Comp, S/C, Street 427 BB Engines

[66gtk]

Originally Posted by DanEC

A bit more time now and I can re-cap some of engine info in Colin Comer's book, "Shelby":

3001 - 3071 S/C and Competition models - not all numbers used. I believe the competition models used higher compression side oiler blocks, MR parts, single 4bbl and other changes and were rated at 485

3100 - 3200 cars with LR 427 center oilers with dual quads/425 HP.

3201 - 3305 +/- cars with LR 428 PI engines with single 4bbl/385 HP

3306 - 3360 +/- cars with 427 MR side oiler engines wth single 4bbl/410 HP

So...all the glory and folklore back in the day was predicated on these "humble" big blocks putting out a little over 400 HP (give or take). Ken Miles drove a street Cobra on street tires in the famous 0-100-0 run that stood the test of time for decades. I don't understand why today's builders are so intent on making 600 HP or more with these cars when they did just fine with more usable power. Lynn Park has stated on record that when built to stock specs, the cars perform at their best. Yet people can't seem to help themselves by over powering them.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by 66gtk

I don't understand why today's builders are so intent on making 600 HP or more with these cars when they did just fine with more usable power.

Because they are in a race with one another and there are only so many customers to go around. Each one wants to build you more and more, whether you need it, or whether you can use it, or not.

[Cobra #3170]

Originally Posted by 66gtk

So...all the glory and folklore back in the day was predicated on these "humble" big blocks putting out a little over 400 HP (give or take). Ken Miles drove a street Cobra on street tires in the famous 0-100-0 run that stood the test of time for decades. I don't understand why today's builders are so intent on making 600 HP or more with these cars when they did just fine with more usable power. Lynn Park has stated on record that when built to stock specs, the cars perform at their best. Yet people can't seem to help themselves by over powering them.

That is all true, you have to change the rest of the car if you want to add power including wheels, tires, suspension and brakes to be able to use that power. I had a 530 HP tunnel port in the early 1970's that was pretty much state of the art then, it would spin 15" Transam Goodyear slicks at will.
It ran 11.2 @128 mph at Detroit Dragway when making 565 hp years later.
It had old road race tires, 60 foot was 1.85, and it would not hook.

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by 66gtk

Yet people can't seem to help themselves by over powering them.

Technology has moved forward/on. Tires, engines, transmissions, brakes, suspensions, etc. The difference in cost to make a 500 HP versus a 600 HP engine has got to be zero, if starting from scratch.