i posted awhile back about some "supposed" 427 side oilers a guy had. well, it turns out, that's exactly what they are. they are from a chris craft boat, but were runners before they were taken out/apart. they are complete, but i'm wondering what it would take to put one in a car. the block looks good, the cylinders look fine, as well as the bearing mains/seats. heads look like, well heads to me. has a cast iron intake for one 4bbl. he seems to think you have to change the crank,cam,etc... anybody know? i think one of these would be cool in my truck, although i'm sure they are not cheap to put together.
It would go in like any other FE series engine (360,390,406,428). Not too many of those side-oilers around. Grab them if you can. They can make great hp and torque. r
If they are a pair from the same boat, one of them might be setup for reverse rotation. There shouldn't be too many changes to put that one back to normal rotation - the cam, distributor drive gear and starter motor are the main things that come to mind. If they are definitely side-oilers and a reasonable price, grab them if you can. They are valuable pieces.
Don't forget that the crank can be different too. The grooves on the rear main seal area will pull oil out under the seal when spun in the 'wrong' direction.
your gonna be really happy with that FE. but be carefull on your reasembly.get the hp book on big block fords by steve christ its the bible of the FE.
I am building one right now!! It is a 68 block that came out of a 63 CC. I have the reverse rotation, but it doesn't matter to me because is will be a 488 CID stroker. I had one major problem though, it had 2 cracks in the block, one on the deck between 7 and 8, and one on the outside between the screw in "freeze plugs". I had the block repaired outside of Detroit. One thing though, you have to be real careful with boring them, as some can have thin walls. The 67?- blocks have a thicker cylinder wall. I am neck deep in this project right now if you need anything else.
The CC 427's used side oiler block castings, but the sides were fly cut for the boat mounts which cuts into the side oil galley. Because of this, Ford machined them as center oilers. It will be set up for solid lifters, so mods are needed to divert oil to the lifter gallery if you are going to use hydraulics. Heads were garden variety small valve type, like late 390's had. If you get them, or the seller is selling, I would be interested in at least a block from one. PM me on it. Steve...
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm..................................... 427-ddrrrrrroooooooooooollllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll.......................
These engines are bringing a ton of cash,the cobra kitcar builders are giving big bucks for these blocks,I say sell them to the goldchainers,go get yourself a 390 block & a steel 391 big truck crank,have the crank snout turned down & rekeywayed,You will have about the same thing & enough cash to build a nice engine with some left over to finish your project.On the other hand you could build the engine,but if it comes apart you just thru 1000.00 block in the s**** pile.
all good points and info guys. the blocks have cross bolted mains as well as 427 cast into the lifter valleys. i've done my research to identify them. there are four motors total. two have had welding done in the lifter valley, but have been run since. the others are cherry. i'm gonna take the block and have it magnafluxed and check the bore before i build to make sure it's good. i'm not sure he'll sell just the block, as he knows the value, but i'll check. remember, chris craft guys want em as well as cobra guys. so here's the real question. would running such a beast really be worth it in my 33 pickup? i can get this thing cheap, and this is my dream motor, but if it's gonna look strange in my truck, take up the entire cab with a giant bellhousing, is it really worth it? if i don't use this, i'm not really set on a BB ford, i'd rather use something else, but holy ****, a real 427 in an old rod would be pretty cool, and it would drive some purists crazy.
I'd grab them. As mentioned if it was a twin engine boat one is probably reverse rotation. It's still worth it. A 427 FE is definatly worth the money spent to make it fresh, and if you have to buy more things along the line it would still be worth it. A guy around here has an A tudor with a crate 427 in it. His brother bought the motor new to put in a mustang in the late 60's, but got killed in vietnam. The motor stayed in the garage, and finally he threw it in this A. Still has the chrome valve covers with gold bird decals, dual quads on an aluminum ford intake, finned air cleaner. All mint and gennie. It really makes the car. I think he just put it in the car to get people to stop asking him about selling it.
If they are marine engines they are likely cast as side oilers but drilled as center oilers. No big deal for street or drag - - but you oughtta know that. The cylinder walls can be thin - but the best overbore is .017 over to 4.25" big block Chevy sizes - - that way rings are easy to find. The reverse rotation thing is ugly if you want to use the stock crank. Most marine engines just have a cast iron crank anyways so I'd just boneyard a similar "normal" piece from a 390. I've built a bunch of these over the years. Got any extras? (nod, nod, wink)
The reverse rotation thing is ugly if you want to use the stock crank. Most marine engines just have a cast iron crank anyways so I'd just boneyard a similar "normal" piece from a 390. What are the crank (and other) issues on the reverse engines exactly? I have a friend who has collected a pair of these and also a pair pf Chevy 454's and will be getting into these problems soon.
ok, i'll go get the block pressure tested and check the bore size. as far as the oiling goes, as long as it oils, i'm cool with that. so, i could use a 390 crank? a friend has a 59 ford car with a big block in it, would this be worth getting for parts? he says it's a 360something. and it's cheap.
here she is. you can see in one pic where it's welded up in the valley, but he ***ured my it's fine. i'm gonna get it pressure tested on monday. he said if it's no good, there's another if i need it.
that one must be a center oiler because it does not have a oil pressure relief in the back of the block. My 427 is a service block(I think) because it's a 68 block out of a 63 CC, but it does have the relief valve and has the side oiler p***ages all drilled. Hmmmm......
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