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427 Side-oiler - approx. horsepower?
I am looking at a Cobra with a 427 Side-oiler. Has the following parts:
ford 427 steel crank, all ford parts, ford solid lifter cam, ford pistons, Le Mans rods, Le mans dist, Le Mans carburator, ford side winder aluminum intake, with edelbrock aluminum heads , 10.25 compression About how many Horses are we talking here? Thank you! Peter |
That would basically be an original engine build. The originals had right about 420-425HP and 480 foot-pounds. The Edelbrocks are slightly improved versions of the Ford mid-risers. The intake might be a little more efficient. If the cam is the original grind, a careful tune might get around 430HP and 480-500 torque.
A more aggressive cam would bring in more added horses than anything else. A modern distributor would add a little power and a lot of reliability. |
500 hp +/-
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Dont forget that back in the 60's engines were usually under rated.
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Don't forget todays horse power numbers being thrown around are usually made up by the owner.
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There is something to be said for the completely original build in these cars. It's certainly not underpowered... Quote:
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I would agree with undy, + - 500 hp. depends if the heads were ported.
I built a "replica" 427 comp car engine, except for cam. Had original displacement, heads, intake, carb, and I probably got about 560HP, dyno'd at 460 hp at the wheels. |
I can't see cam alone adding ca. 130 horsepower. Cams only make the most of the other parts, and Shelby was already making an awful lot from those bits. The only engines I've seen with ~550HP have significant additions beginning with substantial improvements in displacement and breathing on top of an optimized cam. The original cam is only mild by present-day standards, not a lot of room for improvements. (Certainly not the kind of improvement that would be seen over an era street cam.)
I'm not saying you aren't being truthful, but I'd have to see documentation before accepting such a claim. It's just too easy to overstate results *and* the reasons for increases. A dyno sheet? Fine. But all too often, the claimant is forgetting about porting, port-matching, oversized valves, roller rockers, a little stroking... :) |
i'd guess mid to high 400's on the tq, hp should be easily low 500 to mid 500.
anymore information and i can run engine analyzer pro simulation and get you pretty close. |
I don't mean to be a PITA but I am really having trouble believing claims of 500HP for an essentially stock SO. My rule of thumb, based on decades of devouring car stats and claims and some practical experience, is that 60s tech is good for 1 to 1.1 HP per cubic inch, with power in a reasonable band and some street driveability. I can't think of any exceptions, even allowing for manufacturer under-rating.
If anyone has a documented original-build 427SO with more than about 430HP, or an otherwise original-build SO with a modern cam profile making more than about 465HP, I'd love to see verifiable results. I maintain that more power is not possible without post-era modifications, displacement increase, modified heads, etc. |
There was a show on Speed channel where they dyno'ed all the big blocks from the 60's. They tested a 427 FE that looked relatively stock. It seems to recall around 500 HP. Anyone see the show that can confirm?
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My point here is that anecdotal evidence isn't, and "pretty close to stock" isn't, either. I've no doubt there are scads of 427s around that would dyno at 500HP... but not if they're 100% era-original. Most claims like the one you're referencing end with, "Oh yeah, we ported the heads and tooled them out for 2.14 valves" or "Oh yeah, we used a steel crank with a little more throw" or other "Oh yeahs" that negate "original." Don't get me wrong, I'd be happy to be proven incorrect here. Name any production engine from the 1960s with more than 1.1 HP per cube *in original, unmodified form* - blueprinted is fine, but not modified. I can't think of a one. |
Dyno Software
Most of us have the different dyno software programs. If you keep the displacement at 425 cubes, the compression ratio at 10.25 to 1, and use "large tube headers through mufflers," it's almost impossible to tweak the heads, induction, and still use one of the vintage Ford cams (even the big ones) to get everything up to 500+ horsepower. Don't take my word for it; try it yourself.
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That's the same thing I recall too Pat.
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How shocking: a TV show going for glam and wow instead of facts! :eek:
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A friend has a 427 side oiler in his cobra. The engine was built by Danbery (builds engines for E.R.A. ) 10 - 1 comp. edelbrock heads, blue thunder intake, and a 540 lift solid cam. Engine made 430 h.p. on the engine dyno. Then he put it in his cobra and only added Erson roller rockers and it made 403 h.p. on a chassis dyno with a little tuning. Either the engine dyno seems a little low or the chassis dyno seems a little high but the car is a beast.
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Danbury's numbers seem... conservative. Which is proper, I think.
Roller rockers with a higher ratio, even a bit, would add 40-50HP, easily. |
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