Holman moody 427 question

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Jan 24, 2008 | 04:17 PM

yellow truck

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Laughing Gas

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From: Victoria (North Saanich)

Holman moody 427 question

I recently saw up close a 63 Galaxy 500 that an acquaintance has - he has about 30 cars and is looking to reduce his collection.

The history of the car is that it was bought in 63 with a 390 and a 4spd, and the original owner went back to the dealer in 64 and had a holman moody 427 installed.

The car is original and in pretty good condition. The engine was torn down by his mechanic (he races and has a full time mechanic to look after his fleet), and it runs perfectly.

I looked it up on the web and found a web site with specs for various iterations of the 427, but I can't find the site now, and it was not that clear about the Homan Moody version.

Anyone know what the deal was with that engine?

Jan 24, 2008 | 04:44 PM

Broken40

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From: Emmett, ID

Here's a couple of websites i found about the engine specs.

http://www.holmanmoody.com/history.html

http://www.collectorcarmarket.com/co...2-64Fordxl.htm

Jan 24, 2008 | 04:58 PM

yellow truck

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Laughing Gas

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From: Victoria (North Saanich)

I found the website with Ford engine specs, but it doesn't say anything about what Holman Moody meant on a an engine bought in 63/64.
http://www.carmemories.com/cgi-bin/v...erience_id=133

Jan 24, 2008 | 05:55 PM

FFR428

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From: CT

What 427 was it? Low Riser, High Riser? You could have H/M blueprint a 427 at the time. Also different levels of performance. You would see the inside of the block cleaned up and de burred. Also most of the internals hand engraved from the blueprint. All the good stuff. Later on in the 60's there were even blocks and heads cast with the HM logo. Every engine blueprinted and built by them was numbered. They used the year ending so 4 for 64, then HM for Holman Moody, then the serial number the engine was given. Ex.. 4HM123. So I'd imagine if it were a true HM piece you's see some stamped numbers on the block and heads. You can still buy intakes, valvecovers, aircleaners etc.... to day from HM with the logo cast into it. I'd question the engine guy who rebuilt it. He would have noticed things like that. I don't doubt it's real. But you'll be paying extra $$$$ for it and if it were me I'd wanna see the proof it's HM built. Sounds like a nice car!!

Jan 25, 2008 | 07:30 AM

jowilker

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From: Creedmoor, North Carolina

YT, If this guy was a racer, he very well could have a HM race engine. They used to furnish all the Ford engines for Nascar before the shops started building their own. I recall reading an article 25 years or so ago, that a HM engine cost $25,000.00 and they only guaranteed it to start.

What kind of money is he looking for the car?

John

Jan 25, 2008 | 04:07 PM

yellow truck

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Laughing Gas

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From: Victoria (North Saanich)

The current owner was a drag racer, but he wasn't the owner that put the 427 in back in '64. We have not talked price yet, he is very cagey. He has a couple of million in his collection, and he is not in a hurry to sell anything, but he also has the first penny he ever made.

I don't know that I would recognize a low vs a high riser unless it was something really obvious. I think it had an 8v, but with the info you provided I will go and look at it again for numbers on the block, perhaps take it out once the ice is off the roads.

Jan 25, 2008 | 06:57 PM

FFR428

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From: CT

High Riser would need the teardrop type hood/hoodscoop for clearance. But the teardrop hood was also a popular addition lots of the Galaxie guys use. The LR fits neatly under the stock hood. The 8V HR intake has a C4AE-9425-F casting number. It's a dual plane intake. The most common LR 8V intake was the C3AE-9425-J. Also a dual plane intake. I'm sure his mechanic can verify exactly what it is.

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Jan 26, 2008 | 11:50 AM

yellow truck

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Laughing Gas

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From: Victoria (North Saanich)

Thanks for the tips. It is a low rise basedon the fact that it fits under the factory hood. I will speak to them some more and go and examine it now I know a little more.

In the mean time my 69 F100 4WD project is about to eat my toy budget for the next 6 months (no new 65" plasma this year).

Jan 27, 2008 | 07:27 AM

#10

baddad457

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From: south louisiana

Quote:

Originally Posted by FFR428

But not all the 427 intakes had casting numbers though. I've had both a 2x4LR and 3x2 that neither had numbers.

Jan 27, 2008 | 10:00 AM

#11

FFR428

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From: CT

Quote:

Originally Posted by baddad457

But not all the 427 intakes had casting numbers though. I've had both a 2x4LR and 3x2 that neither had numbers.

That's true. You could also compare the #2 & 4 intake runners on the C3-J LR as being very close to flush to the body of the intake. Also the carb pads have the unique "8" shape holes to the runners. The few LR 2x4 intakes I've had were both J castings. All of the 3x2's I had no casting number present but 1 had a date code. The High Risers are pretty massive and pretty easy to spot. You can also compare the head casting numbers if visable. But good point tho on the absence of the numbers in some cases.

Jan 27, 2008 | 10:19 AM

#12

baddad457

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From: south louisiana

There were also two different LR 2x4 intakes, one had the carb pad top solid with the figure "8", the other has the pads open, like a lot of aftermarket intakes are. That last 3x2 I had, had only a cast-in Ford logo. I don't recall the first, that one's been gone a good 20 years. Had to trade it for parts for my first 427.

Jan 27, 2008 | 11:31 AM

#13

FFR428

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From: CT

Interesting. I don't think I've seen a 2x4 LR with the open plenums. The only OEM open plenum 2x4 intakes I can think of off hand are the tunnelwedge and tunnelport single plane. Which leads me to this question....if it was open plenum wouldn't it be a single plane intake? I know the split plenums are dual plane but have never seen a open plenum dual plane intake?? Maybe some sort of racing prototype if it was a true open plenum single plane LR? I dunno?

Last edited by FFR428; Jan 27, 2008 at 11:58 AM.

Jan 27, 2008 | 03:36 PM

#14

baddad457

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From: south louisiana

Sorry, didn't mean open plenums, but rather the top of the carb pads are open, with the outer "outline" of the pad separate from the throttle bores, which many after market intakes have also. Pics are worth a thousand words here, if I could post em. Pat Ganahls book shows the solid top pad LR 2x4 intake (page 64) George Reid's book " Building Max Performance Ford V8's" shows the "hollow" version on page 24.