FORD BIG BLOCKS

[CHESTNUTXE 7,307]

I have always been a cleveland fan,but throw your 2 cents in about the other ford big blocks like the 427 cammer,boss 429,SCJ429,460,400,390,428,427, i have been lucky in the past to play around with  a boss 429 in pieces,and a 427 cammer two rare engines in australia.

[gerg 10,871]

I envy your experiences, but alas, it's only been clevos and crossies for me thus far (apart from diesels).

 

427 SOHC is my pick, so ahead of the others in technology and desirability... then stupid redneck Nascar banned it before it even got a run. I've read that they got 650 hp on a dyno back in the mid-60s, that's with factory parts and durability testing too. For the time that would have been mind-bending. I love the look of them, big fat sand-cast rocker covers, 8 trumpets up top, just a mountain of an engine.

 

Boss 429s are nice too, but the street versions were not the same as the race ones. They were massively tamed compared to the real deal.

 

Tunnel-port 427 sounds like a goer too, very rare now.

[CHESTNUTXE 7,307]

yeah i forgot about the tunnel port,the cammer was very reliable engine even with its huge timing chain,i remember we had a dual 4 barrel intake on our one,and in the boss 429 there was a S and a T version ,we had the street version in the shed.

[FORD_MAN 1,026]

A local bloke is putting a NEW 427 SOHC in to a MK 1 or 2 cortina with a big Procharger,

I'd love to build a 573Ci Boss429 and put it in a altered.

[gerg 10,871]

I'd love to build a Daytona Cobra and shove in a SOHC 427. With a toploader. Yes.

[CHESTNUTXE 7,307]

what is the biggest stroker kit for a 460 ,i see some really big chev ones over 600 cubes but the ford seems to be a bit smaller ?.is it because not as much development has gone into raising the deck for the bigger crank ?

[sleepisforthedead 29]

I've got a 400 Cleveland in the shed, standard bore too. Don't know if you could classify it as a big block but they're bigger than our blocks haha

[Free.51 2,717]

yeah i forgot about the tunnel port,the cammer was very reliable engine even with its huge timing chain,i remember we had a dual 4 barrel intake on our one,and in the boss 429 there was a S and a T version ,we had the street version in the shed.

i think trick & manswetos capri which had a 694ci started as a 460

[Free.51 2,717]

what is the biggest stroker kit for a 460 ,i see some really big chev ones over 600 cubes but the ford seems to be a bit smaller ?.is it because not as much development has gone into raising the deck for the bigger crank ?

damn it wrong quote

[CHESTNUTXE 7,307]

I remember reading about the t amd m capri engine some time ago,i think it was based on a old boss 429 block,and good question with the 400 because big block bellhousings fit them and a small number of 1973 400/s have the smallblock bellhousing to fit the c6 ,so lets call it a medium block ?

[sleepisforthedead 29]

I've got one with a C6 bell housing pattern, well I assume so as it came with a C6 hahaha

[CHESTNUTXE 7,307]

small or big block pattern ?

[sleepisforthedead 29]

Honestly I've never checked. Got it in a parts deal, roughly measured the bore make sure it was standard and packed it away.

[CHESTNUTXE 7,307]

The big block bellhousing will be quite tall at the top 2 bolt's ,some c4/s were also made to suit the big block pattern,a guy on e bay has one at the moment for about $2500 std form.

[sleepisforthedead 29]

I'll have a look tomorrow. Probably should sell it, need to get my XD finished and it needs as much shed space as possible hahaha

[gerg 10,871]

what is the biggest stroker kit for a 460 ,i see some really big chev ones over 600 cubes but the ford seems to be a bit smaller ?.is it because not as much development has gone into raising the deck for the bigger crank ?

 

Seems like 557 is the limit for stock Ford blocks. Plenty of cubes really.

 

Big Chevs over 600 cubes would start with a GM motorsports style block that has a 4.4 something bore (up from 4.25) and is the basis for their 502, but they're "only" 4" stroke. So going up to 4.5" stroke on the bigger bore will give you some serious cubes.

[gerg 10,871]

I've got one with a C6 bell housing pattern, well I assume so as it came with a C6 hahaha

 

You have a rare bit of kit there dude, that's even if it's not a smallblock pattern (only made for one year) weren't C6s available in big block pattern too?

 

If I was at that stage in my project and had some dollars floating around I'd seriously consider it. They're very rare in Australia, never see them come up.

[CHESTNUTXE 7,307]

Back in the old days there were a few can am 494 billet cranks cast for american racers,there is a write up about them in old pat ghnal ford performace book.

[sleepisforthedead 29]

I've got one with a C6 bell housing pattern, well I assume so as it came with a C6 hahaha

 

You have a rare bit of kit there dude, that's even if it's not a smallblock pattern (only made for one year) weren't C6s available in big block pattern too?

 

If I was at that stage in my project and had some dollars floating around I'd seriously consider it. They're very rare in Australia, never see them come up.

 

Here's the block, looks dirty but the bores are coated in grease for storage haha. Standard sized bore, 400 cast into the valley, I think it's a Michigan block from memory?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rods, crank, pistons etc are all there. What do you think it would be worth? Owes me $2k including the C6 so I'd be happy if I could get that

[CHESTNUTXE 7,307]

in the top of the heads what is the cast number should be something like 3ge288374

[gerg 10,871]

Just looking at that bell pattern, the top two bolts look higher and further apart than they usually do on a clevo or Windsor, so I'd say it's a big block pattern.

[CHESTNUTXE 7,307]

yep spot on,in america there is a guy called TIM MEYER and he specializes in these suckers,you can go on his website and check out his 400 strokers to 500 cubes i think,TMEYER.

[sleepisforthedead 29]

Yeah I've seen his stuff before, doesn't really interest me to build as I've already got an Arrow 427 in progress. I don't need two endless money pits hahaha

 

Heads are 2V open chambers I'm pretty sure, only casting number I can see is 25HO and a couple of the old round date/time stamps

[CHESTNUTXE 7,307]

mine have D3AE-G2B inside the top of the head near the springs other 400 heads might have D4 or D5 being the later type which were very resticted,our early 351 clevo's here had the bigger open chambers like the yank ones up untill the very early XB's i think 75-78 cc and the later ones 72-74cc.

[gerg 10,871]

One drawback of the 400 is shit factory heads as you mentioned Chestnut with the smog bump in the exhaust and crap open chambers, but go slapping on a set of 302 2v closed heads and compression goes through the roof, so then the only option left using factory bits is 4V closed which are both expensive and can't be adapted well to the available 400 manifolds.

 

Of course the ideal arrangement would be ally heads with suitable quench chambers, 3v ports, etc but that's starting to cost.