1968 Thunderbird Thunder Jet

[Rory McNeil]

The Ford 429 "Thunderjet" was the base 429 4 barrel engine that came out for the 1968 model year, and this basic engine was used into the early 70`s, rated at 360HP It was used in TBirds, big Fords and Mercurys, and in 1970, was the base engine in the Torino Cobra , while the 370HP Cobra Jet and 375HP Super Cobra Jet were the higher performance options. The ThunderJets had mild hyd. cams, Autolite carbs and standard cyl.heads, whereas the Cobra Jet used a Rochester Quadrajet (honest!) and a hotter hyd. cam, plus larger valve & port heads, the SCJ had a solid cam and Holley 780carb. The 429CJ & SCJ were only available in 70-71 Torinos( including Rancheros), and Mercury Cyclones, as well as 1971 only Mustangs. None of the big Fords, Mercs, or TBirds were available with the CJ/SCJ engine. The ThunderJet was a nice engine, but it was nothing special, performance wise. Other than a few early 428 FE powered 68`s, ALL 68-70 Thunderbirds used the 429 ThunderJet as the only engine avaiable. The base 429 4 barrel ThunderJet carried engine code "N" in the engine code of the VIN , (5th digit on the tag), while the CJ was "C", and the SCJ was "J"