How original is this engine bay?

[user 8213]

Hi all, new to the forum and hoping I can get some feedback from the experts! Currently looking at a 71 Mach 1 429 CJ ram air. The car was restored 10 years ago and I wanted to check how original the state of the engine bay is. From my own research, it looks like the air cleaner isn't original, and it's missing its smog gear - but could be wrong. It's got factory power steering and apparently had AC added during the restoration - the gear looks to be Ford period-correct. Is anyone able to look over the pics and give me their feedback?

 

[mjlan]

I'm not an expert on these cars but have done some research into 429's.

If you have not found it yet, a great resource is what we call the Megasite:

http://429mustangcougarinfo.50megs.com/
That engine bay looks pretty clean! Is it a CJ or SCJ? I ask because only the SCJ cars (a CJ became an SCJ when 3.91 or 4.11 Drag Pak rear gears were ordered) cam with smog equipment because they had Holley carbs. CJ cars came with Rochester carbs and were able to meet emissions without smog gear. I agree that the air cleaner looks a little funky, the Megasite has a alot of good info about the air cleaner assembly for 429's.

 

[Stanglover]

I have a pic of a friends 429CJ "J" code that is a numbers car and shows what he believes is the correct original air cleaner.
The problem is I took the pic on my phone which was in "heic" format and can't upload it as is here. I was unable to find a way to convert it, so if anyone can help with a way to post, I'm all eyes. What a ridiculous format!! Funny thing is, shortly after, Samsung must have changed the pic format in an upgrade. All the pics I take now are in jpg.

EDIT: Found it!! Just needed to edit the original pic and re-save as jpg.
Also I note that the decal on the lid may not be correct and has been added.

 

[Kilgon]

Welcome from Ohio. Overall, the engine bay looks pretty original, but I can't answer your question. If you don't mind, can you post some pics of the rest of the car.

 

[Mac]

Hi all, new to the forum and hoping I can get some feedback from the experts! Currently looking at a 71 Mach 1 429 CJ ram air. The car was restored 10 years ago and I wanted to check how original the state of the engine bay is. From my own research, it looks like the air cleaner isn't original, and it's missing its smog gear - but could be wrong. It's got factory power steering and apparently had AC added during the restoration - the gear looks to be Ford period-correct. Is anyone able to look over the pics and give me their feedback?

Note: The air cleaner lid did not have a decal with engine size (the one shown in picture is from the 1969/1970 cars). Ford placed the engine size on the outside of the hood next to the twin air inlets on the NASA hood, missing the "Battery OK" sticker next to the battery and missing the F, B, P & T letter sitckers that denotes, "Fit, Body, Paint & Trim" were acceptable.

Mac

 

[c9zx]

Based on what I think is the fuel line at the carb, it appears to have a Holley carb (SCJ). Idle stop solenoid or dash pot is missing from carb, snorkel is not correct, battery "L" bracket to fender apron is missing, oil fill/PCV cap should be black. Check for VIN on block. Good link as others have said. Chuck http://429mustangcougarinfo.50megs.com/engine_compartment_detailing.htm

 

[user 8213]

Thanks for the replies all. To clarify, it's a J code car. So overall it sounds like there's no major issues here. I didn't realize the smog gear was reserved for the SCJ only. Does anyone have any ideas what the air cleaner is from? I've been searching and can't find any matches. Sounds like the original Rochester carb may have been swapped too. I'll have to clarify that with the owner. How easy/hard are these to come by these days?

One other thing I'll bring up - they're claiming it's the original engine and transmission, but the pics of the VIN stamped on both doesn't match the VIN of the car. Most obvious explanation is that it's not the original engine/trans. However, the numbers are so close: The VIN of the car ends with a 1 while the engine/trans ends with a 3. The rest of the numbers match. Is there any plausible explanation for this besides it being a swap?

 

[c9zx]

It is not rare to have a mis-stamped, backwards, upside down, or missing number on this era of cars. Remember a human was doing this by hand. Or, you could be correct. Chuck

 

[user 8213]

Given the VIN on the engine/trans is so close to the VIN on the car, I want to believe it's original. I just can't imagine finding an engine/trans combo with a VIN so close, and why would you even bother in the first place. I didn't know how plausible it was that it could be mis-stamped.

 

[machphil]

I have a pic of a friends 429CJ "J" code that is a numbers car and shows what he believes is the correct original air cleaner.
The problem is I took the pic on my phone which was in "heic" format and can't upload it as is here. I was unable to find a way to convert it, so if anyone can help with a way to post, I'm all eyes. What a ridiculous format!! Funny thing is, shortly after, Samsung must have changed the pic format in an upgrade. All the pics I take now are in jpg.

EDIT: Found it!! Just needed to edit the original pic and re-save as jpg.
Also I note that the decal on the lid may not be correct and has been added.

This may be an original air cleaner body but it is not the original snorkel.

 

[machphil]

Hi all, new to the forum and hoping I can get some feedback from the experts! Currently looking at a 71 Mach 1 429 CJ ram air. The car was restored 10 years ago and I wanted to check how original the state of the engine bay is. From my own research, it looks like the air cleaner isn't original, and it's missing its smog gear - but could be wrong. It's got factory power steering and apparently had AC added during the restoration - the gear looks to be Ford period-correct. Is anyone able to look over the pics and give me their feedback?

The air cleaner on the 351C had a seal mounting flange that was offset towards the front of the main body to center the seal in the hood due to the 351C shorter length. The 429 seal mounting flange would have been centered on the air cleaner body. I can't tell for sure from your photo but this may be a 351C air cleaner. Don't lose the snorkel. It is correct.

 

[Stanglover]

This may be an original air cleaner body but it is not the original snorkel.

Not owning a 429 myself, I did some checking and you're right. I'll have to tell my friend. I'm sure that is the way he bought the car though.
I know my pic is very fuzzy, but I also noticed that the snorkel does not have the heat tube connected, which would be present with the vacuum controlled warm air system.
I also noticed that the "C" code has a thermal pellet controlled warm air system, but the pic shown on the 429 megasite for the "J" code does not appear to have the warm air tube. The pic is too small to be sure. Was that due to the region where the car was to be sold? Warmer climate versus colder, I don't know for sure. However, I find this interesting.
One thing is for sure and that is my friend will be looking for a correct inlet.

 

[cjstaci]

As mentioned previously in this thread, go to the 429 mustang/cougar megasite. You will find detailed info on everything.
It’s hard to see all the details on my phone but from what I can see the snorkel is not correct, you can tell by the mounting flange. The air cleaner lid should be centered within the base. There should be two holes in the air cleaner base just to the rear of the snorkel, one for the breather filter and one for the hose to the valve cover. PCV should be on the drivers side. I don’t believe there should be a rubber plug on the driver side of the air cleaner base. The fuel line obviously wrong. The circuit breaker connected to the relay should be mounted on the fender apron. I would look at the rev limiter to see if it is real or a dummy unit.
The 429 megasite will answer all of your questions.
Staci

 

[lectricegg]

It is very possible that during assembly something happened to the original engine. I dont know when they stamp the number, but it is probably early in engine assembly. Maybe a bolt stripped, maybe the engine was dropped. They would have grabbed the next engine because they wouldn't shut that line down. However, i always thought they put an asterisk at the end of the number to note some kind of change.

 

[user 8213]

Something else I've noticed when looking at other engine bays is it appears to be missing everything for the washer setup. The hoses, nozzles - looks like the only thing still there is the washer bottle. Is it easy enough to replace this? I can see hose kits on Ebay, but it looks like it would need the nozzles, some clips, the gromet that goes into the hood too.

 

[Hemikiller]

Hose is wrapped in the engine bay harness, exits by the brake booster. I can see the wires to the pump and the feed hose at the bottom of the reservoir. Hood hoses and nozzles are MIA as you noted.

Some of the fasteners are incorrect, or have incorrect finishes. Shock tower braces look to have been rattle canned with battleship grey. Water pump bypass hose and clamps should be engine color. Lots of other things as others have noted, so it's a restored engine bay, not "original".

 

[user 8213]

Would there be a bit of effort/money involved in getting all these little things sorted out?

Here's a link to the car: https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/de...mach-1-cobra-jet-manual/OAG-AD-20835404/?Cr=7

I'm still undecided if I want to pursue it.

 

[Hemikiller]

The car itself is very far from original and was heavily "optioned up" during restoration. I see that AC, stereo speakers, full console, a tach, the stripes, spoilers, Magnums and power windows were all added. The car was changed from V code Light Pewter Metallic to code 3 Bright Red. They also had Marti change the door tag paint code, which I really don't agree with. Kinda weird that the Marti Report is blurred out.

My only concern is the 72-up dash with the seat belt warning lamp. why would someone use that? It's pretty obvious a donor car was involved in the restoration. You can swap the dash trim panel, that's an easy fix. My main concern is what else from the donor car did they use?

If you're looking for a very original car, this isn't it.

If, on the other hand, you're looking for what appears to be a nicely restored and well equipped 429CJ Ram Air car, then this might be for you. I would do my due diligence and dig deep into this car, bring in a knowledgable person with regards to panel stampings and date codes.

 

[donkost]

Curious if you ever made a move on this particular car. There weren't a whole lot of these made, and as long as the core components on the car check out you could take care of the remaining details over time. I'm not a fan of complete color changes, but if the paint work was done well then you just decide if it's appealing to you. I'd be interested in knowing if that rev limiter is real or a dummy. It's a super-rare part and missing on my J-code 4 speed. Many were removed back in the day because people wanted to go a bit over the factory rev limit after adding performance parts. It's supposed to have the RPM limit stamped on it, which for a CJ should be 5800 RPM (solid-lifter SCJ was 6150 RPM).

 

[user 8213]

Curious if you ever made a move on this particular car. There weren't a whole lot of these made, and as long as the core components on the car check out you could take care of the remaining details over time. I'm not a fan of complete color changes, but if the paint work was done well then you just decide if it's appealing to you. I'd be interested in knowing if that rev limiter is real or a dummy. It's a super-rare part and missing on my J-code 4 speed. Many were removed back in the day because people wanted to go a bit over the factory rev limit after adding performance parts. It's supposed to have the RPM limit stamped on it, which for a CJ should be 5800 RPM (solid-lifter SCJ was 6150 RPM).

I kept going back and forth on whether to pursue it, but I ultimately didn't. I'm after something that's original specification - I don't mind if it's been restored or has repro parts, but I want original options and matching number ideally. This car was far from original spec, and while it could be returned mostly to original over time, there was the repaint that would be a big expense. The engine/trans were advertised as being original, but the pics of the VIN on both were sequentally one number off, and I could never find a logical explanation for it.

The car was also being sold by a dealer, so I didn't have a direct access to ask these sort of things to the seller. My feeling is it was never sold and they gave up after having it advertised for months and the seller might try again in the new year. At which time I'll probably go back and forth again on whether to pursue it!