Ford 427 SideOilers, What are the worth?

[Beach Cruiser]

My friend recently passed away and his wife is selling his boat. We've always said that the engines were worth more than the boat, but we don't have a clue. It's a 1967 Cris Craft cabin cruiser and it has two original '67 427 Fords in it They are Marinized engines, but they could very easily be rebuilt for automotive duty. Any clue on thier Value?

[JamesJ]

The boat may be worth more than you think...

[MaxHarvard]

This guy seems to want $15,000 for the entire boat... might be worth selling as a whole.

http://www.boat-world.com/boatads/1155044026.html

[JamesJ]

http://www.mahoganybay.net/

call and ask for todd, nice guy and is a buyer depending on price and shape.... tell him Jim Jard sent you...

[ArisESQ]

This guy seems to want $15,000 for the entire boat... might be worth selling as a whole.

http://www.boat-world.com/boatads/1155044026.html

the one posted has two chevy 305's, not the 427 ford motors in his... which could potentially mean that SOMEONE is willing to pay a substantial amount of money for that boat.

[Beach Cruiser]

Thanks Guys! The boat is 43' and it was pretty nice, but since he got sick it has been in decay for a while. It's still pretty salvagable but it's a lot of work. If there is no "collector value" in the engines then there is no need to part the boat out. They are under the sofa in the main cabin and would be hard to get at to pull. She only wants 6K for the boat and it can be driven and runs great, but there is a lot of wood work to do to it to make it nice again. I would love to have it but I have two teenagers and way too many projects already, plus my own boat.

[rwhite692]

The Starboard engine may be a reverse rotation and therefore not usable for a car... So you might want to check.

[FETorino]

http://www.network54.com/Forum/74182/

The whole site is devoted to FE motors. I'm not that familiar with Marine engine specs other than one may be reverse rotation. Now several companies, Shelby, Pond and Genesis make aftermarket 427 blocks but they range from $3 to 5k. Good usable 427 blocks are worth some $$ by themselves. If they are sideoilers then the blocks could be worth $3k each.

[phonedude_mln]

The Starboard engine may be a reverse rotation and therefore not usable for a car... So you might want to check.

as FETorino says below, go to http://www.fordfe.com/ -- this has been
covered before several times. and since companies like Scat are making
reasonably priced stroker kits (4.25"), no reason to not go big.

it is my understanding that those engines might be "top-oilers" (aka
"center-oilers"), even if cast as side oilers. marine and industrial
engines were a mixed bag. although side oilers are the most popular,
conventional wisdom says for street use the center oilers are just as
good for street use.

[edit]
I had a section guessing at the value, but then I went and searched
at fordfe.com. apparently it all hinges on the cooling system used:

http://www.network54.com/Forum/74182/thread/973298699/

http://www.network54.com/Forum/74182/thread/1035140961/

http://www.network54.com/Forum/74182/thread/1057007104/

http://www.network54.com/Forum/74182/thread/1058101239/

http://www.network54.com/Forum/74182/thread/1035140961/

[rwhite692]

as FETorino says below, go to http://www.fordfe.com/ -- this has been
covered before several times. and since companies like Scat are making
reasonably priced stroker kits (4.25"), no reason to not go big...

Yes, of course the rotation can be changed to std.... Just wanted to point out the reverse rotation issue, in case someone was not aware, and thinking of using it as-is. And hopefully the engine has only seen a closed cooling system (FWC) if not, good luck!

[Beach Cruiser]

Thanks for all the replys guys, both engines are cooled with a closed loop Fresh water cooling system, so the blocks have seen nothing but antifreeze. And yes the Starboard engine turns in the opposite direction, but that is a mater of the cam I believe, not the crank. Easily changed in a rebuild. The value of the engines lies in the nastalgia and the vintage. I wish I could take on the boat as a project but it's just too much for me at this time. I'm trying to help her decide whether to part the boat out or sell it as a whole. It could be a beautiful boat, all wood. It's big enough to take anywhere and could sleep 8 in a pinch.

[andrewmp6]

The normal 427 ain't worth a lot maybe a grand the cobra jet 428 and the 427 sohc are the only fe worth a lot.

[clill]

Any pics of the boat ?

[phonedude_mln]

The normal 427 ain't worth a lot maybe a grand the cobra jet 428 and the 427 sohc are the only fe worth a lot.

value(427) >> value(428cj)

if you have clean 427 blocks, I (and every other Ford person) will buy
every one you have for $1k a pop. 427s are *great* engines,
but the truth is that very few made it into street cars.

Ford made 428CJs b/c the 427s were too expensive to build and
were overkill for street motors. Swapping out your 428cj for a
427 is considered a performance *upgrade* (if numbers matching
is not a concern). A short but good history of FEs is
in Dave Shoe's post in the middle of this thread:

http://www.network54.com/Forum/74182/thread/1057007104/

The 427 SOHC is another animal altogether. It was sold only over-the-counter
and the value of a running SOHC today is $25k - $30k. There is an
emerging market for repop parts to convert a regular FE to a SOHC,
but the kits to do so are still in the $10k - $11k range.

standard joke: FE = Freakin' Expensive.

[FETorino]

The normal 427 ain't worth a lot maybe a grand the cobra jet 428 and the 427 sohc are the only fe worth a lot.


But you must be a SBC guy. Although the value of 427 cranks (forged vs cast for 390 & 428) are not what they used to be because of all the aftermarket stroker stuff the high cost of aftermarket 427 block are keeping block prices high. Allthough the sideoilsers are valued a lot more a clean usable 427 center oiler is still crossbolted and still 4.25 bore and still worth at least $1000 without even talking about the remaining parts.

Both Med riser and Low riser heads are worth some $$ for the numbers matching crowd. You didn't even mention High riser and Tunnel Port (both over the counter race parts) heads that fetch a lot of $$. Other than a drainback hole in the block 427 sideoiler blocks for SOHC motors are the same as any other sideoiler block.

Bottom line is a 427 block is worth more than a 428 (non crossbolted centeroiler in all cases) or a 406 (crossbolted, centeroiler, solid cam only but same bore as a 428) and the going price on any is usualy over a grand.

Here is an example.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ORIGINAL-1963-1964-FORD-GALAXIE-427-ENGINE-BLOCK-3D2_W0QQitemZ230216006610QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item2 30216006610