New Member

[Gene]

  My name is Gene.   I am a new member, and do not see a spot to create much of a profile.

I have a 1957 Skyliner. 

FEATURES OF THIS CAR
Two-tone paint (Navaho over Colonial White)
Black interior trimmed in parchment
Padded dash
Stainless rocker moldings ("hockey sticks")
Operable clock, and factory radio
Heavy duty radiator (more capacity), a fan shroud, a six-blade Thunderbird fan, solid lower radiator hose (does not collapse at highway speeds) and high-flow thermostat.
Converted to electric wipers
Power 4-way seat
Finished trunk area
Accessory gauges
Dual exhaust with Magnafows
Continental kit, with fender skirts
Tri-power carburation
Back-up lights (they were optional in 1957)
All Skyliners had the larger surface area brakes, and the stronger wheels.  Skyliners did not come with "poverty caps".
Factory optional rearend gear 3.56:1.
This car has good brakes.  The front suspension was rebuilt before I got the car.  This car rides like a dream, and has good road-manners.






The Driveline
The base engine for the Skyliners was Ford's 292 Y-block.   The number of these cars (Skyliners, and other non-Thunderbirds) that were built with the Thunderbird Special 312 engine is very small.   The price of the car was generally a hurdle to start with, let alone adding options.  The 312 engines were introduced by Mercury in 1956, and phased out in (North America) 1961.
It is not uncommon for someone looking at a 1957 Ford, to quickly ask "does it have the 312?"  That phrase "the 312" means much more than simply a 272, or 292 Y-block that has been bored out.  A majority of Thunderbirds in 1957 came equipped with the 312 Thunderbird Special engine.   Some station wagons, and some Fairlane 500s came with the 312 engines. 
Y-block performance peaked in 1957 with improved distributors, larger exhaust manifolds, improved intake manifold and modern Holley carburetor. Heads got larger intake valves, higher compression and improved ports. The Y-Block was de-tuned every year after 1957 although the big valve heads were retained through 1959.  Hence earlier heads on a 312 that has simply been punched out may not yield the same results.  The camshafts were also different.   1956 and 1957 Y-Blocks had 1.54:1 rocker arms. These are identified by the letters ECG on the side. Low ratio are marked EAN or 5751066.
Some unique features of the 312 Thunderbird Special engines (the real ones) in 1957:
•   Block casting number (varies by year of production)
•   Crankshaft (typically an aspirin sized pill on the rear flange of the crank.  This may not be visible in the car.  The crankshaft is different aside from the marking.  When buying a used 312 crankshaft, check mains #2, and #4 closely for cracks.  A 312 crankshaft must be modified to fit in a 272 or 292 block.
•   Main bearing caps are always embossed ECZ, and are 4-bolt
•   Cylinder heads should be marked ECZ-G.  These heads were used on 292 engines also, and had a CC rating of 69CC's.   The 1958-59 heads have a slightly lower compression, but have the same 1.927" intake valves. 
•   On some models equipped with the 312 Thunderbird Special engine the dipstick tube location may go into the oil pan, and not through the front timing cover.
•   The pistons on the 272s, and the 292s have longer skirts.
•   Block casting numbers for model year 1957 312 engines:
6015-ECZ-B    292-312 cu in V8    1956-57 292 or 312
6015-ECZ -C     312 cu. in. V8       1957  ECZ 6015 C.   (which may be the 292 with EBU main caps)

All Y-blocks are not equal, and not all engines that are 312 CID are the true 312 Thunderbird Special engines.  The 312 Thunderbird Special engine is a different engine than a Y-block engine that has been punched out to 312 cubic inches displacement (CID).   The value guides (prices of value) all add for a true 312 Thunderbird Special engine.  There is no value add given for a 272, or a 292 punched out to 312 CID.  Hence a person selling a car that they are representing to be an original car, or a car that "has the 312" may be telling a thinly veiled lie.   Be careful!

The price add for the true 312 Thunderbird Special in a Skyliner can be as much as $7,200.
(http://ford-y-block.com/identify312.htm)

It is important to keep the oil changes frequent in the Y-block engines.  The rocker arm oiling system is fed by a small passageway that must be clean.   Additionally decking the heads reduces this passageway slightly.
The Ford-O-Matic transmission was used in the Skyliners.  Though these transmissions operate under normal driving in low, and drive, they are actually three-speed units.   If you are in low (drive), and catch the throttle just right the transmission will downshift, and you can feel the car (or see the tachometer) shift twice.  Also, when the shifter lever is pulled down into the L selection, the transmission will start out in the sub low range. 













THE TRI-POWER UNIT
The car has been changed over to a period correct tri-power unit.   The car was built with a two-barrel carburetor in 1957.   The intake is an aluminum Offenhauser, and the carburetors are Holley/Ford 94's.  The linkage is progressive.  Progressive linkage means that under normal driving only the primary carburetor is in operation.  At about 60% throttle position the secondary carburetors open up.
Fuel is delivered via a Carter fuel pump with a glass bowl filter.  The fuel rail is equipped with a fuel regulator, and a gauge.  The feeds to the carburetors are hard bent tubing, not plastic hose.  These carburetors operate at about +/- 1 1/2 PSI.
Primary carburetor:
•   Jets #51
•   Power valve equipped
•   Choke assembly, with a fast idle cam
•   Low resistance air filter element
•   Phenolic spacer
•   The throttle plate has air fuel adjusting screws, and the bevels on the butterflies are cut at a different angle than those of the secondary carburetors
Secondary carburetors:
•   Jets #49
•   No power valves
•   No choke assemblies
•   Standard air filter elements
•   The throttle plates have no air fuel adjusting screws, and the bevels on the butterflies are cut at a different angle than those of the primary carburetor
There is a common misconception that a tri-power unit is nothing but maintenance because they require constant adjustment.  General Motors, and Dodge/Chrysler/Plymouth used a lot of triple carburetor units on their cars, as did some Ford models.   These manufacturers were not in the business of producing cars with constant warranty service needs year-over-year.  If you need to adjust a triple carb unit all the time something is wrong.   It is usually that the fore and aft carbs are the wrong assemblies, and are in operation during idle.  The primary carburetor is always different in a properly operating triple carb system.
On this car the idle circuits are not active in the fore and aft carburetors.  There are not idle circuits that have been glued shut with epoxy, and the power valves removed.  On this car these throttle plates are machined differently, the power valves, and the idle circuits were never present to start with.  Hence no make-do-fixes to do away with these circuits.
If you need to constantly adjust a triple carburetor system you have the wrong equipment.

[RICH MUISE]

Welcome to the forum, Gene. Beautiful car, and a heck of a first post!!!! Thanks for all the introduction and  info.
Duncan, Oklahoma?

[Gene]

Thanks.

No Duncan Falls, Ohio.   A Avanti-Studebaker dealership in that little town still.    Car show there every year, and there is a variety of cars there.

That write up is most of the text from my display book.   I bet you can tell I get a lot of comments/questions; "does it have the 312".  LOL   

[KYBlueOval]

Avanti - Studebaker dealership.........You are referring to Jon Myer, in Duncan Falls.
I've know Jon,Betty, Linda and Mike since 1972, and bought many Avanti parts from them. Great family and a great vendor of Studebaker parts.
John

[Gene]

Avanti - Studebaker dealership.........You are referring to Jon Myer, in Duncan Falls.
I've know Jon,Betty, Linda and Mike since 1972, and bought many Avanti parts from them. Great family and a great vendor of Studebaker parts.
John

Have you ever had them work on a collector car?  I am 65 years old, and do almost everything myself.  However, getting up and down multiple times underneath the car makes my back a little sore.    I'm fine for things like oil changes, and grease jobs.  Would like to establish relationships with a garage or two that can make some repairs, and maintenance.   

[KYBlueOval]

Gene, you certainly could call and inquire. I know that Mike Myers does the restoration/mechanic work there, but will he work on other than Studebakers,` I do not know.
Here is their phone number 740 674 4897. 130 Main Street, Duncan Falls.
John

[Edd505]

Have you ever had them work on a collector car?  I am 65 years old, and do almost everything myself.  However, getting up and down multiple times underneath the car makes my back a little sore.    I'm fine for things like oil changes, and grease jobs.  Would like to establish relationships with a garage or two that can make some repairs, and maintenance. 

had the sam up down issue and the wife suggested a lift and I'm a few years older. 

[gasman826]

If it doesn't fit on the hoist, it doesn't get fixed!

[geraldchainsaw]

I can see some ones  bored with winter

[geraldchainsaw]

beautiful car,  looks, just like mine only I don't  have the cont kit.   I've always liked tri power,  tried it on my 51 flathead but could never get it work right,    an I just might look into it for my conv,  1 question,  whats the brass fitting on the intake in front just below gage?,     is  the intake aluminum or cast?, did you make up the progressive linkage or ,is it still available?,      jerry

[thomasso]

Liked your three deuce story.  Had 97s on my Nailhead powered 53 Merc back in the early 60s. They worked Ok but who really knows as it has full race cam and 12to1 comp. We put three carbs on several cars but they never worked up to expectations, but of course never knew there were special carbs for the secondaries. Where in the hell would you ever get those?   FYO, a spring in the lower hose keeps it from collapsing.

[Gene]

beautiful car,  looks, just like mine only I don't  have the cont kit.   I've always liked tri power,  tried it on my 51 flathead but could never get it work right,    an I just might look into it for my conv,  1 question,  whats the brass fitting on the intake in front just below gage?,     is  the intake aluminum or cast?, did you make up the progressive linkage or ,is it still available?,      jerry

Above the regulator, that is just fittings from hardware store, and my bin of goodies to make the line come up from the dual diaphram fuel pump straight.   Keeps it away from the heat of the engine block too.   That one that looks like it is below is actually the heater hose outlet.  I changed that to a longer one-piece unit (after photo) that I got from Mac's or Speedway, some place...   LTD or Mustang, I can't recall.    The intake is an aluminum Offenhauser.  I had to make the linkage, and it was not easy.   It was a lot of trial and error, and trying to think about how to get the thing to work correctly.   Do yourself a favor; Put your car in one spot, and don't move it.  Get under it, and measure from the floor to your kick-down arm, and throttle linkage.  You need that reference point to get back to where you started.   Read what I wrote about my tri-power above.   Then read it again, and then think about it.  Not trying to be rude, but you need to understand what you are getting in to.  My car was a 2-barrel before.  Between the top, and the tri-power, my car gets attention by the older guys when I go to a car event.   Plus it runs great.  It's too heavy to be a racey car, but it sure is fun.

[Gene]

Liked your three deuce story.  Had 97s on my Nailhead powered 53 Merc back in the early 60s. They worked Ok but who really knows as it has full race cam and 12to1 comp. We put three carbs on several cars but they never worked up to expectations, but of course never knew there were special carbs for the secondaries. Where in the hell would you ever get those?   FYO, a spring in the lower hose keeps it from collapsing.

It's a typo.   One of my other cars has a solid flex hose.   The 57 has the spring in it. 

The guy that is a carb specialty shop in Florida sells em.   Although the guy I got my setup from quit making them up.  I did some modifications after I got my stuff together (above has the modifications stated), and now they are super nice.    I never fiddle with em.