BluePrint 306ci Ford Gets a Vintage Look

Ryan Manson at Hot Rod Network recently wrote about giving our modern 306ci Ford small-block a vintage vibe.

His friends James and Chris McMenimen bought our 306ci Ford and wanted to give it a more “period” look.

They based the look of the Windsor motor to that of a late 1950s Thunderbird Y-block engine. Their theory was that it would not only make the engine look cool, but it would demand a second glance. The team also wanted to add the proper accessories to the front of the engine from an Eddie Motorsports S-Drive serpentine belt kit.

Manson noted that swapping brackets and pulleys from one engine model to another doesn’t always work.

“Different pulley offsets and bracket arrangements make for a junkyard nightmare when it comes to adding an A/C compressor, alternator, and power steering pump using factory fittings, not to mention the requirement of two or more V-belts to drive all those components,” Manson wrote.

They added a Holley’s brand-new Sniper EFI throttle body to the top of the long-block which increased fuel efficiency.

Manson also noted that “...an integrated ignition timing control and coil driver allows the Sniper EFI ECU to control our MSD Digital 6AL ignition box, Blaster coil, and MSD Pro-Billet Distributor, further improving the performance of our ‘vintage’ small-block Ford.”

We love their creativity in the garage. You can see a full gallery of the photos they took on the Hot Rod Network website.


Leave a comment

Please note, comments must be approved before they are published

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.


Explore more