The W-code 427 and 428 CJ shared just about everything except main bearing caps and bore/stroke dimensions. But times were changing, and sales were soft for performance cars across the board, and not just at Ford. With a few minor modifications, however, the 428 would really scream, and by the time the '68s came around, Ford was ready to rock and roll. Competition was tough in the late '60s, with both GM and Chrysler offering up serious big-block performance. They were almost identical to the standard Cobra Jets, but had stronger internals. The real cobra jet block had reinforced webbing as well as a higher nickel content, i.e. Last edited: May 19, 2013 FrozenMerc, May 19, 2013 SHARE POST #3 hoop98 Member Very rare and very expensive as only about 1,200 were made. Whereas Shelby had scrapped plans to redesign the 428s intake manifold a notorious choke point Tasca came up with a different idea. The Ford 428 Super Cobra Jet was only available in the 1969 and 1970 model years. Also, 1969 was the last year of production for the famous Mustang GT. In the March 1968 issue of Hot Rod magazine, a 68 Mustang CJ ran a 13.56-second quarter-mile time, traveling at 106.6 miles per hour. Combined with their burgeoning competition with the new Chevy Camaro, Ford decided to put a modified 428 heavily based on Tascas 428 into the Mustang for 1968. Makes you wonder how many were built at the other plants. The 428 Cobra and Super Cobra Jets continued for 1970, but there was also a new 429 Cobra Jet now. The 715 was a Ford replica of a Rochester carb, and was fitted to the base Cobra Jets. non biased Shelby Cobra related site! In four years of its existence, the Cobra Jet name became synonymous with high-performance. 370 HP (likely underrated), thick strong blocks and massive ports int he heads. The package was also available in the Torino, the Fairlane, and the Mercury Cyclone. The Cyclone was now part of the Montego family of vehicles. Note that the explanation says that three other cars were built like this at San Jose! Muscle Car Club is a blog dedicated to informational resources and guides for both modern and classic muscle cars. These had the larger 600 cfm 4100. important]cars[/COLOR] will have heads with the smaller valves and a lesser highway friendly springs . Though different part numbers were used for standard sized CJ and SCJ pistons (perhaps to provide slightly different installation tolerances), most folks that I've talked to believe that the pistons were in fact identical. If you want to discover which 428 Cobra Jet powered Fords were the fastest muscle cars, how the engine originated, which vehicles had it, and how the 428CJ differs from the 428SCJ, then read on. although the fastest factory car i have ever been in was and is to this day the 68 428scj mustang, and those cars are cars of record winning the 68' winternationals against the Hemi cars. Includes year, model, engine, 1/4 mile times, and moreabsolutely free! None of the parts of the 428 SCJ reciprocating assembly interchange with their 428 CJ counterparts. However, there were a few key internal differences between the two engines. The block and head are both cast iron, and the bore and stroke were 4.13 X 3.98. YES! It also saw the addition of a new convertible body style with a power top. Super Cobra Jet harmonic balancer Best of all, unlike the fire breathing 427 FE (which was mostly installed in fullsize 1963-1967 models), the 428 CJ was commonly available in all the popular midsize Ford-Mercury muscle models. Ford 428s had a different water jacket core which can often be identified by the "428" cast in the bottom of the inner water jacket right under the center freeze plug. But, from the factory it was never as powerful as the (solid lifter) 427. I've seen written reference to a C9AE-C rod also being used, but I've never been able to confirm an installation. It was rated at 375HP (grossly underrated). Keith, Cobra Make, Engine: ERA Street Roadster #782 with 459 cu in FE KC engine, toploader, 3.31, also police interceptors had solid lifters and adjustable rockers---GT & CJ were hydraulic, Cobra Make, Engine: CSX #4xxx with CSX 482; David Kee Toploader, Reading this brings up a question that I've always wondered about. So the question remains, how much horsepower does a stock 428 CJ really deliver? It may be possible to mix components if every component of the reciprocating assembly is dynamically balanced, but why bother? See more Reply Save Like 1 The 429 is known as a 385 family due, I believe, to the bore size being 385 centimeters. The 428 was available as a 68 1/2, 68 and 70 model. FE & FT Big Block V8 (332, 352, 360, 390, 406, 410, 427, 428) - difference in 428 blocks? "A standard 428 will have a U1 crankshaft ballanced on the inside of the ballancer but weight added on crankshaft . Fords Cobra Jet engines rivaled high output big blocks from General Motors and Chrysler, and finally made some Mustangs worthy of being called muscle cars. A remedy was in the making, as the 428 Cobra Jet package for the Mustang began its metamorphosis. In April 1968, Ford introduced the Cobra Jet, built from a 428 Police Interceptor short block with 427 low riser heads, among other heavier-duty performance partssimilar to what Holman Moody had invented. Pioneered in 1967 as a stripped-down Holman and Moody prepared drag-ready Mustang for Tasca Ford, the 428 short block with 427 heads christened the KR-8 flawlessly balanced proven race engineering with factory Ford parts. document.getElementById( "ak_js_3" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Get Your Top 50 Fastest Muscle Cars ChartFREE! Cast iron exhaust manifolds. The baddest of them all is the Boss 429. I have the option to purchase either one of them. 428 Police Interceptor, and 429 ThunderJet, used in big luxury cruisers. Even in 2022, almost six decades later, the Ford Cobra Jets are still lusted over today by generations of gearheads. Reportedly, they didnt even let Tasca leave with the car. The full-page print ad for the 1969 Mercury Cyclone CJ stated it best: Cyclone CJthe high-performance fastback with the bold build and sports car spirit. 8th Place: 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1 428CJ, 3rd Place: 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 428CJ, 2nd Place: 1968 Ford Mustang 428 Cobra Jet, 1st Place: 1968 Mercury Cougar XR7-GT 428CJ, more significant than 335 horsepower advertised ratings, Tasca Ford pioneered a high revving 428 engine, Top 10 Craziest Muscle Car Paint Colors from the Factory, Top 50 Fastest Classic Muscle Cars (1962-1973). It was fortuitous that Tasca Ford nudged Fordand Ford listenedbecause the 428 Cobra Jets and Super Cobra Jets are amongst the baddest Ford Muscle Cars you could drive off the lot from 1968-1970. They did so to honor the 1968 Mustangs that won the NHRA Winternationals, and inaugurated the first Cobra Jet era. Although many early Mustang articles suggest that the 428 Cobra Jet was designed by Mr. Tasca, there are in fact more than 30 design differences between the components used by Mr. Tasca, the 428 PI, and the released 428 CJ. 390 and 428 are different. The Cobra Jets are very similar to the standard 428s, with only minimal upgrades for better performance and reliability. Ford really got it right with the 1968 428 Cobra Jet (CJ). Incredibly, he too put a 428 cid block in his Mustangs, but he took it a step further than Shelby. The Mercury division of Ford put the 428 Cobra Jet in their Comets and Cyclones, and Shelby used one for his new GT500KR (King of the Road). These only became available in the 1970 model year, as you noted. One had spun on the crank bearing and all would have had to be resized, so Bill advised me. Many aficionados of the Cobra Jet Mustang consider the '70 version to be the nicest of all, combining the last year of the FE engine with the last year for the '69-'70 body style. The A blocks were made until mid 1968 model year. Basically, a 428 is just a stroked 390, and tuned for massive torque over horsepower. The Ford 428 Cobra Jet was the high-performance version of the 428 FE engine, quickly overtaking the low-revving 390 CID V-8 as the high-performance powerplant of choice. The "SUPER" mark does NOT mean that the pistons were used only in SCJs! Cobra Jet Mustang production continued into 1970. Also, the stroke on a 428 should be 3.98. 428CJ /SCJ cars used shock tower reinforcements, thicker front sway bars, and beefier springs and shocks. In fact, the 428 was listed at 335 hp, the same as the 390. A different crankshaft and forged-aluminum pistons were also included. You can also check the build dates on the parts as well because they did not start pitting them in production cars till about March of 1968. With more than 400 lb-ft available from 2,600 to 4,700 rpm, the Mach 1's tail is sure to be obscured in clouds of tire smoke. Ford based the 429 Cobra Jets on their 385 series of V8 engines. It came in T-birds and full size Fords in the late 60's and early 70's. Educate me! And this dealer-inspired Ford racing engine couldnt have appeared at a better time for the Ford Motor Company. The following year, the Super Cobra Jet became an option. The 429 is a 70 complete out of a Lincoln or some other 4 door. The Super Cobra Jet, available only with a 3.91 or 4.30 rear axle ratio, included additional features. See if you can determine if these motors you are looking at are CJ's. Ford got down to business and began by beefing up the bottom of the 428 block casting, which included heavier main bearing caps. Shelby realized that this was a real alternative to the expensive and temperamental 427. This was not enough to beat the big-block Camaro, however, which ran the quarter a full second quicker. Of course there's the Boss 429, but thats a horse of completely different color. Actually, rebuilding a 428 using modern methods costs significantly MORE than $2,500. Most of the published literature that I've read says that buyers of the locking 4.30:1 rear end gear also got a gear-driven Detroit Locker instead of Ford's clutch-packed Traction-Lok, but recent research leads me to believe that this is NOT the case! A special option available for 1969 in the Cobra Jet Mustang included a 428 with internal modifications. Welcome to Club Cobra! Two codes designated a CJ: the R code specified a Ram Air vehicle, while the Q code meant no Ram Air. Oddly, however, Ford never revised the sandbagged horsepower claims. It was probably a case of "building out" soon-to-be obsolete 427 inventory. In the January 1969 issue of Motor Trend magazine, a 69 Cyclone CJ 428SCJ ran a 13.86-second quarter-mile pass at 101.7 miles per hour.