|
|
|
|
Original Message
|
| RE: Grading 427 Service blocks question |
| By Dave Shoe - 04/24/2001 1:13:40 AM; IP 216.243.158.60 |
Keep in mind I'm not speaking fact here, I'm only guessing my best, based on info I've read.
Many of the marine 427s were cast as side oilers (because that was the available 427 pattern at the time) but drilled as center oilers because it was a cheaper machining process (drilling for side oiling was not done on the main production line) and thus allowed Ford to meet the competitive cost constraints of the marine market. Chrysler, GM, and others all had competitively priced marine offerings, so pricing was no small challenge.
A minority of marine 427s apparently got drilled as side oilers.
When boat manufacturers signed a contract to order a quantity of marine motors from Ford, I'm sure Ford had "checklists" of options, allowing a variety of features for the motors - with a pricetag to go along with the features selected.
Rumor has it the Chris Craft (sp?) had the largest contracts and so most marine motors you find will likely be from a Chris Craft order. The most common ones seem to be 300HP brass core plugged center oilers which used sideoiler blocks. A 400 horse 427 was also available, but I don't presently know if that was drilled as a side oiler - I suspect not.
Other companies who ordered marine motors from Ford apparently selected the side oiler "option" for their contracts - certainly they paid a little more for this manual machining feature. I sorta suspect that marine motors that were drilled as side oilers may have actually been forged steel crankshaft contracts, and Ford just automatically drilled forged crankshaft blocks as side oilers - the price increase may have been built into the crankshaft option. Also, some marine motors got steel (or iron?) core plugs instead of the brass plugs - I suspect as a cost savings or perhaps to stiffen the block for performance reasons. I don't know what kind of horsepower these "smaller contract" engines would have been rated at, though I'm sure many fell into the 300 HP and 400 HP slots, with some contracts certainly being built up for much more horsepower.
Hey - don't look for much fact from me when talking marine motors. I'm just looking for info along with everybody else - I simply tend to repeat it a little more often, and also hypothesize as I go along. I do continue to slowly learn more, however.
Shoe. |
|
|
This thread, so far...
|
|
|
|
Post A Response
|
|
|
|
|
|