These Guys Weren’t Windsors

Written by Don Stewart | 31 December 2007

Last month in Pony Tricks I discussed—in Cliff’s Notes fashion—Ford’s Windsor family of small block V-8s. Most of the article was directed at the engine’s use in first generation Mustangs. The ubiquitous Windsors were the Mustang’s mainstay V-8 and most of them were mild mannered alternatives to the I-6. But in lower volume, they were also available in amped-up tune. Within that group were the interesting A-code 289; the goose bump producing 289 K-Code HiPo near the top of the ladder; and arguably on the top rung, the spine tingling G-code Boss 302. In between, you could find such things as the M-code 351W.

But Windsors weren’t the only V-8s available in the early pony cars. Those from other families were offered in fewer numbers but they were among the most memorable. Beginning with an updated design in 1967, the Mustang had a larger engine bay, making it possible for physically larger engines to reside under the hood. Engines appeared on the option list from families called FE, 385, and 335. It’s the non-Windsors that are the subject of this month’s Pony Tricks.

FE Medium Block Engines

Sometimes we use “big block” to describe engines from the FE family. They were certainly bigger and heavier than the small block Windsors but true big blocks came from the 385 engine family where the bore centers were 4.90”. The FE bore centers were 4.63”, placing the family squarely in medium block territory. Although not all were used in the Mustang, FE displacements ranged between 332 cid and 428 cid; we typically, but incorrectly used—and still use—“big block” to describe the ones at the upper end of the range. This demonstrates again (see December’s Pony Tricks) that block size and architecture, not displacement, define engine families.

The first FE to make a pony car appearance was the 320 hp S-code 390 and it found itself on the option list for 1967. It was a torquey hunk which, back in the day, delighted me in 335 hp trim with its ability to grab major rubber on the 1-2 upshift with the accelerator floored and the C-6 in my 1966 Fairlane GTA holding first gear to redline; but that’s another story. The Mustang version of the S-code was also available in ‘68 and ‘69, rated at 325 hp and 320 hp respectively.

It’s been said by some that the FE name was an acronym for “Ford Engine” but others claim to have seen it referenced as “Ford Edsel” or simply “F/E” on Ford prints. It doesn’t really matter how FE is translated because Mustangers use other names, codes actually. First, as mentioned, there was the 390 S-code. And then there were the more memorable Q-code and R-code 428s. The R-code came on the scene in mid 1968 when Bob Tasca from Tasca Ford in Providence, RI convinced Ford to build a pony called Cobra Jet; it had a trick hood scoop that was part of a “ram air” induction system.

In 1969 and 1970, a Q-code joined the R-code. Both engines were rated at 335 hp but the Q-code didn’t have ram air and it lacked the stronger internals of the R-code. The Q-code took over the Cobra Jet name while the R-code moved up town and into a car called Super Cobra Jet. Arguably, among high performance engines available for first generation Mustangs, the R-code was the “baddest” of the bad.

If the 428 was so “bad”, why didn’t Ford dig deeper and use the 427 racing engine? After all, it was an FE too. It made prodigious horsepower in stock form with the same stroke as the 390 and it could be stroked to 454 cid with a 428 crank, reportedly making it capable of 600 hp. The reason Ford gave for not using the 427 was that it needed very tight assembly tolerances, requiring it to be hand fitted. On the other hand, apparently, the 428 could accept tolerances within the normal expectations of the manufacturing process. As a result, a 428 could be assembled with standard practices at a fraction of the cost of a 427.

Before leaving the FE family, I have a trivia question for you: What other FE engine made a brief Mustang appearance in 1968 and only 1968? It had a 2-barrel carburetor, made 280 hp, and only 753 were built because Ford couldn’t sell them. If you don’t know the answer and you haven’t peeked at the table further on in this article, the answer is the 390 X-code. Ever hear of it?

335 Small Block Engines

You almost never see or hear reference to the 335 engine family. It’s not because we don’t think highly of it; quite the contrary. It’s because we know it better as a Cleveland. The 335 (Cleveland) was a small block like the Windsor and shared the same bore centers at 4.38”. It was available in 351 cid and 400 cid but, as we all know, the ones used in Mustang were 351s.

Clevelands first appeared as pony car options in 1970. They appeared as an H-code rated at 250 hp with a 2-barrel carburetor and a sibling 4-barrel M-code rated at 300 hp. You may remember comments about the H-code from December’s Pony Tricks column. Confusingly, for part of the 1970 model year, H-code defined both a 351 Windsor and a 351 Cleveland. Either one might be in the car. Look back at the December issue of Pony Express to see how to tell the difference.

The H-code 351C was available from ‘70 through ‘73. The M-code, on the other hand, was only available in 1970 and early 1971. Beginning in May ‘71, the M-code morphed into the Q-code, acquiring that code from the 428 Cobra Jet that had built-out in 1970.

Not only did the M-code acquire the 428 Q-code designation, it also resided in a car called Cobra Jet, the name having also been carried forward after the 428 engine was dropped. And right alongside the 351 Q-code was another R-code, it too with 351 cid. You might have expected this new representation of an R-code to be in a car called Super Cobra Jet, but it wasn’t. Actually, it was found in a very desirable piece called Boss 351; there being no 351 Super Cobra Jet at all.

The R-code Boss 351 was dropped for 1972 and replaced by a detuned R-code in a car called 351 HO (high output). And then in 1973, it was gone altogether. But although the Q-code Cobra Jet soldiered on to the end of the first generation, it too was detuned for ‘72 and ‘73.

385 Big Block Engines

If the 428 was the baddest of the bad, what about the engine that had the most attitude. It showed up in the Mustang too and it was a true big block, the only one to see duty in the pony car, 4.90” bore centers and all. It was part of the 385 family and it came thumping on the scene in 1969. It knocked the socks off true gearheads; it still does. It was over the top and in your face. The name alone gave you an adrenalin rush. You wanted to plunk your rear end in the driver’s seat, bring the revs up, drop the clutch, plant your right foot on the floor, and hang on as long as you dared. It was the Z-code, the Boss 429, Boss ‘9 for short. What else needs to be said? Big block. Big cubes. Big horsepower. Big attitude. Big impression. Awesome!

Even if you didn’t know anything about the car, you had a hard time taking your eyes off the Boss 9, especially when the hood was open. Apparently, the years haven’t blunted the fascination one iota. Boss 9 number KK1255 was the 41st ‘69 built and in fully restored  thoroughbred dress, it sold for $605,000 at Barrett-Jackson’s January 2007 auction held in Scottsdale, AZ.

The Z-code had three sub-codes: S, T, and A in order of appearance. The S-motor was the original 1969 version with a hydraulic cam and heavy duty crank, rods, and pistons. The T-motor came out later in 1969, still with a hydraulic cam but with a lighter rotating assembly, allowing it to rev more quickly. The A-motor was the 1970 version. It retained the T-motor’s lighter rotating assembly but the hydraulic cam was replaced with a mechanical version except that a few of the early A-motors may have been the same as T-motors until the hydraulic cams were used up.

The Z-code Boss 9 was only available in 1969 and 1970. Horsepower was rated at 370 in ‘69 and 375 in ‘70. The engine was available for another year but in 1971 the car that carried it no longer had the Boss name and the engine code was no longer Z. In fact, two other codes and two familiar names were assigned. The new names were Cobra Jet (giving 1971 customers their choice of a 351 Cobra Jet or a 429) and Super Cobra Jet, C-code and J-code respectively. The C-code didn’t have ram air and it was rated at 370 hp. The J-code, which had the ram air package, was rated at 375 hp.

It probably would have been naïve to believe Ford’s horsepower rating for the 429. It’s quite likely that they followed a pervasive practice of the times where power was understated to keep insurance premiums low. But then, maybe the numbers weren’t that far off because performance of an unmodified 429 was less than spectacular. Ford’s only reason for building the 429 Mustangs in the first place was to homologate the engine for NASCAR. They never tuned the street version to its true potential, focusing instead on the homologation. But not far below the surface, hot rodders found racing genes that happily responded to modifications. It was relatively easy to wake the beast up. If Ford didn’t have the desire to make it run on the street, the rodders certainly did.

Wrap-Up

It’s always nice to have choices and Mustang V-8s evolved through a smorgasbord of engine choices almost from the beginning. But the landscape was changing as the marque broke into the early ‘70s. The performance high points reached between 1968 and 1970 plateaued in 1971 and then devolved over the next two years. There were three Cobra Jets that year: the two big blocks in 429 C-code and J-code trim plus the small block 351C Q-code. The big block 429 with the Boss name was no longer available but the R-code 351 inherited the Boss name only to see it disappear at the end of the year when it morphed into the 351 HO for 1972. The 429s didn’t morph into anything when 1972 arrived, they simply disappeared.

Adding to automaker’s marketing woes, the perceived relationship between horsepower and performance suffered a double hit in 1972. First, there was an actual reduction in horsepower as tuning levels were softened to help achieve compliance with new government regulations. Secondly, advertised horsepower was adjusted downward because, from that point forward, it was measured by a different set of standards. Prior to 1972, horsepower was measured as gross brake horsepower but beginning in 1972 a net value became the norm. Net horsepower was determined with typical accessories mounted to the engine along with typical intake tracts, and typical exhaust tracts. Taken as a whole, it appeared that performance was heading for the back burner and, in fact, it was. The industry was struggling with emission regulations plus the need to improve gas mileage. It was on the steep part of the learning curve where emissions, performance, and economy seemed mutually exclusive.

At the end of the ‘73 model year, the run of first generation Mustangs wound down completely and there was little need to care about the distinctions among the small block, medium block, and big block engine families. Three small blocks, the base 302 F-code, the 351 H-code, and the 351 Cobra Jet Q-code, were the only V-8s left in the lineup with the 266 hp Q-code being the only link to the performance years.

The handwriting was on the wall. The focus of the game had changed from performance to survival. Survival meant finding a way to comply with government regulations. And survival meant an emphasis on economy in the face of more economical imports and a looming fuel crisis.

Mustang V-8 engine options had gone full circle from the small block Windsors of 1964 to the small blocks, medium blocks, and big blocks of the late ‘60s/early70s, only to return to the small blocks in 1973. Performance followed a similar path from mild to wild and then back to mild. And looking toward 1974, our pony car would enter the second generation, a preservation period between first generation cars and the yet to be conceived third generation Fox Bodies. Beginning in ‘74, the Mustang II would carry the banner with power from a base 4-cylinder engine or an optional 2.8L Vulcan V-6. The 6-cylinder engine, by the way, was a Z-code. Now that was a hard pill to swallow what with the memory of Z-code 429 big blocks still fresh in our minds! At least the Z-code 6-banger was in a Mach 1.