago So how does it run? Stronger than before? By ta22 - 9 Years Ago PERFECT  !!!! By GREENBIRD56 - 9 Years Ago ta22 - looking back through the photos - what sort of ignition are you running on it for now? Points - Electronic trigger - amplifier - low res coil? SECRET?  By ta22 - 9 Years Ago Hi Greenbird56......good question....really nothing special....Pertronix 3 and a matching coil, no MSD..... By aussiebird - 9 Years Ago