The monster mash 427-ci SOHC Cammer remains the most exotic muscle engine ever produced by a Detroit automaker in the 1960s. Originally produced for NASCAR use, the Cammer enabled Ford to put hemi heads on the FE. Ford learned a miserable lesson when NASCAR said no to the use of an overhead-cam V-8 in Ford stock cars. Ford wound up with at least 1,000 of these engines, which were sold on the aftermarket to racers and enthusiasts.
Ford Basic Part Numbers
Ford stuck its neck way out there with the 427-ci SOHC big-block. It rolled the dice on being able to run this engine in NASCAR competition and lost. Despite a lot of engineering time spent developing this engine, the best Ford could do was make these engines available to the racing industry and enthusiasts via the aftermarket and Ford dealer parts departments. (Photo Courtesy Barry Rabotnick)
Ford’s 427 Cammer was easily the most technologically advanced engine of its time but in no way user friendly. It had a 7-foot-long timing chain and was very challenging to service and tune. It still is today. Racers developed gear-drive timing systems to eliminate the complexities of a chain system.
The 427 Cammer’s output was astounding for its day: 616 hp at 7,000 rpm and 515 ft-lbs of torque at 3,800 rpm. Although it is less impressive by today’s standards, more than 600 hp in 1965 was incredible. When NASCAR put an end to Ford’s pursuit of the big track, Ford looked for a place to go with all the parts it had produced to create the Cammer. Ford investigated other motorsports venues, including drag racing, to peddle the Cammer and its many parts. Racers lined up to buy 427 SOHC parts, which filtered into the performance parts pipeline.
Ford’s problem was the Cammer’s genetic code. It was a steady high-RPM racing engine designed for the big NASCAR tracks, not the dragstrip. Although it made more than 600 hp as Ford intended, the Cammer was capable of 2,500 hp. The downside to 2,500 hp was durability. The Cammer could make 2,500 hp with a blower on top; however, it could only do it a couple of times before racers ran over their crankshafts. The Cammer’s weakness wasn’t its heads, but instead a mile-long timing chain and a block that was never designed for the kind of power professional drag racers were seeking. The Cammer could hold a 7,000-rpm rev all day long. It was the abrupt nature of drag racing that made these engines vulnerable.
Ford Part Numbers 1999-On
Although this book deals primarily with the vintage Ford part numbering system, late model 385 Series big-block parts as well as vintage Ford V-8 parts show up in the new 1999-on Ford part numbering system. The new system works differently than the old one and takes some getting used to. The only real difference is the first four characters in the part number. The rest of it remains much the same. Instead of seeing part numbers such as C8AE-9510-A, you will see XL3E-9510-A. Here’s how 1999-on Ford part numbers work.
Typical Ford Part/Casting Number
| XL3E | - | 9510 | - | A |
| Prefix | - | Basic Part Number | - | Suffix |
First Position (Model Year)
V = 1997
W = 1998
X = 1999
Y = 2000
1 through 9 = 2001–2009
A = 2010
B = 2011
C = 2012
D = 2013
E = 2014
F = 2015
The alphabet continues accordingly after 2015 with “G” for 2016 and so on. Again, Ford does not use the letter “I” or “L” because they are too easily confused with the number “1.”
Second and Third Positions
For example, “R3” indicates Mustang. “L4” is Maverick. “R2” is Falcon, and so on.
Fourth Position
Engineering Department responsible for the part.
Basic Part Number
Same as prior to 1999. A cleaner numbering system, however, with driver-side and passenger-side specifics. Easier to follow and understand.
Suffix
Same as prior to 1999. Again, easier to follow and understand. ■
Had Ford been willing to develop the 427 SOHC further it could have enjoyed an extraordinary windfall of success in drag racing much as Chrysler did with the Hemi. However, it was not to be. Cammer blocks, heads, and similar components wound up flowing into the new and used parts markets; production ended with what Ford had on the shelf. On the rare occasion SOHC parts show up, the sale prices are reflected by rarity. Bill Coon Cammers produces 427 SOHC parts including heads and blocks, which makes this engine now available on a mass scale.
385 Series
When the MEL big-block became long in the tooth Ford reviewed its shortcomings and looked at building a lightweight big-block replacement at the Lima, Ohio, engine plant. The new 385 Series big-block in 429- and 460-ci displacements would be skirtless and resemble the small-block Ford architecturally. It would just be larger with a similar oiling system and main web structure.
The 385 Series engine is a fiercely rugged and reliable big-block sporting less weight, but it is long on torque. Even though the 385 was an intended luxury car powerplant, Ford went far with this engine as did drag racers. Drag racers took this mild-mannered big-block and made it psychotic where it could rev to 7,000 rpm without consequence.
The 460 with a 4.360-inch bore and 3.850-inch stroke was first on the scene for the 1968 Lincoln Continental followed by the lower displacement 429 with the same 4.360-inch bore and less stroke at 3.590 inches. Because these engines have the same bore size it makes more sense to build a 460 than it does a 429. There are also more 460 cores out there than there are 429s. Both employ the same block.
When Ford introduced the FE Series big-block in 1958, a distant cousin, the 383/410/430/462-ci MEL (Mercury-Edsel-Lincoln) big-block, joined it. This engine did not have a conventional combustion chamber. Instead, the MEL used the top of the cylinder as a wedge chamber like the 348/409-ci Chevrolets with a flat-surface cylinder head. The MEL was the 410 in the Edsel and the 383 in the Mercury. The MEL was also a Thunderbird option in 1959–1960. Note the fuel pump mounted on top of the timing cover, which is the quickest way to identify the MEL.
The 429/460 has large 3.000-inch main journals with 2.500-inch rod journals. The 429/460 benefited from good Cleveland-style poly-angle valve wedge cylinder heads out of the box. In 1970, Ford topped the 429 with large-port cylinder heads to birth the Cobra Jet and Super Cobra Jet engines.
The Cobra Jet yielded a whopping 11.0:1 compression ratio. The mechanical tappet Super Cobra Jet pegged the needle at 11.5:1 compression. Compression was the key to power, much as it always has been. The 385’s time as a factory high-performance V-8 (429-ci wedge) with a tremendous amount of horsepower and torque available was short lived at just two model years, 1970 and 1971.
The Cobra Jet was