57 Exhaust Manifold Question

[RonLey]

This exhaust manifold is off a 57 Mercury. The question is the heat element on the top. I believe that this heat element was for the carburetor but was this a factory option or an after market item? Thanks for the help.

Ron

 

[scicala]

It looks like an exhaust manifold from a Y-Block 312 Mercury. The fitting installed in the manifold is either aftermarket or home made. In 1957 they pulled heat for the choke assembly from the exhaust cross over on the intake manifold (passenger's side).

 

[darrell]

later manifolds had a place for the choke on the manifold but it didn't look like that.home made.

 

[streetdreams]

x3 for homemade

 

[40 Deluxe]

This is an aftermarket repair for a burned out factory tube in the intake crossover. That tube would burn out and let exhaust gas into the automatic choke housing and gunk it up, causing the choke to stick. Rather than have to pull the intake and install a new tube, you could quickly drill a hole in the exhaust manifold and screw in that self-tapping fitting, run a tube to the choke housing and call it done. (After taking the choke apart and cleaning it.)