In Reply to: Thanks Chris......But,,,,,,Open Deck ?? Closed Deck????, John [Profile/Gallery] , Wed, 28 Aug 2002 19:29:40

Open deck vs. Closed Deck: The difference is in the way the cylinders are situated in the block. The open deck cylinders are just sitting by themselves, like big tubes stuck into an open gap in the block. A closed deck is a more typical cylinder, where the outside of the cylinder is an integral physical part of the block. It's hard to explain, but very obvious if you saw a photo... If your chassis is #629 I suspect that you have a 'Ford Blue' engine block, which means you have a closed deck )typical). Only the *really early* Sonett II/V4s had the open decks (like the first 250 V4s) There were something like 270 Sonett IIs with the 2 stroke, then another 250 with the open deck V4, then until 1970 or 1971, Sonetts had the 1500cc closed deck Ford V4. After that it was the closed deck 1700cc V4.

As far as the tranny being *very* problemsome, that may be a bit exagerated...But it depends on what you do. If you turn a Sonett II into a racer and bump the HP up to 100+HP, then definitely, the tranny becomes a major weak point. A stock tranny in a stock V4 engine should last a good while (150K+) without anything more than fluid changes (depending on driving habits). There are typical wear points in the tranny that you can look out for, and with minimal expense/repair, you can keep a Sonett tranny running for a good, long, life. Again, I strongly suggest you put RedLine MTL in the tranny. http://www.redlineoil.com/products.htm
The discussion/argument as to what the best tranny fluid to use is has been one that seems to go on forever..but RedLine rarely gets negative remarks. I've used it in all my 900s and my Sonett and have had great results. It's maybe a bit more expensive, but who cares, you're talking about an essentially non-replaceable tranny. Spend the extra $5, I say.

I fully expect that if the car is in great shape, you won't be selling it in the next decade or so. They are very fun, driveable, reliable cars, and there are so few of them that they are a great conversation piece anywhere you go...

-Chris Floyd, Raleigh NC


posted by 165.247.140...

• Help with simple parts....., John , Wed, 28 Aug 2002 12:08:13
  • Re: Help with simple parts....., Daniel, Thu, 29 Aug 2002 02:20:23
  • Re: Help with simple parts....., Chris Floyd, Wed, 28 Aug 2002 18:35:57
    • Thanks Chris......But,,,,,,Open Deck ?? Closed Deck????, John , Wed, 28 Aug 2002 19:29:40
      • Re: Open Deck ?? Closed Deck????, Andy in PDX, Sat, 31 Aug 2002 03:41:51
      • Re: Thanks Chris......But,,,,,,Open Deck ?? Closed Deck????, Chris Floyd, Wed, 28 Aug 2002 22:28:23 <-- Viewing This Message

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