I'm confused, what is this engine?
 

Spotted at a local cruise-in car show earlier today. It was in an old school Mustang drag car.

http://sarasotadetail.com/gallery2/m.../IMG_2294c.jpg

Now, at a glance it appears to be a Mopar Hemi but there's that pesky "Ford" lettering on the valve covers. When I took the picture, I was sure this was a Ford 427 SOHC motor that was very strong in the 60's. Coming home and Googling the SOHC has convinced me it's not. Here is the Ford 427.

http://www.geocities.com/infieldg/im...ohcgilmer1.jpg

For one thing, the spark plugs weren't in the middle of the head. For another thing, the picture I took doesn't appear to have the timing belt/chain thing going on so probably isn't an OHC engine.

So what says you? I guess the simplest answer is that it's a Mopar Hemi with valve covers that say Ford.

It appears to be a Super Charged, Modular Ford engine, either a 4.6, 5.4, or 6.8L

That's an old Ford Flathead. They were replaced by the Y-blocks way back in the day. The Y-blocks, in turn, were replaced by the Windsors, which lasted up until the modular V8's came out in the early 90's. I'm sorry if I'm a bit fuzzy on the dates, but Ford drivetrains aren't my area.

The real mystery here is what an engine like that is doing in a 'Stang, but I suppose that's a question only the builder can answer.

Well, I am positive that's no flathead. That's definitely a valve cover we're seeing and flatheads didn't have valves in the head.

Thinking about this morning I am convinced it's a Mopar Hemi with "Ford" on the valve covers. I don't see what else it could be. The position of the spark plugs indicates a hemi head so that means it can only be a Mopar Hemi, a Ford 427 SOHC, or a Boss 429. It's not the 427 and the 429 had very distinctive valve covers so that only leaves the Mopar.

Yeah, that's likely a modern DOHC Modular. The spark plugs in the center of the valve cover and heads are a giveaway to that.

It's a modular ford...here's a retailer selling similar valve covers for that engine. http://www.sullivanperformance.com/Y...s/products.htm

While that isn't a flathead, they did make a dohc kit for the flatheads back in the day. see here.

Wow, it never occurred to me that it was a modern engine. Learn something new every day!

sorry guys. I don't want to call you all stupid but thats a chrysler 331,354 or 392 hemi engine with ford letters stuck to the valve covers.thanks

do a google images search using the terms ford modular engine, you might find yourself surprised. Chrysler is not the only company that runs their spark plug wires through the middle of the valve covers, I've seen it on ford engines, and it's that way on my nissan. I'm tellin you, that's a ford modular engine.

I just searched through a couple dozen pages of GIS and checked various Mustangs and Ford trucks on ebay, and I can't find a single picture of the Ford modular engine with plugs through the valve covers; my old Town Car didn't have it, and when I worked in a garage, I never saw plugs run through the valve covers. I think you're mistaken on this one.

http://images.google.com/images?clie...=Search+Images
look at the very first result. Or look at this http://www.racingjunk.com/post/50572...ng-engine.html
or perhaps the two pics on the bottom left of this gallery
http://www.sullivanperformance.com/gallery1.htm

:hmm:

I give up.

Mopar wasn't the only company to make engines with heads like that!

Mickey Thompson made heads like that to fit Ford 427's... but that ain't one. It sure ins't a Mod motor either, wrong intake face angle. It's an early Chrysler Hemi with chrome F O R D stuck on the valve cover. Look at the water pump/timing cover area.