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JeepSnake
February 6th, 2006, 01:26 PM
Hey y'all,

Well, now that we're in the deepest, coldest, nastiest winter weather that we typically have around here, that means that it's the perfect time for weekend junkyard excursions. The briars are frostbitten, and the likelihood of encountering Temple-of-Doom snakes or man-eating mosquitos is low. Thus it is that the Butterworth clan has several boneyard parts questions to ask....

First, on the subject of Ford smallblocks:
What kind of heads would one typically find on an '88 or later Crown Vic, Grand Marquis, Town Car, etc. 5.0L engine? I've got plenty of Mustang-specific info and later Explorer info, but nothing on what type castings were found on these lines. I would love to see an all-inclusive casting number list for head applications from '85 up if anybody has something like that, or knows where to find one. Did they use the HO (E7TE) heads, or some lower-output casting?

(What I've got in mind is a very low-budget carbureted 302 build, using good factory iron heads on a rebuilt roller-cam shortblock, in the 250 - 275 hp neighborhood. Rock-steady driveability & reliability, with just a bit of extra pep. No need for aftermarket performance heads at this power level - though those AFR alloy jobs sure are tempting... of course, they don't exactly fit the "low budget" concept!)

Reason I'm interested in these "odd" models is that they seem to be much more readily available than their Mustang counterparts, along with the matching AOD trans bolted to them. And, the prices are good.

Next, Jaguar parts compatability:
We spotted an XJS in a local yard, apparently the victim of an engine-bay fire. Would the rear-end out of this yield any usable spare parts for the Unique rear? What's a reasonable price range for a complete factory-stock Jag rear? What Jags are potential donors for rearend parts?

Any other interesting items we ought to keep an eye out for?

Thanks!

eliminator
February 7th, 2006, 05:40 AM
I think a well placed call to Butch Capps will reveal all you need to know about selecting a Junk Yard Dog "302". Pro's and any Con's if they are out there.

JeepSnake
February 9th, 2006, 08:32 AM
Thanks, Rick.

We haven't had a chance to make it back to the yard, but, Cy & I talked with a friend earlier this week about looking for parts. Turns out, he had not one, but two late model 351W's in wrecked trucks at his house that he wanted to sell. So, we wound up looking at engines with flashlights in a cow pasture about 10:00 Tuesday night!

One appears to be a reman piece, with somewhere around 10-20k miles on it when it was wrecked. The other appears to have never been apart, about 120,000 miles in a Ford van. Looks like we'll probably take him up on the one in the van, then build a solid shortblock from it, and put a good set of aftermarket heads on, etc. Of course, all of this is dependent upon further inspection during daylight...