Quote:
Originally Posted by DMXF
I received some photos awhile ago of what is supposedly being claimed as the original engine from the car. It has EDC heads, aftermarket 1x4 intake, oil pan, balancer, 390 timing pointer, bolts, etc and the part number on the block - while rare and early - is not what was typically delivered in SC cars. I somehow doubt any of the internal components are original Ford either. So, even if in some remote probability the block is the original, I wouldn't say that the "motor" is original... |
Well, if you got "some photos awhile ago of what is supposedly being claimed as the original engine" then by golly I'll have to defer to you.
Could be a matter of semantics, but I usually go by the block and sometimes the heads when I refer to "original" or when discussions turn to whether "numbers match", and yes...I'm guilty of using "engine" and motor" interchangeably.
I can only go by discussions with George Harm (the original owner of Dick's car when Dick was the driver); Joe Boghosian...whom I've known since I was a little kid in the 60s when he would 'modify' Armenian farmers' pickups for racing down vineyard roads, including my Dad's...and who did the 198's 'motors' for decades and later built my motor; Ken Christensen and his dad...who were the only ones to turn a wrench (other than the motors...done by Joe) on 198 after Gordon did the refresh...
...and...eh...knowing Dick as my client's pilot who flew me around the damn State for...oh, I don't know...since 79 several times a year for hours on end when we were the only two in the Commander when I cared more about Vettes than hearing this guy keep going on and on about freeking Cobras and flying military VIPs around some bad places...and then hours at Joe's or Ken's talking about the car and races and later...him telling me about some crazy basturds from Jersey who tried to kill him at VIR.
But heh...you got some pictures that you're looking at, so again, I'll defer to you.
...and yes...duh...he raced the damn thing instead of letting it be some pretty face sitting around in a garage...just like Bruce and others use them, so more than a few things changed on the original 'motor'...hell, I think he even changed the
oil once or twice and probably the plugs. There were several old blocks that Joe used in the rotation (always wanted Dick to use a modern Shebly block for racing, but Dick wouldn't do it) so I have no clue what the pictures are of that you are refering to, and i do not know whether Heather has the original block now...I just know Dick (and Joe) had it before Dick left us.
