by Society Staff –
reprint with permission only
428 CID
The largest FE-series engine was the 428 CID engine. Depending the 428 CID V-8 was a stroked 406 CID V-8. Its bore and stroke was 4.13″x 3.98″.
The 428 was introduced in 1966, in two configurations. The standard 428 used the standard FE-series block with a cast-iron crankshaft, forged-steel connecting rods, a single 4barrel carburetor, and a cast-iron intake manifold. It was rated at 345 HP @ 4600 RPM and 462 ft. lbs. of torque @ 2800 RPM with a compression ratio of 10.5:1. The cylinder heads were the regular production FE series cylinder heads, with 2.04″ intake and 1.57″ exhaust valves.
Police Interceptor
A more powerful Police Interceptor (Pl) version was rated at 360 HP @ 5400 RPM and 459 ft. lbs. of torque @ 3200 RPM with a compression ratio of 10.5:1. It used an aluminum intake manifold, a hotter camshaft, and stronger connecting rods with thicker rod bolts.
The standard 428 engine was used on Ford passenger cars until 1969. The Police Interceptor was in place in 1966 -1968.
428 CID Cobra Jet and Super Cobra Jet
This was the hot 428 CID engine. It was introduced late in the 1968 model year on the Mustang, Cougar and Shelby Mustang. It was just a recombination of existing parts.
The engine block used on the 428 CJ engine was a standard FE-series block. The connecting rods were those used in the PI. The intake manifold was a cast-iron copy of the aluminum intake manifold used on the Pl 428. The carburetor was a Holley 735 cfm 4-barrel.
The camshaft was the same one used on the 1968 390 GT engine. The cylinder heads were also similar to the ones used on the 427 CID Low Riser engine – they used the same size valves, 2.09″ intake and 1.66″ exhaust. The intake port openings, however, were the same as those used on the 427 MR, measuring 2 .34″ x 1 .34″. The combustion chambers were cast.
The result was a rating of 335 HP @ 5,200 RPM and 440 ft. lbs. of torque @ 3,400 RPM. These power figures were obviously underrated.
There was yet another FE-series variant, the 428 Super Cobra Jet (SCJ). Although the SCJ was identical in power output rating at 335 as the CJ, the SCJ was given several internal modifications designed to make the engine more durable. It had the Le Mans-type cap screw rods used on the 427 CID MR engine but with a different part number, C9ZZ-6200-A. The rods used shorter cap screws designed to clear the block. The SCJ was also externally balanced. All 428 SCJ cars were equipped with an external engine oil cooler, which is an easy way to identify an SCJ.
Shelby 428 Series Engines
In 1967, the Shelby GT500 Mustangs got the 1967 428 CID Pl V-8 fitted with the dual four-barrel intake setup. In 1968 only a single four-barrel was fitted. The 1967-1968 Shelby Fes engines were fitted with distinctive Shelby air cleaners and valve covers.
The 1967 version was rated at 355 HP@ 5400 RPM, 5 less than the 428 Pl it was based on. The torque was way underrated at 420 @ 3200 RPM. The 1968 version’s horsepower went up to 360, even though it was equipped only with a single Holley four-barrel carburetor mounted on an aluminum intake manifold.
These strange ratings are likely due to the fact that the engine was installed in a Mustang chassis where the exhaust manifolds were very restrictive.
It should be noted that in 1968 the Cobra Jet 428 was also available in the Shelby Mustang and denoted as a GT-500 KR
