Thunderbolts. Cammers. Shotguns. Nicknames were given to the greatest hitters Ford Motor Company ever built in the '60s, but no name exists for this car. It was never built by the factory, but it sure looks as if it were. George and Fred Scarpenti always wondered what a factory A/FX Mustang would have looked like if Ford would have ever made one, and by equipping their '65 with 475 inches of Single Over Head Cam (SOHC) Ford power, they got much closer to making that dream a reality.
Ford has taken to calling their late-model overhead cam V-8s "cammers" as well, and we all know the late-model motors can be had with four cams too, offering even more breathing capability, but this engine is not even related to the new breed of V-8 coming out of Dearborn. This is the FE-based Cammer, which was a very limited production race-only piece. Saddled by the expense of such exotica and a 6-foot long timing chain known to stretch, Ford designed the 427-inch SOHC Cammers for only the most extreme competition in the '60s--NASCAR! While the engine was initially designed to challenge the Chrysler Hemi on the high-banked ovals, rule changes made the engine illegal. The 427 Cammer was subsequently offered exclusively over the counter at Ford dealers in two basic configurations: single 4-barrel carb (615hp at 7,000rpm) or dual quad (657hp at 7,500rpm). The rpm levels are not a misprint, and the Cammer could sing past normal rpm redlines due to its overhead cam design. The Cammer also got a revised high-pressure oiling system and after the rule changes, most found their way to the drags.
The engine gained legend and mystique by not competing, and several of these clandestine Cammers found their way to the streets. This particular powerplant now calls San Jose, California, its hometown.
Getting this particular Cammer together involved a serious stroker crank to get to 475 inches. Dave's Engine and Machine of Newark, CA, teamed up a set of Carillo rods, Ross pistons (for 11:1 squeeze), and a pair of Crane cams measuring out to .600-inch lift with 328 degrees of duration. Dove was tasked for the water pump, while Melling provided the oil pump. The '65-era heads were outfitted with monster 2.5-inch intake valves, and equally impressive 1.94-inch exhaust valves to move massive amounts of air and fuel. The stock dual-quad intake is topped with twin Holley 780 cfm mixers and is lit by an old-school dual-point ignition by XL, with a stock coil. Power numbers topped out at 675 horses at 8,000 rpm.
In preparing the Mustang for its life under Cammer power, George and Fred boxed the framerails, added a 3.89:1-geared narrowed 9-inch rear axle (courtesy of a '67 T-Bird), relocated the battery into the trunk, and added Cal-Tracs bars to new stock rear leaf springs. The rear frame rails were narrowed slightly, and the leafs moved inboard to clear the 15x8.5-inch '60s-era Torq-Thrusts, and their 27x11-15-inch Hoosier Quick Time tires. Tucked under the body, the vintage wheels and tires look factory perfect, just as the Scarpentis planned. The front suspension was beefed up by the addition of a crossmember, which was deemed essential after the removal of the factory shock towers, which were replaced by coil-over shocks. Subframe connectors were added to beef up the chassis, and a rear-steer rack-and pinion steering setup was engineered to offer more room in the engine bay along with more precise steering control. Another pair of ancient American wheels live up front, and they are also shod with Hoosier rubber; this time in skinny 175/70-15 dimensions.
Living between the healthy 475 and the beefy 9-inch is a bulletproof C6 automatic. With a 3,500 rpm stall converter and the full Trans-Go treatment, all those ponies are in good hands.
The body remains factory stock, with the beautiful exception of a fiberglass teardrop scoop (like the Thunderbolts use to have) and truly trick "SOHC" logos to replace the factory "289" scripts on the front fenders. We first saw this amazing Pony at the March Meet in Bakersfield, CA, and it had just been completed at that time. The Scarpentis haven't run the car hard yet, since its all so fresh. Once it gets broken in, we're confident the 3,250-pound 'Stang will impress with its ample power and flashback style.
It certainly isn't hard to love this car, and it makes us wish Ford would have made A/FX Cammer-powered Mustangs back in '65. Even if they would have, we doubt they'd have been as nice or as well engineered as this beauty.