Quote:
Originally Posted by Harpoon PV2
The 221 myth wont die! When Barrie Bird of Scotland, was looking for a small block Ford for his repatriated CSX2003, he approached AC to buy the prototype engine. When he got it back to his shop and took the heads off, they were amazed how good it was, then they measured the bores. It came out to 4.2 liters, or 260ci. Ford didn't bother to tell either Shelby or AC! Not the last time they would do that, they didn't tell either, that the big block chassis were suppose to be longer, thus ruining all that great computer designed rear end suspension! Cheers, Dennis
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Barrie sent me pictures of the intake manifold from his engine and it is a 1963 model year 260 4V intake manifold design. It does not have a SK or XE engineering casting number on it visible in the over head view picture. Barrie’s intake does not have the key design detail of the 1962 design Ford Fairlane iron intake manifolds. It looks like a 4V version of the 221/260 2V intake manifold introduced in the summer of 1962 for the 1963 model year. No, that does not hint at when it was made and intakes were not date stamped when they were machined.
The big issue for us to understand is the timing of cylinder block manufacture. Engines and their subsequent history begin there. Barrie never sent me the casting number, the block casting date, or the engine assembly date (if it has not been milled off) from the block he has. The prototype 260 engine cylinder blocks dates we know of were cast in late March 1962. XHP-260-4’s cylinder block was cast March 27, 1962. It was not announced that the Ford 260 2V engine was available for dealers to start ordering in new cars until February 17, 1962.
SAAC reports that CSX2000 was a running car in February 1962 and one of the books in my Cobra related library reports CSX2000 without engine or transmission was sent by air to Shelby February 16, 1962.
If Barrie were to provide the casting engineering number, casting date, and assembly date (if it has not been milled off) from his engine this might be understood better.
See also:
Dave Friedman’s “SHELBY AMERICAN UP CLOSE AND BEHIND THE SCENES 1962-1965: THE VENICE YEARS” pages 12-14 that covers the 221 c.i.d. engine subject and has pictures of CSX2000 under construction in England with the engine Mr. Shelby sent to them in the chassis. From a direct Don Frye [Ford Motor Company] quote, “…Dave [edit - Dave Evans of Ford Motor Company] had sent a couple of our old 221-cubic-inch engines to Carroll [edit- summer 1961] and by the time I met Carroll, Shelby had shipped one of the engines to AC Cars in England to work out the installation in what was to become the first Cobra.” The engine in the car has a Ford 2100 2V carburetor.