BOY am i glad to hear that bit of news
there are MANY of us bulletbird owners who have been looking for these headers for a long time
how much are they going to cost if you know
i am on a t bird list and will post this info to them ASAP
FLASH

Stan, you d'man! They'll be a tad anemic, but somewhat better than manifolds.

Todays email correspondence:
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From:ValveTubeHead
Sent: Fri 2/28/2003 4:00 PM
To: 'FordPowert@aol.com'
Subject: RE: '61-'63 Tbird Headers

Any verdict judge?
...the crowd hushes
Matt
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From: FordPowert@aol.com
Sent: Fri 2/28/2003 6:40 PM
To: ValveTubeHead
Subject: Re: '61-'63 Tbird Headers

We, the members of the jury,- - - - - -in our best effort to avoid a mis trial, have asked the judge to have our heads examined for taking on such an S.O.B. of a Job ! However, we aim to please so, we move on from here. The verdict became clear that a version of a "shorty" is the worlds only hope. That steering box and moreover, pitman arm at full left turn, leaves nothing for space. We will plan on a 1 3/4 primary shorty but the collector will have to be 2 1/2" and no larger.It will certainly be better by a far cry, than a stock manifold choice but it is very clear why no one has attempted this before. We should have the prototype in 10 days and a cost. Orders should be completed in about 6 weeks.Keep in touch.
Best Regards,
Stan F.P.A.
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n/m

I just picked up two sets on EDC heads came off '58 Edsel 361s. The first set did not have the expansion plugs but did have the machined combustion chambers. The second set had no expansion plugs and cast chambers.

n/m

These great looking FE covers first showed up on '65 Merc 390 - 4Vs. They were run on full size Merc 390-4V, 410 & 428s through 1966. I've never seen them stock chrome plated though. The '65s were red on black engines; '66 went the Ford Blue.

Absolutely mate the engine and trans and install together. As to the headers, it is usually easier to have the headers hanging in the engine bay before you plop the engine in there but it can also be difficult if you don't have some help in moving the headers around to keep them out of the way of the engine. You will probably not be able to install the engine with the headers attached. I've never run into any situation where this could be done with full-length headers.

My FPA try-y's in '69 mach1 went like this. I removed the engine, chased the threads with a btm tap and put heil-coils in all the top threads as they were about rusted away. trial fit the headers & gaskets on the engine while on the stand. the goal is to get all the bolts in by 2 fingers. I then put the engine mounts on. I trimed some part of the metal off the mount as it was allmost touching one of the pipes, I don't recall which side. I strongly recomend getting new mounts if yours are old and deformed/splitting. I also ground a little off the bottom rear left edge of the block, right below where clutch pivot would go as the one pipe was just touching the block. I just could not beat dents in those new headers with the $200 ceramic coating. Now for the fun part. you need as much room to work in, but there is none so you got to make it. remove the frame mounts and master cylinder. next time I will remove the bolt in cross member, outer tie rod ends, idler arm, pitman arm and power ram. Put the engine back in with the drivers side hedder laying in the car. bolt the transmission on, C6, loosen the rear tran. mount hang the engine from the hoist, go up and over as far as you can and bolt the header on. most bolts are done from below. remember 2 fingers! swing to the other side and repeat. the pass. side header goes in from below. Install the engine mounts and check for clearance on the top bolts for 1,3,5,7 and the steering box. For those cylinders I ground down the bolt heads for extra clearance on my big block shock towers and still put shims between the engine bracket and rubber mounts to get the clearance I was happy with, about 3/16" shim. The starter goes in from below with the idler arm unbolted and the 3 bolts go in from the top. I suggest making a bracket to go in the bolt holes just above the pan rail on pass. side to hold the starter cable away from the header. do this while on the engine stand. I might have left out some choice words or 3 but I do like my headers w/o running aground etc. Courtney Bolze.

I just did a 68 Montego with a 428 CJ / C-6

Bolt them on the motor full up, all bolts tightened up, completely tight and D-O-N-E.

If the tranny is in it, leave it in there, if its, out, leave it out

Swing the motor in, and voila, all you have left are the mounts and the starter

If the tranny isnt in yet, roll it up on a floor jack and there you go. Those headers are awesome

One thing that would help, drop the sway bar, it'll help you bring the motor in starighter without the oil pan hitting

These arent Supercomps though, bolt them up and swing the whole thing in, they are awesome

The engine used in '69 Mustangs and Cougars is just like a Galaxie 390-4V except for having different exhaust manifolds to fit the small body cars.

For that matter there is precious little important differences in the earlier 390 GT engine other than the cam and valve springs. The big difference was the Holley 600CFM carb used on GT versions.

The factory camshaft part number should be unimportant since none are available from Ford. The original part number for 390GT is C60Z-6250-B. It's a pretty mild camshaft by today's standards.

Royce

The Mustang GT was still available as an option in 1969, but the 390GT engine had been obsoleted due to the excessive cost of the GT engine.

Since the 428CJ was now available, there was no longer any need to sell the expensive Thermactor emissions package on the "second tier" engine. Removing Thermactor necessitated the removal of the GT camshaft, because the high lobe overlap allowed some raw fuel to spill directly from the intake valve out the exhaust, necessitating an exhaust gas reactor to meet the more stringent emissions requirements of 1968.

Note that in 1966-67 only California 390GT engines required Thermactor, but in 1968 all US 390GT engines required Thermactor.

To further the economization of the 390GT engine for 1969, the Holley was removed in favor of a lower cost Autolite carb.

The 390IP was necessary to make the 390 engine competitive in price with 2nd tier performance offerings from the other car makers.

JMO,
Shoe.

You're getting into higher voltage electronic ignition range there, Courtney. You may find that with plug gaps that wide that under high cylinder pressure, the plug blows out. With a points-type ignition, all of your components have to be in top-knotch shape to hold up under that wide a gap.

A more reliable route may be to go with stock gaps...around .030. While wider gaps do expose the mixture to a larger area of the flame kernel, it doesn't much improvement with a misfire.

you have an electronic ignition there, not points. You would be the best to determine if what you have is working. Plug gaps are a trail and error thing. Basically, as wide as possible is best IF it nevers misfires; meaning as long as it can jump the gap.

That is the same gap that I am running on my plugs with my Duraspark distributor.

At the angle the plug goes in it could be a lot longer and still not get close to the piston.

Royce

The 429/460 gets away with using the same two bolts, but the triangulation support created by the FE's three bolt geometry is very comforting.

You may be on the right track with two fresh bolts at the outboard positions (top and bottom) and leaving the center bolt out. It might be worth rechecking the bolts in a month to learn whether there has been any loosening.

I have no first hand experience in running with two bolts, but since it was the middle bolt that did not fit, and since many other Ford engines do no have this bolt on their starters, it may not be required.

JMO,
Shoe.

You can get to the third bolt from the top leaning over the fender and reaching around the rear. I have the same headers on my 427 GTE Cougar and that bolt is easy to get to. You can use a socket on it if you have around 8" of extensions, the socket has to be a thin wall 3/8" drive and the ratchet ends up just barely in front of the starter.

Royce

Got the bolt in tonight after work. I used a box wrench and about 1/16" turns. My last couple engines were installed with brand new starters before being dropped into the car, now I know why my Dad told me to bolt them on before installing the engine.
Thanks for the help guys.
Charlie

This is one of those things that you don't want to hear. The entire line of SP2P intakes was an abysmal attempt by Edelbrock to address the fuel shortage of the 70s with a manifold that would improve mileage and low-rpm drivability for folks who couldn't run out and buy a Datsun 210. Let's face it, engine efficiency technologies weren't a well-developed area for anyone -including the auto companies. There were a lot of gimmick products on the market over those years as the public had a voracious appetite for anything that would satiate their anxieties (much like duct tape to seal up your house from terrorists is working today) and Edelbrock wasn't above the frey in that regard. Hence, the SP2P. They weren't worth the aluminum they were cast from and did nothing really beneficial. As far as its standing today, it's a conversation piece and shouldn't be considered for use. So your only market for this inadequate period piece is eBay where some unsuspecting bidders can get energized in a bidding war on a manifold they know nothing about.

Regarding Felpro gaskets. I use them and haven't ever had any problems. Some folks say they do but I have no idea why some people do alright and others not. ROL, Victor and others are just as good and better in some regards so just use a good quality gasket no matter whose name is on the package.

Do you still have the SP2P manifold? If so, do you still want to sell it? If so, condition? Cost? Thanks.