For sale: 1976 Hardtop Coupe 6th Generation Fairlane Ford
Specifications
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Engine information and specifications:38
The 970cc Cooper S engine was introduced to allow the Cooper S to compete in Group 1 racing, and the high-revving engine design made it great success in this respect. Among other small items, the engine block crankshaft, conrods, pushrods and flat-top pistons are unique to the 970cc unit. Below in Table 1 we have listed various specifications / details of the 970cc engine, which are further complemented by the table 2 which provides the specific production changes that occurred to various engine accessories.
Table 1: Engine specifications39
| Item | Description |
| Engine type | 4-cylinder 970cc 8-valve pushrod engine |
| Engine bore | 70.6mm |
| Engine stroke | 61.91mm |
| Compression Ratio | 10:1 (Althoiugh 11:1 was available for competition use) - see James Taylor, page 84. |
| Power | 65bhp (48.5kw) at 6,500rpm |
| Torque | 77.3Nm of torque at 5,000rpm |
Cylinder head number:41
The 970 Cooper S cylinder head was based on the '11-stud' design (fixed to the block by 10 studs and one bolt). An original 970cc cyinder head should have a casting number of AEG163. This head was introduced in late 1963, and fitted to Cooper S cars through until 1969, therefore covering the entire 970cc production period.
Engine prefix and number:41
The 970cc Cooper S engine had its own distinct engine prefix, and that prefix changed at various points throughout production due to specific changes made to the engines over the 9-month period. The 970cc engine prefixes are outlined in the below table, along with their respective engine numbers in the range of 29001 - 30029. This information was originally sourced from the BMC service parts list, which was reproduced in John Parnell's Book 'Original Mini Cooper and Cooper S'.
Engine number location:
The engine number is embossed into a tag, riveted to the top edge of the vehicle's engine block. This is located on the top front edge of the engine block, above the generator. See images for a better description of this location and examples of the 970cc stamping.
Table 2: Engine prefixes and production changes:42
| Engine Prefix | Engine numbers | From date | Comments |
| 9F-SA-X | 29001 - 29003 | June 1964 | 970cc engine fitted with diaphram clutch, rationalised breathing system, vent pipe fitted to left hand side of roker cover. From June 1964. |
| 9FD-SA-X | 29004 - 29036 | June 1964 | 970cc engine with positive crank case ventilation, control valve connected to inlet manifold and an oil separator fitted to the left side of the rocker cover. The breather pipe was deleted from the rocket cover on this model. |
| 9FE-SA-X | 29037 | August 1964 | Engine prefix changes to "FE" to indicate carburettor crankcase ventilation, but engine itself is unchanged from previous. |
| 29038 | August 1964 | Modified oil separator / breather control. Pressure switch fitted to oil filter mounting head. | |
| 9F-SA-X | 29039 - 29040 | August 1964 | Engine unchanged, but "E" dropped from prefix. |
| 29041 - 29546 | August 1964 | 'A' type gears replaced 'B' type gears, and laygear type '22G 204' was replaced with type '22G 232'. | |
| 29547 - 29921 | October 1964 | The oil filter head mounting, and the oil sump were improved. | |
| 29922 - 29931 | March 1965 | Washers between transmission case / engine block given additional overlap to stop leaks. | |
| 29932 - 30029 | March 1965 | Silicon rubber oil seal introduced on the primary gear. |
Vehicle location
Australia , NSW , Wollongong
Super-rare in Australia, this Galant coupe was advertised on Facebook Marketplace just south of Sydney, in the city of Wollongong.. There are plenty of these coupes over in NZ, but you hardly see them in Aus.. There are a few more sedans around still, but coupes are truly scarce.. A great competitor in the era of Datsun 180Bs and Celicas. At the time of offering, the seller made the following comments:
"1976 GC Hardtop 2 Door COUPE -Complete running car with lots of spares, registered in NSW located in Wollongong Area Drive now, restore it, or do a custom project build. -Interior is black and yellow leather, it has been garaged majority of its life. -No rust in floor pan very solid. -plenty of spares, including steel trim exterior pieces, door handles, front grill + much more. -manual gear box, drives and runs but it gets hot if it sits there for too long. I haven’t had the time to check the issue. -the brakes work, with new brake lines, however they are a little stiff -small amount of rust in the driver door and cracked bog rear quarter".