[Half-Inch Stud]

Originally Posted by Tom Vaught

I do like making WOOD CHIPS and furniture for my friends.

Been watching Norm Abrams "The New Yankee Workshop" and planning for a similar shop for when I retire. So you got it partially right Jack.

I leave the metal chips to the contacts I have in the Detroit area.

Tom V.

It was nice getting some more "Wood" at the Awards Ceremony last week.

"Wood" as in wood plaque Patent Awards.

Congrats on the woods shop. Probably the right move for a "lifer".
As for me; I'm done with Patents and find Trade Secreting the IP is quite valuable.

[lilabner]

Tom,
Your manifold is a work of art. Just beautiful.
Late 60's early 70's when i worked at HM, Lee Terry was our induction man. Did you know him?

Butch

[Tom Vaught]

I do not KNOW him as a friend but I do know of him and his work.

My Boss in the 70s was Homer Perry, (who ran the Ford Racing side of the game) and who HM and Shelby had direct contact with for all of the racing programs.

Homer did the le Mans program, the Fuel Economy trials, the Trans Am series races, the Drag Racing stuff, and also managed the "in house" Engine and Chassis Dyno work for the Le Mans efforts (as well as Sebring, Daytona, Indy, etc).

He had several guys who worked for him, (besides me) over the years:

1) Lee Morse who was the Father of the Boss 302 engine & vehicle work.

2) Tom Morris who was the 429 "Shotgun" guy who followed the 429 SCJ and Shotgun engines and vehicles.

3) Mose Nowland who followed the Le Mans stuff (worked for Ford for 50 years and retired a few years ago).

4) Danny Jones who followed the Indy Car Program and later some of the F1 racing. Danny was son-in-law to Clay Smith (the camshaft grinder/expert).
Danny was a "Turbo Guy" and worked with Ak Miller, Ohio George Montgomery, and others on turbo vehicle racing stuff.

5) Don Sullivan, was "hired and fired" (by Henry Ford the first) several times and was an extremely good engine designer. Worked for Ford well into the 90s.
Another 'lifetime" Ford Guy.

So yes I know personally a bunch of the people involved with HM and Shelby.

Tom V.

[lilabner]

None of those names are familiar to me. We dealt with Jack Sullivan and Chuck Daigh mostly, and Smokey when he worked for them. Waddell Wilson and
Robert Yates were the top engine builders.
I worked in the Miami Marine Division, and built the blower motors and NA Weber motors for the ocean racers and the GN boats. I was sent to Charlotte to learn TJ Fuel Inj from Lee. He was a very serious engineer, as most are. I learned quite a bit from him, especially about the Tunnel Port engines. I also got a lesson on secret stuff. The Ford HP Parts book for customers and what we used in HM engines wasn't even close. I always thought the Lemans rods HM used were like your manifold, a piece of art. We weren't allowed to buy them new for the boat engines, but could buy them for $125.00 each after they ran 500 miles. The bolts were SPS at $17.00 each. The C4 rods with C6 caps called LeMans in the HP catalog were $15.00 each from any dealer. I really enjoyed working for HM, but had to leave for more money like everyone else did.

[Tom Vaught]

Originally Posted by lilabner

None of those names are familiar to me. We dealt with Jack Sullivan and Chuck Daigh mostly, and Smokey when he worked for them. Waddell Wilson and Robert Yates were the top engine builders.
I worked in the Miami Marine Division, and built the blower motors and NA Weber motors for the ocean racers and the GN boats. I was sent to Charlotte to learn TJ Fuel Inj from Lee. He was a very serious engineer, as most are. I learned quite a bit from him, especially about the Tunnel Port engines. I also got a lesson on secret stuff. The Ford HP Parts book for customers and what we used in HM engines wasn't even close. I always thought the Lemans rods HM used were like your manifold, a piece of art. We weren't allowed to buy them new for the boat engines, but could buy them for $125.00 each after they ran 500 miles. The bolts were SPS at $17.00 each. The C4 rods with C6 caps called LeMans in the HP catalog were $15.00 each from any dealer. I really enjoyed working for HM, but had to leave for more money like everyone else did.

I knew Smokey for several years before he passed away. He was a very "Forward Thinking Guy". I would see him at the Indy PRI shows occasionally and more so at the Orlando PRI shows when they took over that deal some years ago. He played with Pontiacs for Bunkie K for a period of time and later with Fords for him too.

I had no dealings with Lee Sr. but talked with Lee jr about his Ford GT-40 parts he was making when he would visit at Dearborn, Michigan.

Never was involved in the marine side of the racing but a Ford Mustang racer who I helped occasionally later campaigned a 4 engine (twin Turboed) off shore cigarette boat for a period of time. I had no desire to ride in that boat. I sink like a rock in the ocean. LOL!

So you went other places for more money? Not uncommon in the racing game.

I have owned Waddell Wilson's book for many years (still worth its weight in knowledge even today).

Thanks again for the compliment on the intake.

Tom Vaught

You know a guy named Al "Big Smoke" Turner by chance? He worked for SVO for a while in the NASCAR side of the game.

[68azbird]

Is this intake for rent?
Going to build a Pont 350 with twins and take care of some business.

[Tom Vaught]

Originally Posted by 68azbird

Is this intake for rent?
Going to build a Pont 350 with twins and take care of some business.

Nope, going on a 380 cid (4.161" bore x 3.5" stroke) boosted "400" engine with Ported E-heads and use a All Pontiac block down the road.
A pair of T-72 Turbonetics Turbos will feed the engine initially. Carillo rods, etc.
I have had most of the stuff for years but decided to try EFI vs the normal Blow Thru Carb path I have done for 40 years.

Thanks for the offer to "rent the intake" but not really in the plan.

Tom V.

[68azbird]

Totally understand.
Quality piece by the way.

[Tom Vaught]

Thank You for the nice words.

TV

[Tom Vaught]

I purchased some Fuel Rail Stock (4 foot length 11/16" internal passage) so the next step will be making the custom fuel rails for the intake.

I originally planned on using Edelbrock Victor Fuel rails for a Pontiac but there was a slight difference due to the way I had the injector bosses welded on years ago. Close but not close enough to use the Edelbrock rails. If I do the second intake, at some point, or a different intake I will do a better job of positioning the EFI bungs on that deal.

Tom V.

[Tom Vaught]

The rest of the intake pictures with the rails installed, the TB installed, the mock-up injectors installed.

All fits under a stock 64 GTO hood. Intake system designed for Boost and EFI.

Tom V.

[Nicks67GTO]

That is killer Tom. Seriously awesome stuff.

[Tom Vaught]

I decided to do the Doug Nash based (Dual Quad TR manifold) EFI intake based on a couple of things:

1) Doug worked for Ford at one time. (his father was an Executive at Ford)
2) Doug did Pontiac Intakes for Pontiac Engineering (Tom Nell and Herb Adams).
3) I worked for Holley Carburetor Engineering in Warren, Michigan in the 70s.
4) Holley allowed me to work on the Buick "Draw-Thru" Turbo system while I was there. That helped me get a job at Ford on the 1979 Ford Mustang "Draw-Thru" Turbo System.
5) I was a EFI Calibrator for Ford on a couple of Special Programs: (The First Lightning Truck prototype in 1986) We used a Doug Nash 5 speed trans in that truck. Doug later sold the business to the employees and retired in the Cayman islands

http://theprecis.com/douglas-edwin-nash/

So we have a DOUG NASH/HOLLEY/EFI/Boosted intake to remember all of those good times.

Skip, I remembered why I did not use a true Doug Nash Tunnel Ram and went with the Hunt Brothers 'Warrior' aluminum part. I could not weld injector bosses on the Magnesium Intake.

I knew he was sick from talking to some friends. So my good friend, Mr Doug Nash passed away (from cancer) on 7-12-2015 at 2:30 pm.

He helped a lot of different racers over the years.

Some larger Pics of the Bronco Buster attached.

Tom Vaught

[Skip Fix]

Really nice work Tom. I believe mine is a Warrior as it is aluminum also. Got it from a member here a few years back with a pair of 4224s. Starting in hot rods with a 409 and upgrading it to dual quads I kind of like them, so your M/T cross ram or the Warrior will be on something before I die! Although EFI bungs and dual throttle bodies om the Warrior might give it the best of both worlds!

[John62]

I wonder if something like this could be built starting with a reproduction 1966 Tri Power manifold?

[Tom Vaught]

Probably could, the Pontiac Tri-Powers are 180 degree manifolds (same as stock) vs the OFFY 360 manifolds, (dual quad and tri-power).

The question would be how the air would act in the 180 manifolds. In stock form the center carb is the only one flowing. With a conversion to EFI all of the 6 openings would be flowing (like being at WOT all the time). I am assuming that you would be using a single throttle body on the front of the Holley upper base and top cover.

Tom V.

[John62]

Originally Posted by Tom Vaught

Probably could, the Pontiac Tri-Powers are 180 degree manifolds (same as stock) vs the OFFY 360 manifolds, (dual quad and tri-power).

The question would be how the air would act in the 180 manifolds. In stock form the center carb is the only one flowing. With a conversion to EFI all of the 6 openings would be flowing (like being at WOT all the time). I am assuming that you would be using a single throttle body on the front of the Holley upper base and top cover.

Tom V.

Right, one throttle body up front, like LS style. Something that would fit under a stock flat hood. I would like to know if it could be done for N/A motors, that is where most people would be at.

[68azbird]

I like this
May have to dabble in some aluminum casting.

[Skip Fix]

Tom my Warrior/Nash top says TR Top S-K ENG"

[John62]

Originally Posted by 68azbird

I like this
May have to dabble in some aluminum casting.

Its easy, take a BBC Ram Jet intake, cut off the bottom, then take a Victor Jr. and cut off the top. Then just weld them together.