Factory Repair? I read a thread under RESTORATION with a mention of what was believed to be a factory repair of a rare part and the apparent long length of time between a part’s starting out and when it got used. Along the lines of both time between manufacture and use and also factory repair of expensive parts, I will submit these images of a five (5) bolt bell housing HP289 engine that was installed in a new Cobra in 1964. To the best of my knowledge, based on SAAC Registry information on the car and the details furnished by the man that parted the car out and kept the engine in his basement until I bought is a few years ago, this engine has not run since 1968. The black paint on the block and heads is believed to be original.
Here’s the casting date.
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Here’s the date on the oil pan rail.
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Here’s the interesting feature. One of the tooling bosses used in production to locate and hold the block appears to have been broken off prior to final machining of the block. In its place is a very nicely made steel replacement. It appears that the broken tab location was machined and this new steel piece put in its place before final machining. I think the repair was before final machining because the L shaped notch machined at the intersection of cast iron block and new boss is squarely done and looks machined all at once under magnification. Look underneath and somebody stamped an elaborate number on the replacement boss. The number was hidden by grime and paint before I got my little wire brush out.
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[Blocked Image: http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r187/rr64/IMG_1429s.jpg]
This is a Shelby American numbered engine block and does not carry Ford sequential block number like most Ford production five bolt HP289s in Cobras. The original block in CSX2551 is also a Shelby numbered block and it also has a repair done with the same welding style and appearing nickel alloy. The time between casting and machining for both Shelby numbered blocks is similar and both have the same date code stamped on their pan rails.
My question. Has anybody else seen what appears to be Ford repaired HP289 blocks and or cylinder heads?
Dan