Hi, yesterday i went looking at a K-code fastback that i would like to buy. I know one of the things to look at if it is a real K-code body is the rear end bumper plates for the 9inch rear end. Is this a correct bumper plate for a 65 K-code? (see pict.) Also the engine has the casting date 5M1 . I believe this is December 65 if i am right? The door tag has a date code 05 S (May?) .So if I am not mistaking this is not matching? Maybe someone with more knowledge on the K-codes can help me ? Regards, Bernard
Rear end bumper plates
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- Official Post
Your rear end bumper plate is correct.
-Fred-
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- Official Post
Your date code assumption is correct.
-Fred-
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- Official Post
Thank you for this information. So the engine casting number is half year later than the car production date. The engine does have the same number on it as the car what is rather strange. Could this be a factory warranty replacement or something like this? Does someone has a picture of the front screw in oil plugs that was found on some K-code engine? So i can check if the block has this. Regards, Bernard
I am unaware of service engines having a VIN stamp, which would have had to be done at the dealer or the owner of the Kar. An urban legend, with reasonable truth to it was for the 1966 model year. Ford introduced the Sprint six at the time that production of 289 engines were having trouble keeping up with the assembly lines. This, as far as I know, was for all 289 engines. Ford added the Windsor engine plant during 1966 to help Cleveland keep up with the demand. Hipo 289 engines were only built at the Cleveland plant. The salesmen of that time frame were told to "demo the 8 and sell the 6" which was the reason for the Sprint. My understanding is that some cars were assembled without engines and the engines came later. This was recently done with the "Chip" shortage. I have never heard of an exact time frame when all of this occurred, if this really happened, but that would make it possible to have an engine built after the body assembly. I am certainly open to any critique on this. If I am way off base on this, I will be happy to remove this thought from this page.
The screw in front oil galley plugs were not original. I worked at Valley Head Service back in the day. We had a lot of Hipo 289 engines come through the shop and none of them had screw in oil galley plugs when they came in. Most did have screw in oil galley plugs when they left as that was considered to be a necessary upgrade. The one behind the distributor needed to be deeper so as to miss the distributor.
-Fred-
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I am unaware of service engines having a VIN stamp, which would have had to be done at the dealer or the owner of the Kar. An urban legend, with reasonable truth to it was for the 1966 model year. Ford introduced the Sprint six at the time that production of 289 engines were having trouble keeping up with the assembly lines. This, as far as I know, was for all 289 engines. Ford added the Windsor engine plant during 1966 to help Cleveland keep up with the demand. Hipo 289 engines were only built at the Cleveland plant. The salesmen of that time frame were told to "demo the 8 and sell the 6" which was the reason for the Sprint. My understanding is that some cars were assembled without engines and the engines came later. This was recently done with the "Chip" shortage. I have never heard of an exact time frame when all of this occurred, if this really happened, but that would make it possible to have an engine built after the body assembly. I am certainly open to any critique on this. If I am way off base on this, I will be happy to remove this thought from this page.
-Fred-
Fred - as far as cars being built without engines and storing the cars until engines arrived - Haven't heard that taking place from any Ford worker or from any documentation. Lots of stories out there but little or no proof. That would take a bunch of extra storage more car plants didn't have available plus where at the plant would they use to install the engines? No reason to use the car lines and not produce additional cars IMHO.
Did hear the one (only once 40 years ago) when a guy claimed that they delivered 65 GT350's with 6 cylinders installed to Shelby and Shelby swapped the motors over at a later date. All kinds of holes in that one plus no recall of anything like that from the Shelby Factory guys of the period.
Sure we'll see the idea you presented again either in person at a show or reported in an online blog or even picked up by AI publishing an article for some web site then picked up and repeated over and over
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