If you 'didn't do it', then who did? And were there any witnesses? Ha Ha
I wish I had more time to read all of this sage wisdom, and good advice, so I plan to be here more often. This 'other' forum has a few really rude and abrasive people. Many fine minds too, regardless..
OK, we built a whole bunch of 427s for Ford's race team back when and since, and I have a different take. Just to expand the analysis. We have also built hundreds and hundreds of high end street rods for top vendors so the goal comes to mind.
I want you to decide what we are doing, and where we are doing it.
I want to know if we are racing, bracket racing for a purse, racing non professionally, street cruising, or what.
I want to know how hard she will be used, and how we might build in some latitude into your first design, to win or be real reliable, fun, efficient should you add power to the first build. I need a target.
You don't have a car,,,,I like light cars a lot, I like cars with down force if we get serious, I like a rigid platform, a safe car, but I love them all. Let's set some goal.
I want to know if we can use race gas, a blower, injection, or need pump gas too. Can we use Nitrous ? Adding some simple juice, and a secondary fuel system for it, nozzles and so on, is such cheap horsepower.
Is this a auto trans build, just a good old tough C6, or a built c4 with a trans brake, a 4 speed, 5 speed,B&J, Lenco...multi disc clutch, slipper clutch deal,lets chat more along the way
Then, we can plan a race engine, or a street strip engine, or a cruiser that just gets punched once in a while on pump gas. Or a pump gas engine that gets nailed more than not...ha ha !
Will you be spending the money to outfit an engine room with dial indicators, bore gages,mics,precision tools,solvent,air,lights,a rod vise,head stands, etc?
If yes, great, and you can amortize that cost, over future builds.
I love a real 427, which was born of racing, for racing, in original form if the goal is authenticity and the original sound, feel and power in some cases.
Real Ford crank, heads and so on. I love the SOHC heads,High Risers and Tunnel Ports. We raced a bunch of them and they are worth the money. We raced heads that had huge amounts of time and R&D, and still do. You might want to try this art as well, why not. I am big on using great heads.
I really am no huge fan of low riser heads unless it is a heavy car, low RPM compared to a race piece, or if they get well ported, relieved, bigger valves and other tricks. We swapped a LOT of real medium riser heads, or CJ heads, improved, for low riser heads. They have their place, like oval port heads on a Rat....if high low end torque is a goal, for example, a jet boat pulling skier out of the water,or a tall geared, heavy car with a big rear seat, lots of glass and so on. I'd stroke it more times than not.
We stroked so many 427s, and used special spec TRW forgings, many that we finished, TRW said that they added the 427/428 crank slugs into their performance catalog, way back. We had probably ordered 100 sets by then....and more and more guys began to develop that combo.
We did a lot of billet strokers too, longer Carillo or Crower rods, or aluminum rods for the drags. Venolia,Forged True, Arias and others helped a lot to lighten what we needed. We lightened everything, including new SK rods and cranks.
My personal 427 has 2 1/4 inch valves and we sometimes raced a little bigger. I was kind of raised in the Spin to Win camp, ie, use awesome heads and RPM to post the ponies if the class or race can be won this way.
A 427 came to play, but you can build it for street gas....let her spin I'd say. Aluminum heads can help you build more static compression there, just a bit, and save a lot of weight, they have hard seats, and better port designs. I think about Shelby Cobra style builds here, for a second generation use for example. Stainless roller rockers, SCAT crank,rods,Arias,Mahle or Diamond pistons. Spec cam for the exact goal and gas. Single 4V quite often.
For all we know, mileage may be a factor....
We were running 427s over 14.5 to 1 in the 60s, today, you can race a lot more. A modern race engine, like these awesome Super Stockers, or Nostalgia Bolts, A/FXs and such, almost cackle on the return road, like blown cars from back when. Love it. Look into how the current bad boys go together for Franken Fuel...bearing oxygen.....like Nitro does. You had to know tricks to make 14.5 live, 12.5 was more the norm, today, guys are in the 17 to 1 range on some types of race cars,which need much less advance, and have a small, fast burn chamber, relocated plug, valves and so on.
We flew for Dyno Don in match race form, later, like that, based on a big 385 based Ford big block, that Pro Stock SVO block,jesel belt, plate rockers,huge lift cam, crank trigger, dry sump, monstor heads by a big big name. and so on. Big inches.
I am working on an 8 second SOHC that has close to 14 to 1, that is an original engine done by part of the team I knew helping Dyno Don. The tricks in there, are many tricks Don, us, and others figured out way back when. The heads there allow you a lot of latitude to spin it way up and make power too. And this is not a super light car. We have a better bullet going together for grudge racing basically
Until you have a car, and a defined goal, I'd say, get the car and then design the power band, with the chassis, and class in mind
Once you get farther along, I want you to email my pal Blair Patrick as well. He has a lot of parts, combos,cams, and tricks to get you racing if we go there. And you will never meet a nicer or brighter racer who has a nice stack of Trophies. He has fine character as well.
I'd say, you are young, energetic, find a real light door car, tubbed, motor plate maybe, roll cage, fuel cell, certified maybe, or not.
I am helping a new team, resurrect one of Don's cars, the 70-71 Maverick Pro Stocks, with the SOHC's. My close friend was his crew chief then, we built a lot together too.
Suggestion. You want to drive a bunch of Ford fans nuts, show up in a replica of his Maverick Pro Stock and do a nice burnout in 3rd. I will pledge to help a legitimate re do. somehow, as time allows. Out of repsect for a close friend.
Build a race engine, and get the best heads you can find. High Risers maybe. Or the Blue Thunder High Risers. Make sure the valve centerlines are for a 427, not 390. Consider getting raw heads, to move the valves too.
Find a tunnel Wedge intake....and we'll chat
If you decide on a repro Cobra maybe...we will proceed a lot differently. We raced with those cool cats too. If you get into club racing sports car Cobra style, we may go single 4, 11 ish to 1, and heads like a current Shelby, light, and strong, flow good for torque off the corner, high velocity for uses unique to a Sports car, not a drag car,etc.
If you go for a nice big Ford, heavy hitter, we may do a different combo again, big inches, and so on. Maybe go over square on the bore to Stroke ratio. Maybe send the low riser heads to a pro for bigger valves,relieving,porting,hard seats,and such.
If you do what we have done a lot.....find the very very lightest car...like a T Bucket (Raced them on blown Nitro), or a Street Rod ( Raced many many and lived to laugh about it) like a 32 Ford 3 or 5 window, or 33-4 3 window, I might say less stroke, no need to hit the tire so hard,or,have to dead hook a gorilla. Some light cars like RPM not brute low end torque, to hook on some tracks.
You can build a 32 Roadster, or Coupe, with a nice FE, go to Bonneville, and probably work your way into the 200 MPH Club, and that, is an honor. Need to know the ropes and pay your dues. Ford set a lot of records there too.
Look, we have gone about 250 MPH with 397 inches, blown on fuel of course, but, we spin those close to 10,000 RPM out the back door.
You can get into the 5s, with a small block at about the same cubes.
The Champion Speed shop car won the Hot Rod Runion, slayed a list of 426 Chryslers, 417 Donovans and 392 Hemi's...so...even a small block can turn the earth if done right. Or explode enough to need a bubble canopy.....lol. What cool guys.
We tend toward an engine that can handle high RPM for many builds, so don't rule out the stock stroke immediately, in my humble opinion.
IF this is just a slap it together, minimum cost deal, I also would save the 352 rods for a 352.
A iron 390 crank has the same stroke as a 427 and will take a lot more power, and live fine, than what some magazine guys, who can be less than the last word...LOL have preached for decades, in many builds. Get a better dampner.
Better rods are cheap now, as are lighter, stronger pistons and pins.
You said your block is fresh, 017 over. We hone to the finished bore size, last. Only after we mic the pistons we are using. So now, you just need to carefully mic the bores, dial bore gage them, then call out your dimension to the piston maker. Issue there is, who's standards match yours. You used a head plate, so, you may want to measure, clamped down of course, then,get a piston half a thou bigger, then select fit them with a light finish hone. If you get real serious.
And please, use Barry Robotnick and Brent for help too. Get Barry's book for a lot of info. I respect them all a lot and trust them implicitly. I only build for our private shop, and we have close to 200 cars now, many are race cars for fun runs, all done in house, and fusy fuss stuff together for race teams I am helping, or old pals. Or pretty women. Ha Ha....
If you want to build a retro Talladega or Daytona style beast, email the older guys here, for a trick or two,,,,for the fun of it.....
OK..
You promise me just one thing....
Have fun and stand on the gas !!!
Lunch is over...LOL
