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Original Message
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| Part-II of the post......................... |
| By P - 12/28/2000 11:51:49 AM; IP 63.169.28.156 |
1963 started the season again with the 406 cubic inch engine, and finished the season with the new 427. The 427 cubic inch engine was yet another larger bore edition of the FE design featuring a 4.23” bore and the familiar 3.78” crankshaft. Although the crankshaft remained numerically similar, many developments were made in metallurgy, balance, weight, casting techniques, oiling, etc. Ford saw immediate improvements this season with 23 NASCAR wins, including; 4, 7, 11, 13, 14, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 37, 41, 42, 44, 45, 47, 48, 49, and 50. You can almost see the time when the high performance 406 was transitioned over to the 427 configuration. Dan Gurney was added to the list of Ford drivers this season. (Chevrolet won 8 races, and Plymouth won 19, with Dodge winning none.) The 427 had an immediate impact on racing. After only winning 13 races the previous two years, the introduction of the 427 FE finally allowed Ford to turn the tables on the competition in a convincing way, and Ford won twice that many in one season. Chevrolet saw the writing on the wall and some say they “folded their deck” after an aborted attempt to fit the old 409 with non-production prototype heads, and not being allowed to race the non-production motor in the NASCAR stock car racing circuit. Chevrolet then went into a mode where they either “didn’t have a racing program”, or they “did have a racing program”, depending on how the situation suited corporate headquarters. On one hand they didn’t compete in NASCAR because it required a “stock” engine base, and the 409 simply wouldn’t do the job. They did develop the Grand Sport Corvette (complete with 409-based “mystery motor” with new design heads ) and successfully ran up a series of wins. It was good marketing to do so, and they got a lot of headlines until Carroll Shelby stuffed a 427 FE into the AC body and produced a lighter car with more power and better handling. The Grand Sport program stopped shortly thereafter. Even today it is interesting to see how manufacturers carefully select when and where they are willing to compete.
1964 saw an improved season with the new 427 engine becoming the dominant force with 30 wins. 1964 NASCAR victories included an even distribution of wins, including races; 1, 2, 5, 10, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28, 32, 36, 42, 45, 46, 49, 50, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, and 62. Notable drivers this season included Junior Johnson, Fred Lorenzen, and Ned Jarrett. (Chevrolet won 1 race this season, Plymouth won 12, and Dodge won 14). It is noted that Chrysler Corporation was using the newly designed non-production Hemi part of this season, which was outlawed for the 1965 season due to the fact that it was not based on a “stock” production motor.
1965 was a year that included new developments in the carburetion and oiling systems in Ford’s top-gun 427 cubic inch engine. This season Ford dominated the tracks with 48 wins. These wins were evenly distributed because the total efforts of the competition only won 6 races that year. Ford 427 NASCAR wins included races; 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 36, 38, 39, 40, 42, 43, 44, 45, 47, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, and 55. Ford drivers this year included the addition of AJ Foyt. (Chevrolet didn’t win a single race this year, Plymouth won 4 races, and Dodge won 2). It is noted that Chrysler Corporation didn’t fare well in 1965 because the non-production based pure racing prototype 426 hemi that accounted for most of the Ford losses in 1964 was outlawed this season. It is also noted that even with the illegal Chrysler Hemi prototype being run in 1964, Ford still managed to win more races with their FE. 1965 was the last year the 409 Chevrolet was offered to the general public, and only about 2500 units were sold.
1966 was the year Ford campaigned the big 427 in international sports car racing and won LeMans, finishing 1, 2, and 3rd place using “detuned” NASCAR engines with aluminum heads. Ford only won 10 NASCAR races in 1966, largely due to the introduction of a “production” racing version of the 426 cubic inch Chrysler hemi engine. 1966 hard-fought NASCAR wins included races number; 2, 7, 18, 23, 26, 29, 45, 46, 47, and 49. (Chevrolet won 3 races this season, Plymouth won 16, and Dodge won 18). It was apparent to Ford again, that staying on top would not be easy, and the tunnel port heads and SOHC “Cammer” engine programs were added to bolster the bulletproof 427 block. Ford knew NASCAR wouldn’t allow the SOHC engine to run unless it was produced in quantities, so manufacturing was begun in earnest. The Cammer was essentially trumping the Chrysler hemi by utilizing its own hemispherical head configuration along with the superior high RPM valve train capabilities of a chain driven overhead camshaft. Even with Ford meeting stated production quotas, NASCAR feared the Ford SOHC “Cammer” would dangerously raise horsepower on the tracks and it was not allowed to run. The Cammer utilized the 427 FE block and crankshaft system, and the stock of engines were relegated to primarily drag strip use where they won “everything” in the late 1960’s with Danny Ongias and “Sneaky” Pete Robinson. In 1969 Ongias provided the first 6-second quarter mile time with a Cammer powered funny car. The Cammer program did, however, soon run dry from lack of replacement parts, funding, and development from Ford Motor Company, as Mr. Ford was interested in bigger challenges than those of the drag strip. In 1971 the Cammer competition was still very much alive, but the Cammer racing program seemed to die when Sneaky Pete Robinson crashed and died during a race.
1967 saw another LeMans victory for the Ford 427 and 10 more hard-fought NASCAR wins. It seemed that the competition had finally caught up to Ford, the 426 Hemi was back on the track, and wins were distributed throughout the season for race numbers; 2, |
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