1963 - 289 Rocker Covers

[crendonman427sc]

Hi Guys,

Anyone have any idea what Type and Colour rocker covers were used by the 1963-64 FIA Competition Cars. I believe most used simple pressed metal covers.

However, I have read so far Black, Light Grey, Gold and Red colours have been mentioned!

I am thinking maybe Light Grey as the Block will be painted Black.

Is there a specific colour I can use or is it just a free for all??

Will be running Weber 48IDA's.

Thanks in advance.

David

[Mark IV]

Most were painted a silver color, Ford "Argent". The Argent spray paint is still available via Ford parts under part number PM 19K207 AA

[Karl Bebout]

David, in case you have not yet bought your covers, you might consider what I did. Speedway has stamped steel covers that come with two filler/vent tubes on one and none on the other. I bought two pair and used the ones with the vents, sold the non vented ones at a swap meet. The tubes are not as tall as original and do not have the gusseting reinforcement as I think the originals had, but I think they look good and do a good job. I did weld 3//8" nipples onto the rear tubes, to which I use a PCV valve Tee'd into both. I discovered that the pipe plugs on my Weber manifold were not for water temp sending units, but were a good 12" vacuum source. My 2¢ worth.

[CompClassics]

Early 260 / 289 competition valve covers had two breather tubes per valve cover and were painted (black) or clear cadmium plated. Later FIA valve covers had the single tube breathers and were clear cadmium plated. If the history is accurate and the Cobra is as removed from the race track in 1965, CSX2345 has stock Hipo chrome stamped steel valve covers.

As brought to my attention and a fact that I had forgotten was that CSX2155 had stock stamped steel valve covers that were painted gold by the Ford factory.

[Tom Howland]

Karl,
You mention pipe plugs being a vacuum source on your Weber manafold. Does your manafold have a plentum underneath? If so do you find it easier to tune? Thank you.

[Karl Bebout]

Hi Tom, there is a plenum fed by small vacuum passages from each venture so each "barrel" still has to be individually tuned.

[Karl Bebout]

David, if you haven't bought your Webers yet, you may want to consider that 48's may well be too big for a SBF, unless its stroked out a whole lot. My 44IDFs are more than adequate for my mini-motor.

[CompClassics]

SAI utilized both 48 IDM and 48 IDA Weber systems on the engines they built. Both systems were very tunable for small block Ford applications and can be used on bib block applications as well. 48s have als been used successfully on four cylinder VW and Porsche engines as well. I know of several stock to mildly built Ford small block engines that run 48 IDA Weber systems. Yes, the 48 Webers might be challenging to properly tune but the performance gain once dialed in is awesome!

[Dan Case]

Originally Posted by CompClassics

SAI utilized both 48 IDM and 48 IDA Weber systems on the engines they built. Both systems were very tunable for small block Ford applications and can be used on bib block applications as well. 48s have als been used successfully on four cylinder VW and Porsche engines as well. I know of several stock to mildly built Ford small block engines that run 48 IDA Weber systems. Yes, the 48 Webers might be challenging to properly tune but the performance gain once dialed in is awesome!

Part of tunable means several sizes of factory and aftermarket "chokes" (slip in main venturi) can be swapped in and out. The flow "size" can be changed dramatically to suit driver tastes, altitudes, fuel mixes, engine size, and degree of other modifications from inlet air temperature to size and lengths of exhaust components. Of course there is an near limitless set of combinations of fuel jets, air bleeds, air horn heights (two different ones Cobra wise 1964-65), different inlet valve sizes, different auxiliary venturi sizes, and different auxiliary venturi designs (A style for Porsches was claimed to help signal strength as camshaft designs got more aggressive.) to go along with "tuning" for different engines and conditions.

[Gaz64]

Originally Posted by Dan Case

Part of tunable means several sizes of factory and aftermarket "chokes" (slip in main venturi) can be swapped in and out. The flow "size" can be changed dramatically to suit driver tastes, altitudes, engine size, and degree of other modifications from inlet air temperature to size and lengths of exhaust components. Of course there is an near limitless set of combinations of fuel jets and air bleeds to go along with "tuning" for different engines and conditions.

Yes, that's correct.

Factory choke size is 37mm.

48s are fine on mild 289s to near wild BBs.

You can 45 chokes for 48s, which is just like a sleeve.

[Karl Bebout]

My thought was just that if the carbs had not yet been bought, why go with the larger 48s that may need de-tuning choke size reduction.

[tgandy]

Originally Posted by Karl Bebout

David, in case you have not yet bought your covers, you might consider what I did. Speedway has stamped steel covers that come with two filler/vent tubes on one and none on the other. I bought two pair and used the ones with the vents, sold the non vented ones at a swap meet. The tubes are not as tall as original and do not have the gusseting reinforcement as I think the originals had, but I think they look good and do a good job. I did weld 3//8" nipples onto the rear tubes, to which I use a PCV valve Tee'd into both. I discovered that the pipe plugs on my Weber manifold were not for water temp sending units, but were a good 12" vacuum source. My 2¢ worth.

Hey Karlos, I found the valve covers at Speedway. Great idea. From what I've seen in my research, not all covers had the gussets and not all were tall. Here's a picture of the engine of CSX2137, a 1963 Cobra Le Mans.

https://shelbyamericancollection.org...137-Engine.jpg


Thanks!

[1985 CCX]

Early car, keep in mind its changed some over the years....

[CompClassics]

Yep, it should have 48IDMs and an opposed intake manifold.

[tgandy]

Originally Posted by CompClassics

Yep, it should have 48IDMs and an opposed intake manifold.

The European FIA Roadsters started out with the Weber 48IDM, but by the time they were completed, specifications had been updated slightly to include the 48IDA. (World Registry of Cobras & GT40s 4th Edition, page 374)

If I were building a period correct 289FIA, I'd use the 48IDA.

[tgandy]

Originally Posted by CompClassics

Yep, it should have 48IDMs and an opposed intake manifold.

The European FIA Roadsters started out with the Weber 48IDM, but by the time they were completed, specifications had been updated slightly to include the 48IDA. (World Registry of Cobras & GT40s 4th Edition, page 374)

If I were building a period correct 289FIA, I'd use the 48IDA.

[Bill D]

I wonder if anyone makes one of those aluminum turkey pans for a Weber setup with opposing Webers

[1985 CCX]

John Bessey

[Karl Bebout]

Is that a tach drive off the generator? WTF? There were electronic Tachs back then, weren't there? Sun with a sending unit box?
Also, is that a 5th breather cap beside the generator, by the dip stick?

[Dan Case]

Originally Posted by Karl Bebout

Is that a tach drive off the generator? WTF? There were electronic Tachs back then, weren't there? Sun with a sending unit box?
Also, is that a 5th breather cap beside the generator, by the dip stick?

Yes, early Cobras used Lucas® race prepared tachometer drive generator supplied by AC Cars with the chassis. The original assemblies had one of a couple of different large diameter one piece cast aluminum fan and sheave for high rpm use. I believe AC Cars and or Ken Rudd had used the same type racing generator system on ACEs and RS2.6s before Cobras. Very few early cars still have their original generator with large diameter cast aluminum fan/sheave. There was a gear box that was assembled between the generator and cable. (I believe that COB/COX60xx cars for the British and European markets used the Lucas tachometer drive generator assembly and large cast aluminum style fan / sheave all the way through the end of production with 289 engines. Roger can you confirm?)

At some point after CSX2061 and by CSX2080 chassis started receiving a Ford electrically operated tachometer. The hole the instrument panel cut for a Smiths tachometer was too large for the Ford instrument so special stepped steel adpater rings painted gloss black were used to make the smaller outer diameter Ford instrument "fit".

Early XHP-260 powered Cobra unrestored with intact racing Lucas generator.




AC Cars supplied the Lucas generators, a custom fabricated mounting bracket, and an adjustable slip arm to v-belt tension adjustment. Those early charging systems are associated with early cars originally fitted with either a XHP-260 or HP260 engine. The introduction of HP289 engines at the beginning of March 1963 brought in the Ford charging system Ford used in Fairlanes with HP289 engines.

1962 (XHP-260 and HP260) engines and 1963 HP289 engines did not have any accessory ports in rocker arm covers as Ford built them. Crankcase ventilation and oil fill was through an oil fill tube in the timing cover. Ford (and Cobra) wise the oil fill location in street engines was moved to a rocker arm cover and the oil fill tube in the timing cover was eliminated for the 1964 model year. The hole Ford made in the front wall of the lifter valley to create a path between timing cover oil fill / breather was soon dropped from production. If one uses a 1962-63 oil fill/ventilation through the timing system on a 1964 or later model year engine block a hole must be drilled in the front wall of the lifter valley UNLESS you find a service block that Ford drilled the passage and then pressed a core plug into it. If a core plug is present it can be knocked out to allow use of the timing cover fill/ventilation system.

For race engines Shelby American added one or more ventilation features. Every engine and car was a similar but different subject as drivers and subteams of mechanics had different preferences. Said another way each set of modified rocker arm covers were usually just a little different than any other set. Items like oil pans and rocker arm covers were modified by different people at different times under different sets of preferences as required. It was not like ordering production or assembly line parts from a catalog. Mechanics made what they wanted as they needed it. For restoring original race cars it would be a historical mistake to have every car from every period use the exact same rocker arm covers today.

Even the way original Shelby American race shop modified steel rocker arm covers were finished varied: some where painted silver, some were painted dull black, some where painted high gloss black, and later ones usually bright cadmium plated. Some engines used either standard Ford painted (CSX2155 for example) or Ford chrome plated dress up (CSX2345 for example) oil fill covers on both sides. At least some of the Dragonsnakes used 1964 version cast aluminum COBRA POWERED BY FORD oil fill side rocker arm covers on both sides of their engines.

Also no "Cobra" subject is simple !