Ford’s Cobra Jet – What took them so long?

With the introduction of the FE in 1958, Ford had big performance plans for this block – but something stuck a wrench in the monkey works – the Automobile Manufacturers Association’s famous “Racing Ban”. It happened in 1958 – long before the muscle car wars, but it affected the future of Ford performance products.

Take a look at this article in Wikipedia to understand the whys and wherefores of the Ban, and know that the result was that ONLY Ford took the ban seriously, thus, the true performance version of the 352 CID FE was shelved.

In 1958 and 1959, a “Police Interceptor” version was developed, but it was just the Edsel 361 CID FE block – a 303 HP passenger car version with no other changes other than the increased CID over the 352.

While Ford didn’t officially renounce the ban until 1962, prior to that, the engineering department was hard at work developing the 352 as a race engine –  as originally considered in 1958. In 1960, they released a true “Police Interceptor” version developing 360 HP.

It had all the goodies – better flowing heads, a super hot mechanical camshaft, and an aluminum “low riser” intake with a 650 CFM Holley performance carb.

This was the granddaddy of the 427. Learn about it HERE.

It had all the good parts and pieces, and it was more than competitive, even though only a few were sold to the public (like your Editor).

With the release of the 390 CID FE, all the parts and pieces from the 1960 352 CID “PI” were grafted on to the the new engine.  It was rated at 375 HP and competitive in NASCAR and at the drag strip – wh. Mid-year, the three 2-barrel 401 HP version arrived – to the surprise of many. It is also said that this engine forced Chevrolet to release the 409 CID V-8. See info about the 375 and 401 HP Ford engines HERE.

Along the way, the “Police Interceptor” or “Interceptor” monikers were no longer associated with the race engine. It would now be denoted by its CID and/or horsepower. A mid-performance 390 CID appeared, now using the “PI” or “police Interceptor” nomenclature. The PI sported a larger 4-barrel carburetor and right away – a stronger 286/286 degree mechanical cam. Initially, this PI V-8 was otherwise the same as the passenger car engine, but the cam woke it up considerably.

Significant was that starting this year, we can truly say that Ford was dedicated to “win on Sunday – sell on Monday”, with Fords vying for the winner’s circle in both NASCAR and other circle tracks as well as the drag strip.

This year, the FE grew to 406 CID and except for a few minor pieces, it was an upgraded 1960 and 1961 race piece. In drag racing, while competitive, it started to lose its advantage over the larger and more race bred Chevrolet, Pontiac , Plymouth and Dodge “Super Stocks”.  In NASCAR, the engine held its own, being only held back by the fact that Ford had abandoned the semi-fastback roofline for a formal “square back” design. (The manufacturers were beginning to recognize wind resistance).

Mid-year the famous cross-bolted mains appeared in the 406. It was still a “top oiler”, however. Learn about that design feature HERE. But the handwriting was on the wall, the engine needed more parts and pieces to compete with the Chevrolet, Pontiac and Mopars.

On the street engine front, the PI returned, with no changes. It was not increased to 406 CID.

This is the year Ford got serious. After the rescinding of the racing ban in 1962, Henry Ford II instructed engineering that Ford must dominate in all forms of racing. Understand that at this time, the Mustang was still a concept and the Fairlane was merely an upsized Falcon. Emphasis was on the big car and the big block.

Ford was dabbling in the 260 CID V-8 in the Falcon Sprint and had developed a Hi-Po 260 for Shelby for the Cobra, but there was no viewpoint that suggested the FE would go anywhere near the mid-size car, and no idea that it would ever end up in the Falcon/Mustang. The mid-size Fairlane only received a 164 HP 260 CID V-8 as its performance option.

The FE, however, went into full development. Initially, it was only an increased CID over the 406, but soon it began to be the 427 we all know. The cam went from 306 degrees to 324 degrees, the heads were improved, and the intake was redesigned. Of course, at the drag strip, two 4-barrels showed up for the first time.

Two engines stand out besides the 427 for this year.

• The 390 CID PI engine, which remained the same as in 1962, but now was available to the average customer, and
• The “M” Series 390 CID 340 HP version exclusive to the Thunderbird. It used the 406 CID performance cylinder heads of the 1962 FE, the 1961-62 three 2-barrel manifold from the 390 and 406 CID race engines (slightly recast for fitment), and a hydraulic lifter version of the PI camshaft. Although saddled with the 4,560 lbs. weight of the T-Bird Sports Roadster, and a 3.00:1 rear gear, it was very perky.

The 427 continued initially the same 1963 parts and pieces, along with cross-bolted mains. In January, “Mid Rise” heads and other goodies arrived. The 427 was still only available to the public in the full-size Fords, and the street version did not see the new cylinder heads. For Racers only, the 427 found its way into the Ford mid-size “Thunderbolt” drag-specific race car. It was hand-built to attack the NHRA super stock class. See info on it HERE. Ford was serious enough to build 200 units to ensure it would qualify as “stock. Regardless, none were available to Joe Public,

Mustang was introduced in April of 1964. But it and the mid-size Fairlane would have to do with the 289 CID 271 HP  “Hi-Po” as their performance engine. This was due to the engine bay size that would not allow the FE to fit, AND Ford’s perception that 271 HP was more than enough for a small car.

But this year the new mid-size GM cars appeared and unlike the Ford version, they were full-frame smaller versions of the large car, all capable of fitment of their full-size engines. And as a shock to the marketplace, the GTO appeared– a car that would revolutionize street car performance for the next 10 years and spawn the concept of the mid-size “muscle car”.

Ford was so stunned by the huge success of the Mustang that they took little notice of the GTO. They were working at new designs for 1966 and 1967 that would allow the fitment of the FE, but it was not considered essential.

The large car’s 390 CID PI continued as before –  still with the strong mechanical cam. The “M” Series Thunderbird 390 disappeared – mostly because of slow sales.

For Ford, nothing changed regarding engine availability. But at GM and Chrysler, the mid-size cars got hefty performance options and were selling like hotcakes. Ford muddled along with the big car as their performance leader.

The Mustang got plenty of press and sales, lulling Ford into complacency – ignoring the Muscle Car phenomenon. The Fairlane sold well but was not competitive in the street or in drag racing from a performance point of view.

The 427 stayed the same – and in the racing venue got more and more performance pieces including “side-oiling”. See this article on the the improvements HERE. In fact, in NASCAR, Ford won the manufacturers title and Ned Jarrett won the driver’s championship in a Ford. Plans were made for an assault on LeMans using the 427 in the Ford GT. Shelby announced the 427 Cobra.

Things were looking good on the race venue, but on the street – unless you could lay down $4500, and loved a car with a 119 inch or better wheelbase, you were out of luck. See a 1965 Ford Full Size Test HERE.

Ford entered the mid-size muscle race with the new Ford Fairlane GT and Mercury Cyclone.  On paper, it was competitive – 390 CID V-8, mid-size body, nice looks, and go fast goodies. But the 390 that Ford chose for the powerplant was, for all intents and purposes, the 1964 Thunderbird “M” series engine without the three 2-barrel manifold! If you are interested, check out “Why didn’t Ford Offer the 3 two-Barrel manifold on the Fairlane GT?”

Meanwhile, the old PI engine received new life by moving to 428 CID and it received a mechanical camshaft version from the old 390-406 performance engine (306/306 duration). Rated at 360 HP, this engine was a stormer, though only usually sold (unless you were in the know) to law enforcement. And unfortunately, it still was only available in the BIG car. There was a tamer 428, usually found in the equivalent of the 500 XL called the “7-Litre”, however that version used the standard 390 CID passenger car hydraulic camshaft. For Specs on this motor, view the 1966 Ford Full Size AMA Specifications Sheets HERE.

In this year, the Fairlane GT and Cyclone did receive the bad-ass 425 HP 427, but these were delivered to race teams for drag racing and to compete in NASCAR. This was due to the reason that Ford wanted to drop to the mid-size car’s wheelbase (and weight) that were found on the Mopars that were racing. While advertised for sale, you had to have factory connections to get one. A few found their way into the muscle car wars. See this Hot Rod Magazine Article on the car HERE.

All things remained the same for the mid-size Fords and Mercurys, but now the Mustang was also “expanded” in width to receive the FE. But once again, all these cars received the rather pedestrian 390, in fact, more realistically rated at 320 HP. A new engine appeared as generally available, however, and hope was raised – a 427 CID 425 HP version was advertised that everyone could buy (See this Ad) .

But while the 427 425 and 410 HP engines were listed in the brochures, they were only available to racers once again. Late in the year, a “tame” version, using the side oiler block but drilled for hydraulic lifters in the top oiler gallery was mentioned in literature. It used the same hydraulic camshaft as the Ford Fairlane GT and the Mercury Cyclone. It was only fitted to the 1968 Mercury Cougar. None were fitted.

We all know what happened this year, and we won’t go deep into the struggle to get the 428 into the Mustang and the Torino as the Cobra Jet. It seemed so simple, because by this year the PI engine had the same hydraulic camshaft as used in the GT FE but it had better heads and valves. It was a simple “drop in” that finally became the famous Mustang and Torino performance engine. (as a sidebar, the PI when fitted to a full-size car was rated at 360 HP).

This 427 was rated at 390 HP, and it would have made the Fairlane at least equal to the GM muscle and not far below the Mopar street Hemis, but it cost $750 over the base GT engine and was only mated to Ford’s automatic transmission.   The “tame” hydraulic lifter 427 was initially advertised as available in the Torino once again and in the Mustang, but it was never fitted. The Mercury Cougar did receive this engine – but only about 100 were fitted.  If you are interested in the performance of this unique 427, you may see a road test in a 1968 Cougar HERE.