Smeding 427 - Project Snake Charmer Part 4

This crankshaft is made of forged steel and has a stroke of 4.00 inches. Combined with the 4.125 cylinder bore, we arrive at almost exactly 427 ci of displacement. Using an aftermarket block like this allows much of the displacement increase to come from the overbore and not the rod length, giving us a better rod ratio and reducing thrust angles in the bore. If you look closely, you can see that all oiling passageways are chamfered and the leading edges of the counterweights are knife-edged. You can also see the signs from the balancing process where material has been removed from the inside of the rod journal. Notice the counterweights are indented to allow drilling on the journals using an axis parallel to the crank centerline.

These forged aluminum pistons have many special features and are made especially for Smeding Performance. The wristpin has been moved up to accept the 6.200-inch connecting rod length, but not so far as to intrude into the oil-ring lands (like early 347 kits, which burned oil). The pistons have a special channel between the first and second ring to act as a reservoir and catch and hold any compression getting around the top ring. The crowns are contoured to accept big valves, and when combined with the other components in our recipe, these pistons will give a compression of 10.2:1, easily handled on pump gas.

The underside of the pistons show special webbing that surrounds the Smeding logo. Besides adding strength, the real purpose of these ridges is to act as a heat sink pulling heat from the area directly beneath the spark plug.

These H-beam connecting rods are another Smeding specialty. They're forged steel and have a center-to-center length of 6.200 inches. Grade-eight cap screws complete the stout assemblies.

This oil pan comes from Canton and features a winged sump. Besides adding capacity, the winged sump also cools the oil with both wings hanging out in the slipstream.

Moving up on the engine, we find these AFR aluminum cylinder heads. They are equipped with huge 2.08-inch stainless steel intake valves and use 1.60-inch stainless steel exhaust valves along with high-quality studs, guideplates, springs, and retainers. The runner volume on the heads is 205 cc, while the combustion chamber volume is 60 cc. The intake and exhaust ports as well as the combustion chamber are fully CNC ported for maximum flow.

This close-up of an AFR intake runner shows the CNC machining marks on the whole length of the passage. Notice the careful contouring of material around the valveguide boss. The boss itself does not extend into the passageway. This kind of shaping combined with the smooth machining makes for big power.

The valvetrain for our engine will include Scorpion billet-aluminum roller rockers. These good-looking arms have needle-bearing fulcrums and roller tips. Bet you couldn't guess the ratio is 1.6:1.

The spring steel roller lifter retainer is also known as a spider. It's the tip-off that the Ford roller lifter configuration will be used. The other alternative is lifters that come in pairs already joined together with a tie bar. They don't require a spider for lifter orientation in the bore. The camshaft is a Comp Cams roller grind that Smeding has specially made. It features 0.565 lift on the intake and 0.574 on the exhaust, measured at the valve. The duration at 0.050 lift is 232 degrees for the intake and 240 degrees on the exhaust. The lobe separation is 112 degrees. Although this might be considered a big cam on a 302 or 351, the 427 ci of displacement in our engine will absorb that much capacity with ease. The result will be an engine with instantaneous throttle response anywhere in the rpm band.

The Mass-Flo EFI system is built around an Edelbrock Victor Jr. intake manifold for the 351 Windsor. If you look closely, you can see that the manifold has been extensively modified. New threaded openings are present where none existed before. They will accept the required sensors. Mounting bungs for the fuel injectors have been welded into position above each intake port. The 1,000-cfm throttle body is also shown with idle-speed motor attached.

Here's the complete Mass-Flo stand-alone wiring harness and processor package. Because it handles engine operation only, it is a simple and more compact harness than the old Ford part with its separate engine harness. The computer processor is EEC-IV from the 5.0 Mustang era. The wiring and connectors are all new from RJM Injection Technologies--no modified or salvage-yard harnesses here.

These brushed billet-aluminum fuel rails were included in the kit, along with excellent mounting hardware. With 9/16-inch ID, these rails can carry plenty of fuel to feed big-inch strokers. The high-quality close-tolerance injectors are big boys at 42 lb/hr. The Mass-Flo kit we're using for the Ford Windsor has a list price of $2,995.