QuestionQUESTION: I am looking at a 1965 mustang It appears to be a 289 2 barrel but has " Cobra" valve covers on it Is there a way to tell what the engine is other than from the engine code? This is a C code
ANSWER: If the car has the original engine, the engine code in the VIN will tell you what it is. If someone has fiddled with it, though, there is no way to tell by looking at the engine that I can think of. I doubt very much that anyone would have put a 2 bbl carburetor and intake manifold on a Cobra engine.
Much more likely is that someone who previously owned the car came across some valve covers with COBRA on them, and since those valve covers will bolt on to any small block Ford, they simply swapped them for the originals to impress their friends. The "C" indicates a 2bbl 289 with hydraulic lifters. A "K" code engine has solid lifters, which you would probably hear at idle, and also the idle speed would be higher and somewhat lumpy.
Dick
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QUESTION: Thanks for the response I have one question ? Construction equipment. I love it thatnks again for the help
AnswerI agree with you there. I have an old John Deere Dozer (1010 diesel crawler) with 6 way blade and ripper bar, which I rebuilt about 20 years ago - and while it is small, it can do just about anything I need it to do. The only difference between what you can do with a small 'dozer and what you can do with a big one is the amount of time it takes to get it done. When I did the grading for our home, I moved rocks as big as Buicks out of the way, and moved about 50 Cu Yds of earth to grade off the land (don't tell the county!).
I also had at that time an International 460 Backhoe/Loader - big 6 cylinder diesel (which I also rebuilt) - the old 16 lever type backhoe, not the modern "one hand does it all" type, which are much easier to run. I did all the forms trenches, pipe line trenches etc. with it, using various buckets (we live in a VERY rocky area). I miss it a lot, the backhoe is one of the most versatile machines you can own. The only problem with a backhoe is that when using the loader part of the machine, you have a large, loose, swinging weight hanging off the back, which makes handling (steering, stopping) a bit of a problem.
I recently sold my Massey-Ferguson 205 skip loader, which I used to grade our ranch roads (we live way out in the country, on 32 acres), but it wasn't being used much anymore, and just sat. A friend wanted it so it is gone now to northern CA - so when I need to grade our roads I borrow one from my neighbor. Now, at age 75, I'm just down to my 'dozer and a garden tractor, plus my little Daihatsu truck, which is my usual transportation around the place (not street legal).
Oh - I almost forgot my Pettibone (4 wheel drive, 4 wheel steering, giant ex-military fork lift). Now at a friend's gold mine, doing yeoman duty for him. I have picked up semi trailers with that -in fact my storage buildings are semi-trailers which it held in the air while I cut the undercarriage out from under them, so they sit on the ground and I drive cars into them. That thing is almost as strong as a tank retriever -and fun to drive in the bargain with the 4 wheel steering, which has three modes - you can go crab wise (rears steer the same way as the fronts) or super quick turning (rears steer opposite of the fronts) or normal (rears fixed straight ahead).
Finally, I have to mention my truck collection - starting with my '52 F-2 tow truck (very useful for an old car collector), and then my 4X4 ex army Ford F260 (no,that's not a typo- the 260 was a Super Duty 3/4 ton pickup), then a bunch of mid 60s ford pickups - one I restored for my son (66 F250 Camper Special) and 2 parts trucks, one a stake body. I also have recently sold my 2 Studebaker trucks - a 62 Champ 6 cylinder 1/2 ton longbed step side, and my 49 1 1/2 ton tow truck.
But I guess those aren't really what you'd call construction equipment.
That'll teach you to ask an old man about his hobby! It's like trying to get a sip of water from a fire hose.
Dick (DickB@sdccu.net)
