Ford Total Performance

Follow Ford's leap into the 1960s and the performance era--on the streets and on the track! In the early 1960s, Ford Motor Company underwent a dramatic change in corporate philosophy. Previously, under Ford's young chairman, Henry Ford II ("the Deuce") safety, not performance, was the goal. But by 1962, even the chairman realized his philosophy needed to change. Ford was nearly invisible to car-crazy baby boomers. Lee Iacocca convinced Ford that he needed to act decisively or risk losing the emerging youth market to the competition. Thus began Ford's "Total Performance" program. Ford Total Performance is all about Ford's prime racing era from 1961 through 1971. In addition to purpose-built race cars, it also covers production performance cars, specialty models, and unique concepts such as lightweight drag race cars. The book explores the 427 Fairlane Thunderbolt; Mercury Comet; unique V-8 Falcons that competed in the 1963 and 1964 Monte Carlo Rallies; Dick Brannan's 427 A/FX drag car; Ford Indy 500 winning race cars; 427 Overhead Cam SOHC 427 engines as used in A/FX and fuel race cars; Boss 302 and 429 Mustangs for street, drag racing, and Trans-Am; and many more. The Ford-Ferrari war that led to the creation of the legendary GT40 Le Mans race cars isn't forgotten. Featuring unpublished period photographs, plus photos and artwork from Ford designers, Ford Total Performance covers all of Ford's classic race and street cars, including Cobras and Shelby Mustangs. It's a must-have book for any fan of classic American performance cars!

A racing journalist and historian cover's Ford's glory years--the total domination of world motorsports from 1962 to 1970. Hundreds of rare racing photos help readers relive the many victorious moments.

Shelby Mustang details the entire story of these fantastic cars, from the early prototypes built in Shelby's Los Angeles shop to today's Ford-engineered high-tech performers. Written by one of the world's foremost authorities on Shelby automobiles, critically acclaimed author Colin Comer, and with a foreword by Lee Iacocca, the American automobile executive credited with the successful development of the Mustang, this is the definitive account of the Shelby. When Ford wanted to toughen up its super-successful new Mustang, they approached Carroll Shelby to give it the performance image it so sorely lacked. Beginning with a 1965 "K-Code" 289-cubic-inch-powered Mustang fastback, Shelby applied the same formula that had made his Cobra sports cars such devastating performers both on and off the track: more horsepower, less weight, balanced handling. The GT350 quickly established itself as a bonafide force in SCCA B-Production racing, twisting back roads, and boulevards alike—setting the course for future Shelby Mustangs, like the big-block GT500. Though those original Shelby Mustangs were done by 1970, Ford dusted off its Shelby relationship in 2006 and has been producing high-performance Ford Mustang Shelbys ever since. This is a must-have read for any fan of American performance cars, whether you're a muscle-era original or a 21st-century stormer.

The 1960s was arguably the most important decade for drag racing. It had exciting cars, thrilling races, rapidly changing technology, and most important, factory participation. Among the best high-performance cars and engines were those coming from Dearborn, Michigan. Ford Motor Company's "Total Performance Years" saw a breakthrough as Ford's drag racing program helped the younger, performance- and style-conscious consumer begin receiving some recognition on the street, and of course, generate sales in the showroom. Factory participation in drag racing pushed the envelope for high-performance developments. In this new paperback edition, Ford's FE-series engine, Police Interceptors, GT 390, 427 SOHC, 428 Cobra Jet, and Boss 429 are all covered in detail. See the cars and the drivers that made them famous: Dick Brannan's Goldfinger, Bill Lawton's Mystery Mustang, "Dyno Don" Nicholson's Eliminator Comet, Gas Ronda's stretched Mustang, and Al Joniec's Batcar. Follow the progression from the early Starliners to the factory lightweight Galaxies to the Thunderbolts, Shelby Cobras, Mustangs, and more. Accomplished journalist and lifelong Ford aficionado Charles Morris takes you back to the "Total Performance Years" through first-hand accounts as well as with more than 400 rare photographs. A drag racer since 1966, Morris has been a crewmember for a Top Alcohol Funny Car and a Pro/Stock team, and has run cars in Stock, Super Stock, and Nostalgia Super Stock classes. This book is a must-read for all drag racing fans, not just Ford enthusiasts.

The 1960s was arguably the most important decade for drag racing. It had exciting cars, thrilling races, and most importantly, factory participation. Among the best high-performance cars and engines were those coming from Dearborn, Michigan. Ford Motor Company's "Total Performance Years" saw a breakthrough as drag racing helped the younger, performance- and style-conscious consumer to begin receiving some recognition. Factory participation in drag racing pushed the envelope for high performance developments. Ford's FE-series engine, Police Interceptor, GT 390, Single Overhead Cam, Cobra Jet, and Boss 429 are all covered in detail. See the cars and the drivers that made them famous - Dick Brannan's Goldfinger, Bill Lawton's Mystery Mustang, "Dyno Don" Nicholson's Eliminator Comet, Gas Ronda's stretched Mustang, Al Joenic's Batcar, and more. Accomplished journalist and life-long Ford aficionado Charles Morris takes you back to the Total Performance Years through first-hand accounts as well as over 400 rare photographs. A drag racer since 1966, Morris has run cars in both Stock and Super Stock classes. He is currently the owner of the original Norristown Ford 1963 lightweight Galaxie and races the car in Nostalgia Super Stock as part of the 422 Motorsports Drag Racing Team. This book is a must read for all drag racing fans, not just Ford enthusiasts.

The Ford FE (Ford Edsel) engine is one of the most popular engines Ford ever produced, and it powered most Ford and Mercury cars and trucks from the late 1950s to the mid-1970s. For many of the later years, FE engines were used primarily in truck applications. However, the FE engine is experiencing a renaissance; it is now popular in high-performance street, strip, muscle cars, and even high-performance trucks. While high-performance build-up principles and techniques are discussed for all engines, author Barry Rabotnick focuses on the max-performance build-up for the most popular engines: the 390 and 428. With the high-performance revival for FE engines, a variety of builds are being performed from stock blocks with mild head and cam work to complete aftermarket engines with aluminum blocks, high-flow heads, and aggressive roller cams. How to Build Max-Performance Ford FE Engines shows you how to select the ideal pistons, connecting rods, and crankshafts to achieve horsepower requirements for all applications. The chapter on blocks discusses the strengths and weaknesses of each particular block considered. The book also examines head, valvetrain, and cam options that are best suited for individual performance goals. Also covered are the best-flowing heads, rocker-arm options, lifters, and pushrods. In addition, this volume covers port sizing, cam lift, and the best rocker-arm geometry. The FE engines are an excellent platform for stroking, and this book provides an insightful, easy-to-follow approach for selecting the right crank, connecting rods, pistons, and making the necessary block modifications. This is the book that Ford FE fans have been looking for.

More than Mustang and Cougar. Though the Mustang remains Ford’s most famous muscle car, the company had been building muscle cars since it introduced the sleek Fairlane and Galaxie models with optional 390 cubic-inch big-block V-8 engines in 1961. These cars were part of Ford’s Total Performance program, which tested cars in the crucible of racing at drag strips, oval circuits, European rally events, and road courses, resulting in legendary muscle cars like the Shelby Mustang, Boss 302 and 429 Mustangs, Mercury Cougar, Cyclone GT, and Spoiler. The Complete Book of Classic Ford and Mercury Muscle Cars covers all of Ford Motor Company’s high-performance muscle cars from the early 1960s to 1973. It’s the bible of muscle every disciple of Ford performance needs.

Ford's 4.6-liter-powered Mustang is the last remaining "classic" muscle car in the world and is incredibly popular with performance enthusiasts. More than 1,000,000 Mustangs have been built since 1996. Covers all 4.6 and 5.4-liter "Modular" motors--Ford's only V8 engine for Mustangs, fullsize cars, and light trucks from 1996 to 2004.