Thread: Ford 390 Cast Iron Exhaust Manifolds

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Hellol,

I am looking for a bit of help with regard to a set of Ford FE Cast Iron Exhaust Manifolds that I have.

These particular manifolds were removed from a 1963 Ford Galaxie with a 390 engine on or around 1966. The block and crank were used in a NASCAR Modified and the remainder of the engine parts along with the manifolds have been in storage since then. The car was originally a NYS Trooper car.

The Casting Marks appear to be:
Left Manifold -- C0AE 9431-B & 0E23
Right Manifold - C2AE 94308D & C213.

The right side marks are very difficult to read and the above is my best guess.

From what I've been able to find on other Inet sources the date codes do not match the year of the vehicle that they were removed from. It seems somewhat unlikely that the NYS motorpool would have changed the manifolds out but I suppose it could have happened.

Now for the questions.

1. What is the rarity of these manifolds? I have seen a couple of places identify them as quite rare but they didn't offer up any additional info.

2. I have seen them called "Shorty" Manifolds. Is this a correct term?

3. What year(s) and type(s) of vehicles were they used on?

4. Did Ford supply cars/engines that had older date coded parts in newer vehicles, as appears could be the case here?

Any other info that you might be able to provide would be greatly appreciated.


Thanks upfront for the help!


_ Dryflycaster

Any pics???

Do they look like these?

If so they are not extremely rare. Going price a couple of years ago was in the $300-500 range. There are a couple of sets on E Bay right now

http://motors.shop.ebay.com/items/_W...1&_trksid=m270

The price is actually pretty comparable to aftermarket 60-64 Fords.

Dyno tests show they flow pretty well.

Originally Posted by Mike P

Do they look like these?

Originally Posted by hotroddaddy

Any pics???

Here is a pix of the ones that I have.


Ford 390 FE Exhaust Manifolds




__Dryflycaster

Ford date codes indicate the year the part was designed and/or put into production. It's common for parts to have codes that appear to be some years old on a new vehicle.

Those are pretty nice! Alot better than the rectangle stock ones.

I worked in a Ford dealership from 1965 to 1971. Saw many of the manifolds that are shown in your photo. We called them "Police" manifolds as they were larger than the flat stockers and smaller and shorter than the long 427 manifolds. They were used on all of the big Ford Arizona Highway Patrol cars during that time period. They were finally replaced with the Cobra Jet FE exhaust manifolds. 2 1/2" exhaust works nicely with the outlet size.

The "C" on the part means it's made/for a 1960's car. The second number (after the C) is the year, ie: C0=1960, C2=1962. Yes, they used the original part number until the part was changed or improved. So.....your right manifold is a later design than the left manifold and they could have come new on the same vehicle. It was not an "old part", just a earlier part number on a new car.

Thanks to everyone that responded to my questions.

You have all been very helpful and the info is very much appreciated!

ok, so how about the vintage racer in your avatar???? Looks pretty kewl!!!!

I had a set off a 64 cop car. I never did use them. They won't fit in a pickup, I know that.

Originally Posted by willowbilly3

I had a set off a 64 cop car. I never did use them. They won't fit in a pickup, I know that.

Actually, I had a set of these manifolds on a 1967 F250 camper/towing truck years ago. I used a 428 Cobra Jet short block with 1958 332 "factory machined" combustion chamber heads. The Police Manifolds were a bolt-in on the right side but my truck had power steering and I had to notch the manifold to clear on the left side. I ran a 2 1/2" system back to the rear bumper. It pulled a lot of weight and ran for thousands of miles. But then again we had REAL gas back in the day.

Ford cast iron shortys. They were used on the 352HP, 390HP and 406 from 1960-1963.5. Also known as you said to be used on some of the Police cruisers in the day. When the 427 was released the longer cast iron replaced them. They were the first Hipo ex manifolds made for the FE. Most when stock used a flapper valve on the pass side with the choke tube. Mine sold for $650 4 years ago from the 406. As Mike said they hover in the $500-600+ range for a solid set. Cracked and repaired sets $300 and up. I've seen NOS sets sell for $800+. Welcome to the forum.

G.

Thanks again for all of the added info.

The avitar is a shot of my first NASCAR Sportsman taken during a track run-in/dryout session at Fonda Speedway, Fonda NY in 1963 or 64. I was 16/17 years old at that time and racing on dirt against many current and future Nascar Sportsman and Modified National Champion drivers such as Bill Wimble, Rene Charland, Don MacTavish, Jim Cook and Ernie Gahan.

The car was a 1937 Ford coupe that my father put together with a lot of odds and ends left over from my Uncle's old race cars. At this point in time it only had a 312 Ford engine. I never did fair too well against most of the hot shoes but I did have a great time for a few years. I eventually chopped it down in size and ran every thing in it from a 327 Chey to a 390 Ford.