Part 5- The motor

[RJacobsen]

Some of you have asked and others may be curious about what engine I plan to put in the car.
The correct question should be "What car did you deside to put your engine in?"
Allow me to explain,

Some time ago (1974 to be more exact) I purchased a 1965 K code Mustang Fastback. The car was pretty basic but had all the good stuff, (289 HIPO, toploader 4 speed, 9” rear axle, front disk brakes, etc.) I bought it to be a daily driver; well actually it was my only car, so naturally it was my daily driver. Over the next 8 years the car saw many changes, the most notable were to the engine. Less than 2 years after I bought it a major problem came up, a cracked engine block. The solution was to rebuild the engine, something that I had never done before, but I felt up to the challenge, besides that I was working at the time as a parts counter person in a Lincoln-Mercury dealership, a whole service department full of mechanics was just a few feet away. The first thing I needed to get was a rebuildable block. The parts manager of the dealership, Bill, (my Boss) said he had just what I needed, a 1970 302 block that would probably clean up with a .030 over bore. He assured me that the 302 block was basically the same as the 289 and that my HIPO 289 parts would fit right in. I told Bill OK and got the block and other parts over to the machine shop. Oh, I forgot to mention, this was a BOSS 302, 4 bolt-main block. Bill later regretted his decision, but thanks Bill; it went to and is going to good use. The engine at this time was fitted with TRW 12.5 to 1 pistons, larger valves in the heads and some porting and polishing. The stock HIPO cam was replaced with the Ford off highway C7FE camshaft. Toping it all off was a Holley 4 barrel and aluminum intake. When it was all finished the combination worked well and I was quite pleased with the results and proud of my accomplishment. This all would have been fine but then things actually got even better. A customer of our store named Doug, who owned a local wrecking yard, called for some parts. He told me that he had something he wanted to show me when I delivered the order to him, so off I went to see just what it was that he had. When I got there Doug took me over to his house that was next door to the wrecking yard, there on the back patio was something that I had never seen before; it was a complete dual quad intake setup for a small block Ford. The oval air cleaner had the name Shelby on it with his logo, two Holley carbs sat underneath on top of an aluminum dual plane intake manifold, all of it would quite easily fit under the hood of my Mustang. Doug offered it to me for sale and I didn’t hesitate. It wasn’t long before I had the setup installed and was off checking out my new toy.
Fast forward a few years, 1981, I’m now married and have a baby daughter. We are still driving the Mustang and piling on the miles. I make the decision to save the motor by swapping it out for a stock 289. After doing that I tore the HIPO motor down to check it out. I found the heads to be in need of help but the short block seemed to me to be in pretty good shape, I honed the cylinders, put in new rings and bearings, oiled everything up real good and put the motor in storage. I vowed that someday I would have some project car to use the motor in, although I didn’t know what it might be.

289 HIPO from 24 Year storage


Boss 302 block (note screw in soft plugs)


Shelby 2X4 Air cleaner


Now that I had a car to put my motor in my plan was to get a good set of heads bolted on the short block that I had rebuilt and go for it. But after sitting in storage for 24 years I thought it would be a good idea to pull the motor down and check things out. I also decided to seek out some expert advice. This led me to Bayshore Engines in San Francisco and Dave, one of the owners. One look around the shop and you knew this was not your normal engine rebuilder. Sprint car motors, aluminum big block Chevy’s, custom made intake manifolds, and even a Shelby aluminum 427SO being readied for someone’s Superformance were just a few of the things you noticed. These guys were really into high performance. Dave is basically a Chevy guy but some of his key workers are Ford nuts. A Boss 302 block, 289 HIPO parts and an original 289 2X4 intake was all I needed to get their attention. To make a long story short, the motor had more wear than I realized and the decision was made to completely rebuild it. After a talk with Dave about what the motor was to be used for I left most of the rebuild decisions up to him. The block was honed to .040 over and 0-decked, forged flattop pistons were ordered, the HIPO crank and rods were magnefluxed and reconditioned, a custom grind Iskanderian cam was ordered, everything was balanced, blueprinted and assembled with care. Some other items of interest include a Canton road race oil pan, aluminum flywheel, MSD ignition and Ford Motorsports scatter shield.

Newly rebuilt motor and transmission


To be continued...

[Naumoff]

Rod..........I think that's a keeper!
You did what I think a lot of us wish we done. You kept your cool stuff.

Those Boss short blocks can take some RPMs.
I know a guy that has a Boss 302 and it like 8000rpm all day long.
And that 2x4v set AWESOME!

That Cobra is going to fly.[:P]

Tony

Unique 427 #4279480 427s/o Nascar toploader 3.31 Jag IRS

[ralphscott]

Really nice Rod! Great story also!

Ralph

[Mike Geddes]

Rod.
I have a 302 in my 427SC.
I have a regular oil pan and I clear the ground at less than 3 inches.
The pan on your 302 'looks' quite deep from the pics.
Quick check of engine mounts to ground might be worth while
at this point.
Cheers............Mike

Mike Geddes

[pgermond]

Rod,

Looking good [^] It's about time for me to swing by and take a look at your progress

Phil

427 Roadster, #4279436
Southern Automotive FE
3:31 and Toploader

Roseville (N.Cal)

[clayfoushee]

Rod, Beautiful, and I'm enjoying the saga.

Clay

'98 Unique #9299, 427FE side oiler (452.1-stroker), top-loader (close), 3.31 rear

Annapolis, MD

[RJacobsen]

Mike- The oil pan is about the same depth as a stock pan. I'm sure it will be OK, but thanks for the heads up.


Rod
Roseville, Ca.
289 FIA #9152 "The Flintstone Cobra"

[RJacobsen]

Phil- Come on over any time, Just call first to see if I'm home. Since I can't drive it yet , the next best thing is talking about it.

Rod
Roseville, Ca.
289 FIA #9152 "The Flintstone Cobra"

[pgermond]

Rod,

Will do. I'm sure I have your number around here somewhere... probably next week sometime.

Phil

427 Roadster, #4279436
Southern Automotive FE
3:31 and Toploader

Roseville (N.Cal)

[will butterworth]

Rod--holy smokes, check pan to ground clear.- gonna be close.She,s a beauty, have about 3 in. on a little 302, pan to ground, ain,t much at all.Stock pan too.Love to hear that little doll light up, 302 will wind-up. Will-alabama.

[Silk]

Rod,

Beautiful motor and a good story to go with it. Thanks for sharing and keep the info coming!

Gary
Unique FIA 351W

[RJacobsen]

OK now you got me wondering about that ground clearance. The car is up on jacks and I haven't a clue yet on final ride height. Give me some idea on frame to ground clearance and I can check from there. Thanks

Rod
Roseville, Ca.
289 FIA #9152 "The Flintstone Cobra"

[Naumoff]

Rod,
Don't worry about ground clearance! Just avoid speed bumps and keep air in the tires.

Tony

Tony
Unique 427 #4279480 427s/o Nascar toploader 3.31 Jag IRS

[clayfoushee]

Depending on how you set the ride height, it will be 3.5-4.5" I have the Canton Pan on a 427, and I'm at 3.5., which is equal to the shaved off bell housing. No issues, as long as you avoid potholes and speed bumps.

Clay

'98 Unique #9299, 427FE side oiler (452.1-stroker), top-loader (close), 3.31 rear

Annapolis, MD

[RJacobsen]

Clay- The 3.5" I assume is your pan to ground clearance. What I need to know is your frame rail to ground clearance. thanks

Rod
Roseville, Ca.
289 FIA #9152 "The Flintstone Cobra"

[nolastyankee]

Rod,
There are a whole bunch of threads on this subject...Search under "Ride Height".

Brian Carlson

Unique 9122 - 289 FIA Cobra - The Legendary "Spence" Car

[clayfoushee]

Rod,

6.5" the Canton and the bellhousing extend about 3" below the frame rails.

Clay

'98 Unique #9299, 427FE side oiler (452.1-stroker), top-loader (close), 3.31 rear

Annapolis, MD

[RJacobsen]

Thanks Clay, I'll check that out.

Rod
Roseville, Ca.
289 FIA #9152 "The Flintstone Cobra"