Marlon Harewood's double-barrelled blast, combined with Dean Ashton's effort, sent them effortlessly onwards and upwards into sixth place with a healthy 41 points, as they romped to a seventh successive victory to leave Birmingham battered and blue.
Ironically, on 14 December 1985, John Lyall's West Ham United made it seven straight wins with a 2-0 victory over City at Upton Park on their way to a best-ever third-place finish.
Having been taken under Ron Greenwood's wing a decade earlier, Lyall had succeeded his mentor as team manager in 1974.
It had been a seamless transition as he continued to stick to the principles laid down by the man who had brought success to the East End in the mid-60s with the home-grown trio of Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters.
Certainly, Greenwood laid the modern-day foundations at Upton Park and, following his sad passing last week at the age of 84, judging by the Hammers' performance against Birmingham, his legacy still looks set to live on in the shape of Alan Pardew's adventurous young side.
Indeed, following an impeccably-observed minute's silence led by another star pupil - Trevor Brooking - Ashton almost opened the scoring in the opening seconds after a barn-storming run by Harewood carved open the visitors defence.
While Harewood had been the only change from the West Ham side that had seen off sorry Sunderland last time out, Steve Bruce made three switches to the team that had beaten Reading in the Blues' FA Cup fourth round replay, as Kenny Cunningham, Chris Sutton and Martin Latka returned to the fold.
Having gone close once though, the hungry Hammers did not take long to get their show on the road when Nigel Reo-Coker's 11th-minute long-ranger ricocheted into the path of Harewood who, 15 yards out, coolly dispatched his 11th goal of the season past the helplessly exposed Maik Taylor.
And, just moments later, Hayden Mullins should have doubled the lead but with the whites of the keeper's eyes in his sights, he was foiled in the act of shooting by the retreating Stephen Clemence.
Although Mikael Forssell, Clemence and Jiri Jarosik offered token resistance, the East Enders continued their charge as both Danny Gabbidon and Reo-Coker squandered chances in their quest to put yet more daylight between themselves and the beleaguered Blues before the interval.
Alex Bruce had been lucky to escape a straight red card for a rabid, raking, studs-up challenge on Gabbidon in first-half stoppage-time but, having been booked, he was equally fortunate to escape dismissal just after the restart when he handled the breaking Reo-Coker's attempted cross-field pass at the mere expense of a stern lecture.
As West Ham dominated the second-half proceedings, too, substitute Christian Dailly and Yossi Benayoun went close before the kamikaze-like Czech recklessly handled Paul Konchesky's flighted cross into the box.
And although Taylor parried the red-faced Harewood's complacent, 63rd-minute spot-kick, he was given no chance when the relieved Hammer followed up to drill home the rebound.
If struggling Steve Bruce thought it was looking all over, just two minutes later his worst fears were confirmed, when Lionel Scaloni's right-wing cross was glanced on by Benayoun for Ashton to nod over the line to secure all three points.