FWIW: The packaging is the blue/white 1966-newer type (see attachment) and I imagine there is a beginning & end-date of usage of the C3AZ-6008-D part number. Perhaps some old Ford MPC research could assist in narrowing that window of time. Perhaps also, that knowledge may be an indicator of the evolution of 'parts usage' (contents of the packaged gaskets), at least what was available in the Ford service end of the spectrum.
Richard : Ask and thou shall receive. Hope this helps in some "slight" manner.
What started out I thought would be, and was initially, an
easy "trace", turned out to be one convoluted mess. In order to develop this "essay" on the history of the 289 Engine Overhaul Gasket Set, I ended up using no less than the following : 1960-64 MPC (printed 1969), 1960-68 MPC (printed in 1967 and 1968), 1965-72 MPC (printed 1975), individual year Parts and Accessories Catalogs (individual year MPC's if you will) of 1962-1967 (printed in January of each year), and OSI (Obsolete-Superseded-Interchange) books from 1963-1990 (every year except 1973, 75, 78, 1980, 82, 85 88 and 89, which I don't have) printed in January and/or July of each year
Starting at the beginning with what I call the "Generic" multi-year MPC's, this is what I found :
1960-64 - shows Complete Engine Overhaul Gasket Kit (CEOGK) as C3AZ-6008-B
1960-68 - shows CEOGK as C3AZ-6008-D for 1965-66 ; C6AZ-6008-D for 1966-67 ;
C7AZ-6008-B for 1967-68 ; C8ZZ-6008-A for 1968.
1965-72 - shows the same as the 1960-68 MPC,
except that for 1968, for those engines
with MT, shows C7AZ-6008-B, And for 68's with AT, shows D1AZ-6008-B.
Now that the multi-year MPC's are "out of the way", let's look at he individual year MPC's :
1963 - Since the first 289 appeared in December of 1962, we'll start with the 1963 MPC.
Right from the start, there is something strange. The only CEOGK's listed are for 2
different 6 cylinder engines ? Even if the 289 came out after the 1963 MPC was
printed, where are the CEOGK's for the 292, 352 and 390 V8's that were available
in 1963 ? I decided to check my 1962 MPC. The only CEOGK shown in it is for the
292 ? Where are the 6 cylinders and the 352 and 390 CEOGK's ? On to 1964.
1964 - Finally, the CEOGK for the 289 is listed; C3AZ-6008-B.
1965 - shows the same as 1964 - C3AZ-6008-B.
1966 - shows the same as 1964 and 1965 - C3AZ-6008-B. What is interesting about
1966 is that it is the first year that the individual MPC's took the Engine Section,
Section 6000, and broke it into "Parts Lists", each list containing all of the Engine
Parts associated with that particular "Group" of engines. The lists were "Part 1",
170 and 200 cid 6 cylinder, "Part 2", 240 cid 6 cylinder, "Part 3", 289 and 289
Special, "Part 4", 352, 390 and 390 Special, "Part 5", 427, and "Part 6", 428. This
Listing by "Engine Groupings" continued 1n 1967, and possibly further (1967 is
the last single year MPC that I have).
1967 - shows the CEOGK for 1967 289 as C6AZ-6008-D.
Now on to the OSI catalogs to see when the changes in Part Numbers might have occurred. As Ford did not issue the OSI catalogs monthly, but at frequencies that varied anywhere from once a year, to quarterly (and I have basically only one from every year from 1961 through 1972, plus sporadic others from 1974 through 1990), I can only provide a range of when parts were "Replaced By" (R/B), "Not Replaced" (NR, ie Obsolete) or "Mixed/Matched With" (MW).
July 1967 - C3AZ-6008-B was R/B C3AZ-6008-D (thus somewhere between July 1966 and July 1967).
July 1968 - C7AZ-6008-A was R/B C7AZ-6008-B
1969 - January 1972 - No changes.
July 1974 - C8ZZ-6008-A was R/B D1AZ-6008-B (thus sometime between January 1972 and July 1974).
July 1976 - C3AZ-6008-D was R/B D5PZ-6E078-E which was then R/B D1AZ-6079-B ;
C6AZ-6008-D was R/B D1AZ-6079-B, which was R/B D5PZ-6E078-E ; C8ZZ-6008-A was
R/B D1AZ-6008-B, R/B D5PZ-6E078-E, R/B D1AZ-6079-B.
January 1977 - In addition to what is shown in July 1976, now it is shown that C3AZ-6008-D was also R/B D60Z-6079-A ; for the C6AZ-6008-D, it was R/B D1AZ-6079-B, R/B D60Z-6079-A, and R/B D5PZ-6E078-E ; for the C7AZ-6008-B, it was R/B D1AZ-6079-B, which was R/B D60Z-6079-A, which was R/B D5PZ-6E078-E ; the C8ZZ-6008-A was R/B D1AZ-6008-B, R/B D5PZ-6E078-E, R/B D1AZ-6079-B, and R/B D60Z-6079-A.
July 1979 - shows that C3AZ-6008-D was R/B D70Z-6E078-A. In addition to what is shown in the January 1977 OSI for the C6AZ-6008-D, it is also shown as R/B D70Z-6078-A ; in addition to that shown in the 1977 OSI for C7AZ-6008-B, it is also shown as R/B D70Z-6078-A.
July 1981 - shows that D60Z-6079-A was R/B D1AZ-6079-B.
January 1983 - shows that D70Z-6078-A was R/B D9AZ-6E078-A.
January 1987 - shows that D70Z-6078-A was R/B D9AZ-6E078-A ; R/B D9AZ-6E078-C ; R/B D9AZ-6E078-E.
January 1990 - shows same as January 1987.
As you can see, from somewhere between July of 1974 and July of 1976, things become somewhat confusing with Part Numbers jumping back and forth, several revisions made during the same year, Basic Part Numbers changing from 6008 to 6078, 6079, etc.
An interesting observation in this "mess" is that of the C6AZ, C7AZ and C8ZZ - 6008's that appear in the 1960-68 MPC, and in the 1965-72 MPC ; only the C6AZ appears in the individual year MPC's (1967).
Another interesting observation is, at least based on the last OSI that I have (1990), none of the "original issue Part Numbers (C3AZ-6008-B, C6AZ-6008-D, C7AZ-6008-B, C8ZZ-6008-A) were ever designated "NR", nor were any of these four ever shown as being "Replaced By" one of the other four Part Numbers. In order to present some kind of "organized confusion" from this "mess", I have attached a spreadsheet using these four Part Numbers, and showing the different Part Numbers that replaced each. By doing this, hopefully and "end game" will be realized.
So, there it is, for what it's worth, a history of the 289 Complete Engine Overhaul Gasket Kit Part Numbers from 1964 through 1990.
Hope this helps ??
Bob