In the 1960s, Ford’s overhead-cam 427 V8, popularly known as the Cammer, became the stuff of myth and legend. Here’s the story behind the story.
Here in 2014, overhead-cam, multi-valve engines are the industry standard. Anything less is considered retrograde. But on the American automotive scene of the 1960s, pushrod V8s were the state of the art. Into this simpler, more innocent world stepped Ford’s 427 CID SOHC V8, which soon became known as the Cammer. Even today, a powerful mystique surrounds the engine. Let’s dig in for a closer look.
The first public mention of the Cammer V8 appeared in the Daytona Beach Morning Journal on Feb. 23, 1964. Beaten up at Daytona all month by the new 426 Hemi engines from the Dodge/Plymouth camp, Ford officials asked NASCAR to approve an overhead-cam V8 the company had in the works. But as the Journal reports here, NASCAR boss Bill France turned thumbs down on Ford’s proposed engine. France regarded overhead cams and such to be European exotica, a poor fit with his down-home vision for Grand National stock car racing.
Even though France barred the SOHC V8 from NASCAR competition, Ford proceeded to develop the engine anyway, hoping to change Big Bill’s mind. In May of 1964, a ’64 Galaxie hardtop with a Cammer V8 installed was parked behind Gasoline Alley at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where the assembled press corps could get a good look at it. Here’s Ray Brock, publisher of Hot Rod magazine, eyeballing the setup. Note the spark plug location at the bottom edge of the valve cover on this early version of the SOHC V8.
Here’s another early photo of a Cammer with the original spark plug location. Ford engineers took great pains to design a perfectly symmetrical hemispherical combustion chamber with an optimized spark plug location, only to discover that the spark plug didn’t really care. The plugs were then relocated at the top of the chamber for ease of access. This engine is set up for NASCAR use: Note the cowl induction airbox, the single carburetor, and the cast exhaust manifolds.
Despite the Cammer’s exotic cachet, in reality the engine was simply a two-valve, single-overhead-cam conversion of Ford’s existing 427 FE V8, and a quick and cheap one at that. Inside the company, the Cammer was known as the “90 day wonder,” a low-investment parallel project to the expensive DOHC Indy engine based on the Ford small-block V8. To save time and money on the conversion, the heads were cast iron and the cam drive was a roller chain. The oiling system was revised and to manage the greater horizontal inertia loads generated by the increased rpm and the cylinder case was strengthened. These features were then adopted on all 427 CID engines across the board.
This is not a SOHC Ford V8 but a 331 CID early Chrysler Hemi, shown here to illustrate a major attraction of the SOHC layout among Ford engineers. By placing the camshafts atop the cylinder heads, the pushrods could be eliminated altogether, permitting larger, straighter intake ports.
One Cammer feature that continues to fascinate gearheads today is the timing chain—it was nearly seven feet long. Cheaper and quicker to develop than a proper gear drive but not nearly as effective, the chain introduced a number of issues. For example, racers in the field soon learned that it was necessary to stagger the cam timing four to eight degrees between banks to compensate for slack in the links.
This closeup illustrates the revised spark plug location and another issue created by the chain drive. Since the chain drives both cams in the same direction, on one bank the cam rotates toward the intake follower, and away from the follower on the opposite bank. This in turn necessitated a unique camshaft for each bank, one a mirror of the other, so the opening and closing ramps would be properly located.
Here’s a glamour shot of the complete Cammer from the Society of Automotive Engineers paper (SAE 650497) presented by Norm Faustyn and Joe Eastman, Ford’s two lead engineers on the project. All the published technical sources on the Cammer, including an in-depth feature in the January 1965 issue of Hot Rod Magazine, appear to be closely based on the SAE paper.
On October 19, 1964, NASCAR moved to ban all “special racing engines,” in its words, eliminating both the Cammer Ford and the Chrysler 426 Hemi from Grand National competition for 1965. Chrysler responded by temporarily withdrawing from NASCAR, while Ford continued on with its conventional 427 pushrod engine in NASCAR and took the SOHC engine to the drag strips.
Cammers were first employed in the handful of factory-backed ’65 Mustangs and ’65 Mercury Comets racing in the NHRA Factory Experimental classes and elsewhere. Shown here is the installation in Dyno Don Nicholson’s Comet. Over the ’65 season, Nicholson experimented with Weber carbs and Hilborn fuel injection setups, along with the dual Holley four-barrels pictured. On gasoline, the engine was said to be good for 600 hp.
Despite heavy lobbying from Ford, in December of 1965 NASCAR again banned the Cammer for 1966, with USAC piling on (Spartanburg Herald-Journal, December 18, 1965 above). However, in April of 1966 NASCAR finally relented. Sort of. Okay, not really. The Cammer was now allowed, technically, but only in the full-size Galaxie model, limited to one small four-barrel carb, and with an absurd, crippling weight handicap: nearly 4400 lbs, 430 lbs more than the Dodge and Plymouth hemis. At that point Ford said no thanks and dedicated the Cammer to drag racing. The engine never turned a lap in NASCAR competition.
Ford made the Cammer widely available in the drag world, providing engine deals to nitro racers Tom Hoover, Pete Robinson, Connie Kallita, and a host of others. Here, driver Tom McEwen and engine wizard Ed Pink sort out their Cammer-powered AA/Fuel Dragster at the 1967 U.S. Nationals. Among the most successful Cammer-equipped drag cars were the 1966-67 Comet flip-top funny cars (Don Nicholson, Eddie Schartman, et. al.) and Mickey Thompson’s dominating ’69 Mustang team starring Danny Ongais and Pat Foster.
Drag racers burned midnight oil tackling the Cammer’s issues, including the mile-long timing chain. Working with Harvey Crane of Crane Cams and P&S Machine, the always creative Pete Robinson produced this gear drive system. Note the additional gear on the left bank, allowing a right-hand camshaft to be used on both cylinder heads.
Cammer engines are very scarce these days, and when you can find one, very expensive. Reproduction heads are sometimes available, but they’re pricey, too. It’s difficult to fathom that in the late ’60s and early ’70s, Cammers were OE surplus. Gratiot Auto Supply, the famed Detroit speed shop, sold complete engines new in the crate for $2300. Connie Kalitta was a stalwart Ford Cammer racer back in the day, as shown in this 1967 photo, and he continues to operate a multi-car Top Fuel and Funny Car team in 2014. He’s told MCG that with modern upgrades, the basic Cammer design would make a great Top Fuel engine today.
Thanks MCG, cool story. Growing up in the 60’s and 70’s, the “cammer” was always the mystery engine, as stated. Looking at it today, it looks horribly out of date. Funny how attitudes change, Bill France, old fuddy duddy. “The older motors are how we started and that’s the way it’s gonna be, dag nabit”. Imagine how frustrating that must have been for race car builders to deal with a fossil like that. Drag racing isn’t much different today. They are still using a motor designed in the 50’s.
In 1964 Bill France was still pretending stock car racing was for stock cars. Chrysler actually sold street legal Hemi equipped cars, he knew Ford was never going to do that with the cammer.
I’m a bit surprised France didn’t allow the cammer, he was famous for allowing Ford and Chev to do whatever they liked, and penalize Chrysler every chance he got.
The reason was obvious, there were 100 Ford and Chev fans for every Dodge fan, and a grudge match is good for the gate. If he let the Dodges and Plymouths win too many races it would cost him money.
Chrysler did not build the Street Hemi until 1966, but were allowed to compete with the Race Hemi in 1964. There’s the rub. Neither the Chrysler Hemi, nor Ford’s answer, the SOHC, were production engines in 1964, but NASCAR allowed the Hemi to run. Just like they allowed the non-production Chevy Mystery Motor in 1963. Ford still won more races in 1964!
Any hope that real stock racing would survive the 60s was destroyed by Bill France and the Framce Family by turning NASCAR into a carnival for spec racers. Unforgivable!
Ford won more races simply because the hemi didnt enter till late that year and there where fords at a ratio of 2 to 1 check your facts
Think back to the 1964 Daytona 500
Forgot to mention that Chrysler threatened to pull out of NASCAR if the let Ford run the cammer.. WAH WAH Mopar
I was a participant at PRI one year with Chrysler in the booth next to me, in the middle of the booth there was only a single chair. Larry Sheppard finally showed up as King of Chrysler Performance. After hearing his ranting about how great Chrysler engines were and how they could dominate Nascar, I couldn’t help myself but to butt in the conversation as he was claiming “inch per cubic inch a Small block Chrysler would beat a Small Block Chevy”. So all I told him that was great except for the fact that they were half again heavier than a Chevy. Never said a word to me the rest of the show.
A-990 Mopar Hemis were on the street in 1964 and NASCAR eventually outlawed them, therefore Mopar installed the 426 Stage -III Wedge heads on the Hemi block and ran a few of these engines until the ban was lifted. NASCAR outlawed both the SOHC and Hemi until they sold cars on the street, Mopar did so and Ford did not. NASCAR never let Mopar run either it’s SOHC or DOHC engines either, both were in development and engine had been completed.
The only reason Ford did not sell the SOHC in street cars was because they knew NASCAR would eliminate them because the engine was too “exotic”, using their own words. Just remember when NASCAR eliminated the Daytona and the SuperBird because they had an “arodynamic advantage”…do you remember that? It is always great to argue about these legends…at least it was a better time than today, while NASCAR has become the “big-time-wrestling” of automotive racing…so to speak!!
NASCAR has become an IROC wrestling series only wrestling has more fans. Still no Smokey Yunick in the Hall of Fame??
Not true Ford did sell a few Galaxies and I know of at lease one 1968 fastback mustang that came from the factory with a 427 SOHC in it I know this because i knew the guy that ordered it and I ended up buying the car in 1973 for a healthy price of $3000.00
It’s funny that the Mopar SOHC or DOHC engine versions were never actually completed. I know a guy that was there for their “photo opp” and he said you could walk over and spin the camshafts by hand. Indicating there was no valvetrain connection in either engine. And the Chrysler’s feeble attempt at duplicating Ford’s success with the 427 was actually never going to happen.
I seem to remember seeing a 58′ 392 with a push button shift before. It seemed street to me.
Yes you did. They put them Desoto’s also. They were call 392 Hemi Fire Domes. Had dual point distributors. They also had a smaller c.i. version I think it was 353 or 331 c.i. They were hooked up to a push button Torque Flite tranny. Had an un godly amount of low end torque.
Except Chrysler put its money where its mouth was and built 100 cars for purchase thru local dealers. Might not have been ‘street legal’…but was easily further than Fraud was prepared to go to back their ‘horse’
bil france never liked fords and always helped chevy thats why dodge left nascar re member the chevy rear window that went along with the mystery motor
I think you should have a lil better look at history. Chrysler had some pretty big breaks there. They were allowed to run the Hemi, while Ford got shut down on both the Cammer and the Boss 9. If that aint enough of a gift, how bout the Superbirds n Daytonas? Sure Ford was allowed to run a flush grille n a fastback on the Talladegas n Cyclones, but that was a far cry from the Mopar bodies.
Ford did favor Chrysler corp With the wing Cars
When ford built the King Cobra it was ban before it could get to the race track but NASCAR continued to allow the Wing Dodges and Plymouths to dominate!
#21 Cyclone Dominated!
Speaking of checking history…its was the aero Fords and Mercuries success in 69 that caused Chrysler to design the winged cars – Chrysler is usually late to the party…but brings the biggest stick. Hellcat anyone?
hellcat? That’s a joke, how long did that 1 take. king cobra any1
There was 100 ford and chevy fans for every one Chrysler was because people were tired of the recalls on there chrysler Company cars and most owners considered them junk anyway. Just like the recalls Chrysler has today. My dad bought a new 1957 Plymouth and two years later the seats were as old as seats would be after 20 years of fart rot. And I never cared much for FIAT either. Another suck bag company. I heard there both going to be sold off to a company called MAGGOT Motors LLC.
How old are you? 5? Pick up your pacifier you sook.
For a real treat,go to Don Garlits museum of speed in Ocala,Fl. There you will see Pete Robisioon and Connie Kallita 427 cammer dragsters and a cammer on engine stand.
My brother bought and campaigned the old larson A/FX mustang back in the day running it as a C/Altered. I was technically a wrench on it but at 16 was more of an on looker. After changing to Chrysler bearings we managed some 50 runs out of it between rebuilds but to this day, I have no idea how my brother was able to afford running the brut. He also campaigned a seasoned Wayne Gap Cougar “Super Cat” with the cammer in it but ultimately had to drop back to a Hemi because of the expense. All in all,he campaigned everything from a 56 “stock” thunderbird, to an Hemi Alcohol Funny Car, which ended his driving days due to a major crash but, we both look back at the Cammer being our fondest memory!
I never see articles on the Ford engine that won LeMans in 1966 & 1967. At the time it was public perception that it was a detuned version of the NASCAR 427 but I wonder if that was really the case? I think the Chaparral was using Chevys 427 with an Aluminum block in the 1967 2F so it seems odd that Ford could be competitive with a conventional NASCAR 427.
Yes, the engines were a special mix of parts, and depending on the year, will have slight variations. The engines were fastidiously blueprinted 427 Medium Riser V-8’s, but fitted with aluminum cylinder heads for lower weight, and surprisingly, lightly detuned with smaller valves (to enhance seat cooling for the exhausts.) The elaborate headers were responsible for several hp, much more free flowing than typical undercar system. The Ford test regimen was a 48-hour torture sequence, simulating two full 24-hour races. Several enhancements came out of the program, including the “LeMans” capscrew connecting rod. I read someplace the engine that went into the Gurney/Foyt car made 483 hp on the dyno in Dearborn before installation, then raced for 24 hours, came home and made 487! The Tanner/Nye book is an excellent recounting of this, as well as Go Like Hell by A,J. Baime. “Ford the Dust and the Glory” has been reprinted by the SAE, and is a must read, especially volume #1
There is also a story that once the post-race dyno test on the ’67 LeMans car was completed, the engine was installed in a Mustang belonging to the son of a Ford exec. The engine now in the car at the Henry Ford is a replacement.
The LeMans 427s were built with both aluminum and iron heads, but John Collins (crew chief on the red #1) told me he never trusted the aluminum ones (seats, guides). For LeMans he lined up all iron-head motors. Rem told me the same.
Alloy heads and blocks were very unreliable in those days especially fjor endurance racing. Thanks again for your insight. Another interesting book that touches on this subject from a Chevy prospective is Raucous Silence or a similar name i camt recall exactly but the author was a Chevy Engineer during this period.
Agreed, great book. Full name is Chevrolet – Racing? 14 Years of Raucous Silence, by Paul Van Valkenburgh. We should do a Bookshelf feature on it, super resource.
You might check with Bill Hamner for more on the Lemans 427 engines.
Awh,Let it be, Frank Arnold The OHC and Lemans programs were extremely closed door programs at Ford, therefore not too well documented. Although this thread is full of hear-say and speculation and laughable at points it is factual in some cases and is an interesting read. It’s up to the reader to sort the BS from the true facts. Most of the guys involved have passed on to the happy racing arena in the sky. I was a pretty young guy when all this was in process, am now 80 years of age & don’t wish to get into a pissing contest with anyone by contradicting any statements presented here.
Bill what is your opinion as to the heads and 427 engine in the Lemans 1967 Ford GT Mark IVs ? No argument from me just interested in opinions. Generally the impression is that the LeMans 427s were just the NASCAR engines slightly detuned for endurance racing. We lost a great one this week 1964 World Chamipn John Surtees passed away?
i know for a fact working on a mk2 and mk 4 427 gt 40s they were nascar based 427 hi risers i was a crew member for crew chief Carroll Smith at the gt40 reunion were many gt40s showed up with small blocks and big blocks
Yes thats true,The engines used at LeMans where slightly de-tuned. The engine that won in 67 was put on a dyno after it raced and made more power than when it started the race. a little known fact is the gt-40 program never had an engine bottom end failure with the “LeMans”cap screw rods. The 427 wedge Ford was a very reliable engine. The same rods where used in 427 High Rise just a different rod bolt was used.
Shellby was the head of the GT40 in 1966 and he seen first hand what problems the Aluminum Small block caused! The first thing that was changed on the GTT40 cars when Shelby started managing was remove the Aluminum engines and replace them with iron engines!
24 hours is a long race
Great story- your articles are always well documented and nicely illustrated to accuracy and accountability. Now that you have shown us the “Cammer”, please follow with the “Boss 9”, it’s application in the Mustang, the mystique surrounding two known Cougars, (incliding Don Nicholson’s), closing the circle on 60’s / 70’s Ford NASCAR, etc…
Bill, excellent story and narrative as always.
One minor nit: Ford was using cross-bolted main caps by late 1962 in the 406, and all 427’s from their debut in ’63. They stopped the cap walk that was killing engines at 350 miles. The side oil gallery was developed for the SOHC, though. Ford made the expensive call to make it standard in all 427’s from mid-’65 when the engines went into limited production.
The SOHC did get warranty codes for ’66 and ’67, and coil tag numbers indicating some intention for production, if arms could be twisted. But the “half-chassis” Fairlanes with Tunnel Port heads (a fall-back program from the SOHC) were faster and handled better — just ask Mario Andretti who won Daytona in ’67 with a chassis set up almost like a sprint car.
Yes — for consistency, I have stuck to the official development path as described in SAE #650497. For whatever reason, they attribute the cross-bolted caps to the SOHC project…also the cloverleaf bore coring, though I didn’t include that here.
Yes, the cores were elliptical to put more meat on the thrust side to prevent cylinder wall distortion at high rpm. There was also a special, ceramic-insulated tunnel at the foundry that let the 427 blocks cool at a slower rate than the pedestrian FE’s — one reason for the relatively high cost of the engine option.
Actually, there were experimental 390’s with cross-bolted mains – put into Taxi and police service to test the theory. Don’t know how many but I’ve seen the block at a machine shop in SoCal 50+ years ago when I was having my 406 built.
Wasn’t the reason the tunnel port engine was faster in NASCAR because the SOHC had to carry a weight disadvantage and a Galaxie body that was a aero slug. Curtis Turner in the Yunick Chevelle seemed to pass Andretti with ease whenever he wanted too. I bet Mario would have loved to have had the SOHC 427 in a Fairlane!!
Exactly. If nothing else, in NASCAR the Cammer made a great bargaining chip. With the tunnel-port with two four-barrels in th intermediate body, Ford ended up with a much better race car than the Cammer Galaxie could ever be.
According to reliable sources, Ford did test a Cammer in a ’66 Galaxie body (reskin of a ’65 speedway car.) Alas, while it was indeed faster on the straight, the extra weight of the engine high and forward, plus the 1 lb. / cu. in. penalty weight actually cut corner speeds. Thus, lap times were a wash, or slightly slower. The extra weight also ate proportionally more fuel and tires, so an extra pit stop was likely if the race stayed green for an extended period.
Now if you wanted to indulge speculation, I think all bets would be off with the SOHC in the Galaxie, but without the NASCAR weight penalty. In fact, I wonder why there wasn’t a Permatex Sportsman in the later ’60s with one– Tiny Lund had a Hemi powered ’61 Starliner (!) so it would not be out of the question.
Ultimately, the real reason for the SOHC adventure was Iacocca himself, who wanted to race the highest volume Ford product(Galaxie) wherever possible. Keeping the big car competitive was a losing battle the day Mopar rolled out the Hemi Belvedere, but it took a while to come around to the conclusion.
Congrats on some fair and unbiased observations.
Comparing the Yunick Chevelle to any other team isn’t really an equal comparison, Yunick’s chevelle was a lesson in Aero… flush mounted glass, sectioned front end to reduce frontal area, belly pans to direct air under the car. Yunick went with the motto of it’s legal if it’s not specifically forbidden.
I think Yunicks engine building and the 427 Mark IV whine need no defense from me. Any attempt to discredit 180 at Daytona in 1967 with skinny tired is laughabl??
A race is 500 miles Racers have a saying if you want to finish first, first you have to finish!
I remember the Yunick Cars and the rest of the Chevys Dropping out one after the other at Daytona! it don’t matter how fast you are on the first lap if your not running on the last lap!
I was at a daytona in 1967. There were 8 Fords and one Chevelle. The Fords were beaten soundly on the track but prevailed through shear numbers. I think no one could honestly argue that fact and the qualifying times speak for themselves afterlife this thread started about horsepower not endurance racing.
~ Very thorough, Bill. Thanks for dispelling the common myths and providing the facts clearly. Well chosen images also.
I remember seeing SOHC motors for sale at Gratiot, at the time I’d just gotten out of the Army, was in college and had nothing (too big for a 63 Fairlane) to put one in (as well as no money). The article brought back many memories to this grey beard:)
My memory might be a little hazy, but: It seems to me that the Ford racers in the early 60’s were doing cross bolted mains before Ford started doing it at the factory. I also seem to remember a ‘how to’ article in a magazine (Hot Rod??) for the adventurous home mechanic.
I also seem to remember that the early Cammer motors hard a fake cam in the normal position to block the oil holes that would normally lube the cam shaft.
Boy, all that seems to be a long time ago.
Cross-bolted main caps are an ancient modification. Known as “tied,” these blocks often included thick straps on the outside of the crankcase through which the capscrews were passed. A related technique is the breastplate, similar to what you Americans call a main girdle. See Repco-Brabham V-8.
If you’ve ever heard a cammer run, the sound is unmistakable. I got to see Dyno Don’s Cammer powered Maverick and a Cammer powered lightweight Galaxie make some exhibition runs a few years ago. Very unique sounding engines!
Ford never gave up on the overhead cam concept, finally releasing the 4.6 and 5.4 versions when they developed their newest v8’s. While they probably have nothing more in common than both having overhead cams, it just shows how far ahead Ford was in the 1960’s with their thinking.
I think overhead cams were used in Europe and the USA long before Ford had a “Better Idea” 😉
I seem to remember reading about an overhead cam conversion for the Model A.
Didn’t Deuzy have a 4 Ohc engine?
I’m no expert but as I recall the first OHC engines were used in European fighter aircraft during World War I. Deusenberg, by the way, turned to aircraft engine manufacture during America’s involvement in that war.
Ford had a DOHC all-aluminum V-12 in the ’40’s. It was intended as an aircraft engine during WWII but never made it into production. Shame they didn’t decide to use it in Lincolns or something postwar.
Peugeot race cars had OHC and four valve/cyl in the late 1910’s.
The Ford GAA was a dohc V8 used in tanks in the ’40s.
Ford had a 1000 C.I.overhead cam in a WW 2 tank.
Actually the 4.6 and 5.4 both use cross bolted mains and other small designs that stemmed straight from this design. They are also dimensionally the largest engine Ford built.
My recollection is that the ‘Cammer was the tip of the iceberg in Ford’s engine arsenal back then. Anyone remember the Calliope and another crazy multiple cam motor Ford was readying in case Chrysler did a DOHC Hemi? Those were the days…
Excellent article on the absolute greatest looking engine ever produced by any American manufacturer. Period!!
I HAVE ONE IN A 56 T BIRD TO MUCH POWER FOR THIS BODY. SOUNDS GREAT, A BIG ATTRACTION AT CAR SHOWS USUALY GETS THE TROPHY, ITS FUN TO STAND BACK LIKE YOU DON’T OWN IT AND LISTEN TO PEOPLE TALK ABOUT WHAT THEY THINK THEY KNOW, THEY USUALY DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT !
The most awesome engine to come out of the 1960’s and I am a Chrysler guy!
I remember being at one of the Chrysler Performance clinics. Tom Hoover would usually spend some time talking to the racers after the official presentations were over.
This particular time someone asked him about Ford’s 427 SOHC engine and Hoover said something like the biggest favor or the best thing Ford ever did for us was when they shut down production on that engine (427 SOHC).
It is an absolutely gorgeous engine and a stunning set of cylinder heads.
Ed
The Chevy 427 mark IV gets my vote
Why doesn’t somebody ask about the Starliner belonging to Jon Vermeesch of Mt.Clemens, Mi. and how it has been for a “street driveable” combo for decades now?
Doing so would clearly lay it out in the open of the dastardliness of one Mr. Bill France and his worst fears of his beloved Chebby being no sort of competition for either other manufacturer.
I purchased my 427sohc new in 1966 and have it in my 34 Ford 4dsd. it has been a real head turner because of the sound of the engine and the performance. Engine is # 317 built. Currently has dual holly matching carbs also purchased when engine was bought.
there were also a handful of these motors that found their way to industrial applications; forklifts being one of the more popular destinations of them
cammer powered forklifts? ? ?
Used to think these engines where all that until I got into Super Stock drag racing. That and a friend at the time was grenading 428SSCJ like it was going out of style. I wouldn’t turn one down if offered but, I also know of someone a few miles from me with NOS Cammers still in the crate!
Not cheap but, not all that rare either as far as I’m concerned
You ford guys just make me laugh sometimes at the one eyed attitude’s! yeah the Ford cammer was an eye opener to the engineering prowess over at ford But did any of you realize the dohc that Chrysler was readying was just as much of an eye opener ? Thats the reasoning behind Frances decisions to ban the cammer in the first place, The hemi cars where also restricted to a single four barrel and not the dual quads they were available inn, also the hemis from 65 were destroked to under 400cu while the Ford and chevy’s were still at the factory cubic inch displacement . Must have really sucked to be threatened by a much smaller company??
Trust me dude nobody’s threatened by slopar… that said I got serious respect for the 426 among many other Mopar engines, but Ford’s got an answer for everything they made. I’ll take a 427 Cammer or a Boss 9 over a Hemi any day.
You need to examine the stock and super stock results from 64 to 72….if Fraud were answering….it was a whisper….
Fairlanes took all the Grand National Races. Not all the small tracks.
The only Hemi engines that were restricted in CI was the guys that insisted to run the wing Cars after they were ban! The wings were a big advantage and NASCAR didn’t want them around any more!
I met Jim Barillaro in the 70’s at his Meriden CT shop and he gave me a great sitdown explanation of the history of the motor. It was a real treat from a great guy who ran a Funny car called Cammer Jammer. Seeing the engine for the first time and the gear drives developed was very memorable.
I am nobody, just a sports car racer. I raced a 69 L88 Corvette from 1971 thru 1988, then a 1963 Z06 Corvette from 1984 thru the present. I hear all the Ford, Chevy and Chrysler guys out there, and great that they are car guys.
However the main reason that I race Chevy is availability! I could buy and race a L88 Corvette, while you had to be Petty to get Chrysler race parts, or AJ Foyt to race Ford parts. That’s the bottom line. Now “winning” is another whole subject, but just to get to race, you have to be able to buy factory race parts, and Chevy always supported ……..even me!
Ford had the Cammer and Chrysler had the Hemi and Chevrolet had the MK IV Mystery Engine and by 1967 they all had an equal chance to prove who was fast but one thing Chevrolet had that the other two didn’t was Smokey Yunick and on that day in Daytona only one car could get over 180mph . When the green flag dropped the BS stopped! Any ?s?
Awesome engine.
I shared this story with my father who successfully campaigned an A/Gas and later B/Gas Ford Anglia during the 1960’s. I know that he was aware of some of the issues like the timing chain as he had shared stories of his days racing. Being a drag racer and an engineer here is his reply:
” The article failed to mention the excessive bearing failure problems experienced by the fuel boys, which was finally solved by Kalitta using Chrysler rods, (the after market alloy ones), and a turned down SOHC crank. The original journal diameter designed by Ford worked OK with gas engines, but with blown fuel equipped engines, the surface speed between the journal and bearing, (and probably with the extra load), vaporized the oil and bearings needed to be replaced after each run. As I recall, Ford was unhappy with Connie’s solution. I believe that the Ford design was prompted by their desire to stiffen the crank with the larger diameter journals.”
Find complete history of overhead cams from the 40`s
Ardun built some overhead valve heads for flathead ford engines, but I don’t know about overhead cam units.
I have a set of 427 SOHC valve covers hanging up in my toy shop that “Dyno Don” gave me on time when I was at his place in Atlanta doing a story for HOT ROD MAGAZNE. he also offered me a set of 427 SOHC Cougar valve covers either/or and being a hadcore Ford-o-phile, I took the Ford ones. Stupid me! Those Cougar covers would have come off Eliminator III.
Wow! Great story, Bob. Thanks for sharing.
Another historical item of issue with the 427 Ford Side Oiler is the Chris Craft boat program and agricultural applications. From what I was told, (thats how these stories get started), the accountants wanted MORE 427’s sold to justify the development costs to design and produce the side oiler variant…BUT they did not want to incur the warranty costs associated with selling them in cars. So, the Chris Craft boats used TWO 427’s one conterrotated, these engines were cast as Side Oilers but only machined as Center oilers. In boats, they maxed out at about 3500 RPM so warranty was not a problem. Ditto for Ag applications, using this engine to power big irrigation systems. In the last last 10 years hundreds of these engines are popping up for sale as the boat owners are retrofitting with modern marine powerplants.
Marine or J numbered blocks have the thickest walls allowing higher compressions or larger bore sizes. Jim Dove – DOVE manufacturing, can drill the mains out to convert them to a true side oiler. He did my block and has been doing them for years. Only caution is blocks that were ocean driven without isolating the cooling system and have been exposed to salt water corrosion inside the block. Lake water boats are best and due to limited use at 3000 rpm they are in extremely good condition and very hard metal. Jim said it takes twice as long to hone these blocks out due to hardness. Mine was still std bore size after all these years.
David, I own a 1968 45′ Chris Craft with twin 427’s out here in beautiful Seattle. The starboard motor is truly a side oiler (my oil pressure sending unit is screwed into the center side port and the front plug seeped oil until I tightened it really hard) the port motor is a regular top oiler. I too heard the stories of side oilers finding their way into boats but didn’t know whether to believe or not. It’s true and also a great conversation starter at the dock! CB
Also, I attended the SPring Nationals in Tulsa in 1969. Dad let me get a pit pass, so I hung around the Mickey Thompson/Danny Ongais rig all day……that 69 Mach1, never lost a round, in the trailer were at least a dozen full up supercharged cammer engines, they just swapped the whole engine between rounds……cubic money
I agree with RagTop Man as being most accurate. Long before “Dyno Don” and his Comets, Dearborn Steel finished the first SOHC powered Mustang (four barrel) in late December 1964. It was used for development work and later became “Goldfinger”
The 1965 SOHC Comets were also built over the winter of 64-65 by Bill Stroppe in Long Beach, including Dyno Don’s car. At the time there weren’t yet enough SOHC engines to go around, so two of the six Comets got 427 wedge engines.
I believe there was a Galaxie built by FOMOCO with a Cammer that was either sold to or given two one of our Astronauts????
Gordon Cooper. It was a 1965 Galaxie Hardtop. The Special Vehicles Department where I worked, controlled all the SOHC engines. Al Turner from Lincoln Mercury, indeed did have Bill Stroppe build the Comets but after the Mustangs. We completed some of the Mustangs for the WinterNationals in 1965. My car went from red to blue and after back in Dearborn, Alexander Bros painted it gold with a pearl white inset. Bill Lawton won the class in the Tasca SOHC Mustang.
DB
there are brand new cammer parts available now a days, Bill Coon is making them, new improved Alum Cylinder heads, Bill has all the parts, Timing chains, gears , front an back plates, stub cams, rocker arms, spark plug tubes, wire sets , arp bolts,has the valve covers gaskets, Bill has new foundries to keep up with production, you can contact me, David Coon , head of sales for Bill Coon, New Cammer Parts,,,also known as Bills Speed Shop of Romulus MI sales ,,,number is 313-982-7115 or 313-610-5853
NEVER buy parts from Bill Coon, he will rip you off in a heart bet.
all of this & now a damn spam. haven’t heard much good about the coons.
Didn’t Ford give Buzz Aldrin a 65 Galaxie with a 427 SOHC in it?
I always wondered why chrysler had to build the hemi 426 to win in NASCAR I thought in the 60s it was because the max wedge wasn’t as powerful as Fords 427 but the Ramchargers etc won plenty of drag races. Maybe they had to make up for poor handling torsion bar suspension?
I raced Tunnel Ports, still have one in my original drag car. http://www.animaljimracing.com
What I don’t understand is, they obviously had belts for the blowers, were skinny belts like what get used for timing OHC engines today simply not good enough to solve the stretchy timing chain problem?
There was one in a Maverick at the gas station next to the high school back in 1976, middle Tn. The owner built it, started it with open headers (entire school emptied out). He sold it right away to some guy who used it for tractor pulls, what a waste.
Hey mike this wasnt near Cumberland City or Palmyra, TN area was it? My uncle ask me years ago if ford built a hemi. He was a motorcylcle guy, Any way, after showing them a picture of a 427 SOHC, my aunt and uncle both said that the valve covers looked like it but didn’t have the ford oval on them. It was at Clack’s Salvage but the car it was in had been crushed and gone by the time they went back to see about buying it. I tend to take his word with a grain of salt BUT they both saw it and she was the one who noticed it had plain valve(cam) covers.
Bill France’s main excuse to Ford for not allowing the cammer in Nascar in 1964 and beyond was the cammer was just that , a cammer, not a pushrod engine like the hemis or any other Nascar engine approved at the time. Plus the engine was only available over the counter and non available in production vehicles. Neither was the hemi and the 427 Chevy mystery engine that ran strong but blew up and didn’t finish the race but they were still allowed to race which is totally unfair and biased. After Chevy’s embarrassing showing with the mystery 427 [ a 409 based configuration] Chevy dropped out of factory backing Nascar racing as did Pontiac for the rest of the sixtys. Smokey Yunick did carry on the Chevy banner with some success. According to the Nascar rules neither engine should have been allowed to race. Ford promoted the cammers to the drag racing set with success as well as Lemans.. Ford went back to the drawing board and developed the Boss 429 to compete in Nascar against the hemis. The Boss 429 was a pushrod engine a semi hemi design and was available in production vehicles. It met the Nascar rules and did beat the hemis at their own game.
Just guessing Tim Rose might be a Ford man. I would not consider his account of the Cammer to be objective and I have never heard the Boss 429 referred to as as a Semi-Hemi. The Mystery engine with the Porcupine heads and the Mark IV 396-427 Chevy engines had that adjective. Ford tried to run in a ringer with the Cammer when the Hemi was cleaning Fords Wedge engines clock. Chevy/ Pontiac was not out of racing because they were not capable of competing. Gm products won the first four Daytona 500s. The ban on racing occurred in 1963. By 1966 it was obvious nobody else was playing by the rules so the Mystery engine reappeared at Daytona in 1967 in a Smokey Yunick Chevelle and once again proved its superiority by breaking the 180mph barrier and capturing the pole. Within 5 years products were dominating the speedways. Ford and Dodge gave a good account of themselves but the Cammer was never a threat in NASCAR or LeMans.
Numerous contemporary articles referred to the Boss 429 as the “semi hemi.”
I may not have read every article but I was in NASCAR from 66 to 72 and never heard that reference or reSd about it. I heard the 396 -427 Chevy referred to by that name often. The design of the Chevy engine heads were semi hemispherical hence the staggered valve arrangement. The cover of Car and Driver featured an article on the 396 – 427 Chevy Engines proclaiming the performance of the Semi Hemis Chevys. What technical design would the 429s have that would be described as semi hemi?
The cammer could have been a threat in Nascar if it would have been allowed to race. It was a threat in Lemans — it won in 66′,67′ and 68 in the GT 40.
You may be right about Lemans in 66 n 67 but not 68 or 69 those were smaller engines. Also 66 and 67 could have been plain wedge engines. As for NASCAR they never proved any superiority just promise.
Of cores it would never be a threat in NASCAR or LeMans
The engine was ban From NASCAR before it was ever run because Chevy was a good at crying! SOHC engine was not needed at l LeMan , the medium riser detuned was more power than was needed !
Not a Hemi Chamber in a Boss 429 Head http://www.bangshift.com/assets/images/news/2009/Aug/16-22/boss429%20nascar%20heads.jpg
There were two heads used in the 429 engine one was used in Nascar ! It was a true Hemi the one used in the street engine was the one called the Semi Hemi ! The engine that is knowen as a Boss as in the Boss 429 Mustang is not a true hemi , the one raced in Nascar and was used in Prostock was a real true hemi!
Fabulous Fords Forever, April 2016.
Largest collection of SOHC’s I have ever seen, including one running on a stand which drew crowds every time they fired it up! Truly a crowd pleaser!!!
I’d guess about 12 cars, original funny cars, Cobras, a 57ish Bird, and many many more……why didn’t I take pictures…..too much too much ahhhhhg!
I would have loved a set of Cougar valve covers!!!
Am old racer from the Fremont strip days, had several 427’s including a TP in his 64 convertible…..always swore that he could make more power with a hi-rise engine….from what we’re seeing to day with high port engines….I’d tend to believe him!
Cheers!
Steve
I read an article about a ’64 Galaxie that ran a test lap of 238 mph at Daytona, is this true?
Why does america act like the over head can dlrs t exist of ford pulled this 90 build out of the bag, love the idea of same cam on other side just by adding extra cog to reverse the flow 😉 I grew up a ford guy.. Bit different here in Australia. We dont have a God zillion models. I loved the Cleveland’s which most complain mains journal bearing size and need at least some oil destructors but I ownedany as we produced this engine twenty years and made the castinf of block thicker. I’ve owned a rare real Aussie gt. Not like a USA gt mustang but a Aussie made gt falcon.
Over head can all the way I have a Lexus v8 second one after got out of. Rock crawling ,,I. Fact make great 4×4 engines. Toyota are best car company in planet. If you want bullet proof. But anyways not Toyota 4×4 but the Lexus sedans I have over head can. Pure fuel economy and go like kicked cat when foot in it. But is OK for USA to own bigger engines less HP for cubes ..but cheap fuel and we will not melt planet of over populate I. Twenty years… Such a intelligent nation if so powerful smart why ignore world on hell. Back to cars I want to but one these engines if anyone knows one 🙂
Mate…get iff the piss before you post…you’re embarrassing the rest of us Aussie gear heads who can actually make sense.
Everybody knows the truth about the cammer 427 bill france saw that motor run and said absolutely not it would have been the destruction of Chevy and Dodge and he knew it
Complete rubbish. Mopar already had a DUAL OHC Hemi in the wings….what makes you think only Fraud could engineer a more efficient valvr train?
And that doesn’t even get into why the Cammer was not seen as a viable circuit motor. It was heavy…and worse…TOP heavy….the absolute worse thing for a race car that has to go around corners.
No..the cammer was banned because NONE of the big three wanted to build ohc engines for production cars……and France decided he didnt want NASCAR going like F1…..which became a race for millionaires.
No 427 fe mustang was sold at the dealer, shelby said the 427 was too expensive then forget about the 427 sohc. a 67 mustang with a 427 fe was made prototype for testing tires. the sohc 427 was over the counter part, crate engine. read the article and others.
Dohc ans sohc have been used in hot rods for beating land speed records. Since at least the 30’s.
Read @ Roller Valves tested in a Chevy and Lincoln engine producing 13k rpm…no stop@top…no valve stem, spring retainer, clips, seals. Like comparing drum brakes to disc. It was @ 80’s or 90’s publication. Anyone remember?