Someone on one of the FE Facebook pages just a couple weeks ago posted similar mis-formed Cometic FE heads gaskets. The consensus of the knowledgeable seemed to be they are indeed “wrong”. No idea what’s going on at Cometic, but you may not be alone.

Thanks,Kevin! the motor...and crank was lifted out of a 74 pickup,definitely 390,had 410 pistons,D4 casting,I think Dec,73 date. So...I'm back in business using the crank in a car without a bunch of mods?

Yes

What parts would that be?
Car did sell though.
They worked something out. So it sold I'm sure above 127K.

Just a couple things I noticed, the engine block has a 1971 casting date, and the rear end pumpkin has a 1969 casting date. Not surprising since it looks like the car originally had a race history. But that’s the kind of stuff that make some cars worth much more. And the seller didn’t try to hide that in the pictures.

I’ve used some 3-5 year old 110 race gas a few times, and never noticed any difference in performance or drivability. That’s fuel I had in plastic fuel jugs, we have a few stations here that have it at the pump, so not sealed cans. As much as possible I do try to mix it with some fresh race gas as soon as possible. Just my experience. 

Nice article in Hot Rod about the Calliope project.  We are currently waiting for a slot to open up at the foundry so we can cast the heads.  3D printed water jacket cores are done...

https://www.motortrend.com/news/experimental-ford-lemans-v8-calliope-big-block-discovered/

Cool article, and some nice rarely seen Calliope pictures. Too bad Motortrend made the common mistake of mis-identifying the early Boss 429 engine by calling it a 427 SOHC, in the bottom right of their own Hot Rod magazine cover photo. It sure would be nice if these media outlets would ask someone to proofread their stuff 

Thanks to our member Rod C. who used to work at Ford, we've learned the technical term for those rods found inside the water jackets are Chaplets. They're used in the casting process to support the cores. Sometimes they melt away when the block is cast, often they still remain, but they don't serve any purpose after. Totally normal to see them on the block deck.

 

Just going by comments I’ve seen on the internet the last couple years, the hardest issue I’ve seen reported is getting anyone to answer the phone, or even any form of communication, from both Broader or Performance Automatic. I’ve seen a few people report emails to Broader have much more success. Not trying to knock either company, I’ve bought parts from both and been happy, just giving you a heads up. I think some of these small companies are just overwhelmed with business and supply issues the last couple years. A lot of people like having a person to talk to though, especially on a big item like a complete transmission. So just a heads up if you have a timeline, don’t wait too long to start the contact.

I build my own automatics, so I don’t have any experience with buying a complete one, Ford Motorsports used to have a complete gear train kit for building a wide ratio rollerized C6, and it was a nice piece with all Ford OEM parts, I used a couple, but sadly Motorsports dropped it years ago. I think there are other companies that have picked that up though.

I’d also suggest checking if you have anyone local that might be capable. I know sometimes it’s a crapshoot finding someone good with non-stock builds, or with Ford stuff in general, but they can be out there. We have a some decent transmission shops in Minnesota. If you have a Dragstrip local ask some Ford racers who they use.

I’ll just add, try to report back to us if you have success contacting anyone, and how the transaction goes.