Posts by SixT5HiPo

  • Mustang Production Guides on E-Bay

    Although the beginning section of the book describes the history of the Mustang, including some very interesting facts and figures, the majority of the book deals with just Mustang VIN numbers. These VIN numbers are NOT taken from official Ford records. Some complete data plate information is also included when possible. All of the data was gathered by the authors over many years, with much assistance and input from hundreds and hundreds of Mustangers. The book was compiled and published back in late 80's or early 90's, and many more Mustangs have been "found" since then, making the registry far from complete.


    There are dozens and dozens of pages that contain just the VIN numbers arranged in 3 or 4 columns per page with about 60 numbers per column. That's over 200 serial numbers per page! Some of the numbers are from junkyard cars, driver's doors, or unibody inner fender stamps. These numbers represent scrapped cars that are not complete or running, and never will be. All of the VINs are arranged by consecutive unit number and assembly plant.

  • 5T09K171275

    Quote from C6ZZKGT

    The seller does quite a story on this Kar but unfortunately it is clearly no longer much of a "K" Kar anymore. Although it is not cut up it would still take a lot to bring it back to a somewhat original state. Even then it would still not have the correct original drivetrain... With the rack and pinion steering, wiring, dash cluster and engine mods done in the 21st century, it goes against logic for a "K" Kar.

    -Fred-


    Gotta agree 100%, Fred. With all of those mods, it would have been better if that car began as anything except a K code.

  • Hemmings K Kode FB

    Quote from pony65k

    I have sent the seller an email regarding this car. I asked for clarification of the 10K miles considering the instrument cluster is from a 65GT/66 and this is a non GT kar.


    RP


    ...Can't wait to hear the explanation!

  • Mustang Trader On Line K Kode FB

    Quote from 66transam

    Me thinks it's scam. :(

    Quote from jwc66k

    I've seen this car before, same ad, same pictures, same price. The location at that time was Santa Cruz, Ca. The contact phone number was elsewhere but I don't remember where. The 402 area code is Eastern Nebraska.

    Scam - you bet.

    Jim


    It says right at the top of the description that it's a "Possible fraud ad"...Go figure!

  • What is considered the 3rd week of Oct 1965

    Quote

    The engines were likely sorted according to engine code. In other words a container would most likely be all C code or all A code or all K code etc.


    That would make sense, but I've never confirmed this...


    Quote from poboy427

    Dave,


    Glad you got in on this discussion. I was hopeful we had railroad guy that could talk the talk about not only the railroad but also the assembly plants.


    Ray


    Dave V. has provided us with some interesting details on how the railroad served Ford's Metuchen Plant before it was closed forever. His firsthand experience working on the railroad that served the Metuchen assembly plant confirmed and expanded the information already gathered from other sources regarding the way production material was delivered to the plant. Most of these methods are still in use today at Ford's operational assembly plants, just as they were back when the original Mustangs were being built.


    Because of the amount of raw materials and parts needed to mass produce automobiles, railroads provide the most efficient way to move most of the material needed to supply the factories, foundries, and assembly plants. As a railroader, Dave performed an important role in the routine process of bringing carloads of assembly parts, including engines, to Ford's Metuchen Assembly Plant day after day. After all the parts are assembled, and the vehicles are completed, they are loaded into special railcars called auto racks. They measure about 90 feet in length and usually have three levels that can hold a lot of cars. The autoracks are made up into long trains that move hundreds and hundreds of cars at a time to distribution centers all around America. The cars are driven off the racks and loaded onto trailer trucks for final delivery to the dealers.


    All of this has to work like clockwork every day for the auto industry to maintain peak efficiency. As Dave mentioned, sometimes just one railcar loaded with critical parts can make the difference between a plant working on schedule, or one that is forced to shutdown because all the parts are not available. It's amazing to realize how complex this system is!

  • 5R0K179221 NIR

    Quote from C6ZZKGT

    I like the fact that a reproduction door tag is supposed to give credence to the automatic transmission as original equipment. The seller says that the automatic trans was available in April however this car was built in January so even if that were true the car does not fall into the sellers own time line. The disc brakes are not of the original type. The seller lists them as non powered so maybe the booster does not work? :) The Hipo engine manual pictured is for a 66 and not a 65. Being as nothing in the engine compartment appears to be correct, I would question whether or not it has the correct rear end. I am about an hours drive away from this Kar if someone needs an inspection.

    -Fred-


    Exactly, Fred. The fact that it's got an AOD tranny makes it even more bogus. A real GT car with a January build date? Not quite! The seller says that after doing some "homework" about the car, he wished he could have set up a Buy It Now for $32,000? I wonder what he's been smoking...

  • What is considered the 3rd week of Oct 1965

    Quote from BoS

    Some more info on 6S923. Scheduled production at San Jose

    was around 12A, i.e. Jan.12, 1966 and engine assembly date

    Jan.6. 1966. Only six days. Block cast date was Dec. 4, 1965.

    /Bo


    The scheduled build date is often out of sync with the actual assembly date by many days-especially on the K code cars. My car was ordered in late December of 1964. It has a scheduled build date of February 15th, 1965. The engine was actually assembled and stamped on the same date! The car wasn't invoiced and delivered by the dealer until March 31st, 1965.

  • What is considered the 3rd week of Oct 1965

    Quote from J_Speegle

    Do we mean Cleveland or Windsor?


    In general, most engine information on this site pertains to Cleveland, since Windsor did not produce the HiPo 289's...


    Quote from J_Speegle

    Damaged panels and such were often then rerouted to the service replacement supply, rather than the plant. Know a number of guys that worked and ran the distribution site.


    That's correct. Many body shops obtained these pieces when ordering repair parts, and they often had to deal with service parts with imperfections. Back in the Sixties, I ordered a lot of body trim parts for my '64 Fairlane Sports Coupe, including the stainless trim mouldings that ran the length of the body. Even though they were new parts in factory wrappers, a few were less than perfect...

  • What is considered the 3rd week of Oct 1965

    Quote

    Maybe they flew the engines to San Jose...


    Complete V-8 engines were shipped from the Cleveland plant by rail to the assembly plants. This was the most efficient way to move the many hundreds of thousands of engines needed to fill the needs of all the Ford carlines that used the venerable 289's. Moving such tonnage by air would not be cost effective or necessary. The finished engines were packed in containers that could hold many engines a piece. These containers were loaded onto railcars that could hold multiple containers. With an expedited schedule, it's possible to run a freight train from Ohio to the West coast in less than a week's time. The Ford assembly plants have rail connections that go from the mainline to the plant, so that railcars could be unloaded directly into the plant for maximum efficiency.


    Quote from BoS

    Are we sure that the engines were assembled at the Cleveland

    plant or were the blocks just casted there? Personally, I haven't seen any documents saying neither nor.


    Engines were manufactured and test run at Ford's Cleveland Foundry and Engine Plant. This has been confirmed by numerous independent researchers and Ford historians. I personally spoke to a retired Ford employee who was in charge of the dyno testing laboratory at Cleveland. He confirmed that 289 engines were assembled and tested before they left the Cleveland plant. He also confirmed that the engines were packed into heavy duty containers, and were shipped by rail to the appropriate Ford assembly plants that used them. Engines were randomly taken from the Cleveland loading docks and brought to the dyno room for quality assurance testing. If an engine failed on the dyno, it was stripped down and analyzed for defects. It was his responsibilty to oversee the tests and maintain documentation of the test results.

  • auto trans C-servo now repopped

    Quote from bobmannel

    Yes, I have fully documented the differences between the standard C4 and the 289 HiPo C4, and published the results in the Fairlane Club of America bi-monthly magazine. I have a link to the pertinent pages below.


    Great article...thanks for putting up the link!

  • Hipo Insanity!!

    Quote from tater_51

    God help the poor guy trying to piece something together! E-bay item #320175145327, madness I tell you, madness!


    Seriously doubt that anyone who cares about the value of a dollar will bid on that one...Those guys are famous for having the highest prices around, even though they know exactly what their stuff is really worth. The least they could do is post up some decent pictures that show the date code if they expect someone to pay that kind of money. It's most likely they hope a Shelby owner needs this one to finish a restoration. I've seen them offer similar distributors at Carlisle over the years at a fraction of the opening price...

  • Early 64.5 Mustang

    Quote from RalphJr

    He does a lot of "Resto Mods" and was recently a featured guest on the DIY Channel's "Classic Car Restoration" program where they "Restofied" a '65 T code 2+2.


    I only caught the last couple episodes of that show. It was on a few weeks ago, but I didn't pay enough attention to remember who was featured on the show. I certainly remember that T code fastback though. The 6 cylinder engine was swapped for a lightly massaged 289 with an aftermarket intake and 4 barrel carburetor. Headers and dual exhausts were fitted, along with disc brakes and suspension upgrades. All in all, it was a sensible build that probably made the car a pretty nice driver.


    Quote from RalphJr

    He has had my car for a while now - I've asked him not to rush it since it is Raven black and I want it perfect. I'm patient and I want it right. The years, Oklahoma mud and road salt, and my teenage foot (lots of racing even before I owned it we think) were not kind. BUT at least it is a survivor - original VIN on the block and tranny and I now have obtained all the missing HiPo pieces.


    Can't wait to get back behind the wheel - it has been parked and stored since 1989.


    That's almost 20 years since the car was parked. I'm sure it will be great to get it finished!

  • What is this 65 GT K code fastback worth?

    Quote from rickytz7111

    I don't know if I would be upset if the car sells. I just feel 30K is on the high end. I would probably get my money back but I want some room to breathe.


    Buying a car as an investment can be risky business, and if you are counting on "getting your money back" there is no guarantee either way. We don't know if these cars have "maxed out" now, or will contuinue to go up in value as the years pass. A lot depends on economic factors way beyond our control, but there has been slow and steady growth in values since the first collector car price bubble burst back in the 1980's. Remember, a lot of speculators got burned back then...


    The hobby is fun to enjoy on all different levels, but if I had to count on getting my money back, I wouldn't enjoy my car nearly as much. As to the specific car you are looking at, I always recommend making a personal inspection, including a test drive before making an offer.