Here's a follow-on question about building an SOHC...

[thatdarncat]

I've seen that wagon, a Cammer would be Sweeeeet!

[turbohunter]

I can drop it at your place any time...

LOL, what a giver

[Randy]

Jay I think it would be really cool if you started selling a complete kit you have always been my go to guy for questions anyway and I always tell my wife it was because of you that I built mine hahahahah. A complete kit for the price of $10K to $15K would be nice there are ways guys could cheat down the price by using a lot of the parts on the stock 390 crank, rods, oil pump, pan, all depends on how much HP they want to get out of it, the next one I build will be low HP something more street friendly, what I have now is a car I have to drive I can't Cruz in it although I do put a lot of miles on it, it would be fun to have one I can Cruz in and drive a little harder at stop lights when a Chev or Mopar pulls up right now they don't want nothing to do with it There is something about the looks when you go to a show and they here it and you get out and open the hood and guys just stand there and look, we just finished the stroker 390 and we have a lot of $ into that but to each his own poison.

Randy

[sumfoo1]

i'm already dreaming of a cammer and a GF4a in the t-bird...

DO IT!

[TomP]

The ten grand conversion parts would attract me to one. Cost is the main reason i don't have one.

[cammerfe]

Royce made a VERY good point up above. A 10K kit is about 5K more than you might have in a more 'run-of-the-mill' engine. Many people would pay the '5' extra just for the WOW bling factor. And just as a thought, it might well be possible to go with a runner shape/size that would pick up velocity enough to do some real good. CNC machining would be available for those who need more total flow. Just a thought.

KS

[machoneman]

I agree but.....$4K in a Y-Block top end that uses relatively cheap rods, cranks, blocks with the aftermarket heads is still a far cry from getting a pricey aftermarket 427 FE block, the $10K kit and the rest of the requisite "good parts" to make up a modern and pretty high hp SOHC.

That 500 hp Y-Block is great but again a 700 hp SOHC is going to require some expensive parts (like rods!) to stay together over time and hit some big rpms where the head will truly shine. JMO!

[The Magic Ratchet]

That's still well outside my personal budget but those prices are phenomenal! Jay, are you sure you could actually make a profit at that level? I'd love to see that and I think it would bring a lot of buyers out of the woodwork. Hope it works out.

Lou

[Drew Pojedinec]

The Jay Brown SOHC Crate engine factory

"Come on boys and girls... you wanted a cheap cammer, we gots em... come on down.....  come on down, just back ya truck up to the shop, scare a few chickens away, and we'll load one right up for ya.....  and buy 11 of them, and get the twelth one for just one penny!!!  come on down!"

Man.  now I wanna put a SOHC in a Dodge Aries and go piss off everyone at the track.

[machoneman]

Drew, that's exactly what I was thinking, a running crate engine, say standardized with a dual 4-bbl intake, ready to run less starter, 'wheel, carbs, etc. 

Just like the original cammer, about 675 HP or so. If that could be done for say $20,000 (which by the way is the mark for an all-aluminum BBC ala' the ZL-1 components) now that would be fabulous. This price though sounds way to low to me....just sayin'   

Btw, Ford even wrote the ad for Jay!

http://home.windstream.net/bowers2/images/fordtunnelport.jpg

[bn69stang]

An all aluminum 480 inch sohc motor ... how do i order - lets do this   1 800  Jay 

[Richard F]

I have invested a lot in my project, but I'd certainly consider a cammer kit.  I have a std bore 427 block that would love to be turned into a cammer.  Of course I'd have to spend a lot more to refit my Falcon for it but I'd consider it.  It doesn't have shock towers anymore so it would just be mounts, transmission fitting, and headers.  A '65 Falcon with a cammer would definitely be a rarity...

[hyper64]

Make it and they will buy it (including me). I'm with Royce on this one. I've got one of your adapters and the manner in which you conducted business on that transaction was as good as it gets. I went to the Hot Rod Reunion up at Epping New Hampshire a couple of weeks ago and can't recall seeing any cammers running there. I'm thinking a couple dozen of those running around up there would have gotten the Blue Oval crowd fired up.

Here is a simple comparison, in recent years there have been a lot of "Max Wedge" motors surfacing probably because those folks are taking common RB blocks buying A&A reproduction crossram manifolds that fit on non Max Wedge iron heads or Indy heads, adding aftermarket exhaust manifolds and creating "Max Wedge" motors. Most every other Max Wedge specific part is also available from some dedicated vendors.

I don't think there is much question that you'd sell a lot of those kits especially if the entire package comes directly from you. JMO   

[AUSSIE427SOHC]

Hi Jay, It's interesting to read all of the responses you have received about this topic. They vary so much from comparing HP for $ spent to the down and out nostalgic nut like myself. I have always wanted a cammer since my dad drove his 65 Gal as a daily drive. Back then I never dreamt of owning one little lone seeing a real side oiler. Its funny, I am 46 years down the road and in the last ten years or so, I have owned 2 NOS side oiler blocks, still have 2 sets of NOS medium riser heads, a set of tunnel port heads and am building a Shelby aluminum blocked cammer with Munro heads and a efi hilborn set up. I still haven't got every thing, but getting close. The real answer to your question is that if you are a fanatic of these engines, the most worrying and frustrating part is the availability of the parts. If there was a real source for a trusted, one stop shop, the cost isn't that relevant. If someone wants to build any type of engine for big HP. the answer is always the same - Cubic Inches Over Dollars. I wish I could find a truly reliable source. I have added a very rough add up of "prices" I found on line. Please feel free to correct me or add to the list for something I have forgoten. Cheers. Ps, this is a great forum.

[machoneman]

That's a great list. Perhaps someone can take a stab at adding to it by listing the current prices of a block, crank, SOHC specific pistons, etc. to get an even better idea of total cost.