History 1962-63 Ford full size car engine options

This subject has come up several times in the last few years. The pics I have are from the owners manual that came with my 62 Galaxie 500xl and a Ford buyer's digest. In the 60's, Ford printed this book with colors, options, models and engine choices. This book shows the fastback so it has to have specs for the 63 and 1/2 models. There is no mention of a 406 in 63 even we know there were some produced. All of the 63's that were in my area were 406's. All 2 of them.

 

Was the 406 production because of a shortage of 427s? Or an out of house deal?

 

Both the fastback roof and 427 were mid-year introductions, so that would explain the lack of the 406 in the mid-year literature. Ford was also known for 'using up' leftover stock, once the 427 became the 'official' option they would use up any leftovers as quickly as possible.

 

Years ago when I was into 63-64 galaxies, I questioned a lot of the older Ford parts counter guys about this. From what I gleamed from them, the early box top 63s had the 406 (G code car), with the 427 coming out mid year and put in the 63-1/2 (R code car). Any 406s put in the fastbacks? According to them-yes, due to not enough 427s available, and some 406 motors still available. I have never seen one though.

 

There is a one owner 63 Galaxie box top here that came with a single 4 BBL 427 but the guy immediately ordered a factory dual quad setup for it in 63. It still has that dual quad 427 today. Sadly the owner recently passed away and I don't know the fate of the car.

 

I have never checked and compaired specs on the 406 to other Big Block Ford options so this is just conjecture cooked up in my brain (perhaps even substance driven). I always figured that the 406 Ford was built along the lines of the 402 Chebby. A run of bad blocks and an overbore to cure it.

I doubt that is the case.

I never considered the 406 to be a competition engine, the 427 was stritctly a competition motor and the only reason it ever hit the showroom floor was a NASCAR requirement to make it eligable for the high banks.

 

The 406 was a competition engine for a short stint, both in NASCAR & on the strip. It was a heavy contender w/ the 409 Chevy. The block was special design for the larger bore, not cast-off pieces. Was the successor to the HP390 but better heads that carried over to the 427 low-riser & later 428CJ.

Joe

 

Wasn't the 406 built by
Holman and Moody?

 

They fine tuned what Ford had created. I have one of them.

 

Engine specs list a 406 but no 427!



The brochure also stated that the 427 was available with an Overdrive. Does anyone know if that is true?

I'm skeptical because the 289 Hipo also listed an overdrive option in the sales literature but in fact it was never actually possible to get that combo.

 

I graduated HS in 65 and bought a 62 Galaxy 390 4 speed. An older friend helped me tune the engine and it had adjustable rocker arms and a Holley 4bbl.. He said it was a 330 hp police engine?

 

The '63 shop manual supplement for Falcon & Comet doesn't list the 260 V8 as well. Have to jump to '64 manual for those specs. I often wonder how the shop mechanics were managing these changes. They were occurring at a very fast pace.

390 Police Interceptor was manufactured from '62-'65. Solid lifter cam, 330 hp @ 5000 rpm. Could have been a HP390 in '62......375hp @ 6000. IDK

Joe

 

"Police Interceptor"

The stuff dreams were made of, for this 14 year old.

 

Oregon State Police, drove Fords in 65, 330 HP 390 with 3 speed trans. 2 dr sedans....

 

The 406 was introduced in 1962 and carried over to 1963, in both 4 barrel, 385 hp, and 3x2, 405 hp form. The 427 replaced it in mid 63 as a running change, in 4 barrel, 410 hp and dual quad, 425 hp configuration, and, yes, some early 63 1/2 Galaxie fastbacks had 406 engines.

No conspiracy going on. Running changes are common in the auto industry. The 427 just wasn’t ready so they continued with the 406 until sufficient quantities of 427s were available to support production.

The solid lifter 390 wasn’t plentiful, but wasn’t all that uncommon in 61-65. I recall a 340 advertised hp rating. It was marketed as a police option until it was replaced by the (360? hp) police version of the 428 in 1968. All 428s had hydraulic lifters and non adjustable rockers. I also recall solid lifter 401 hp 390s in 61 and carrying over to early 62. The 61, at least, came with the intake /carb assemblies in the trunk for insulation by the dealer.

 

The 340 hp engine was '63 390 Special 6V for T-Bird, hydraulic lift cam (270 dur./.401 lift) #C3SZ-6250-A.
The 401 hp engine was '61 & '62 390HP 6V for Galaxie, solid lift cam (306 dur./.500 lift) #C3AZ-6250-D.
The 390HP cam was carried over into '66 for the 428 PI engines rated @ 360 hp.

Joe

 

Right. Forgot about the Tbird.

I guess the 390 Police version was 330 hp advertised.

Pretty sure the police 428 was hydraulic, with an aluminum intake, though.

 

Starting in '67, yes.
Used the '66 390GT cam, hydraulic lift (270/290 dur.-0.481/0.490 lift) #C6OZ-6250-B

Joe

 

Used Ford 406 3X2 carbs on my Mopar 6pack setups....They had accelerator pumps which made them better with progressive linkage kit...Mopar use to offer them in their old Direct Connection catalogs...

 

My high school graduation present in 1979 was a boxtop 63 ht with 260 and 3-on-the-tree. Dropped a valve in it after a couple years and replaced it with a remanufactured 289 - literally drove it into the ground over 10 years. Still want a 390/4 speed or 406/427 XL but have my two 63 Tbirds (one set up like a M-series 340hp engine) to satisfy my FEtish.

 

I owned 3, 1961 ex- state police 2 door sedans. They came with 3 on the tree, bucket seats, and 330 hp 390 cubic inch engines with the factory cast iron headers

 

My older mechanic friend was sure it was 330... the engine had a lot blowby and oil leaks so it had a hard prior life despite being only three years old..it was down on power and no match for the 383/330 Mopar B cars or a well tuned 327/300 Chevy...I thought about rebuilding the engine but I lacked the skill, money and a garage.
I was hard on cars and had no problem breaking the differential and later losing second gear on the T10....I did have the skill to change the rear end pumpkin and pull the gearbox so the mechanic could fix it..
The car was a white 2 door and the boxy shape and blow by smoke at traffic lights got it called "Stove" by friends..

 

I reckon the 352 FE was the most popular engine for 1963.

 

What's the printing date/form number on the back cover? It's an early '63 brochure from late summer-early fall 1962. Midyear revision in early 1963 added the SportsRoof 'fastback,' 289 and 427.

The 406 trans option choices in the '63 brochure are probably a typo error as the 4-speed was all you could get behind it in '63 - same with the 427. Z-code 300hp 390-4v with overdrive was available on all models except XLs (XLs limited 260/289 SBF and 352 to the COM-floor shifter, with COM-floor shifter standard for XLs with 390 - no "3-on-the-tree" or OD with XLs in part because of the no-shifter column collar, but XLs with COM and swing-away column got a column shift lever). 4-speed optional behind the 352/390/390 HiPo in all full-size model lines (Ford 300, Galaxie, Galaxie 500 and Galaxie 500/XL) but only trans for 406/427 according to Ford literature (I was too lazy to look in my factory literature library on New Year's morning to confirm, and finally got into my literature collection the day after New Year's to check and edit prior comments. I am always open to making corrections).

 

My first car was a white '62 Galaxie w/ red interior & anemic 223 six-banger w/ three on the column. Kept the gas pedal on the floor, drifting on gravel roads in the National forest where we lived @ the time. Fun times long ago

Joe

 

An acquaintance from high school ordered a new 64 Galaxie fast back and the dealer wanted to sell him the 300 horse 390 but after wrangling the salesman about the 300 horse Chevys being lighter he got his wish with the higher horsepower 330 horse version. He sold the car a few years later and the new owner installed a 425 horse 427, the last time I saw the car it looked the same as when it was new. The original owner has tried to buy it back to no avail. Another friend ordered a new 62 cheap Galaxie with the 385 horse 406 motor. A neat car. The second owner, also a friend installed a 425 horse 427 in it and said it really "hooked".

 

There was an early- and mid-production version of the "Buyer's Facts Digest" book for '63. Early book shows the 260 and 406 for full-size, mid-year version (as OP wfo guy notes) shows the 289 and 427. Ford had a LOT of midyear literature revisions for '63 so you have to pay attention to the publication dates.

 

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