dealer hipo conversion

289kford · July 8, 2007 at 5:32 PM

Was at Summit racing for a Ford show today and there was a 66 C code coupe that had a window sticker that read " dealer installed GT and Hipo upgrade..... includes GT stripe, disc brakes.... conversion to full spec 289 hipo" cost was 510.00. there were pics of the car before and after. apparently this full spec conversion didn't include a dual point, fat crank dampner, or correct cylinder heads. Did not hear the car run, don't know about the solid lifter cam, and it had headers on it now, no pic of the original manifolds. supposedly, the car was a factory 4 speed, but in the photo album was a pic of the 2.80 gears that came out for a 3.25 replacement set. I thought that 2.80 gear came behind the C4? was this hipo conversion a popular thing or just offered by a dealer or 2? wouldnt 'full spec' imply all the pieces to you? my guess is this car got a 4V carb and thats about it. by the way, this car was featured in mustang times or monthly some time ago, so the diary says.

CharlesTurner · July 8, 2007 at 6:51 PM

Red with a vinyl top?

289kford · July 8, 2007 at 7:33 PM

It was red, I never paid attention to the top.

SixT5HiPo · July 8, 2007 at 8:23 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>

...there was a 66 C code coupe that had a window sticker that read " dealer installed GT and Hipo upgrade..... includes GT stripe, disc brakes.... conversion to full spec 289 hipo"... apparently this full spec conversion didn't include a dual point, fat crank dampner, or correct cylinder heads. Did not hear the car run, don't know about the solid lifter cam, and it had headers on it now, no pic of the original manifolds. supposedly, the car was a factory 4 speed, but in the photo album was a pic of the 2.80 gears that came out for a 3.25 replacement set. I thought that 2.80 gear came behind the C4? was this hipo conversion a popular thing or just offered by a dealer or 2? <hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>

In the mid Sixties, Ford sold lots of over-the-counter 289 HiPo parts and conversion "kits" at the dealers. How far you went was up to you and your walet. The dual point distributor, intake manifold and 4V carburetor were bolt on and "entry level", while the solid lifter cam, HiPo cylinder heads, pistons and exhaust manifolds were for more serious small block owners who didn't order a K code car originally. Multiple carburetors on aluminum intake manifolds were also available, but probably were not quite as popular.

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>wouldnt 'full spec' imply all the pieces to you? my guess is this car got a 4V carb and thats about it.

Yes, I would expect that as well.

CharlesTurner · July 8, 2007 at 9:30 PM

If it's the car I suspect it is, the owner has shown it at many MCA events. For a while, he was adamant that the car was correct and the dealer accessories were realistic. The unfortunate truth is that for someone to have installed all those K components on a C code car would have ended up costing something like 3 times what it would have cost to simply order a K code. It was way too far fetched, and I think that the owner, after a while, realized the same. I judged it a couple times at MCA shows in concours, don't remember the results, but I did take off for excessive dealer-installed options. It's a very nice car, but too far fetched to represent something that a dealer would have delivered to the original owner (which is how MCA concours cars are judged).

289kford · July 9, 2007 at 4:40 AM

I suppose my criticism could have been premature, but I think if you are going to the trouble of rebuilding an engine, you could take the extra steps to make it what you say it is supposed to be. I know that over 40 years alot of thing happen to a car. at the very least, an air cleaner that the 289 hipo sticker fits on would be minimum.

CharlesTurner · July 9, 2007 at 6:05 AM

It certainly would be a nice car to drive and have fun with, but a car built like that (I'm avoiding the word restoration here) really shouldn't be judged as a "correct" car at national shows. The reality of the matter is that the car is actually modified and should be represented as such.

map351_old · July 17, 2007 at 5:32 AM

Not all Hipo mustang started life as K cars and thet are correct cars according the experts...

round2K_old · July 17, 2007 at 6:48 AM

It it's not a K how can it be correct according to experts?

map351_old · July 17, 2007 at 8:54 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>

It it's not a K how can it be correct according to experts?

I restored a 66 Hertz car for Fran Kress and found a interesting fact. When Fran was in the process of buying car i lifted the Shelby VIN plate to make sure the chassis had the correct ford VIN # under the plate. And to my surprise it was a C code car i contacted SAAC and the verified it was the correct Ford Vin for that Hertz car. I also know of a T code Shelby and verified by the experts. There's a few more Shelby's that are Not K cars but are the correct cars & VIN # . I understand there's a double stamp C&T code and a few A code Shelby around here too..

Who said all Shelby's were K cars! Don't believe everything you read...

As the story goes The assembly plant was short on K chassis and the Old Man needed cars so they sent what fastbacks they had...

zray · July 17, 2007 at 11:51 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>

It it's not a K how can it be correct according to experts?

I restored a 66 Hertz car for Fran Kress and found a interesting fact. When Fran was in the process of buying car i lifted the Shelby VIN plate to make sure the chassis had the correct ford VIN # under the plate. And to my surprise it was a C code car i contacted SAAC and the verified it was the correct Ford Vin for that Hertz car. I also know of a T code Shelby and verified by the experts. There's a few more Shelby's that are Not K cars but are the correct cars & VIN # . I understand there's a double stamp C&T code and a few A code Shelby around here too..

Who said all Shelby's were K cars! Don't believe everything you read...

As the story goes The assembly plant was short on K chassis and the Old Man needed cars so they sent what fastbacks they had...

that's not what you claimed. you first said not all Hi-Po's were K codes. Now you're saying not all Shelby GT-350's were K codes.

Two different claims.

Z. Ray

'66 GT-350

(also a K code)

s2ms · July 17, 2007 at 1:02 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>

I restored a 66 Hertz car for Fran Kress and found a interesting fact. When Fran was in the process of buying car i lifted the Shelby VIN plate to make sure the chassis had the correct ford VIN # under the plate. And to my surprise it was a C code car i contacted SAAC and the verified it was the correct Ford Vin for that Hertz car. I also know of a T code Shelby and verified by the experts. There's a few more Shelby's that are Not K cars but are the correct cars & VIN # . I understand there's a double stamp C&T code and a few A code Shelby around here too..

Who said all Shelby's were K cars! Don't believe everything you read...

As the story goes The assembly plant was short on K chassis and the Old Man needed cars so they sent what fastbacks they had...

I can't speak for the other years, but for 65-66 SAAC has records for exactly ONE car that didn't have a K in the Ford VIN. The unit sequence number was correct for that car according to Shelby American records, everything else about that car was perfect. The car is obviously a factory fender mis-stamp, not some assembly line substitution. That may well be the car you restored for Fran Kress but any other 65-66 GT350's without a K VIN are clones with a story or rebodies.

zray · July 17, 2007 at 1:07 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>

It it's not a K how can it be correct according to experts?

I restored a 66 Hertz car for Fran Kress and found a interesting fact. When Fran was in the process of buying car i lifted the Shelby VIN plate to make sure the chassis had the correct ford VIN # under the plate. And to my surprise it was a C code car i contacted SAAC and the verified it was the correct Ford Vin for that Hertz car. I also know of a T code Shelby and verified by the experts. There's a few more Shelby's that are Not K cars but are the correct cars & VIN # . I understand there's a double stamp C&T code and a few A code Shelby around here too..

Who said all Shelby's were K cars! Don't believe everything you read...

As the story goes The assembly plant was short on K chassis and the Old Man needed cars so they sent what fastbacks they had...

here is an email I received from the '65 - '66 Shelby registrar:

".........Z.

The rumor is basically incorrect. There has only been one '66 GT350 that had a "C" code in the chassis with the correct last 6 digits of the Ford serial number. The engine serial number was stamped correctly as a "K". It was simply a chassis stamping error on the assembly line. The car is perfect in all other details. All of the rest of the claims have been BS.

Howard

******************************************************

On Jul 17, 2007, at 2:50 PM, Z. Ray wrote:

Dear Mr. Pardee,

Is there any truth to the latest internet rumor that not all '65 & '66 GT-350's were K codes ?

thanks,

Z. Ray ....."

so there you have it, from the only expert that matters.

Z. Ray

'66 GT-350

round2K_old · July 17, 2007 at 3:09 PM

Without trying to be critical of any contributors to this thread I'd like to add to the dealer bolt-on K code conversion discussion. I don't consider Shelbys to be K codes; they are Shelby American cars. They may have started with a special order version of a K on their way to becoming Shelbys, but they ceased being K codes when the VINs were covered with Shelby American VINs and completed with Shelby's various changes. If a car doesn't have a K code VIN it's not a K code. Converting a regular car over to a K is a lot like converting a K code over to a Shelby; it wouldn't be correct or accepted by someone who knew about the real thing.

Edited by - round2K on 07/17/2007 17:11:00

zray · July 17, 2007 at 5:10 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>

I don't consider Shelbys to be K codes; they are Shelby American cars. They may have started with a special order version of a K on their way to becoming Shelbys, but they ceased being K codes when the VINs were covered with Shelby American VINs. If a car doesn't have a K code VIN it's not a K code.

Very well put. And although, therefore, I don't have a K code, I treasure the knowledge published on this site by those who do own one.

Many thanks,

Z. Ray

'66 GT-350

s2ms · July 17, 2007 at 7:13 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>I don't consider Shelbys to be K codes; they are Shelby American cars. They may have started with a special order version of a K on their way to becoming Shelbys, but they ceased being K codes when the VINs were covered with Shelby American VINs and completed with Shelby's various changes. If a car doesn't have a K code VIN it's not a K code.<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>

While this thread has gotten off track a bit I respectfully disagree that Shelbys aren't K-codes. They do have a K-code VIN. OK, it's hidden, but without that VIN (excluding the exception discussed above) it's not a Shelby. The primary way to validate an original 65-67 GT350 is to verify that the Ford K VIN matches the Shelby American VIN, that's the very first place to check. The link is very strong. We can split hairs about this but I think the fact that there are so many Shelby owners on this forum shows we consider our cars K-codes. I wouldn't belong to this site if I didn't think so.

I have certainly gained more information and enjoyment from this forum than any of the other Shelby or Mustang sites together.

63Kcode_old · July 17, 2007 at 7:59 PM

So the 5th digit on my 66 GT 350 is an S as in SFM6S2015 does that mean I need to go to the FE fourm now?

Larry

SixT5HiPo · July 17, 2007 at 8:16 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>

We can split hairs about this but I think the fact that there are so many Shelby owners on this forum shows we consider our cars K-codes. I wouldn't belong to this site if I didn't think so.

I have certainly gained more information and enjoyment from this forum than any of the other Shelby or Mustang sites together.

"Mad4HiPos"

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>

And although, therefore, I don't have a K code, I treasure the knowledge published on this site by those who do own one.

Many thanks,

Z. Ray

'66 GT-350

Thanks for your nice words about this site, guys. It's good to know that Shelby owners appreciate what we do here...

SixT5HiPo · July 17, 2007 at 8:19 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>

So the 5th digit on my 66 GT 350 is an S as in SFM6S2015 does that mean I need to go to the FE fourm now?

Larry

Geez Larry, if you went and did that, we'd miss having you around here! <img src=images/icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

BMaloof_old · July 18, 2007 at 4:57 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>

So the 5th digit on my 66 GT 350 is an S as in SFM6S2015 does that mean I need to go to the FE fourm now?

Larry

Now that's funny!!

Participate now!