Topic: '68 Engine Type & A/C - Questions

[mustang_sally]

Hello there,

my name is Bart, I am from Poland and I inherited a 1968 Coupe Mustang a couple of weeks ago. So far I managed to ship her to Europe, register her and park her in my garage.
Now the fun starts - I plan on rebuiliding the car as "stock" as possible, even though it is not a fancy GT390 but a regular small V8. The first stage is obviously getting rid of everything that is
not stock (which is a lot) +-or wasn't there when the car left the factory. Here are my first questions:

1: The VIN tells me there used to be a 289 2V in the car although I am not sure there is still a 289 in the car. It could be a 302. The assembly stamp says ?A2? so the most important part (the year) is unreadable.
I know that the casting number will exactly tell me what it is, but I don't feel like removing the engine without having any parts ordered so far. Is there another way to tell what t is?

2: The car had an A/C compressor attached to the engine. What is werid - the compressor was on the left side (above the alternator) and not on the right side. Even the plate that was holding it looks like it has been there for years now. It is pretty solid and it is screwed to the engine in a lot of places. After removing the compressor and looking for any markings I couldn't find anything but DISCHARGE, SUCTION, 20031, 9,5-5N. No brand, no part number. After doing some research I am able to say it looks like a Tecumseh Compressor:



Now the questions regarding the compressor would be:

- Is this even the correct compressor for a 1968 Mustang or do I have to look for the York models?
- How can I tell if it is the real Tecumseh compressor or just something else?
- How can I tell if it is an HG850 or an HG1000 since there are apparently two of them?

I hope to hear from you soon.

Cheers!

[jwc66k]

Welcome to the forum from a third generation Polock.
The easiest way to determine what engine you have is to remove the starter and look at the casting number and date code. There is another date code that you could use that is located on an extension used to hold the water pump and timing cover to the engine by the distributor, see the picture. This is the assembly date and should look like 7K28Z (7 = 1967; K = Oct; 28th day of month; Z = assembly or quality stamp) or 8C3S (8 = 1968; C = March; 3rd day of month; S = quality). It won't tell displacement but you may get some bulid date info.
I'll let someone else answer the A/C question.
Jim

[mustang_sally]

Thank You.

I meant the assembly date of course. On my engine it says ?A2??. Everything else is unreadable. I already cleaned it but I can't say what it says.. So I will probably have to remove the starter - well too bad

[ruppstang]

One easy way to tell the difference between a 289 and a 302 is at the top rear of the block just a head of the bell housing on a 289 there is a depression that runs clear a cross the back of the block. On a 302 the left half of that depression is filled in and used for the location of the VIN number.
A 68 Mustang could have used either a York or a Tecumseh compressors. On a Mustang it should be on the drivers side if it is a factory V8. It may have possibly came from a bigger Ford but am not sure.
Marty

[CharlesTurner]

Sounds like A/C might have been added.  Did you get a Marti report yet?