Reproduction Headlight / Tilt Column Vacuum Check Valve for the 1967 to 1973 Mercury Cougar, Cyclone, Marquis, Ford Torino, Ranchero, Galaxie, LTD, Thunderbird, Lincoln Continental and Mark III | ||||||||
Description: After several months of working on this new vacuum check valve, we now have our first run completed and in hand. This part actually exceeded our quality expectations and I think you too will be very happy with the outcome. As you will see from our pictures below, we have duplicated every mark on this unit right down to the smallest of details only seen under magnification.
Click on images to enlarge. The part in the foreground is our new reproduction and the dirty used unit in the background is an original for comparison sake.
 The used check valve as will you notice, still has traces of the factory applied Gold Chromate coating. This coating was applied after Ford found that the internal silicone diaphragm was prematurely failing from prolonged exposure to engine heat. Our units will NEVER have this problem for reasons I will point out below.
 Only the single port side received the Gold Chromate, protective coating from the factory. The other side was left natural. Internal documents from the OEM supplier suggest the coating was used in the latter part of 1969 and forward. For those wanting a concours look for their late 69 and beyond cars, Eastwood sells a good product.
 Early 1967 Cougars / Thunderbirds with a dual nipple vacuum reservoir tank (located under the driver side fender) will have this single nipple version as seen above with no barbs on the ports. We are not going to reproduce this rather obscure version but our new dual port valve will work on your early 67 if you cap off one of the ports on the dual ported side. One of the short-falls of the early original unit shown above is that the halves were made in a one step casting process. In a one step process barbs cannot be built onto the ports. The vacuum hoses often fail to stay in place when heat and lubricants are applied on these early valves. The early Chevrolet Camaro and other GM products also chose to use a version like the one above as a cost cutting measure.
 Early internal documents show that the original Trico valves were only designed to last 24 months. Ours should outlast even the youngest of our customers and if they for some reason do not, we will replace it free of charge.
 If your tilt column or hidden headlamps do not function when the motor is turned off, this valve will often be the culprit. This valve was used on many models from the Ford Mustang, to the Lincoln Continental and almost everything in between.
 One other significant area we have improved upon the original part is the quality of the die cast cast. We produced these units using Zamac #3 which is two grades higher than what you would find the original valves were made from (i.e. higher Zinc content).
 Here is where our valve is vastly improved over what Ford offered... Our new internal disc shaped diaphragm is not only double the thickness of the OEM version but is made from a Fluorosilicone that will take any amount of engine heat you can dish out, even in continuous use applications. Since that is a rather BOLD STATEMENT to make we are offering a lifetime guarantee on these vacuum check valves with no restrictions other than the buyer is the only one who can make a warranty claim (non-transferable).
 The left is an original (blown) internal diaphragm and the right is our much improved, modern Fluorosilicone version.
 This leaking unit was cracked open with a hammer to show the innards. As you may notice, the diaphragm is not punctured or burnt looking on this original example. This diaphragm failed due to the dirt and rust particles embedded around it and the fact that it got dry and hard with age.
 The picture below shows our high temperature Fluorosilicone diaphragm next to a penny and an original diaphragm. Our diaphragm is exactly double the thickness of what Trico put in the units supplied to Lincoln - Ford - Mercury. These check valves have been tested under extreme circumstances far beyond what any motor could dish out in both heat and vacuum tests.
 *NOTE* These check valves were designed and manufactured in North America by a true Ford collector and enthusiast. You can chat with the designer and manufacturer about this and many of our other new products at www.mercurycougar.net . Here is a link to some comments one of our customers posted on this part with pictures CLICK HERE Thank you for your ongoing support!
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