427 SOHC kits for $11,000!!!

[olddog]

I was at the Columbus, Ohio fair grounds Ford swap meet yesterday. I met Jim Dove there. He had a cammer and quite a few parts on display. He is a pleasant and interesting man to talk to. The cammer heads that were there looked very good (I didn't move them around and inspect closely). The block did have a few porous spots (I did inspect it fairly close). Honestly I doubt those spots would hurt anything. He did say that block was going into his personal car, and he could have picked a better block to bring. He also told me about some improvements he made by adding a couple bolts in the timing chain cover to solve a leak issue.

He said the block is the Can Am block. It was aluminum with (I assume) steel sleeves. The sleeves are not cast in the block. I think he said they are a light pressed in fit. He explained it fairly well, but my mind wondered (I had just got word that my neighbor boy who is like a son was killed). Wish I could remember more.

I felt privileged to have touched a cammer and to have seen one apart.

These parts are not top of the line perfect quality, but they don’t look that bad either. The only way to know for sure is to take one to a top shop and let them do a blue print on it. A local shop, I trust, told me that every aftermarket block they have ever done needs some work, with some being worse than others. I figure none are perfect.