Quote:
Originally Posted by classical glass
Can some explain to me why the 427 FE side oiler is considered one of the best engines and one of the most expensive to own? What's the big deal? I have one in my car and comparing it with a Corvette 427 I think it falls short in HP and torque. I've had good luck with my engine and wouldn't swap it for any other engine out there.I'm just curious. What's your opinion? Thanks in advance.  |
Ford's premier racing engine in the '60s. History & legacy - not the least of which it was used very successfully in racing Cobras, GT40s and NASCAR. While the '427 Cobra' is legendary, many / most '427 Street Cobras' sold by Shelby were actually fitted with 428 CID engines.
Good write-up here:
Engine builders
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_FE_engine#427
One thing to keep in mind is the valve train of the FE is a carry-over from the Ford Y-block engines, used mainly in the '50s. BBC engines use a more efficient canted valve arrangement and bore spacing vs the inline valve arrangement of the FE (except for SOHC / Cammer engines). That's going to keep the FE at a disadvantage when compared to the BBC, even with equivalent displacement.
The FE series has been called a 'big block' by many, but I've also seen it referred to as a 'medium block' - the bore spacing is between the Windsor and 385 series engines.
It's worth noting Ford utilized / copied the BBC canted valve design when designing the later 385 series. Ford improved on the BBC by, among other things, placing the camshaft higher in the block, allowing for large displacement engines through the use of stroker cranks (4.5" stroke doesn't require block clearancing modifications).
Edit: Canted valve heads have been made for the FE, but they're billet machined, boutique and undoubtedly very pricey - if they're even still available.
http://www.ultrapromachining.net/pro...ford_info.html Apparently they can make stupid power, though:
527 CID Ford FE:
1000 HP @ 6600
1112 HP @ 7700
1108 HP @ 8500
820 ft/lbs torque @ 6800
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OF6y...re=context-cha
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9g3...s&feature=plcp