Ford part numbers work.
Typical Ford Part/Casting Number
| XL3E | - | 9510 | - | A |
| Prefix | - | Basic Part Number | - | Suffix |
First Position (Model Year)
V = 1997
W = 1998
X = 1999
Y = 2000
1 through 9 = 2001–2009
A = 2010
B = 2011
C = 2012
D = 2013
E = 2014
F = 2015
The alphabet continues accordingly after 2015 with “G” for 2016 and so on. Again, Ford does not use the letter “I” or “L” because they are too easily confused with the number “1.”
Second and Third Positions
For example, “R3” indicates Mustang. “L4” is Maverick. “R2” is Falcon, and so on.
Fourth Position
Engineering Department responsible for the part.
Basic Part Number
Same as prior to 1999. A cleaner numbering system, however, with driver-side and passenger-side specifics. Easier to follow and understand.
Suffix
Same as prior to 1999. Again, easier to follow and understand. ■
Had Ford been willing to develop the 427 SOHC further it could have enjoyed an extraordinary windfall of success in drag racing much as Chrysler did with the Hemi. However, it was not to be. Cammer blocks, heads, and similar components wound up flowing into the new and used parts markets; production ended with what Ford had on the shelf. On the rare occasion SOHC parts show up, the sale prices are reflected by rarity. Bill Coon Cammers produces 427 SOHC parts including heads and blocks, which makes this engine now available on a mass scale.
385 Series
When the MEL big-block became long in the tooth Ford reviewed its shortcomings and looked at building a lightweight big-block replacement at the Lima, Ohio, engine plant. The new 385 Series big-block in 429- and 460-ci displacements would be skirtless and resemble the small-block Ford architecturally. It would just be larger with a similar oiling system and main web structure.
The 385 Series engine is a fiercely rugged and reliable big-block sporting less weight, but it is long on torque. Even though the 385 was an intended luxury car powerplant, Ford went far with this engine as did drag racers. Drag racers took this mild-mannered big-block and made it psychotic where it could rev to 7,000 rpm without consequence.
The 460 with a 4.360-inch bore and 3.850-inch stroke was first on the scene for the 1968 Lincoln Continental followed by the lower displacement 429 with the same 4.360-inch bore and less stroke at 3.590 inches. Because these engines have the same bore size it makes more sense to build a 460 than it does a 429. There are also more 460 cores out there than there are 429s. Both employ the same block.
When Ford introduced the FE Series big-block in 1958, a distant cousin, the 383/410/430/462-ci MEL (Mercury-Edsel-Lincoln) big-block, joined it. This engine did not have a conventional combustion chamber. Instead, the MEL used the top of the cylinder as a wedge chamber like the 348/409-ci Chevrolets with a flat-surface cylinder head. The MEL was the 410 in the Edsel and the 383 in the Mercury. The MEL was also a Thunderbird option in 1959–1960. Note the fuel pump mounted on top of the timing cover, which is the quickest way to identify the MEL.
The 429/460 has large 3.000-inch main journals with 2.500-inch rod journals. The 429/460 benefited from good Cleveland-style poly-angle valve wedge cylinder heads out of the box. In 1970, Ford topped the 429 with large-port cylinder heads to birth the Cobra Jet and Super Cobra Jet engines.
The Cobra Jet yielded a whopping 11.0:1 compression ratio. The mechanical tappet Super Cobra Jet pegged the needle at 11.5:1 compression. Compression was the key to power, much as it always has been. The 385’s time as a factory high-performance V-8 (429-ci wedge) with a tremendous amount of horsepower and torque available was short lived at just two model years, 1970 and 1971.
The Cobra Jet was fitted with a Rochester Quadrajet carburetor with a spread-bore manifold. The more powerful Super Cobra Jet had the Holley 4150 with a Holley baseplate compatible manifold.
This is the MEL big-block from another angle. In the mid-1960s, MELs had the power steering pump driven directly off the crankshaft.
Boss 429
Ford Motor Company never gave up in its pursuit of a NASCAR-winning engine. When the 427 SOHC failed to endear NASCAR officials, Ford looked to its 385 Series big-block for hemi-chamber inspiration. The objective was to conceive a hemi-head 429 and go after Chrysler’s 426-ci Hemi. Ford called its Hemi answer the Blue Crescent. During development, the Blue Crescent had iron hemispherical chamber cylinder heads and surely weighed a ton. Aluminum heads weren’t far behind.
The Blue Crescent was a purpose-built racing engine developed for NASCAR competition, in particular the 1969 Torino Talladega and Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II race cars. Somewhere in all of that it became known as the Boss 429. To meet NASCAR homologation requirements, Ford had to produce a minimum of 500 street versions of the Boss 429 engine and a corresponding number of vehicles in which it would be raced.
The MEL big-block was replaced by the 385 Series 429/460 big-block in 1968. Produced in the same plant as the MEL (Lima, Ohio), the 429/460 big-blocks remained a Ford mainstay well into the 1990s. For two years only, 1970–1971, Ford produced the 429-ci Cobra Jet for high-performance Mustang, Cougar, and intermediate applications. The premium option 429-ci Super Cobra Jet also produced in 1970–1971 was the only mechanical lifter 385 Series big-block ever produced.
Semon E. “Bunkie” Knudsen, Ford’s short-term chief, came up with a way to get the most mileage out of the Boss 429 project. The decision was made to produce at least 500 Torino Talladegas with 428 Cobra Jets and at least 500 Boss 429 Mustangs. Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II street cars (Mercury’s Talladega) were fitted with the 351W.
Although the Boss 429 was good for marketing mileage, it was an incredibly bad idea from a logistics and manufacturing standpoint. Producing Boss 429 Mustangs involved bucking and building these cars at Dearborn, then shipping them to Kar-Kraft in Brighton, Michigan, to be fitted with their Boss 429 powertrains. The Atlanta and Lorain assembly plants had to be shut down for a time to build the NASCAR-bodied long-nose Torino and Spoiler II street cars.
To add insult to injury, Ford and Mercury dealers couldn’t give these cars away. The
