hi, I got a 1964 fairlane that I want to put a 427 sohc into. The car currently has a 427 high riser with a motor and mid plate with a c6. I also did the crites Shock tower conversion years ago. It looks like I need about another 3" on each side. I hope to have enough room to keep the towers and drag link front end. The question I have is, anyone have experience doing this. I would like to get some ideas before I start. Thank you
I do not think you will make it. I have a 429/ 460 in my 64 Fairlane.. I went with a Heitz front susp , and everything under the hood is still tight.
An FE cammer is 32" wide and 34" long; a standard FE is 27" wide and 32" long so a cammer is longer and wider, that's an additional 5" in width without exhausts; An FE cammer is 30" in height whilst an FE is 29" tall; and An FE cammer weighs 680lbs compared to a 427FE at 659lbs with aluminum intake, single 4BBL, long tube cast iron headers, complete ignition, starter, alternator, 28 pound flywheel, water pump, fan, belts pulleys and fuel pump. This is an FE in a 64 Fairlane with Crites tower kit, pretty close with headers presumably like yours. Here's a cammer in a 64, no shock towers with a MII F/E Here's an original Dearborn Steel conversion on a Thunderbolt to fit the 427FE engine. Pretty agricultural!
My nephew installed a kit in a '65 Falcon that did away with the shock towers altogether and opened up enough room for a subdivision. I know you want to keep the towers but if you want that camper in there...
I would like to figure out a way to keep the towers and old drag link front end. Nothing looks as good as the front view of the car with the front sump oil pan and headers wrapping around the front end. The cammer head and high riser head header flange/location is pretty close, most of the width addition is above the header flange. I was thinking something like the modifications that they did on the boss 429 mustangs. Below is a quick photo of my pond cammer heads and my 64 fairlane with dove highriser heads installed. Thanks
Boss 429 tower (Installed) compared to OEM tower. Tower is moved out with top mounting recessed. Upper control arms may need to be modified to suit? Note wrap around bracing for upper control arm to reinforce tower.. You need clearance to remove the rocker covers Also additional tower bracing on tower rears. A lot of weight and those Fairlanes were only designed for SBF. Rear of Boss tower showing additional reinforcement due to tower being leaned over from OEM position.
Hi Mgtstump, great pics that is what I was looking for. I was thinking of starting with the boss towers and modifying them. I don't mind all the reforcement under the fender, it's got a full frame and ladder bars now. I was thinking of running a bar off the cage but inside the inner finder to tie into the tower the down to the front frame. The car is my old drag car that for the last few years has been more street than drag. Do you by any chance now what the clearance was on that fairlane with the 429 boss towers. Thank you
Sorry I've no additional info that could help Wish I did. No measurements. Here's the exhaust port layout, totally different to the FE head in your photo These are Bill COON heads, note the angle and layout of exhaust ports by comparison to the lower standard FE heads with exhaust ports perpendicular to block surface. Standard type FE head Cammer exhaust port faces are around 30 degrees off horizontal, normal FE exhaust port faces are at 90 degrees to block surface, ie 45 degrees off horizontal. Cammer has them laid over further so clearance could be an issue in current configuration with towers?
Boss 429 Mustangs also had the upper control arms moved out 1/2" and lowered 1", the lower control arms were moved out also. Boss 429's used a specific "kkx" front spindle. You certainly don't want to be hunting down B9 spindles at 5k and up!
One more for you to look at. John Ferdinand used to own this car (I don't know if he still does). Here are a couple shots from a Hot Rod mag article.
That makes sense. I already run a custom tube a-arm and lower control already at the factory locations and spec, I was thinking that I could shorten then move out. There is no motor mounts, just front and back motor plates so that should give me some more room. Thanks for the input.
IIRC, the 'factory' Ford cammer cars used heavily-modified stock suspension with torsion bars instead of springs; they eliminated the shock towers...
I'm not really a fan of the Mustang II suspension. I think the arms are too short for the track width of a mid or full size car. Not really HAMB style, but I'd do a custom suspension based on modified original Fairlane/Mustang geometry. The car in this video is very much along the lines I'd look at doing. Coilovers on tubular versions of the original A-arms, with improved camber curve geometry. Suspension talk at 8:25 A few screen shots of the front suspension. I think more engine room could be made if needed.
I don't think there is a way to do it without eliminating the shock towers one way or another. With a Cammer under the hood, no one will be looking for the shock towers.
The shock mount would need to be a different design. Tie into the fender more, and not come straight up from the frame rail, but the shock itself should be ok where it is. Make something similar to the original shock tower, but much flatter, narrower, and lower.
Thanks for the ideas. I'm going back and taking a bunch more measurements. I'm thinking that a highly modified 429 boss tower just might work. I already run a custom set of tube a-arms and lower arms that are 64 fairlane spec, so I could redesign them and get maybe a xtra inch on each side. It cant really get any tighter than the high riser is now, at least on the sohc the plugs are on top the head.
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