rare find

[Trikar]

i'm working on my theory, but man, it's not an easy task to find documents from 1965 and 66! But i try. We are supposed to be able to find anything on the internet!

 

[JGbronc]

I thought I saw a "C" for the engine code, which would have been the standard 2-barrel 289 engine that would have been correct. So I am going to discard all the discussion about 6-cylinder engines.

If I recall correctly, there is no glovebox VIN plate on a '66. It was on the kick panel. So the sticker isn't covering anything, nothing is missing.

The Sunbeam sticker was probably used as a quick and easy way to meet some rule for importing. With such low volume, no special tag was used, just something on the shelf that would work. Whoever imported it was probably already doing Sunbeams and knew they just needed the same sticker. So they tore off the Sunbeam on the top and slapped it on. Different countrys have different rules. And trying to sort out what those rules were 50 years ago. It wasn't worth it to make everything country correct at the factory. When it got to the port, whoever was doing the importing "fixed it". This stuff still happens today. I just bought a bottle of Mexican Vinilla. As it rolled into the states it got a little sticker to meet US regs and was delivered to me. Plant didn't do it. Same thing happened 50 years ago. As the Bronco rolled through the docs, the sticker was slapped on and in it came.

I do wonder if there were any other import changes that were needed? Mid 60's were still a very loose time as far as regulations went. Safety was still pretty much unheard of. Most everything would have revolved around taxes.

The talk about 6 cylinder engines is because the VIN of the Bronco states that it came with an F code 170 6 cylinder engine. The C code on the Sunbeam tag looks more like the cast number of the block, which translates to 1960's, and the 6 following it makes it 1966.

The C code 289 was never used on Broncos like it was on Mustangs. Broncos had an N code 289, that was only available starting in March of 1966. This Bronco was built in August of 1965.

My theory is, the engine was swapped out of the same vehicle the Sunbeam tag was originally on, and was just placed on the glovebox door as part of the conversion.

 

[Trikar]

The talk about 6 cylinder engines is because the VIN of the Bronco states that it came with an F code 170 6 cylinder engine. The C code on the Sunbeam tag looks more like the cast number of the block, which translates to 1960's, and the 6 following it makes it 1966.

The C code 289 was never used on Broncos like it was on Mustangs. Broncos had an N code 289, that was only available starting in March of 1966. This Bronco was built in August of 1965.

My theory is, the engine was swapped out of the same vehicle the Sunbeam tag was originally on, and was just placed on the glovebox door as part of the conversion.

Is ford keeping record of their engines?

 

[Trikar]

Correct me if i'm wrong.
The 289 was only on tiger from 1967 (only 633 made). it would be super weird to take the engine of a rare Sunbeam Tiger (even a wreck one) an put it in a Bronco, a less prestigious vehicle.
on the bronco, the engine number start with C6, with mean 1966. an 289 from 67 should begin wit C7.
What do you think?

 

[House]

Ford exported a grip load of industrial V8's to Sunbean.
That's why they were black, not Ford Blue. The Sunbeam
label was on the valve cover, as seen on the pic a page or two
back that looks to be in a Tiger.
By looking at that label, it was peeled off of the valve cover
and stuck on the glovebox when somebody converted it from
I6 to V8 power. Without any documentation with the rig or some
cool crazy story found somewhere describing the build then good
luck trying to prove any more historic value than what it is...
An early truck converted to a V8...

 

[Trikar]

i know you can call Ford in the US to have info on your car. Ford where i live don't have those info.
Is someone have the number?

 

[Trikar]

Ford exported a grip load of industrial V8's to Sunbean.
That's why they were black, not Ford Blue. The Sunbeam
label was on the valve cover, as seen on the pic a page or two
back that looks to be in a Tiger.
By looking at that label, it was peeled off of the valve cover
and stuck on the glovebox when somebody converted it from
I6 to V8 power. Without any documentation with the rig or some
cool crazy story found somewhere describing the build then good
luck trying to prove any more historic value than what it is...
An early truck converted to a V8...

Are all the ford engine for other car manufacturer are black?

 

[JGbronc]

on the bronco, the engine number start with C6, with mean 1966. an 289 from 67 should begin wit C7.
What do you think?

Not necessarily. The same cast code blocks could have been used beyond 1966. It's not unusual at all to have an earlier year cast code on your original engine block.

For example, E7 casted heads were used from 1987-1995 on Mustangs with 5.0 engines. Sometimes its just the part number and it will remain unchanged until the design is changed.

 

[fatboy]

Very cool! Looking forward to see how this all comes out!

 

[Scotty]

i know you can call Ford in the US to have info on your car. Ford where i live don't have those info.
Is someone have the number?

Many of us ordered the "Free Ford Build Sheet" from Ford years ago. http://classicbroncos.com/forums/showthread.php?t=105077

I don't know if this is still available from Ford; searching "Build Sheet" at https://www.ford.com/help/contact/ brings up a reference back to Marti, which (as you already stated) doesn't help for a '66 Bronco.

You might try writing to Ford:

Research Unit
North American Customer Relationship Center
PO Box 6248 MD 3NE-B
Dearborn, MI 48126 USA

You may never hear anything back from them.

 

[okie4570]

Many of us ordered the "Free Ford Build Sheet" from Ford years ago. http://classicbroncos.com/forums/showthread.php?t=105077

I don't know if this is still available from Ford; searching "Build Sheet" at https://www.ford.com/help/contact/ brings up a reference back to Marti, which (as you already stated) doesn't help for a '66 Bronco.

You might try writing to Ford:

Research Unit
North American Customer Relationship Center
PO Box 6248 MD 3NE-B
Dearborn, MI 48126 USA

You may never hear anything back from them.

I did this with my 71' and they referred me to Marti as well. Without a buck tag, window sticker, etc, a guy can chase his tail forever with a 66'. And really a buck tag doesn't give much info either. Especially with special order DSO, there's just no way to be certain what the special order was for.

 

[1strodeo]

My theory is, the engine was swapped out of the same vehicle the Sunbeam tag was originally on, and was just placed on the glovebox door as part of the conversion.

^^^exactly what I'm thinking

 

[1strodeo]

I did this with my 71' and they referred me to Marti as well. Without a buck tag, window sticker, etc, a guy can chase his tail forever with a 66'. And really a buck tag doesn't give much info either. Especially with special order DSO, there's just no way to be certain what the special order was for.

Im thinking the same thing, all your questions will never be proven or disproven on a 66, and if you have an opportunity to buy a vehicle worth $30K in your mystery country for $20K, then you can't lose! Go buy it

 

[Trikar]

Many of us ordered the "Free Ford Build Sheet" from Ford years ago. http://classicbroncos.com/forums/showthread.php?t=105077

I don't know if this is still available from Ford; searching "Build Sheet" at https://www.ford.com/help/contact/ brings up a reference back to Marti, which (as you already stated) doesn't help for a '66 Bronco.

You might try writing to Ford:

Research Unit
North American Customer Relationship Center
PO Box 6248 MD 3NE-B
Dearborn, MI 48126 USA

You may never hear anything back from them.

Thanks, i'll try

 

[Trikar]

yep,
i need to check the engine block date code. if the engine was built after the build of the car there will be no mystery anymore

 

[Trikar]

from Marti Auto Works website:
Reports are only available for 1967 and later Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury vehicles. Records prior to those years were destroyed by Ford and they are not available from anyone.
thats hurt!

 

[spap]

Sunbeam used to put ford v8 s in there tigers when they made during that time
The first ones were 260s and then 289s

 

[spap]

My bad didn’t see my post

 

[DirtDonk]

Back when they were almost new, nobody thought of Tigers as being super valuable in the future. So if someone got a good deal on a wrecked Tiger and then never got around to fixing it, or just bought it for parts and the engine, I could see it finding it's way into another vehicle. Even back in that time frame.

But I feel it's more likely that someone had a Tiger engine (maybe at the Sunbeam factory), or a third party knew someone there that would authorize the sale or installation of one in another Ford product.
Heck, the exported Bronco may even have been given to Sunbeam to play with the V8's right then and there. For all we know yet, it may very well be a 260 in the vehicle.

Or perhaps it was still a "crate engine" that was never installed in a Sunbeam and was either sold later to someone, or was installed in the Bronco by the same people that did the Sunbeam cars.
Maybe the Bronco was originally exported to England, converted, then sold with a V8 right out of the gate.

Since Tigers were built in England and exported to the US already with the V8, maybe they had extras and were liquidating them to whoever.
Hey, maybe that's the very first 289 ever shipped to Sunbeam, and the owner was tasked to put one in a Bronco for a potential upcoming production model!
Since Shelby was involved in the Tiger project, and since Stroppe was probably asking for V8 Broncos right from the beginning for racing, maybe the three of them were brainstorming one day and ended up swapping in a factory crate 260/289 into the Bronco, then deciding it wasn't worth shipping to the US after all, and there it stayed.
Probably as many possible scenarios as we can think up.

But it sure would have been a great round table discussion to be part of!
Even as just the proverbial fly on the wall.

Another potential source if into on the engine would be the Tiger clubs, or forums. They've been digging into this stuff longer than we've been digging into Bronco lore, so may have a line on information from the plant in England. Worth checking out for sure.
Maybe they can open up a world of info just from the engine tag.

Paul

 

[FRANKO289]

Thanks!

And you what would you do with this Bronco? A factory style resto or a "do whatever i want".
Me, i wanted a light blue Bronco with 3.5" lift, and a family cage. but with this one, i'm not so sure anymore, i love old car as they are, not a restomod kind of guy. i think this one should be restored as he left the factory.

what do you think?

you buy it and you do as you like !!! BUT

U13 and yours is a super early one should only be restored to its original condition ..... OR DONT DO ANYTHING TO IT AT ALL !!!

just repair whats needed to make it safe to drive and Stop !