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Griffith Wanted

Started by marklotus, December 07, 2021, 01:55:07 PM

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marklotus

I'm looking for a Griffith 200 or 400.
Any help finding one will be greatly appreciated.  Please send a private message if you have info.
Thank you in advance.

gjz30075

Greg Z
6S2249

wcampbell

#2
Word of caution on Griffith 200s - they made 190ish of them and not all of them are CREATED EQUAL! TVR parts are tough to find for the '64-'65 range of build. Also when Jack Griffith and Mark Donahue began the process of building/marketing this new version of their "COBRA killer" the 289 HIPO was the engine to have and Griffith wrote to Ford getting them to agree to selling them as crate engines. The first 32 or so were built mostly with these, but as Griffith Motorcars began to have a cash crunch and Jack saw the price tag for his new Griffith was a bit steep to some potential customers, he had an auto salesman's epiphany. He'd give the option for the base 289 4V (non-hipo 225hp) engine to be delivered in the car at a discount over the standard 271hp HIPO. In the end, the idea to spur sales may have worked short term, but it didn't saved him from other financial difficulty. As a result we don't know which cars has the more powerful engine as paperwork was seized when the NY state tax people came to close the business. The cars only have build sequence on their VIN tags with no indication what engine they may have been delivered with. IF you're lucky enough to have the original engine you can spot all of the telltale HIPO signs, but if you don't the only other way to tell a HP vs std 289 car is if you have the original FORD top loader dated to Summer '64. A close ratio code (HEH-T) will indicate originally equipped with the 271 HIPO, the wide ratio transmission will indicate 289 std. As with anything the 271HP equipped cars are more desirable and garner more as well as the first 32 (side vent equipped) built.