Do I need an FE side oiler?

[JBCOBRA]

Excellent. Rod you have been Repped

[olddog]

Well since Patrick peaked my interest, I paid attention at the London Ohio Cobra show. I tried to locate the FE cars and only found 6, 8 counting two vender display cars. That is out of nearly 200 cars. Now there were a lot of cars with hoods down, so there certainly had to be more. I did see some more FE cars earlier in the week, but I didn't want to double count. I also counted 4 385 series big blocks.

I can say if you have a near stock 300 HP or less SB, they are pretty easy to tell. When you get to the engines making good power it gets very difficult to hear a difference as the power goes up. However the one thing that stuck out is the BB all had the milder sounding cams.

Why the milder cams? Well I could speculate that they just don't need them to make the power, and that is likely true. Also more cid tends to sound milder with the same cam specs, all else being equal, but remember some of the SB were bigger cid than some of the FEs.

Now not all FE's sound alike. I met a fellow with an all aluminum 460 cid FE with tunnel port heads. It had a fairly mild cam (hydraulic roller) with a C6 transmission behind it. I think it had the sweetest sound there. He showed me the dyno sheet. Practically flat torque curve around 600. Torque was only down to 550 @ 6700 rpm where they stopped at 650 Hp. It looked like it wouldn't have peaked before 7500, but that is my speculation. Torque was over 500 where they started the pull at 3000 rpm. The car is fast. Oh yea it was in an ERA too. Great guy to talk to too.

[patrickt]

Did you ask him what he was running that let his hydraulic cam run to 6700 and maybe peak past seven grand without floating the valves off to Never, Never Land?

[olddog]

The guy was very open about what he put in the engine. When I talk to dozens of people things get muddled in my head. I think he may have said it had titanium valve train, but I'm not sure. The engine was full of high end stuff. Lighten knife edge crank for one.

He limited it to 6700. He said nothing about turning more rpm. It is my observation that from a breathing point of view the Hp would not have peaked until over 7500, but as you point out the valves would likely float before it reached its peak.

They were turning these engines over 7000 back in the 60's with lesser parts than are available today. I know you solid lifter guys think hydraulics are terrible, but hydraulics pump up because the springs cannot close the valves with enough force. Solids buy you a little more rpm on a marginal spring setup, but it does not cure the problem.

[rpatton3]

Originally Posted by olddog

The guy was very open about what he put in the engine. When I talk to dozens of people things get muddled in my head. I think he may have said it had titanium valve train, but I'm not sure. The engine was full of high end stuff. Lighten knife edge crank for one.

He limited it to 6700. He said nothing about turning more rpm. It is my observation that from a breathing point of view the Hp would not have peaked until over 7500, but as you point out the valves would likely float before it reached its peak.

They were turning these engines over 7000 back in the 60's with lesser parts than are available today. I know you solid lifter guys think hydraulics are terrible, but hydraulics pump up because the springs cannot close the valves with enough force. Solids buy you a little more rpm on a marginal spring setup, but it does not cure the problem.

There was a movie in the 1960's about stock car racing, Redline 7000, when FE 427 engines had iron crankshafts and were center oilers. I remember that because the FE engines changed to 427 from 406 when the fastback roof came out in mid-year.

Russell

[Le Mans]

Peace man...
Heard some of them and Somehow, i dunno why still the old y-block sounds best to me standard. Then listening hollman moodys big block GT40 Will wet my pants. Imho It has All to do with cam setup. Like tearing a phone catalog..

[Thor maine]

There are great performing and great sounding engines from Ford, GM/Chevy and Mopar!! You "Ford only in a Cobra" guy's don't seem to have any sense of humor. Oh yeah "It's not a real Cobra" no matter how much you want it to be. It's a Hot Rod that has the shape of a Shelby-AC-Ford COBRA. To the OP get the motor you like,can afford and can work on and enjoy the ride.

[DanEC]

You all are wetting my appetite for the day I get my FE fired up. I guess I'll see how it sounds next to my L-88, 12:1 comp, 2-1/2 inch sidepipe Corvette.

[PHC1]

Some really excellent posts here guys! Thank you all for the enlightenment and the entertainment. My BB FE curiosity has been peaked even more.

Same question part II.

So looking around some more and asking more questions has me seriously considering an ERA 427SC. If it is going to be an ERA replica, I might as well go with a 427FE BB.

I am now looking into Pond, Shelby or Genesis blocks and a build based on these "modern" BB FEs. So the question is, am I heading in the right direction???


The claims on the aluminum block strength on RPM website are impressive to say the least! 1300HP use, stronger than the original block, side oiler but modified to oil the main bearings first, etc... Looks of the "real deal" but with modern redesign and improvements.

427 Ford Engine Block, Pond Engine Blocks FAQ

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by PHC1

I am now looking into Pond, Shelby or Genesis blocks and a build based on these "modern" BB FEs. So the question is, am I heading in the right direction???

I would say yes. But as I mentioned earlier, the Shelby block, which I have, is not a sideoiler and it's also a little more expensive. They are a little beefier from what I understand and heavier (20 lbs?) than the Pond, but they're both beefy and outstanding blocks.

As for the Genesis, their iron block would be the least expensive and Barry R loves them. I think every build he does for the Engine Masters competition has an iron Genesis block. AFAIK, Genesis may still make an aluminum sideoiler block, but a few years ago they had casting issues and disappeared from the market. They still may be available, but I don't know anyone here who runs one.

[Silverback51]

Originally Posted by DanEC

You all are wetting my appetite for the day I get my FE fired up. I guess I'll see how it sounds next to my L-88, 12:1 comp, 2-1/2 inch sidepipe Corvette.

To me there is no better sounding engine than a solid lifter BB Chevy.

[mdross1]

A couple more engines that really tickle my fancy are a 2550cc Harley motor idling and under load.Also a 321 ci 2 cylinder John Deere tractor idling and under load.Life is Good!
Really looking forward to hearing this 427" SB2 make noise.

[Thor maine]

Let the fireworks begin!

[bret a ewing]

The answer is "yes".

[undy]

The aluminum pond block has the original SO casting numbers and once painted it looks OEM. I've also been told that it's sound to 1500hp.

[patrickt]

Remember though, under certain circumstances, and in certain states, there is a real advantage to having a vintage block. In some states, it can be a bus ticket past the emissions folks. You might want to double check that before you make your final decision.

[RodKnock]

According to their websites, the blocks weigh as follows:

Pond block = 120 lbs
Shelby block = 125 lbs
Factory FE = 195 lbs
Genesis block = 230 lbs

Also, the max bore sizes are:

Pond block = 4.310"
Shelby block = 4.440"
Genesis block = 4.440"

[fjrgary]

to answer your original question, the answer is YES!!!!!!!!

[Thor maine]

The answer to the original question is yes ,you can get that great sound from a BB Ford Chevy or Mopar. Or a great but slightly different sound from SB Ford or Chevy or Mopar. Pick the motor you like and pay no attention to the "Ford only in a cobra" crowd. Oh yeah it's not a real Cobra it's a hot rod that is shaped like a Cobra.

[mdross1]

Oh yeah it's not a real Cobra it's a hot rod that is shaped like a Cobra.[/quote]

This truly is the bottom line and as I said in the beggining if you feel you need an FE then by all means you should get an FE.Have fun and good luck