Bigger hubs carrying bigger, more widely spaced bearings, taper instead roller, are used in the 427. Bigger, much stronger half-shafts are used and, though these are splined, the rear suspension geometry is such that only 0.020 of an inch of spline of spline movement occurs in spite of more than six inches of wheel travel allowed. Designing the axle for spline travel would have been useless in any event, according to Miles. since splines would bind up solidly under the brutal torque of the big-incher. For the street machine, the suspension mountings are in rubber, and an option of bronze bushings is set up for the race car. In the street the engine is an out-of-the-box Grand National 427. fitted with two AFB Holley carburetors as used in the Mustang. These have fairly small primary venturis and big secondaries. Thus the street Cobra is fed gently at the outset and is, if nothing, more docile than the 289, if one remembers that the first throttle stop is only a detent to remind you that the big secondary vents are about to open. On the race car the feeding is done by one great huge Holley 780 CFM as used on NASCAR machinery, sitting in a bathtub-like cold air box. Even this one s fairly docile at first, but it comes on much more rapidly. The carburetors on the dual set-up tend to flood or starve on very tight turns; the big single, with its concentric float, does not - most definitely not. |
The street version, with its smaller-section tires, develops some oversteer when acceleration through a corner, but its manners are exceptionally mild for such a hot performer. |
So it's docile at first. However, if one is in either of the two lower rears one is advised to make sure the rear end has caught a bite before one goes beyond that first throttle detent. This Hawg will lay great huge strips of rubber if treated disrespectfully at any speed in either first or second, and will even do it in third gear if it is the least bit out of shape. Treated with respect, the 427 is very smooth and very deceptively fast in either top speed or acceleration. |
Above: Titus caught in the act! With low tire pressure, the race cars's understeer used more road than he figured on. the photog was glad he'd used a mild telephoto lens, too. |
