DSO 89 Transportation services

brokn nx_old · November 6, 2007 at 8:55 PM

I was cruising a boneyard today and came across something odd. There was a 1971 mustang grande there with a larger than normal balancer on the snout of the crank. The motor is just a 302 2 barrel but something seemed odd. I checked out the door plate and the DSO was 89,transportation services. Knowing instantly this is where many performance oriented cars or media/engineering mules are delivered to really got my intrest. The last few digits in the vin are 00085. The motor still has the original carb and even the original engine tag still attached.

Could there be a hipo balancer on this car from the factory? It looks way bigger than even my aftermarket Ford racing balancer. How do I tell. What is the thickness of a hipo balancer? Is there anything special about the block? The number is D1AE-AA. Being that it was shipped to transportation services it could be anybodys guess what was put on there.

I know this is a little off the K topic but most of us are nerds for wierd things in the mustang world.

Thanks.

C6ZZKGT · November 7, 2007 at 7:26 AM Official Post

If the D1AE-AA number is on the balancer itself and not the pulley, it will be for a 400 engine. Is it possible that you misread it and maybe it is a D1ZE rather than a D1AE?

-Fred-

brokn nx_old · November 7, 2007 at 1:03 PM

D1AE is the number on the block.

J_Speegle_old · November 7, 2007 at 5:35 PM

Quote from brokn nx

Could there be a hipo balancer on this car from the factory?

Nope IMHO

Quote from brokn nx

It looks way bigger than even my aftermarket Ford racing balancer. How do I tell. What is the thickness of a hipo balancer? Is there anything special about the block? The number is D1AE-AA.

There were some thick low performance (retarded) SB balancer that are thick. Behind the forward machined outer surface (like the Hipo) there is a recess that is cast - not machined if I recall correctly

Nothing special about that block casting

Quote from brokn nx

Being that it was shipped to transportation services it could be anybodys guess what was put on there.

Normally all that was added to these cars was lots of miles. Allot of station wagons, truck and vans were ordered/sent to transportation services. Pretty normal - low performance stuff generally though a few special order groups of cars used this DSO but this was an unusual example

brokn nx_old · November 7, 2007 at 7:14 PM

Aside from the numbers on the balancer what was special about the hipo balancer. Thicker for harmonics, anything else?

There are few 289s in this yard, some in boats, that I need to check out still.

poboy427_old · November 10, 2007 at 10:13 AM

Pat,

I am still looking for a reg plain jane C5AE 289 engine or block. with a date code of 5K-Oct. He me in mind as you search about sunny CA.

You can't believe how many folks think the Oct (K) stands for $$$$ as in HiPo. Thanks Ray

noelfisher_old · November 20, 2007 at 9:36 AM

fyi regarding Transportation Services...

Almost all car operations for Ford Motor Co. fell under the control of the "Transportation Services" organization, especially for the Dearborn area organizations that did not “own” plants.

Since this was a high performance type car, it was likely delivered to Transportation Services for an e-roll (executive) or lease hotshot (Engineer, etc.). Embedded somewhere in the order would have been a tag number (required for all cars owned by Ford or built for Ford employees) that would confirm the actual purpose. The tag number would have contained had a 't' for test, 'p' for pool, 'e' for e-roll management, 'l' for management lease, 's' for sales, 'a' for a-plan, and some less common codes. Even the DSO would have had the tag number, since it was a requirement of the order system, and DSOs were always based on a regular vehicle.

Transportation Services was the destination for the convoy delivery. They served as a pass-thru for the ultimate Ford employee, other Ford organization or a test operation within Ford. If it was an employee, he was a shooter since regular management couldn't order DSO - when non-executive Ford employees ordered a vehicle, it was routed through a dealership local to his region - it would contain the DSO for that region.

jwc66k · November 20, 2007 at 10:15 AM

Let me add some more uses for DSO 89, the 'b-plan' being one. Certain Ford employees could lease a Ford (or Mercury) at a monthly rate that was so cheap as to be almost a givaway. Certain other top management types could lease two Fords as a benefit and the ones at the very top got theirs at no cost. In many instances, the cars were delivered to the facility of record, prepared for use and serviced there as well. The real kicker was that insurance was included in the monthly rate. I use as an example, Ford Aerospace in Palo Alto, Ca, where there was a service center. At the end of the lease year, any employee could 'tag' that lease car turn-in and purchase it.

There is another plan, the 'z-plan', used for retired Ford employees but that plan uses a dealer and the regular DSO system.

Jim

noelfisher_old · November 21, 2007 at 2:13 PM

Quote from jwc66k

Let me add some more uses for DSO 89, the 'b-plan' being one. Certain Ford employees could lease a Ford (or Mercury) at a monthly rate that was so cheap as to be almost a givaway. Certain other top management types could lease two Fords as a benefit and the ones at the very top got theirs at no cost. In many instances, the cars were delivered to the facility of record, prepared for use and serviced there as well. The real kicker was that insurance was included in the monthly rate. I use as an example, Ford Aerospace in Palo Alto, Ca, where there was a service center. At the end of the lease year, any employee could 'tag' that lease car turn-in and purchase it.
There is another plan, the 'z-plan', used for retired Ford employees but that plan uses a dealer and the regular DSO system.
Jim

Pretty much accurate --- all Ford-owned lease / Transportation Services cars were and are subject to sale to employees and retirees following the lease contract period (not necessarily one year) via the B-plan. Though not all were or are sold via this plan, they are technicaly all subject to pass through this program. The Z- and A-plans are identical except that "A" is for current employees and "Z" is for retirees. Both A- and Z-plans target new vehicles only.

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