The Details
Ann and Eddy Hanley's '66 Fairlane 500 427 8V R-Code Hardtop
Here's the ultimate incarnation...
Here's the ultimate incarnation of FE madness. With the dual-quad intake and pent roof valve covers, the FE is perhaps the coolest looking of all the classic Ford engines. The seriously over-square engine, with its huge bore and short stroke, revs like a chainsaw; while the cross bolted main caps kept everything together at the top of the rpm range. For durability, the 427 block was the way to go, and other high-performance FE engines, such as the Thunderbird 390 and 428 Cobra Jet used two-bolt blocks. In its various forms the FE has no shortage of serious racing victories to its credit including wins at Le Mans and the 1968 NHRA Winter Nats in Pomona, California.
- NOS '68 427 FE side-oiler block
- Cross-bolted main caps; journals two, three, and four
- 4.23-inch bore
- 3.78-inch stroke
- Medium-riser cylinder heads
- 2.18-inch intake valves
- 1.73-inch exhaust valves
- Mechanical lifter camshaft
- 0.501 lift/306-degrees duration/
- 78-degrees overlap
- 11.0:1 compression ratio
- 8V aluminum intake manifold
- Twin Holley 4160 600cfm carburetors
- Autolite dual-point distributor with mechanical advance
- 425 hp at 6,000 rpm
- 480 lb-ft at 3,700 rpm
Transmission
- Top Loader four-speed
- Ford HD clutch assembly
Rearend
- Factory 9-inch housing
- Nodular iron gear case
- 4.11 gears
Exhaust
- Stock exhaust manifolds
- 2 1/2-inch exhaust system
- Ford passenger car mufflers
Suspension
- Front: Stock coil springs, stock shocks
- Rear: Stock leaf springs, stock shocks
Brakes
- Front: Factory 11-inch disc, single-piston caliper
- Rear: Factory drum
These pizza cutters could...
These pizza cutters could be fried off the rear axle in one pass with the way this Fairlane is powered, and certainly traction was one consideration when it came time to getting this car into the 11s. Eddy reports that despite an excellent alignment job these early bias-ply tires follow every crown and crease in the road. The emblem in front of the wheelhouse is the same emblem you'd see on a Galaxie station wagon. Only the numbers are different.
- Front: Stock steel wheel with Ford hubcap, 14x6
- Rear: Stock steel wheel with Ford hubcap, 14x6
Tires
- Front: Firestone Red Line, 7.75x14
- Rear: Firestone Red Line, 7.75x14
Interior
- Black standard interior with bench seat, factory floor shift, aftermarket radio
Exterior
- Wimbledon White DuPont Century enamel paint applied by Reliance Auto Body of Dover, New Jersey