1968 Ford Mustang front view, white exterior, hood open, two men…

ner in what just has to be one of the most competitive of all 90-plus NHRA classes? Lets nd out. Outwardly, the model we tested was nearly docile in appearance. I say nearly because the appearance of Dons test model was almost too mild- mannered. Plain white exterior, other than the lettering which appears in the accompanying photographs, and black interior which, by the way, is not only pleasing to the eye but is to a racers way of thinking also the most func- tional; it cuts bothersome light reec tions to a minimum, thereby reducing chances of glare blindness and adding to an atmosphere most conducive to driver concentration. But back outside you nd that all that black and white docility ends at the bottom of the rocker panel and that the SS/E Mustangs stance from that point to the ground takes on a new air of all business. It doesnt take a practiced eye long to pick out the header tubes and shadows of the traction bars emanating from beneath the 3184 pounder. Next step? The go department. We got Nicholson aside, along with A1 Turner, Ford drag racing honcho (who beamed with the smil- ing look of the knowledgeable), and headed for the engine compartment. There nestled as though it had lived there all along, I was introduced to the Cobra Jet engine for the rst time. And just what is the Cobra Jet? There seem to be several mis conceptions about the identity of the new sobriquet being bandied about by Ford people, so we asked. The rst thing to get straight is that Cobra Jet does not mean tunnel ports. As reported in last months CC article, ABOVE Biggest change from of funny car congurated traction bars at rear. Healthy bars are Ford designed and have proven their value through extensive use on match race vehicles. LEFT CCs Managing Editor, John Haifa, who heads drag testing series,smokes over the SS/Es engine with Don Nicholson, who claims this package is best ever oered for Ford stock racing fans. big plans are in store for these big breathers, but Ford has no plans at present to use them on stock congu- rated drag racing vehicles this year. Well keep you up to date in this de- partment as progress is made. In Turners words, the Cobra Jet is the name for the improved performance 428 engine, of which several versions are now available from a mild street improvement version up to the 88/15] conguration resident in our test car. And how is the SS/E version differ- ent from the stock-stock 428? First, the cam (Ford part no. CSOX62500) is a solid tappet shaft with more radical numbers than those of the hydraulic stock version. The valves are tubular, similar to those in the 427 GT perform- ance engines, and larger intakes 2.097 and exhausts 1.66. The heads are (continued on page 75) Jewels: a qsowqa stock-stock is use Locating battery in trunk remains one of most prevalent methods of transferring weight to rear wheels in drag stockers. Dual electric fuel pumps insure sufcient fuel feeding for the 428-inch, 335-hp car that competes in popular NHRA class. Deepened oil pan and Jardine headers are clues to SS/ Es identity. 50 of these cars were readied prior to Winternationals.