Thought this might be interesting to the forum.
I paused before I just stuck this motor back in the car after re-build and restoration.
I had it dyno tested yesterday to break in the cam and check for leaks or problems.
The motor is as stock as I could get it to be. Its a C3AE-6015H block. It has numbers correct heads (6090-C's), carbs and an M-code spec cam.
The motor made 400 ft-lbs of torque at 3400-rpm. Which seems great to me.
HP is derived from torque I learned and it maxed at 287-hp from 4200-4500 rpm
Above 4700-rpm the motor performance fell way off and this is probably accounted for by stock valve springs. I'm not concerned as this should be the last time the motor ever sees rpm that high.
The 6V carburetors seemed to perform flawlessly. Very smooth fuel delivery.
The books state this 6V motor should have made 340-hp so its kind of interesting. I'm unconcerned as the motor will never be raced but seems to perform brilliantly in the range of normal driving conditions.
The engine dyno is at Westside Performance in Houston, Texas. These guys have been around since 1989 and did a great job.
Comments or thoughts are welcomed of course.
1963 M Code Engine Dyno Results
Moderator: ABQTBird
1963 M Code Engine Dyno Results
Mark H.
Current bird nest:
1961 Restored Chestnut Convertible
1963 M-code Hard Top - Being restored
1995 White T-bird Super Coupe - Fun Toy
Current bird nest:
1961 Restored Chestnut Convertible
1963 M-code Hard Top - Being restored
1995 White T-bird Super Coupe - Fun Toy
Re: 1963 M Code Engine Dyno Results
Should of mentioned we started with 6 degrees of timing and ended up at 12-deg which made the most power.
Mark H.
Current bird nest:
1961 Restored Chestnut Convertible
1963 M-code Hard Top - Being restored
1995 White T-bird Super Coupe - Fun Toy
Current bird nest:
1961 Restored Chestnut Convertible
1963 M-code Hard Top - Being restored
1995 White T-bird Super Coupe - Fun Toy
- Alan H. Tast
- Posts: 4214
- Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2003 10:52 pm
- Location: Omaha, NE
Re: 1963 M Code Engine Dyno Results
Good info to know. For comparison I should take my Z-code hardtop with C1AE-E heads, tripower and RV cam to a dyno shop and check it out. Then again, I may not like the results...
Alan H. Tast, AIA
Technical Director/Past President,
Vintage Thunderbird Club Int'l.
Author, "Thunderbird 1955-1966" & "Thunderbird 50 Years"
1963 Hardtop & 1963 Sports Roadster
Technical Director/Past President,
Vintage Thunderbird Club Int'l.
Author, "Thunderbird 1955-1966" & "Thunderbird 50 Years"
1963 Hardtop & 1963 Sports Roadster
Re: 1963 M Code Engine Dyno Results
I'd say those are good numbers. Judging by the trap speeds in a lot of those old road tests, I'd say the marketing department had more to do with rated horsepower than the engineering department did back then.
1963 T-Bird Hardtop
1965 Mustang
1965 Skylark
1965 Corvair Monza
1965 Dodge Dart wagon
1953 Buick Special Riviera
1974 Firebird Esprit
1965 Mustang
1965 Skylark
1965 Corvair Monza
1965 Dodge Dart wagon
1953 Buick Special Riviera
1974 Firebird Esprit
Re: 1963 M Code Engine Dyno Results
I think those are very good numbers - congrats!
1964 Coupe Wimbledon white/Rangoon Red w/black int. Owned for 42 years. It was my folks car before that (second owners). VTCI # 12013.
Re: 1963 M Code Engine Dyno Results
Mark,Mheiron wrote: ↑Wed Nov 06, 2019 12:28 pm Thought this might be interesting to the forum.
I paused before I just stuck this motor back in the car after re-build and restoration.
I had it dyno tested yesterday to break in the cam and check for leaks or problems.
The motor is as stock as I could get it to be. Its a C3AE-6015H block. It has numbers correct heads (6090-C's), carbs and an M-code spec cam.
The motor made 400 ft-lbs of torque at 3400-rpm. Which seems great to me.
You may already be aware of this, but the 6090-C heads are actually not the correct heads for a 6V Thunderbird 390. The only correct head for the 62-63 Thunderbird M Codes is a 6090-A and the "A" is actually stamped into the head, not embossed/cast as is found in the "B" and "C" heads which were installed on 406 motors. Note the differences in the combustion chamber sizes of the various heads. VTCI member and 62 M Code SR owner Joe Arotta and I have researched this thoroughly in the past couple of months and have come to the above conclusions based on research of available literature, conversations with acknowledged FE motor experts, and observations of known original M Code motors. Here's a chart that accurately outlines the applications for the variously numbered C2SE-6090 heads. We're in the process of putting together an article for The Scoop with our findings.
Jim W, VTCI 1961-1963 Technical Editor
62 SR Red/Black
63 CV Black/Red
67 MGB Roadster
38 MG TA Tickford Drophead Coupe
39 Lea-Francis Corsica Super Sports
Past Birds:
63 MSR Red/Pearl Beige
66 CV Red/Red
63 CV P. Green/Pearl Beige
61 HT White/Pearl Beige
62 SR Red/Black
63 CV Black/Red
67 MGB Roadster
38 MG TA Tickford Drophead Coupe
39 Lea-Francis Corsica Super Sports
Past Birds:
63 MSR Red/Pearl Beige
66 CV Red/Red
63 CV P. Green/Pearl Beige
61 HT White/Pearl Beige
-
- Posts: 100
- Joined: Thu Nov 08, 2018 2:38 am
Re: 1963 M Code Engine Dyno Results
great to see some real numbers - thanks!