Topic: 67 thermostat housing

[pellets4fuel]

My thermostat housing has a C8AE and I believe the last numbers are for the cobra jet 8594-B  I would have to strip the paint to be sure.  But the extra raised areas on the back don't look like the pictures I have found of this number.  I need to find a functionally correct housing to work on my 67 and the one year only ones are elusive and costly.  Are there other options? 
Thanks for input on all my questions past couple days.
David

[Bob Gaines]

My thermostat housing has a C8AE and I believe the last numbers are for the cobra jet 8594-B  I would have to strip the paint to be sure.  But the extra raised areas on the back don't look like the pictures I have found of this number.  I need to find a functionally correct housing to work on my 67 and the one year only ones are elusive and costly.  Are there other options? 
Thanks for input on all my questions past couple days.
David

Yes one option is to get a C8 truck housing that has the boss like the other C8 housings but it is not drilled and tapped for the vacuum fitting . You have to whittle down the boss to match the contour of the housing so that it matches more closely the 67 only style housing. You eliminate the numbers also given that they are C8 anyway. This is a tedious job.  FYI this is a old story which has been pondered many times before .  Sorry that there is no easy button for this one as of this time.   

[pellets4fuel]

Does the C8 truck housing have a smooth back to work with my intake vrs the shape of the back of the one that I have?  Could I potentially just mill the gasket surface of the one I have to eliminate the raise areas?
Thanks for the input!

[Bob Gaines]

Does the C8 truck housing have a smooth back to work with my intake vrs the shape of the back of the one that I have?  Could I potentially just mill the gasket surface of the one I have to eliminate the raise areas?
Thanks for the input!

You lost me . Milling the gasket surface will not get you any closer to the correct look. I will try and explain another way. The C7 housing is the same shape as ether of the C8 housings being discussed except there is a built up area on the C8 housing to accommodate a threaded boss for the vacuum tree. The truck housing has the bulge but is not drilled for the vacuum fitting. This allows you to take away material on the truck housing until it is the same contour as the the C7 housing . The problem with the regular C8 housing  is that there is a threaded hole made into it which would need to be filled after re shaping it.  The truck housing is less work because you don't have to fill the hole.

[Bob Gaines]

I assume you have the correct 67 intake manifold. There were two types used . One was for very early 67's BB before Dec 66 I think and designed to work with the large thermostat . Those thermostat housings are a dime a dozen. The later 67 BB intake (after dec 66) used the hard to find one year only C7AE housing which used the small thermostat and did not have the bulge in it for the vacuum fitting.

[Bob Gaines]

If you put your car information in your signature like you see others do then we wouldn't have to guess every time you asked a question pertaining to it .

[pellets4fuel]

Wasn't trying to loose you on the milling question.  I believed you were describing more the idea of getting the appearance right on the housing.  I am speaking more to functionality.  I am trying to learn of the difference of the gasket face of the housings.  I don't know for sure, only assuming the gasket face of either of the 67 housings is a flat plain with just a recess around the hole for the thermostat to fit in?  The picture I included is for the housing I have and what appears to me a C8AE-8594-B and was trying to get to seal up on my C7AE 9425-E intake.  I referred to milling the gasket face to get it flat for functionality not overall appearance.  But now I guess I am learning that there is a magic date of Dec 66 so that changes things. 
My Cougar had a scheduled build date of Oct 28, but was actually built 11-1-66. 
The problem with my car is it is a "basket" of parts pulled together as it was incomplete when I bought it.  Perhaps I should refrain from asking questions here as I am not going for concours but trying to make a nice looking car that functions right.
Thanks for you input

[pellets4fuel]

I appreciate the patience of all who have read or replied. 
I learned there are two different housings used in 67 early and late.  Between here and the Cougar forum I learned I need the early one with the large hole.  Now to track one down relatively quickly to get my leak fixed and get back up a running and solving other problems.
Thanks David

[Bob Gaines]

Here is the one that is correct for your car and is functional IF you have the correct early intake.  It is on a ebay auction that i do not have any affiliation with. https://www.ebay.com/itm/1965-1966-1967-Ford-Mercury-390-410-427-428-Thermostat-Housing-NOS-C5AZ-8592-B/362695134651   .  They are one of the most common styles on the secondary market. It takes the large thermostat. If you have the correct early intake you would not be able to use the C8AE housing because it only takes the smaller thermostat and the larger hole in the early intake would not allow for backing to hold the smaller thermostat in place.