Thread: Did I buy a 428 and get a 390 Thunderbird?

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Are we talking about the Concours d' Elegance here or a nice driver? Why is it so important to get the CJ block if what you have runs fine (after replacing the head gasket)? I say this because when you are dealing with 1966 parts it is not the same as something less than five years old. In a newer situation you can get guaranteed replacement parts and be sure of a reasonable selection of whatever parts you need. When you are talking about finding a CJ block on E-bay that is a pure crap shoot where you might get what you want or maybe you will get another "slightly different" part. I have bought old blocks in a naive assumption that it was what I thought it was only to find cracks and other discrepancies upon closer examination. The point is that the older the part, the less likely you are going to find a true New Old Stock (NOS) part and if you do you can be sure the price will be high, while just because the price is high that may not mean the part is what you think it is. If this 410 runs OK after replacing the head gasket I would run what you have unless you are planning on the Concours d' Elegance; maybe you were since you wanted matching VIN numbers? My best guess is that you have a replacement engine and that is good considering the age of the car unless the odometer says something very low. If the Odometer is over 80K miles and you have a replacement engine I would consider that good and enjoy the car. Perhaps some previous owner thought that replacing the engine with a FOMOCO authorized replacement was a good idea and who knows whether the original block threw a rod and was perhaps un-repairable anyway. Otherwise take it to a high priced restoration shop that has a good reputation and take your pocketbook with you. I certainly leave it to DennyW and Tech1 for personal experience on big-block Ford engines, but personally as a poor boy most of my life, I would paint it, put new tires on and drive it on Sunday; just my opinion.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder