Csx 2492

[JeepSnake]

Thought I'd post a photo or two of this car. It was out for the charity car show my employer puts on every fall. Never did get to meet the owner, but I made about 70 photos of various details, e.g. grille design, street-type expansion tank, fresh air vents in the footboxes, gauge arrangement, etc.

Does anyone know what application the 289 street style expansion tank (shown in photo) came off of? Posts on Club Cobra indicate that it came off Thunderbirds, Lincolns, or Mercurys. But, I've looked at all those tanks, and they all bolt to the t-stat housing and have the upper radiator hose connected to them. This tank bolts to the head with a bracket, and has only three connections: 1) 5/8" or 3/4" hose nipple for connecting to the water pump, 2) small nipple for bleed line on top of radiator, 3) overflow nipple in the filler neck. (In other words, it has the same connections as the round Harrison tank used on the racing cars.)

[Naumoff]

cool pics Zach.

[pbrown]

It it me or does that car look high in the front. Look at the front fender gap.

I have not seen a tank like that.

[RJacobsen]

Zack, what are the numbers on the tank?

[Brent]

The exterior looks original but the engine compartment????

[JeepSnake]

Here's some info to shed light on the questions...

Wheels/tires: Tires were only 215/55 series, greatly increasing the air space between tires & fenders. I think it would look much better with a proper 1960's sidewall aspect ratio in the 75 - 80 range, keeping the narrow width.

Engine compartment: I'll post more photos tonight, but it was quasi-original. The owner said that the original 289 is safely tucked away at home, and that he had this 289 built (by Cobra Restorers in 1993, per the receipt in the scrapbook) for driving & track time. It is an early 5-bolt engine, however. The radiator had recently been replaced or totally rebuilt, and the heater was not hooked up. (I don't know if it had been removed completely, but the firewall holes where the hoses would normally pass through had little covers on them, so someone made an effort to do it right.) The car had ceramic-coated headers that looked to be of relatively recent vintage, and the windshield washer reservoir was a hard, clear plastic piece similar to what's available in parts stores (don't know what was original???).

In brief, it looked like an original car that the guy kept in good driving condition, without being a slave to "concours correct." But, nothing was out of order that couldn't be returned to factory specs with just minor work.

Like I said, I didn't get a chance to meet the owner & talk one-on-one. He seemed like a nice guy, but he was literally mobbed by about 10 real know it alls. Some were telling him everything that was "wrong" with the car. There were the ones who had "owned one of the real big block cars" that they bought "from their uncle's boss for only $1500, then sold that piece of **** during the oil crunch for just $200." And then there were the ones that just showed outright hostile jealousy with comments like, "Guess you got things pretty easy to have car like that, dontcha?" Take any comment you've ever heard at a car show, multiply it by about 10, and that's what the guy was hearing.

Anyhow, I've since discovered who exactly owns the car, and hope to get to talk to him sometime without a crowd around. I'm interested in the story behind the car as much as anything.

Rod - I'll look at the high-resolution original photo when I get home tonight to see if I can make out the numbers on the tank.

[K.Wilson]

Zach
The expansion tank is from a early 60's Lincoln with a 462 motor. The 462 was used prior to the 460 (385 block) motor. The 462 was unique in that the top of the block was machined at a 15 degree angle to form a "wedge" so that the heads could be made without a combustion chamber as the valve relief was accomplished by the angle at the top of the block vs the combustion chamber/valve relief being cast into the head. The heads looked strange because the valves sat flat on top of the head.
I guess that is a long way of saying that the tanK came from a 462 Lincoln motor.

[migge]

Please send the pics:-)

Regards
Michael

[migge]

I don't know if someone has posted, but on www.csxinfo.net (http://www.csxinfo.net)
you will find information/pics about original cars.

Saw this pic and the expansion tank looks familar:
http://www.csxinfo.net/web/modules/xcgal/displayimage.php?pid=826&album=123&pos=7

Cheers
Michael

[JeepSnake]

Sorry for being away from this thread for so long; the wife & I took a little trip last week and I've been away from the computer. We did stop by Unique's shop though!

Keith, you are correct. The Weavers actually have one of the style tanks that was used to manufacture the tank shown in the photo. The smooth Lincoln/Thunderbird tank still bolted to the t-stat housing and had the outlet for the upper radiator hose (like a later FE tank). However, examining it closely, it was easy to tell how it could be modified during assembly for use in the Cobra. I'm going to have to check out more about the MEL engine, as well. That (non-perpendicular deck, etc.) sounds just like the philosophy behind the 348-409-427 W-series Chevy big blocks.

Michael - yes, the tank in the photo you linked to is identical to the tank in the car I looked at. But, beware of what passes as "original" in those photos as well. The distributor in that photo is waaaaay newer than the rest of that Cobra. Either ~1980's TFI distributor has been swapped into that engine, or the TFI cap adapter & cap have been installed on a vintage distributor to prevent crossfire and allow those big diameter Ford racing wires to be used. Which all seems to be a bit of a moot point, because that appears to be a regular old '60s vintage yellow-top Ford coil. Why bother swapping on those parts without upgrading the coil to take advantage? Maybe somebody makes a hot coil that looks like a yellow top???

I'll try to remember to post more photos tonight. I better make myself a note, or there's no hope of my remembering!!!

[JeepSnake]

Here's the best closeup I have of the tag on the expansion tank, as well as the street dash detail. What are the heater & light switches & knobs from, a Falcon or Mustang? They have that look about them.

Oh, and check out how the rearview mirror screws come through the body lip in front of the dash, with acorn nuts on them.

[pbrown]

I have a 62 Falcon in the garage and the lighter, key, and two knobs to the right look just like that.

[RJacobsen]

Zack, The only numbers on the tank that make any sense to me is the 8266. That could be the base number for Ford expansion tanks. Any 8000 number is cooling related. K.Wilson sound like the authority on this one. Didn't the 462 also have the power steering pump somehow mounted to the crankshaft?

[will butterworth]

it over best i could,belongs to dr. sistrunk, carrollton ga., like Zach said, never heard so many experts espousing great first hand knowledge --of course owning, or brother-uncle had one.Me thinks our replica,s look better .Will-alabama