Ford's Infamous SOHC 427 Cammer

Fifty years ago, it was hailed as “Ford’s greatest engine.” It’s still referred to as the “90-day wonder,” and more commonly, the “Cammer.” It’s the Single Overhead Cam 427 Ford, the SOHC (pronounced “sock”). Based on Ford’s 427ci side-oiler block, it was intended to be Ford’s two-valve, single-overhead-cam, high-rpm answer to Chrysler’s 426 Hemi for NASCAR in 1964. But racing these purpose-built engines turned “stock cars” into “not-stock cars,” creating a situation NASCAR moved to stop. It banned “special racing engines” with its sights on stopping both the Hemi and Cammer. Chrysler sat out the 1965 season in protest, while Ford continued with its Cammer-less 427ci wedge, which it had already been using in NASCAR for a couple of years… read more >