[chopper]

FWIW, the inclusion of a big block does not necessarily destroy the weight distribution of the car. My ERA has a 427 and the builder specs list the weight of the car at 2600 lb with a 48/52 f/r weight distribution. The original big-block Shelby cars had the engine moved rearward about 8 inches compared with the small block model to maintain the weight distribution. There's certainly more rotational inertia due to the extra weight of the engine, but the weight distribution is essentially the same. As far as total weight, I seem to recall a previous post on this forum regarding the weight differences that seemed to conclude the difference between a small block Ford (302-351 series) and an FE (427/428 series) is less than 100 lb, even less if you have aluminum heads which save about 40 lb. The differences are not as much as most folks believe.