Editor’s Note: This series counts down the Top 10 engines of all time–see how the voting was done by reading our initial post.
Some picked their favorite engine based on durability.
Others picked based on power and performance.
Clearly, the Ford 427 SOHC (Cammer) engine cracked the top 10 based on its power and legendary status.
Fun Fact
The Ford 427 SOHC engine is the only engine effectively banned by NASCAR before even making it to the track (thus, the legendary status).
History
In 1964, Ford and Chrysler were in a battle for supremacy on the NASCAR circuit. Ford had won the majority of the races in ’64 thanks to its 427 Hi-Riser engine, but Richard Petty scored an upset victory at the Daytona 500 using the new Chrysler 426 HEMI engine. Even more impressive, HEMI-powered cars finished 1-2-3 at the race and threatened to change the entire power-balance within NASCAR racing.
Ford’s answer to the potent, game-changing HEMI engine was the 427 SOHC Cammer–an engine that not only changed the game but also changed the rules in NASCAR racing.
Based essentially on the 427 Hi-Riser short block, the 427 SOHC utilized a forged steel crankshaft and “hemi-head” pistons. The biggest change came on the top-end where a single overhead camshaft was placed over each of the redesigned and fully machined hemispherical-style cylinder heads. An idler shaft replaced the camshaft on the inside of the engine and drove the distributor and oil pump; a set of non-drilled steel bushings replaced the three rear cam bearings to seal off the oil passages. The new overhead cam engine went from concept to reality in just 90 days!
Although part of the Ford FE engine family, the 427 SOHC was essentially hand-built for racing yet never made it to a NASCAR-sanctioned event.
Because of strong protests from the Chrysler camp, NASCAR threatened significant weight handicaps on Cammer-powered Galaxies, and the engine was eventually banned outright from competition. However, the 427 SOHC achieved success on the drag racing circuit into the 1970s and served as the foundation for several supercharged Top Fuel Dragsters. Today, the Cammer is limited to vintage drag racing series.
Although many 427 SOHC-powered Ford Galaxie prototypes appeared from 1964-67, the SOHC Cammer never graced a showroom floor before Ford discontinued it. However, the 427 SOHC served as the forefather of the late-model Ford SOHC and DOHC mod motors.
Specifications
The Ford 427 Cammer produced 616 horsepower with single four-barrel carburetor and 657 horsepower with dual four-barrel carburetors. This made the engine one of the most powerful engines to come out of Detroit during the octane-fueled 1960s.
Did You Know…
…because of the Cammer’s legendary status, you can find a variety of 427 SOHC automobilia? Here are just a few examples:
- 1:6 Scale Die-Cast 427 SOHC Engine
- 1:6 Scale Die-Cast 427 SOHC Top-Fuel Engine
- Ford 427 SOHC Ornament
Editor’s Note: This series counts down the Top 10 engines of all time–see how the voting was done by reading our initial post.
dodge sucks
I second that!!!!! Chrysler has always been the #3 us automaker for a reason. Great example today, the dodge demon is a damn joke, “banned from the nhra”… well, if you put a roll cage in it like it should have had if it’s supposed to be the factory built drag car, it wouldn’t have been banned. But then would have been humiliated by the cobra jet and copo camaro
Alan Johnson beat every Camaro and Mustang out there for the championship. What are you talking about
It would have been great to see it on a NASCAR super speedway, as ed pink pointed out it’s funny how Ford designed it to go to NASCAR when clearly in France’s NASCAR rule book it says no overhead cam engines allowed!!
And regardless it never would have been allowed which brings another interesting view why was the 426 Hemi restricted from Nascar Chrysler had had hemis since the fifties? Anyway bringing us up to modern times Ford’s been running overhead cam engines in these modulars now for I guess approaching 30 years will they allow these on NASCAR super speedways today it would be nice to see?
Yeah is that pointed out above it was bad because it was an overhead cam engine people always say it’s because it was an outright race engine blah blah blah but it was a no-brainer no overhead cam engines allowed, so what did Ford not read the rule book what’s going on here? The engine went on to annihilate the 426 Hemi at the drag strip until they got to 1500 horsepower and above and the engine block showed its limitation if it had been a production engine like the street Hemi that’s kind of coletta pointed out the history of top fuel drag racing may have been different we may be seeing overhead cam engines in top fuel, interesting huh? Why did ford design This engine for NASCAR when it’s clearly ineligible from the start???
Since it Destroyed the hemis, like you said could you list all of their Championships? I can only find 4 And that’s including Coletta and Mickey Thompson.
We run Keith Black forget the rest
Keith Black is not factory
The Ford’s 427 SOHC engine is the only engine ever banned by NASCAR (thus, the legendary status). <=WRONG The Chrysler Hemi was banned before the far from legendary Ford SOHC piece of junk was.
How could you call it junk. Did you own one or 3? I do own TWO in Galaxies. Great motor
Not a piece of Junk Connie Kalita said he wished Ford would have continued the platform. He said the engine had great potential. Winning Top Fuel Champ. Ford pulled out if that program to go whip Ferrari’s ass in the wedge 427 3 years in a row. I love all the big three Ford,Chrysler, GM. They all have given this 75 year Old man lot a joy.
Dodge is junk The 427 Ford in the Galaxies were beasts My Uncle only raced them He whipped every Hemi in site So you don’t know what you’re talking about.The 427 was banned before any Nascar events what’s that tell you. Your clueless on Racing history. Bye Hemi for good no more I’m glad Ford will always destroy Chrysler.
My Uncle beat everyone inside, yeah, right? NASCAR always had a one cam rule And it has to be in the block, not the heads. So it wasn’t banned it was never legal to race in the first place And the reason they’re out of Drag Racing is because they weren’t durable. They blew up too often on the line
Do your research guys , the bottom end was extremely weak the nitro guys only got 7 runs and they’d be junk, Ed Pink changed that with alot of work , look up his interview about it, very expensive motors to use, plus 6 foot timing chain stretching was a huge problem that had to be overcome.
Wish Ford would’ve made the almighty 427 SOHC Cammer V8 in some productio cars mate.
Imagine a 427 SOHC Cammer in a 64-66 Mustang or in a 64 Ford Thunderbolt now that would be awesome, or even in some Canadian Fords like the Meteor Rideau 500, Meteor Montcalm, or the Monarch Lucern.
I know this was an old post, but I just saw it and had to button in and tell you that the Ford thunderbolt doesn’t need the overhead cam motor. It is a factory race car. There was only 100 of the special cars built 49 standard shift and 51 automatics and they were well underrated they had at least 600 hp before they were Modified
Look up 1964 Ford thunderbolt 427 not overhead cam this thing is bad ass. I’ve seen one up close. It’s the real deal. There’s not too many factory race cars out there so just wanted to clear that up.
Anyone who calls the Ford 427 sohc junk, is clearly a person that walks around with “IDIOT” written across their forehead!
Agreed 100%, what Ford vehicle do you think is worthy of having the Ford 427 SOHC Cammer (besides the Ford Galaxie)?
Bullshit The 427 Ford Cammer is a beast The Hemi is junk garbage You don’t know what your talking about Ford 427 will destroy any piece of junk Chrysler engine Hemi suxs Ford power
Ford actually had a hemi and the man who invented it before Chrysler bought him out. Ford never got the credit for it though and Nascar wouldn’t let them run it anyways so it put to use in industrial Ford trucks.
Chrysler whined so much and alway had to have a big advantage before they could compete in anything…Still that way today
Did you actually read the above “fun fact”? “the only engine effectively banned by NASCAR before even making it to the track”
The 426 Hemi ran the entire 1964 season before it, along with Ford’s High Riser wedge, was banned.
Ford wanted to run the Cammer in the ’65 season. Nascar said “NO”.
So, unlike the 426 Hemi, the Cammer never ran in a Nascar race before it was banned. I hope this clears things up for you.
t
The junk sohc engine? Clearly you’ve never seen one run? The 427 medium and high riser head was arguably faster than the 426 Hemi also the single overhead cam version was a monster and it made 100 horsepower more than the 426 when built equal from the crankshaft up overhead cam engines just run good like that, the single chain was a joke but it worked to a point, it was far from junk, so I will say when they put a supercharger on at the bottom and would not live they had to adapt to 426 hemis rod and main bearing design then it held up, 656 horsepower with dual quads in 1964 era give or take a couple years there, it was bad a**! Then and now.
You are obviously a dodge boy with an dodge ego. The cammer destroyed the hemi. Everywhere I read says so. Yes I’m a ford guy but it killed everything in its path. Ford gt is an example, I know that’s not stock car, but it’s a far more technical and longer race instead of driving around in circles. It destroyed the Ferrari witch was by far back then, the top car. Ford lost the first year which is ok considering they built the car in six months. The next year and four years straight it won lemans. I have never seen a dodge do that! Ford has alway made a better motor, yes their sub- motor builders have screwed them over like the tritons and the 6.0. But ford never made those. Today ford is building their own motors again. Dodge is not. And again ford is kicking dodge and chevys asses all the way around. I love wAtching a mustang coyote witch is a way underpowered car compared to your piece of junk hellcat and cheaper. The ford Shelby gt- 500 destroys them hands down. WY more reliable and way nicer than your dodge cars. Hemi were great motors and ford like they always do, built a better one. Don’t be jealous, jealousy doesn’t get you anywhere in like! Cammer number one built motor!
[…] Ford Motor Company execs and necessitated the #10 engine on this list: the Ford 427 SOHC. (You can learn more about the 427 SOHC in our earlier post). The 426 HEMI engine powered Richard Petty to an upset NASCAR win at Daytona in 1964, and […]
about what the 392 hemi?
My limited understanding the 426 Hemi that became a ‘winner’ was engineered outside of Chrysler. Chrysler attempts at 426 cu inch all ended in short longevity. Cost prohibitive – production. Chrysler sold offered the engine to established Race teams. I recall several Race teams running these new 426’s. Chrysler sold all at less than cost – loosing $$ on each sale. Some ‘hear say’ that the over-counter Hemi heads were not the same as the Heads to specified Race Teams, straight line or round. The contract engineer Chrysler used (forgot name) noticed that in cast-iron form (production) there was going to be plenty of room to make this 426 in aluminum. There is an accounting-story of the development of the 426 that includes the outside engineers name. My my – verboseness
go over your study material again. Because a lot of your facts are wrong. They went to a outside Foundry for the blocks because thay tried to put the hemi heads on the 426 max Wedge block, and that block was not durable enough for all the power the engine made.with those heads They also built 2 dual overhead cam hemis that they called the doomsday hemi but when they saw that NASCAR was not gonna allow overhead cams, they discontinued the project.
The old school 392 Hemi was too cool for school, man! I used to be a big rod & custom guy—Old school American iron was my jam. Would’ve loved to have had a 392-powered ride but those early Hemis are so rare & expensive now. Alas.
Jay Leno put one in his “Cobra”.
go dodge
Bill France banned the 392 Hemi. Told the Chrysler 300 guys not to bother showing up at Daytona in 1957.
Most people don’t know this but the Chrysler 300 and the 392 hemi in 1957 was the fastest car in the world how about that for history books
No it wasn’t The Ford GT40 with 427 Cammer was in Lemans beating Ferrari your clueless no let’s not put that false information in history books
Ford didn’t put a single SOHC engine into a GT40. They said it wouldn’t be durable and physically wouldn’t fit the chassis. I do like the enthusiasm of it though!
That’s false a Google search says in 1957 the Rambler Rebel was 0.1 seconds faster from 0-60. The Chrsyler 300C took a yawning 7.6 seconds so history says there are far faster vehicles now and was one in 1957.
The 400 HP MEL ENGINE, stock in the 58 Mercurys would hurt those 300’s!
Then why didn’t thay look up and see who won for those years? I would have done that first instead of looking silly later.
Whoever compiled this ‘Top 10 Engines of all Time’ clearly hasn’t got a damn clue about engines. Either that or he believes that engines are only made in America. How about Cosworth, RedTop, Brabus? I could go on. And why is it that American car manufacturers need 5+litres to get 300-400bhp when Japan and Europe have been getting just as much power out of 2 litre engines. This idea that big is better and therefore more powerful is totally wrong. Learn something about car engines, then have another go at writing this article. Your clueless!!!!
Cosworth, Brabus and redtop arent really engine manufacturers. They modify engines already made by a major manufacturer, most Cosworths are Ford engines, with a few others thrown in the mix. Brabus is almost entirely mercedes. Also show me a naturally aspirated jap or european car with 300-400hp… not going to happen… I believe Lexus uses a 5.0L naturally aspirated V8 and it makes 394hp/383ft.lbs of tourque. Ford new 5.0L makes 435hp/400lb.ft of tourque. Try and get 300,000-500,000miles out of a european/japenese engine thats been used for heavy hauling and rough dirt roads.
300 hp and 10 lbs of torque from Euro engines do not a muscle motor make.
Horsepower turns the engine. Torque turns the wheels.
Torque moves the vehicle, horsepower wins races. Any type of race. Highway, Ocean,Air,Mudd,Sand, whatever. Look at a Dyno chart ,with out exception,there will be a point where no more torque is achieved, horsepower continues to build with rpm. Of course we’re assuming correct cam, airflow,fuel,and strength of reciprocating assembly and box are compatible.
This is America and we see things differently. If you like forgen cars move there don’t bitch about America what we did wrong cause I’m sure the forgeners have done a lot of shit wrong to! And there engines have like 12 turbos all maxed at like 30 pounds or more. Most American boosted engines never see more than 12psi. Sure they could be cranked up to but why. And that’s why the better beats most of your forgen cars and some exotics too!
The corvette beats most of your forgen cars
please spell “foreigner” correctly, it really makes you look extremely unprofessional, especially in today’s day and age.
Actually,I skimmed right over that misspelled word and didn’t catch it nor think anything about it. In the English language the first letter, last letter and maybe one in the middle is enough to know what someone is saying or meaning.
Corvette sux Ford GT Shelby 500 will crush any Corvette
Well sir. That GT500 Is a beast for sure. But the zo6 has a quicker zero to 60 as well as a quicker 1/4 mile time. The 500 is 2mph faster, but the corvette beats it at all tracks tested. Both great american cars.
Chevy rules go see your history man Ford sucksss against Chevy
Bill you better take your American car in and have them remove all those foreign parts on it.
Donald Trump is working on that. Thank you.
The Donald is headin to jail lol
Learn to spell!
is ya stupit, sun?
I’s thinks he be!
Haha is this guy serious? Japanese are not creators. They take things that have already been made and tweak them. The 427 is such a beautiful piece of machinery without all of the computer geewiz. It’s all muscle. That’s what this engine is. All muscle. Plus it’s just so freaking beautiful. I’m bias though…
I’m an Old Iron guy myself but to each their own. Also, for the record modern Japanese automotive engineering is extraordinarily innovative. It’s fine if you don’t like Japanese cars & you’d rather drive something with an American V8. So would I. But you’re statement is pointlessly disparaging & untrue to boot.
The 427 sohc also went into the cobra and GT40 where they won the Lemans beating Ferrari
The 427 Cobras and GT40’s used the pushrod version of the 427 side oiler, not the Cammer.
No, not at all. No cammer was sold or used buy anybody but the drag race community. The motor that was used by Shelby was a stock 428 and the motor used by the Lemans winning cars were the 427 push rod side/top oilers.
Was not in Gt 40 or Cobras.
Hey “el geico”…
Who cares?!?
YOU’RE clueless!
(Note correct spelling of the word “you’re”…)
😉
Who cares about spelling when it comes to cars.
Ive been building race motors for 25 years (street racing only ) I cannot say anything about anything because am not a goob speller ,I went to school but not very much because i was out iun the filds fixing gfarm eqmeant (Dad had a big farm and made good money )since ive been 12 years of age …i know this ford are junk ,mopar good ..
You really showed your on knowledge of engines by stating hoesepower…big american engines make there horsepower down low and without supercharging. The engines you mention all do it with forced induction at high rpms and they dont come close to the torque output. And your righr. Top 10 american engines should have been the name of the article
Yep, when you take an American V8 and put as much boost as the Euro and Japanese cars do on normal pump fuel, they put HP numbers in the 1000’s and when you do it with blowers and nitro they put numbers in the 10,000’s.
By 1974 the FE 427 sohc was making 3500 hp at 9000 rpm 40 years ago. No import on the planet can get anywhere near that not even half. The power the FE made 4 decades ago you can keep your 300 hp 8000 rpm import.
shut up fool
Yeah those 3000 horsepower top fuel big cubes that’s blistering world records almost daily wouldn’t stand a chance against the 2.2L Mit now would it? Something like 700? Cubic inches. The article kept saying that Chrysler came out k with the hemi before Ford and took 1 2 & 3 place wins and while the public sucked on the left one of Chrysler with their big win 90 days later Ford tried the same thing and was told to go home and rake and take that experimental motor with you. Newspaper reports from 1961 has Ford whippin the chit out of every car on every track in America and with the start of racing season a couple of weeks off the racing commission executives came together( because Ford beat every car on every type of track a year prior) and decided to ban that beast of a motor that Ford beat every car on every track in the country a year prior. So how does that work? Ford wins all the races in the 61-62 season and is banned from using the same engine in 62-63 and Chrysler wins in 64 with a copy of the Ford motor. What?
the hemi was out before the ford !!
1951
Chrysler applied their military experience with the hemispherical combustion chamber to their first overhead-valve V8 engine, released under the name FirePower, not “Hemi,” in 1950 for the 1951 model year. The first version of the FirePower engine had a displacement of 331 cu in (5.4 L) and produced 180 bhp (134.2 kW).
The first American V8 Hemi was in fact the 1947 Ford/Ardun Hemi! Chrysler copied the idea, and even went as far as copying the intake manifold bolt pattern. Chrysler/dodge deserves to be owned by FIAT now. lol.
where’s your proof
Chrysler built the Hemi engine during the war for military use to be used in planes and tanks. This was before the Ardun. The war ended before they were used, so they mothballed them until 51 models came out.
WW2 USA – Production engines for some need. Invasion of Japan, Pacific, was going to make all battles prior to small-less important. USA – Operation Downfall. Japan – Getsu Go (eye opener). Chrysler by contract produced a V-12 under military contract. One requirement was the ability in manufacturing 8-or 12 cylinder. Chrysler made one of these engines – running. My picture notes are not complete. War over and never went into production. 1950 Chrysler V-8 5.4L/330 cu, one to power a Chrysler Air-Raid siren
I can definitely say 427 definitely top 10 contender. Cuz I have a 427 small block. I drag race Fox body Mustangs. But this motor 427 and some boost from my ProCharger I’m flying down the track. And no other small block and its category can handle this abuse.. but a lot of people but I race against if they have a Ford small-block It’s usually the 427..
*you’re
A 2 liter engine can be built to put out horsepower but the torque potential could never match an American big block. Remember, in the U.S. we invented our own forms of racing. Nascar, Drags etc. And those rice burners would never hold up.
Sorry dude, engine torque is what is going to launch and accelerate a car, especially a heavy one, NOT hp. Bigger cubes produce more torque than a smaller cubed engine. That’s just pure physics, plain and simple. High hp numbers are exciting to brag about, but they’re not achieved until the top end of the track.
Your European crap is just that…crap. They might get a lot of HP out of a 2 liter at high rpm but where is the torque? There is none and that is why big is better and it’s the American way now your no longer ignorant.
Thanks man, someone said it.
The reason those tiny engines make so much power is because they rely on boost all the time (which causes em to blow up and decrease reliability as well not to mention the huge cost and labor in repairs and turbo replacements as well) which to me its better to go with a large displacement NA V8 for longevity and ease of maintance.
el Greco that’s you’re clueless
Banter aside I think el Greco has a point. There have been many wonderful engines outside of Uncle Sam’s play area including the Cosworth DFV, BDA/BDT, 3.4 quad-cam’d Essex V6, A-series, Pinto etc. Shame the list was limited to Yank stuff.
If one eauropean engine should have been on the list, it should have been the 2.5L Ford/Cosworth V6 (duratec), porsche engineering adapted by Ford and Cosworth and spawned the 2.5L, 3.0L, and 3.5L V6 duratec engines as well as the Jaguar V12.
Maybe because it’s an American article about American engines, you typical euro whiner… Now, go flip open one of your biased magazines and see what your list looks like. Crybags….
Smooth talking and manners won’t get you anywhere here bubba!
How about the YAMAHA 32VALVE 3.4 V8 SHO TAURUS..Had one and it drove great at 150 mph..
Fairly unreliable because of cam lobes rotating on the cam shaft, and only produced for 3 years… And it was basically just two yamaha motorbike engines.
Cause it was cheaper for Ford to buy an engine for the SHO than to invent one. Car company’s are always looking for the cheapest way out. And apparently yahama had the cheapest price on there engines so Ford took them!
Ford is going to start production of the 427 SOHC again
I hope so and hope with technology today it has 1000 horsepower! To shut forgener and Chevy lovers up.the forgeners family sedans are getting beat by the hellcat charger from what I have seen!
Good God, man – learn to spell the word “foreigner” if you’re going to use it in every comment. I love American muscle cars, but you’re not helping when you come across like a freaking redneck.
Being a card carrying member of the “grammer police” doesn’t buy you a seat at the conference table. Sounds like some C-6 rube looking for a high compression seat belt, or a full race dip stick.
And who tf you think invented Nascar? Jar Jar Binks? Rednecks did. Darlington isn’t in Tatooine, Connecticut, Dipweed. So there is (there’s) that.
Don’t be a Fat Ford Double Clutch Tranny. We Bumcombe County hollar folks don’t like you. Never have. So keep your (yur) insults to yourself. (Yourselves). Stick a feather in your butt crack, and stay way tf north of the Mason DIxon, and we will all be tickled, shiftless.
More like tickled into the stupid stupor of a sodomistic solipsism. Trying to sound intelligent if you are from the south and not William Faulkner is a waste of time.
The whole top 10 list on this site is a joke… Simple as that!!! All domestic and all Dodge, Ford, and Chevy. That really is laughable. I can’t believe that there is no mention at all of the 2JZ-GTE engine found in the MKIV Toyota Supra. Are you guys for real???
Yea but without a computer to control the motor and a turbo to give it boost all your eurp crap is just another gocart motor, all these motors can pull a truck out of a ditch run for 100,000’s of miles without any power adders or fuel injection this is 60+ year technology hear at its best, let’s see an N/A Using a carburetor no fuel injection and 500ft/lbs
Rolls-Royce Merlin. I know 12 cylinders.
Uh, gee, I guess they are for real, since it’s about AMERICAN engines, genius. I take it that you’re the type to go to a restaurant and order stuff not on the menu and blubber about it when you don’t get your little way, huh??? Brat…
Not ONCE does it mention that the article was limited to American engines. Guess you need to get your facts straight before you shoot your mouth off!
This is an American blog built, funded and maintained by an American race equipment supplier (Summit Racing). Therefore, we discuss American engines in support of our American passtime. If you don’t like that build and fund your own foreign blog and show as much love for your high revving low torque unreliable micro motors as you want.
Remember kids, there’s no replacement for displacement!
The difference between a 2.7 liter 400 hp ferrari v8
And a 7.5 liter 400hp American v8
Is torque.we can tow a another car at 100 mph. They couldnt push an orange saftey cone out of the way.
That’s why professional drag racers use hemispherical headed engines. And they make well over 3000 horsepower. That’s a lot of turbos to be using on a supra to get over 3000 horsepower. This is America if you don’t like our American automobles. Move to Japan were the Toyota was invented and then we can’t hear your doggin America.
Keep in mind the Japanese build quality was crap until Ford showed them how to do it.
There is a reason why the fastest cars on the planet are Hemi powered!
Jap motors are a joke they can’t make power without a power adder
NASCAR and ProStock Nhra are factory race cars from gm Ford Chrysler..and what cars were you talking about.don’t recall seeing any of them.you don’t have to prove history..history proves itself.when it comes to racing Chevrolet is filthy rich they Have enough wins to buy and sell anybody
There is little to nothing “factory” when it comes to Pro Stock and NASCAR. They are scratch built race cars.
Thats why gm went bankrupt huh
Good old Honest Garden variety push-rod Ford v8 winning LeMans 24hr 4 times straight!!!! (9000 rpm+ ah!! that beautiful noise] 1960s-those were the days
The late and the great Caroll Shelby!
Exactly! Not a Cammer.
The 427s used at LeMans were very defined and made the same amount of power as my home built 390+.020. They could run the course for 46 hours at a 6200 rpm red line and take all comers. In NASCAR the 1964 427 High Riser could still beat the Hemi,and it was banned in 65.The FE series should have rated higher in the poll.
You might be surprised at how both the 60s pushrod FE and Hemi my are still doing in NHRA Stock and Super Stock
I throw in a vote for Volvo B18
Duly noted……….For what it’s worth.
I live in southern Missouri I mean in the Ozarks, and ive owned them all, porshe , Mercedes, jauguar, ford ,/chev dodge, I loved my 944, but, if im give it hell ford all the way, and this is fact wen most cars will blow up getting into the throttle a ford wont let gotill u get off the throttle, and that’s a fact, I drove a ford home almost 120 miles wth cam shaft broke in four spots, it hammered to beat hell but it didn’t give up till I shut it off
[…] Pontiac had the 2+2 with the 421 that supposedly ran a 0-60 in 3.9 seconds. That is a huge car. Top 10 Engines of All-Time (#10): Ford 427 SOHC – OnAllCylinders __________________ […]
Under four seconds 0-60 in the ‘60s? DAY-UM!
[…] In the heyday of the muscle car, very few of the racing engines coming out of the Motor City rivaled Ford’s 427 CID SOHC V8 engine, otherwise known as the “Cammer.” When equipped with dual four-barrel carburetors, the legendary powerhouse generated a prodigious 657 horsepower. Even when a single four-barrel carburetor was employed, the engine could still generate 616 horsepower. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that this big, powerful engine often appears on lists of the top ten engines of all time. […]
I know I’m late, but when you take a 383 and put 426 Hemi heads on it….then you have a motor!!!
I realized I am behind the eight ball here ,reading these reply so reminds me of car and Driver pass n moan pages bummer bla,bla, bla
[…] it was first introduced in 1963, the 427 took the racing world with a bang. That first year, Ford won 23 races in NASCAR — including the Daytona 500 — with the brand-new […]
I lived in the days of the 60s and 70s muscle cars. I also lived through the Jimmy Carter recession. Which destroyed a lot of small farmers . Even the pickups are much better and more reliable . The American built trucks on the farms were loaded two to three times their capacity daily and were not babied in any way. If you go anywhere an American truck is the one doing the heavy work. The Jap trucks would not last a day on the farms now. That is why you see American trucks out there. The generation that we hear bragging about these tin plated thin bodied vehicles with 3 1/4 inch ring gears, have been brainwashed by a corrupt media that is anti-American and is hell bent to take this country down. They should all be wrapped up with their cars and shipped to the country of their vehicles origin. I worked at the dealers body shops when the sales died and the work dried up. Their were some fellow body men that were brainwashed into buying that crap.I still hear it even today about how great their piece of crap euro or Jap vehicle is followed by a later discussion of the thousands of dollars the idiots spend just to service and repair those money pits . If that is not brain washing than it is stupidity. I have a 92 f150 with 209000 miles. I will compare repair receipts with any of these retards. My truck starts and runs the same as day one. These losers don’t have a clue as to what a real investment in an automobile or their country is. Grow some balls and by the real thing not a make believe copy. Just like the 300z those vehicles will never be collected and wont even exist in 30 years.
In most cases there are good and bad examples of top engines and drivelines from most manufactures in different countries. The Cadillac V-8-6-4 was a joke. The early chevy diesels were laughable. Ford A/T are moneypits, Chevy rearends are made of taffy, ( hence all the real hp cars run the Ford 9 inch) I have owned over 65 cars during the 49 yrs I’ve been blessed to burn rubber and find as many back roads to terrorize while I’m still alive. Mr. George Clark has a very good point about the Americans and their trucks that support the backbone of this great country. Ford, Chevy and Dodge are very serious about building these money making machines. I’ve had 4 Ford E350 Vans that will probably out last me. 2- with the 5.4 cammer, 1- with the 6.8 cammer and the current with the 6.0 understressed diesel. besides two injectors I had to replace on my 6.0 these Vans keep going and going like the energizer bunny. I sold my 2 van to a friend with over 300k on it with confidence ove 3 yrs ago and he has over 400k with no major problems. Iv’e seen my uncles and stepfather’s chevy’s perform similarly. Most modern Dodges with the 318 or 360 or 5.7-6.4 hemi’s seem to hold up well.
Again, workhorses here, pulling logs up north. cattle feed, auto parts, 1500-5,000k payloads, pulling 5,000-32,000 lbs without breaking a sweat. When it comes to heavy work you can’t touch us Americans. Period.
Now i also own a 1996 Nissan 300zx, the last of the Z32’s imported to the USA
I’ve had 6- Datsun 240Z’s + 1- 77 Datsun KingCab p/u. Now I know these listed hear are heavy duty but if you want to talk about reliability and racing pedigree just ask the Father of the Shelby Daytona Coupe Mr. Peter Brock about those Datsuns. Around 2008-9 I was attending the historics at Laguna Seca and ran into Mr. Brock and I asked him what he liked so much about racing the datsuns and he said they were the most reliable race cars he had ever worked with. Sometimes going a whole race season on the L18 4 cyl in the 510’s and the L-24 inline 6 cyl in the 240Z’s. When some of us go to heaven I’m sure Paul Newman can confirm Pete’s claims. So Mr. George Clark I have disagree with you on the insignificance of the 300ZX’s A racing version of the Z32 or 300ZX with Steve Millen won the 24 hr race in Lemans in 1994 before any racing version of the Chevy Corvette did. Nissan was banned as well with the game changing 300ZX turbos as the 427 cammer was. 240Z prices have skyrocketed in the last 2 yrs, The 280ZX Turbo values are creeping right behind. Really stock and well preserved 300ZX Turbo values are on the rise as well. Look, my all-time favorite car or cars are the Shelby Daytona Coupe, Ford GT-40, 1968 Bullitt Ford Mustang Fastback in highland green please, 1965 Corvette 327 fuelie coupe Blk/red, 1968 Dodge Charger 440 Six pac / 4spd and a 1970-71 BRE spec Datsun 240Z with Triple Webber carbs. Look we can have our favorites without bashing the others. We don’t have to demonize or bash the others to make our own choices justified. Nissan, Toyota, Honda, VW, BMW, Porsche, Mercedes Benz made our products better. Nissan made 3- game changers, the 240Z, 300ZX and R-35 GTR. All these 3-models made their direct competitors go back to the drawing board to improve their models so they can be equal or better. If not the will soon be extinct.
240Z introduced in late 1969. For $3,500 you could have a reliable, fun, very stylish 2-seater Coupe that could top out at 125mph, 20-25 mpg, Much cheaper than a Porsche 911, was far superior to anything the Triumphs, MGs, Fiat etc.The demand was so high they cost more used than brand new. As you can see I love cars and trucks. I have actually been selling classic and exotic cars for almost 30 yrs. So I have been lucky to be exposed to all the offerings. When i was 20 yrs old you couldn’t get me to drive a Chevy. I’m so glad I have opened my horizons on I know have much respect for the Bow tie. For the money in todays world the Vette is the best SportsCar on the planet bar none. I’m still a Blue Oval guy at heart but I recognize the evolution of the vette since 1953. So please some of you go out and drive the car you don’t like before you really think you know it all. We don’t and can be pleasantly surprised on what the world has to offer. Oh, I’m very confident that we here in America build the best Trucks and Cars on the planet. When you take a look at the fastest times for production sports cars around the racetracks around the world. Besides some $1.5 Million plus cars the Dodge Viper ACR / T/A and Chevy Corvette ZR-1 and Z06 hold the records. I can’t wait until they test the 2017 Ford GT?
Respectfully, Gregory
Write on Gregory.Though I prefer Fords and Pontiacs,buck for buck,who makes an automobile that touches a vett’e,.That would be,um,nobody
Really liked following your lifeline-in your eyes. Felt like I lived some of it. At the end you said Gregory…that was my fathers name. He passed last August. He really liked cars, old ones, trucks. My great grandpa Harold Ervin had a failane-62? Pearl white, 289, red interior, checkered stitched seats and headliner. Real gem. Won some trophies. Had a an old Chevy truck, trophies too. My dad Gregory had a 1972 grand Tornio sport 351 Clevland, baby blue, fast back, hood scoop! Moms daily. Dad stomped a corvette back in the late 80’s, passed him from Davidson nc to mount mourne nc…on hwy 115 two lane. Mom also had a 72 Malibu white. And her brother gave us a tan 54 ford pickup manual.
Power doesn’t mean much it’s what you do with it.
Mr. Franklin:
Please note that while I may well agree with some points you make… understand that making your opinion SUCCINCTLY is necessary. Few people, myself included, care to read a rambling dissertation.
Then skip over it lol
I think Mr. Greg Franklin said it best in these comments. The Asians and Euro folks have designed some great gasoline engines. Being a 60 something American male and growing up with hemi engines (first car was a 69 Roadrunner w/440 six pack and later a hemi), GM, and Ford products I will add my insignificant input. The street hemi was the rule of the day back in 68-69. There were two people I knew in my little town (Sherman, Tx) that owned Cudas with the 426 engine. Even in 1969 the hemi was expensive to purchase (priced in the upper 4s and the average wage was $4/hr in 1969) and was fun to own. We raced on a retired AFB runway during the weekends. When the LS6 showed up we had a real contender. Ford’s 390 (Mach 1) and 427 were raced too and were fast in stock trim. I don’t think any foreign cars were raced but the town was only 22,000 people. We (friends of mine) rebuilt many MOPARs (383/340/318/440s, GM 327/350s, and big block 427/454s and a couple of Ford 351 Cleveland engines. A friend owned a machine shop and we spent many an afternoon in that shop. We never thought of any import cars as a contender for anything in the muscle car era. The rest of the world was saving gas and as an Americans we were burning 15 tons of fuel per second in the mighty Saturn rocket to put a man on the moon. That said it was all or nothing when it came to powerful cars. In my mind America still and will always rule in this category. I recently built a Boss Hoss bike (2005) with a GM 502 crate engine. Purchased most of the accessory parts from Summit and some from Scoggin-Dickey. Fun to take to the car shows in north Dallas. Now I’m leaning on replacing the 1991 SS 454 engine in my stock SS truck with a GM 572 crate. Would someone reading this please tell me where I can get a 572 cubic inch gasoline engine from Japan? Didn’t think so. Ok I said my words. Go ahead and laugh.
[…] This nickname traces its roots back to this legendary Ford 427 engine, which was effectively banned by NASCAR before even making it to the track. These days, it’s a more general term for engines with […]
“Jesus Chrysler drives a Dodge; he drives it on the wages of sin”…The Screaming Blue Messiahs.
All engines are awsome it is part of humans taming of fire, and producing the results we want or need.
Maybe someone would like to take a stab at writing about how great the Offenhauser engine was, the records it holds, the years that it dominated Indy, and how the design and engineering set the benchmark and standards for how internal combustion engines developed?
The hemi was out before the ford .. In the 50s..
But, Ford had the first mass produced V8 in 1932.
The old hemis run pretty good. But the name of the game is “pass” and there wasn’t enough left for that.
A GM engineer once explained to me why Corvette uses push rod engines. What he said was “If you are going to hp per cubic inch of displacement you go overhead cam, if you are going for hp per pound of engine weight, you go with a push rod engine.”
U my friend have a view of a time when fuel made an engine, Drake engines were made to RUN ON FUEL. See Nebraska engine museum by Speedway. Start with the 4 Cyl. Wing. Cheers & good luck.
Aero plane engine push rod low RPM Low stress low HP.Low sales.
Fomoco forever !
Where are the OTHER 9???????
Gordon Shoen, it actually was a 428 CID with a 4.125″ bore and 4.00″ stroke. 427 CID just sounded cool.
[…] actually a 1:6 scale version of Ford’s 427 engine that you named as one of the Top 10 Engines of All Time. You get 8,000 horsepower worth of performance condensed into an incredibly detailed, 6-inch tall […]
I had a 64 XL with a tired 390 in 67 and read that the Cammer was a parts counter orderable item. I tried but no one could help me. They had and still only went to big name racers.
Funny how most modern v8 engines are of a overhead cam design but the basic pushrod engine is not going away-not yet-as it’s a tough sell to the the typical american truck buyer that such exotica is long term durable compared to a traditional pushrod engine.But Ford was at least experimenting designs. That 7 foot long timing chain was certainly busy! I love these old 427s,could you imagine such a crate engine today. Bring back Can-Am racing to scare the hell out of us all and let it all hang out in a modern big block series racing. I Remember the 494 Fords nearly sucked you into the beasts intakes as they launched by at warp speeds. Cubes=Power(torque),lots of it!
Nope,I don’t know where you got that idea ! MOST V8 ENGINES ARE OHV NOT SOHC. FORD is the only mfg to make a v8 sohc and it never made it into a production car. That fact is most or all American V8’s are NOT ohc.
To correct the above statement, FORD did make a v8 sohc and dohc and it DID make into a production car.
Check out, (fordauthourity.com)-4.6 modular.
The 4.6 modular sohc and dohc engines built between 1990-2014 was in Lincolns, ford cars and f150s and Mercuries.
I worked at a ford dealership from 1980 to 1994 and at the time the ‘modular’ engine was fair, but back then everyone was trying to get some respectable power from the ‘choking’ smog equipment that was required.
427 sohc & 427 dohc ,same block & pistons,sohc=1 camshaft per side of v-8,exhaust & intake,Dohc had 2 camshafts each bank,,,1 exhaust cam & 1 Intake cam per bank ,thus it was a 4 cam engine Cammer & would run a hole in the wind !!!
Give me a 427 FE any day over anything else. When I fire up my 427 powered 46 Mercury customized coupe, all heads turn and people say “what the hell is that?” I have had at least one 427 since 1968, now I am blessed to have 3 of them. One is going in a Daytona Coupe and one is for a Cobra. Long live the legendary 427 s.
That sounds like one sweet ride, man! Rare, too! You don’t see many early post-war Mercs around. Many moons ago I had a ‘48 Plymouth street rod with a 327 Chevy. That was the oldest hot rod or custom I ever owned. I had a bunch of ‘60s & early ‘70s vintage customs back when. I miss my old iron…
Amen Dale your spot on couldn’t agree with you anymore. Give me the legendary 427 Engines anyday Enjoy watching my late Great Uncle in his Ford Galaxies and Falcons beating every Hemi n Chevy around it was awesome Alot of Big trophies Rip Uncle Frank
Try to get the same combination of symbols from left to right