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Problem with damper installation

The Summit front cover arrived and it's so wrong I can't believe they spec if for a '66 289. Too shallow, water passages all wrong, and there's a strange opening in the lower edge of the ridge that the water pump mates with, such that you'd have a massive leak unless you used a water pump that's sealed at the back. Is there such a thing for the small block Ford? Whatever. It's going back.

So now, silverblueBP, what about the one you've got in your garage? For reference, here's a pic of the back of mine:



Here's a pic of the front, with the water pump in place:

 
Here's what I have:

IMG_0114.jpg



IMG_0113.jpg



and I believe it was this Edelbrock one:

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/EDL-4250/?rtype=10


The only mod I did to it was to thread the oil tube so I could plug it. My Canton pan already had one. If you think it will work, I'll mail it to you to check out. If it works, I'll make you an offer you can't refuse (spoken in my best Godfather voice).
 
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Hi silverblueBP. Thanks very much for taking the pictures and for the offer to deliver, but this unit is the exact one I got from Summit and am sending back. In your second photo, you can see the gap in the bottom edge of the ridge that the water pump mates with. It's directly above the word "ORIGINAL." Another thing: the bolt holes near the water passages on the left and right, they aren't pass-throughs, they're blind holes and tapped for a bolt. The water pumps spec-ed for the older engines don't have a corresponding hole. I thought about trying to make the one I got from Summit work, but I'd need a new water pump, and spacers for the fan pulley, because this front cover is not as deep as the OE unit. And I'd have to deal with that gap above the word "ORIGINAL." Just too many challenges. But thanks for the offer silverblueBP. You get full karma points for trying to help out a fellow stanger.
 
65 & 66 covers are different - you need a 65 cover, as they didn't use the backing plate on the water pump - 66's did.
 
Is this what your original timing cover looked like? I used to have one of those I took as a trade, but I think I tossed it in a move.

If you want to use the new timing cover, you could just get a water pump for a 66. They have a backing plate and you can use the new cover.
 

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@ cmayna: Thank you kindly for helping out. I will also call the Mustang outfit that's local to me, Mostly Mustangs -- http://mostly-mustangs.com/ . I used to be a regular there but I haven't been by for years.

@ 66gt350: You got it! That timing cover in your picture is the one I've got. Here's a pic of mine that shows the same casting number as is written in the border of your picture:



I want to stick with a '65 unit because it matches the water pump I've got.

I did not know about the change in water pumps and timing covers between '65 and '66. Also, the engine that's in my '65 Mustang has date codes indicating it's a '66, and it is also painted blue, not black like a '65. So there's another source of confusion, that the engine itself is a '66, but the timing cover is OE '65 equipment.

This must be the fun part about Fords, that they changed things so often.

All these complexities started with that post from Midlife, planting the doubt in my mind that I may have cracked my front cover. It's as if I've been cursed! But we don't believe in curses, do we?
 
Remember too that over the last 40 years, every replacement part installed was original to the proper year.....right?????

That's good, blame it on Midlife......
 
"180 Out" said:
But we don't believe in curses, do we?

We ALL believe in the Curse of Midlife, it's been proven to exist MANY times!
 
"silverblueBP" said:
We ALL believe in the Curse of Midlife, it's been proven to exist MANY times!

And then there are some of us who have been cursed multiple times. I'm afraid to leave my house at times!!!
 
"66gt350" said:
And then there are some of us who have been cursed multiple times. I'm afraid to leave my house at times!!!

You guys think you have it bad? Try living with the Curse 24/7 for the past 5768 years like I have...
 
"Midlife" said:
You guys think you have it bad? Try living with the Curse 24/7 for the past zillion years like my wife has...

There, corrected it for ya.
 
Rumor has it, the curse started back when Randy quarreled with the first pyramid architect about the proper placement of the corner stone.
 
It wasn't a big placement problem as Randy tells it, it was just placed on top of the YJ bottle.....then the curse began....and the sheep ran.
 
"AzPete" said:
It wasn't a big placement problem as Randy tells it, it was just placed on top of the YJ bottle.....then the curse began....and the sheep ran.

or was it the KY bottle ?
 
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