4/28 - Happy Cobra Jet day!

Day three of four on Big Block week features the Ford 428 Cobra Jet V8.  This motor was the direct successor to the 427 SOHC thrown.  It didn't share much with the 427 even though they are both derived from the same family of Ford motors, the FE.  The 427's engine block was decided to be too expensive to build and too easy to have issues casting them, but they took the things they learned on the 427 and incorporated them into an older FE variation with a larger bore and stroke and made the 428.  The side oiling, hemispherical combustion chambers, and overhead cams were gone, and a classic pushrod V8 remained.  This motor was then reworked with more 427 technology to make the higher performance 428 Cobra Jet and again to render the 428 Super Cobra Jet.

Gotta love the shaker hood scoop

The most remembered is the Cobra Jet motor mostly for its accompanying the Mustang Cobra Jet, a factory lightweight, body-in-white, race-only model you could special order direct from Ford.  It even had a plaque inside stating it was not for street use.  I'm not even sure if they had VINs.  The Cobra Jet was the go-to car for trying to win on the drag strip.  It gave the Hemis a run for their money.  It was also once again legal to run in Nascar.  Fords were winning races again, and life was good.

Show me more!

I'm adding the Talladega pics to today's post because the homologation cars had a 428 even though the race models had the 429.  This leave room for more awesome Boss 429 pictures tomorrow.