Original 289/Weber Carb Question

[Dan Case]

Originally Posted by LMH

Hey all
Back in the day, could you buy an original 289 car with Weber carbs from SA, if you so wanted it that way?
What Weber set up would it have been? (if available)
Larry

“What Weber set up would it have been?”
CSX2427 has been mentioned so that car is covered. CSX2416 was also ordered with 4-2V induction. The “What Weber set up…” question begs a complicated answer. I have done extensive research on all the Weber applications Ford / Shelby /AC Cars / Alan Mann / Wilmet used that I can document on their racing Cobras for decades plus some collateral work on FAV / Shelby on GT40s for 289s and very late the Gurney-Westlake 302s. I have a data base of carburetor serial numbers and what team had them or cars they were originally on or where they are now that I have collected. I am always interested in adding more cars and their carburetor data to my list.

You have probably noticed that there was more than one system design but you have probably not tried to count differences. So far I have documented more than a dozen different system designs that Shelby and or Ford developed, used, and or sold retail. I make design breaks wherever significant changes occurred. Carburetors used, at different times, included 48 IDM1, 48 IDM5, 48 IDA, and 48 IDA1.

There is no way to cover the evolution of Weber induction systems Ford/Shelby used on Cobras and GT40s in a forum posting. My notes and photos fill a good size notebook. My period reference publications fill a section of book shelf. The systems started out extremely complicated and nearly all hand made. The first system offered retail circa April-May 1963 had a price of $1,230.70 with Ford part number C4OZ-6B068-C. System designs evolved getting simpler with each change. As the linkages got simpler the $1,230.70 retail price dropped to $1,000 by roughly January 1964.

The biggest single change was the discontinuation of the 48 IDM family of sand cast carburetors and switching to the new die cast 48 IDAs. The linkages were mostly still hand made at the time but the package retail price dropped to $695 with a Ford part number of C5OZ-6B068-A. (Note: The May 31, 1965 retail price for individual carburetors was: 48 IDM = $241.55 and 48 IDA-1 = $150.00) In the same time frame the even simpler yet intake design with all carburetors facing the same way got to retail with 48 IDA, 48 IDA-1, or a mixture of model carburetors. All the linkage on this major redesign was supplied by vendors, Eelco® being one of them. This more ‘mass produced’ style was offered retail for $595 with a Shelby part number of S1CR-9423. The general features of this last design developed in early 1964 were maintained all the way until the end of the era. The essentially same system was offered all the way to the March 1970 for $595 as published in the Autosports Products, Inc. catalog as part number SFJK-9510-E with "SHELBY" lettered intake, individual 48 IDA-1 carburetors G1MA-9510-A were $100.00 each. 2021 edit: Ford offered a COUGAR lettered intake for Mercury Cougars in 1967. I have seen two of those systems for sale since 2017.

Of all the many variations three “designs” were what Shelby’s works racer used the most. Why three different system designs at the same time? I can only guess but since each works racer had a small subgroup of drivers, fabricators, and mechanics finishing and maintaining it, maybe different sub teams liked their ways better?