Ford 427 dyno results


Gene Cassone

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Dec 3, 2005
1,002
way upstate NY
I was watching american muscle car today. They were placing on the dyno original spec (what customers could have) in early to mid 1960 cars. The Ford 427 was rated at 425hp. The engine actually was producing 635hp and 550 ft/lbs of torque at the crank. Is this for real?? I heard the manufactures were down playing hp for insurance purposes but these nos seem unreal in normally aspirated carburated motors. Any comments? (427 hemi was over 800hp??)
 

B O N Y

MODERATOR & FGT OWNER
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Sep 5, 2005
12,110
Fresno, Ca.
Hey Gene,
The horsepower pulled by those motors are based on the latest dyno tuning techniques known today. Those motors were 60 over, had the heads reworked. Look at the details on show, I recall the cams being changed as well. Each motor was a dyno queen.
Yes, the horsepower was understated by Detroit. But, I don't think those engines pulled those ponies that they are pulling now in their day.
Cheers.
daniel
 

Not 4N

Tungsten GT Owner
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Apr 5, 2006
887
Calgary AB
The specs were definately low in the day but I agree this motor has been worked to get the numbers that high.
I have a few of bb motors going through the dyno stage and the most recent is a '69 428SCJ. Factory rating was 335hp and I pulled 400hp with 500ft/lbs torque. This motor is a stock build with the exception of being .030 over.

Big difference in numbers with factory air cleaner set-up and exhaust manifolds, not to mention the pulleys running alt, ps etc.
In the case of this motor I lost albout 35hp once all the stock goodies were bolted on and the shaker was put on top.
 
H

HHGT

Guest
I also believe the HP calculations were done under a different standards back then.
 

tpraceman

THEE GT OWNER
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Feb 20, 2006
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The 427 is the most under rated motor ever.
I owned the record from California to Canada in any class stock class I ran my 66 fairlane. Reason the 427 FE could twist about 800 more RPM (and make power) than the others. Which for drag racing meant we could run steeper gears than all the other big blocks.

We could scream out of the whole and still be pulling on the big end.:banana
 

Empty Pockets

ex-GT Owner
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'Got any pics of these old "qtr pounders", TP?????:banana
 

tpraceman

THEE GT OWNER
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'Got any pics of these old "qtr pounders", TP?????:banana

Somebody somewhere does. Our home burnt to the ground in 1985 back then we used a slide projecter which was a pile of molten plastic. A few friends have a couple but have not dug them out to get scanned yet.
 

Empty Pockets

ex-GT Owner
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Somebody somewhere does. Our home burnt to the ground in 1985 ...


:eek OUCH. That's not a good thing. :ack 'Major league bummer. 'REALLY sorry to hear about that.
 

Flatrod

GT Owner
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Jan 29, 2008
153
Anchorage, Alaska
They can make that power but, I believe those engines where tweeked a little. For one the 427 never came with sideways mounted carbs, compression is probably way up on the Ford and the Hemi and cams I'm sure were not stock specs. I have dynoed other 427 in this range.... but that hemi, I don't know about, must of been a real ringer!
 

Gene Cassone

GT Owner
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Dec 3, 2005
1,002
way upstate NY
according to the show they were stock spec engines running original style carbs and ignitions. They could only be overbored to max .o6. Also original cams and profiles.
 

cobraownr

GT Owner
Jul 16, 2007
90
Annapolis, MD
About 10 years ago I took my original 1966 427 SC Cobra (CSX3047) to a chassis dyno and did one pull. I can't find the printout of the data but have a pretty firm recollection that the max HP was just around 310. This was at the rear wheels with losses through the drive train of about 18 percent. This would make crank HP about 378. Now, this is for an original 427 side oiler with a single 4-barrel carb that hadn't been touched in decades.
 

satx

Well-known member
Aug 25, 2005
197
Dana Point
About 10 years ago I took my original 1966 427 SC Cobra (CSX3047) to a chassis dyno and did one pull. I can't find the printout of the data but have a pretty firm recollection that the max HP was just around 310. This was at the rear wheels with losses through the drive train of about 18 percent. This would make crank HP about 378. Now, this is for an original 427 side oiler with a single 4-barrel carb that hadn't been touched in decades.

this is about right for an totally showroom stock vehicle. The baddest big block cars of the 60's (ford 427, 426 hemi, LS-6) made ~300 rwhp in stock configuration. Now, once you added headers and tuned them up they made alot more.
 

Waxer

Well-known member
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Jul 22, 2007
927
My 1965 427 Side Oiler is built to near original spec with a mild cam and standard bore. It pulled 502 hp and 505 lbs of torque at the flywheel.
 

Gill Jr.

GT Owner
Aug 7, 2007
117
Orange County, CA
My 427 was dyno'd a few years back and from what I can recall it put out between 525 - 550 hp on an engine dyno. This was with a .017 overbore, 428 crank (gives 452ci I believe), medium riser heads, roller cam, roller rockers, single custom Holley 910cfm carb, Mallory Unilite, and headers. I have a hard time believing a "stock" 427 would get close to 600hp no matter how well "tuned".
 

B O N Y

MODERATOR & FGT OWNER
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Fresno, Ca.
My 427 was dyno'd a few years back and from what I can recall it put out between 525 - 550 hp on an engine dyno. This was with a .017 overbore, 428 crank (gives 452ci I believe), medium riser heads, roller cam, roller rockers, single custom Holley 910cfm carb, Mallory Unilite, and headers. I have a hard time believing a "stock" 427 would get close to 600hp no matter how well "tuned".

Every dyno is different. Keith Kraft and Gessford build great FE's and Kraft's dyno's always have 100hp+ over Gesford's even when the internals are nearly identical... go figure..