reasons for a side oiler Vs a center oiler

[diverrick]

OK, Please, no on shoot me over this question.
Was not sure what topic area to put this under.

What is the advantage of a side oiler over a center oiler.
I have been reading that alot of folks want the side oiler over a Center oiler.
I assume C/O's are more plentiful? But what makes the S/O so great?
Other than correctness for a cobra.
I certainly would not know one of it fell on my foot.
Does it offer more power? or something?

[FWB]

c/o=oils cam then crank....just like all FE's
s/o=oils crank then cam
physically is was mainly to keep bearings alive during racing because of two reasons. 1 the large diameter of the Fe rod journal pushed oil out under extreme load2 this was exasperated by the use of steel cranks..made that even worse. basically a bandaide for a design flaw in my opinion..


other than emotion there is no need to actually have the sideoiler with the introduction of small journal cranks.....and to piss off some enthusiasts, i think putting a sideoiler in a replica is a waste of a sideoiler...they should be raced.....use the marine and c/o blocks for street cars.....they are more than adequate, the sideoiler does not offer any street performance advantage

now for the fine print disclaimer............

i'm sure the sideoiler gods will start spanking me but this is my opinion and it will remain my opinion regardless of others disagreeing with me.

[tcrist]

Well I don't know crap about one or the other. For me as long as it gets oil and does not spin bearings, good enough for me.

From what I understand, it is like this,

Center oiler = $$$
Side oiler = $$$$$$$$

That is it for me. I am sure that I did not help. Have fun searching.

[Dominik]

You wouldn't really need a SO, unless your are racing - as mentioned.

My buddy in Germany (= highway driving at 160mph+ from time to time!) does a quarter mile in 10.6s with a 428 CO and quite moderate power (solid lifter roller cam). Max rpm not much above 6.000.

I won't tell the power / torque numbers, else we start a complete different debate. And he does not change the differential for 1/4 mile events. Just puts on sliks.

The Chev aluminium Can-Am engine blocks were top oilers too (in comparison to the LS-7 454). However, the Can-Am typically reduced oil flow to the lifters to keep it down, and - of course - had dry sump.

Dry sump is needed when you are on sliks and g-forces keep the oil off the pick up.

For the occasional sprint with your 427 CO, get a decent sump to keep oil at the pump. You will get to 1g when you accelerate!

[Ron61]

I had a 1964 Galaxie 500-XL with the 427 center oiler and never had a problem with it at all. I now have a 69 NASCAR Cobra with the 428 pushed out to 440ci with center oiling and it has never given me any problems.

Ron

[marcocsx3121]

On a couple of occasions I ran the CO (original block) in CSX 3121 to 7000 rpm without a problem. BTW, the solid lifter 454 Chevy engine was an LS6; the LS7 is the 427 in the C6 Z06.

[diverrick]

Thanks for all the explanations. Sounds like for most folks, it is simply to be able to brag, It has a S/O.
I always found my parents 390 had plenty of kick, and that was pushing an old lead sled. I can't imagine what it would do in a 1 ton car like the Cobra.
You might have to go back and pick up your eyeballs at the start line after they fall out from acceleration.

[mdross1]

Originally Posted by diverrick

Thanks for all the explanations. Sounds like for most folks, it is simply to be able to brag, It has a S/O.
I always found my parents 390 had plenty of kick, and that was pushing an old lead sled. I can't imagine what it would do in a 1 ton car like the Cobra.
You might have to go back and pick up your eyeballs at the start line after they fall out from acceleration.

Put any decent running big block in a one ton car and be prepared for an education in traction control.Math is math, a body in motion tends to stay in motion.

[55312]

I've had my 427 CO for 8 years now and it's been bullet proof. Sent it out to Keith Craft last year and now it's putting out 640 HP and 620 lb/ft of torque.

The only real draw back to me is the solid lifter cam and the new roller lifters. I have to adjust the valves every spring. But......I really don't mind.

Tim

[DanEC]

I understand that most street Cobras with true 427s were center oilers anyway. That may have changed towards the end of production.

[bill37341]

Rick-It was always my understanding that Ford developed the side-oiler because of oil starvation on racetracks at 7000 rpm. Maybe some of the FE gurus can help me with this- weren't the competition Cobra's the first ones to be built, and wasn't the side-oiler developed later in 1965? I'm using my center oiler rather than my side-oiler because I know that I will never be able to run it anywhere near 7000 rpm, without staining my britches.

[CSX3183]

That is correct, cars after CSX 3300 if they had a 427, they were S.O.'s

Originally Posted by DanEC

I understand that most street Cobras with true 427s were center oilers anyway. That may have changed towards the end of production.

[diverrick]

So for normal folks like me a simple CO would work.

That brings up the other dreaded quwation, that I am sure has been beat to death here before. Big block or small?
I can see the less weight with the SB, better handling, and the new motors are putting out at least what the big blocks were putting out, so other than the very cool sound and bragging rights, Not many reasons to go with the big block from what I am seeing..

[Varmit]

Originally Posted by marcocsx3121

On a couple of occasions I ran the CO (original block) in CSX 3121 to 7000 rpm without a problem. BTW, the solid lifter 454 Chevy engine was an LS6; the LS7 is the 427 in the C6 Z06.

Chevy did have an LS 7 454, it was slated for production in '71, but all the fed regulations caused it to be cancelled. As I recall it was going to be 475 hp and a about 525 ft lbs of tq. Some were made and ended up in boats. I've only seen one of them and it was in a boat.

[DanEC]

Originally Posted by diverrick

So for normal folks like me a simple CO would work.

That brings up the other dreaded quwation, that I am sure has been beat to death here before. Big block or small?
I can see the less weight with the SB, better handling, and the new motors are putting out at least what the big blocks were putting out, so other than the very cool sound and bragging rights, Not many reasons to go with the big block from what I am seeing..

The FE is actually not a heavy motor. The cast intake weights a lot but that is easiy dealt with with an aluminum intake. Add aluminum heads and it's a pretty much in the same range as an all iron small block. The aluminum block versions shave more weight off of that. The 429/460 series is another deal - they do cart around significantly more weight. It pretty much falls to personal preference over what you are trying to do with your project.

[mdross1]

Originally Posted by diverrick

So for normal folks like me a simple CO would work.

That brings up the other dreaded quwation, that I am sure has been beat to death here before. Big block or small?
I can see the less weight with the SB, better handling, and the new motors are putting out at least what the big blocks were putting out, so other than the very cool sound and bragging rights, Not many reasons to go with the big block from what I am seeing..

Just personal preference,the first time I ever saw and heard a big block Cobra that image was forever burned in my brain.Then the guy opened the hood that sealed the deal.
Everytime I show my car 99.9% of the time they ask to see the engine bay and that good feeling flows through my viens because everytime their is a positive reponse.What little big block cars give up in performance over small block cars if any (that's always argueable) is well worth it in my book.All the years I have owned this car have to say no small block car has ever challenged it for that matter without being on a track what is the argument worth.
We can talk about how fast our cars are all day long it proves nothing.Just like the big inch Harleys we prefer to build and ride in the end they are built and tuned to please only one person and his name is on the title.
Big blocks rule! from what I'm seeing.How was that for .02 worth of flapping the gums.

[olddog]

Any engine that has priority oiling to the mains is better suited to high performance (high rpm, high Hp) use. That said the side oiler is better suited to high performance use. If you keep the rpm in a reasonable range, a standard block will do.

The vast majority of people, who know what a Cobra is, are going to excitedly ask if it has a 427 in it. When you say no, you can see a tab bit of sparkle disappear from their eyes, from that disappointment. They are still interested and excited, but you can tell they would have had an orgasm on the spot, if it had had a 427 side oiler in it. Is this fact going to matter to you?

A FE is going to cost you 1.5 times the cost of a 351W based engine, more or less (most likely more). It is not hard to spend $20K on a FE. Being blatantly honest, the FE is a marvel of a horrible design, that was successful in racing. It requires much more skill to build than most engines, but is quite capable, when done right. It is a beautiful engine to see, but it is expensive and can be problematic (especially if the builder is not an expert FE guy or if you try to cut costs).

PS
How do you feel about your car pissing oil on your garage floor? Most FE engines tend to do that.

[FWB]

Originally Posted by olddog

PS
How do you feel about your car pissing oil on your garage floor? Most FE engines tend to do that.

oh but what a wonderful piss it is......

[fjrgary]

like someone else on this forum said, "they just mark their territory".

[AL427SBF]

Originally Posted by fjrgary

like someone else on this forum said, "they just mark their territory".

Yes, we need to frame that little problem in a cute way so as to help justify the choice. Did that someone else also share what the command is you give your FE to not piss oil all over your friend's driveway