View Single Post
  #8 (permalink)  
Old 11-17-2002, 10:34 PM
SFfiredog SFfiredog is offline
CC Member
Visit my Photo Gallery

 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: San Francisco CA,
Posts: 525
Not Ranked     
Default

Okay, here we go,
I base all of the responses I make on any forum on personal experience, not wives tales or hearsay. I have built more 427s than I care to remember and I will explain to you guys what I have found. In 1980 I was helping a friend who was campaining a Thunderbolt in the NHRA super stock class. We bought 2 pallets of C8 blocks (a total of 8) from a large Ford parts dealer on the east coast for the whopping sum of $446 each (try that now!)
Out of the 8 blocks, only 4 where actually standard bore. The others ranges from .002 overbore to .010 overbore. One had such a serious casting flaw in the # 4 main bearing bore I'm suprized Ford even let it out the door. Ford had a coloring and numbering system for the 427 blocks to rate their strength for type of usage. The blocks were sonic checked and inspected, then coded for racing SOHC (blue/green), racing wedge (blue), street(blue/white), marine (blue/yellow), and industrial (blue/red). In the sixties, Holman Moody and the large Nascar and Ford sponsored drag racing teams were allowed to "hand pick" the blocks they wanted to use. The rest of the blocks went into the normal parts disributorship programs. It was not to say it was impossible to get a good racing block over the counter, It was just a little less likely. The further from the sixties we got, the likelyhood of getting a good block over the counter diminished until the eighties when most of the good blocks were completely picked over and all that was left were the blocks with "problems" One of the reason contributing to the discontinuing of the 427 blocks was toward the end of production the rejection rate rose to 30% It was not cost effective to continue.
What this all boils down to is:
In the old days if you got a bum block you might be out 300 to 400 bucks.
Nowadays if you get a bum block you will be out 3000 to 4000 bucks. That hurts. Big time.
It is very likely that this block is fine. The C8 blocks are among the strongest of all 427 blocks. Also, the average Cobra replica will not stress the blocks anywhere near their limits, good or bad.
Just spend some time and/or money and GET IT CHECKED OUT.
My .02
--Mike
__________________
They bend 'em, we mend 'em.
Reply With Quote