What Exactly is an FE Engine

[bmalone]

I better throw my $.02 in the ring. This from a non-Ford publication (period NASCAR, actually). It is more a comment on how potent the Cammer was in comparison to the Chrysler and Chevy.

"In the rush to victory Ford obliged the new seven liter displacement cap of NASCAR with the 427 production motor, introduced in 1963. Had NASCAR raised this limit or made no such restriction, Ford would have produced a larger animal, having raced stroked motors on the salt flats upwards of 483 cid. This behavior was exactly the engineering aggression that catapulted Ford's reputation and competitiveness. As would always be the case through the 60's, competition restrictions dictated 427 production designs. With the 427 cross bolted foundation and a (relatively) consistent displacement requirement, Ford set about improving the horsepower potential through head designs that incorporated increasingly larger valves, ports and intake designs that performed better than the competitions factory equipment ever would. It holds true that Ford's factory equipment for this motor was superior to any GM efforts no matter how covert or blatant, and Chryco had to rely on crossram technology to make the torque they needed, even with the Hemi engine. Tug of war with NASCAR approval over Hemi and SOHC motors in competition led to 1965's boycott by Chryco and GM's reticence incensed France who wanted diversity in the field. The eventual "acceptance" of the 427 SOHC motor by NASCAR came too late and with provisos that made it untenable, particularly since the 427 wedge was so inherently competitive. As a result of Bill France's faint heartedness, the SOHC was built in limited quantities of around a 1000, all for drag racing and non NASCAR competition use by factory backed name racers. It was the most powerful motor ever built in this fashion (by a major manufacturer for competition use). The race hemi has to take a backseat by quite a few horsepower. At the time of greatest effort by the big 3, Chevrolet produced it's greatest big block, the L-88 which produced 565 horsepower as built, and the race hemi in NASCAR trim made 600 horses in full regalia. The SOHC made 615 horsepower with a single carb. 660 or so with dual Holleys. Out of the crate, so to speak."

And, no I am not inviting comparison to Windsors or 385s--just a little reference from the time period.