Introducing George Anderson, owner of Gessford Machine.
There are several people out there in times past who earned the name "Mr. 427", including the Holman Moody folks, Carroll Shelby, and Sneaky Pete Robinson, to name a few, but George holds the title today! He's done more (and doing more)with the FE engine design than anyone else I know except perhaps, the manufacturers who are building the new iron and aluminum 427 blocks these days. George is assembling the motors and shipping them all over the world.
George runs Gessford Machine in Nebraska,
http://www.gessford.com and I was thrilled to be able to talk with him for a short while today about Chris Craft boats and some of our mutual appreciations in life. George grew up in Colorado and his family had a Chris Craft on one of the high mountain lakes. He has a soft spot for Chris Crafts, and features a lot of good marine information on his web site.
During our conversation it was quite evident that he was gracious with his time with a stranger, but he was also having a lot of fun doing what heˇ¦s doing. He just finished a 2+ mile SCCA race course, and shipped ten (10) nine hundred horsepower FE motors out of the country. Here is what one looks like, in case youre wondering what $51,000 will buy.
http://www.gessford.com/cobra/images/BishopKinsler502.htm
It may not be apparent, but the valve covers were milled out of a solid block of aluminum. They just shipped ten (10) of these motors to New Zealand.
These motors are going into Cobras, and one just went to Switzerland. I asked George if he was doing many 427 marine applications, and he said no, due to the cost, most people choose to repower. Gessford Machine remains one heck of a source for just about everything we may need for a 427 rebuild, such as custom pistons, gaskets, whatever. He said, however, if someone had the desire and the funds, he could do billet aluminum valve covers that said Chris Craft instead of Shelby. At this stage of his life, hes doing whats fun, and I could tell he was having lots of fun.
Its amazing that a big block engine design that came out in 1958 is gaining more and more popularity 48 years later, even during times of high gas costs. Its a testament to the original design that won 101 NASCAR races in the three years of 1963-1965, against nine (9) for Chevrolet. With engines putting out a reliable 900-hp, I can only imagine what a pair of detuned 700-hp versions would be like in a Commander. Dream on for me, because I wouldnt go over 400-hp if I rebuild mine! After all, they offered a 400-hp 390 solid lifter motor in a Higgins runabout, a well built 427 could produce that all day long and still not break into a sweat.
Regards, Paul
I told George that it would be tough putting the rubber onto the road with something like that, and he said ˇ§they donˇ¦t even worry about itˇ¨. I donˇ¦t think a set of tires would last too long with something like this under the hood!
