The Biggest "M"
Big M’s mysterious and forgotten ‘58 400-hp 3x2 Super Marauder makes a big comeback
by Tom Shaw
photos by Tom Shaw
He said, “400 horse?”
I said, “Yeah.”
He said, “What year?”
I said, “’58.”
He said, “What size engine?”
I said, “430.”
“What horsepower?”
“400 horse.”
“In 1958?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I don’t know if that’s a musclecar.”
“I said, ‘I’ll tell you what, this is the biggest-displacement, highest factory rated horsepower of any engine in any passenger car in North America during the 1950s. In the sales brochure it says, ‘For the ultimate in performance.’ You can get this engine in any Mercury in the product line. I told him, ‘If this is not a ‘50’s musclecar, I don’t know what is. He kicked it around and said, ‘You’ve convinced me.”
The deal was on. Next, Brian began networking and found a breather in California. As you might imagine these parts are almost impossible to find. If the breather looks like it comes from a different gene pool, it does, as does the fuel pump case. The June 1958 issue of Motor Life explains why:
“An interesting sidelight is the fact that the unusually good-looking air cleaner and fuel pump casing were designed by Lynn Wineland of Motor Life companion publication, Rod and Custom.”
Underneath are a trio of Holley 2300 two-barrel carbs, to our knowledge the first use of three two-barrel Holleys. Previous 3x2 setups used Rochesters, Strombergs, or other makes. Brian had the extraordinary good fortune to have a co-worker who once worked at Holley and had drawings of the carburetors. The outboard Holleys operate by vacuum diaphragms. They draw air from behind the front grille. Brian left the manifold unpainted to show the aluminum casting. The factory finish would have been black.
The M-E-L block is unique and not related to the more common FE series, though both are deep-skirt designs.
“The biggest difference between it and the FE,” Brian explains, “is that the bottom of the head is flat and the combustion chamber is in the block. The deck is at a 10-degree angle to the cylinder bore centerline.”
Valves, especially for a 1950s engine, were huge, at 2.15 intake and 1.77 exhaust. Brian had the heads tested on a flow bench, and surprisingly, they flowed better than his ’64 427 Marauder heads.
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