[Lee Stewart]

A question came up in the eBay section: How much horsepower does a Ford Dual Quad 427 Side Oiler make? The answer is . . . it depends on which car it's mounted in.

For general purpose use as a high performance engine for those who wanted the extra performance and were willing to pay for it, like this 1964 427 R code Galaxie Convertible, the 427 used a 11:1 CR and it being a 64, used a low riser intake manifold and heads. This combination was good for the stated 425 HP



During the same year, Ford was getting it's ass kicked in Super Stock at the drag strip by the lightweight Chrysler 426 Max Wedge II and III cars. So an all out effort was made to win. Thus was born the 1964 Thunderbolt. 100 were built to qualify for NHRA S/S racing. 50 4 speeds and 50 automatics. The standard transmission was a Borg-Warner T10 and the automatic was a Lincoln unit with higher line pressures and a special torque converter. The cars weighed 3202: 20 pounds heavier than what NHRA required for S/S racing.

The 427 was the NASCAR version with Dual Quads. 13:1 compression and high riser intake and heads. A domed teardrop fiberglass hood was used to clear the ram air system that used the high beam ports in the grille. 4.44 rear for the manual trans, 4.58 for the auto trans in the bulletproof Ford 9" rear. 100 pound battery in the trunk.

These cars ran 11.5 seconds @ 124 MPH. You will need about 470 HP to make that car do those numbers.



Now we come to the car in question. In 1966 Ford built 57 427 Fairlane 500s. Again, just enough to qualify for Stock and Super/Stock NHRA racing. But unlike the Thunderbolt, these cars could be driven on the street. Not all were drag strip prepped race cars.

On the MSRP it says "427-8V CID Engine Race Car Pkg." for $1725.20. It wasn't just an engine. It was an out the door race car package.

Lightweight Fairlane 500 - no sound deadening or seam sealers
Lift Off Fiberglass Ram Air Hood
427 Dual Quad Side Oiler with 10.25 CR and medium riser intake and heads
Milder solid lifter cam than the one used in 1964
Manual Front Disc Barkes
Ford HD Toploader 4 speed
Ford Special Nodular with Detroit Locker limited-slip Ratio - 3.89:1

Performance Acceleration 1/4-mile ET - 14.5 seconds @ 102 MPH** **Source: July 1966 Hot Rod magazine quoting Ford test technicians' results from cars in "absolute street trim."

So how much horsepower? I would venture to guess around 375.