It has been a long while since we last had you Test Your Gearhead Knowledge but since we made a recent visit to Custom Auto Machine in Weymouth and ran into the big hunk of iron below we thought that you’d enjoy a little mental exercise. Part of this challenge is easy, the identification part, but we’re going to push you harder than that because all of you out there in reader land have never let us down when it comes to the forensic study of old engines.
There was a bunch of neat stuff (as there always is) in Dana’s shop, like the blown nitro motors he has built for his Hard Guys funny car (Coming soon to some IHRA races near you!), various Studebaker mills, hemis, weirdo boat engines, and even some small four banger stuff that customers have had him do. The cool thing about Dana’s place is that you are never exactly sure what you are going to see coming together or in this case, getting ready to come apart.
So, study the photos below and tell us the following:
What make, engine family, and cubic inch displacement this engine is (easy)
Bonus: What cylinder heads it would have had on it from the factory (slightly more harder)
What it was originally installed in (more harder still)
Who built it originally (even more harder)
What the compression ratio is by looking at the pistons (wicked flippin’ hard)
If anyone (who is not a ringer…) can get this all right you’ll win a nifty BangShift shirt. Happy guessing!
My guesses:
Ford MEL 430
“Plank-style” heads, marine version
Chris Craft boat of some sort
Ford built it (?)
8:1 compression ratio
427 FE out of a GT40 built by Holman Moody. 12:1 compression
Without being able to look at the casting numbers on the block I’m going to go out on a limb and say that’s an original high riser 427 FE, based on the pop-ups that were used to get some compression out of the 86cc C4AE heads
What make, engine family, and cubic inch displacement this engine is (easy) Ford, FE, 427
Bonus: What cylinder heads it would have had on it from the factory (slightly more harder) 86-88cc C4AE
What it was originally installed in (more harder still) Ford Fairlane (Thunderbolt),Mercury Cyclone, Ford Galaxie, Mercury Marauder
Who built it originally (even more harder) 427 only line at the Dearborn Engine plant.
What the compression ratio is by looking at the pistons (wicked flippin’ hard) ~10:1
Edsel FE 361
C4AE
Ranger
Cleveland plant
10.5-1
Chriscraft Model 427 (300 hp)
C7JE
Chriscraft Commander
??? Dearborn/Eaton/Fomoco
8.9-1
Nevermind, I was wrong… but I think I figured it out. I’ll try not to shed any teardrops.
427 ford 12.5 to one 66 fairlane med riser heads
427, 9-1cr,300hp boat anchor
427 11-1 64 ford