429/460 owners sign in here

[RoyBoy]

What gasket or gasket materials are recommended for replacements on valve covers. Also, who is supplier for Ford Racing polished aluminum valve covers.

[eagle1]

I used the rubber valve cover gaskets as supplied by Fel Pro.
I don't have a part # for them, but it should be easy for the parts house to look up.

They work very well as I'm using them on a set of 1" alum. spacers and aluminum "Cobra 460" covers from Tony Brenda.

I needed the spacers due to my roller rockers .

I also have a brand new set of the polished FORD MOTORSPORTS
valve covers that I had purchased and never used because I had orderd the "460" covers and they weren't available for well over a year.

I was going to put these Ford Motorsports covers on the Parts for Sale forum soon, but if your interested send me an email.

Hope this helps you.

[XXQQQME]

'71 460 out of a Lincoln. . .
.030 over, alum pistons, crane cam, performer intake, Ford Motorsport roller rockers, Holley 750 carb. All new stuff except block and heads (orig. cast iron, nothing special here) Dressed up with some chrome, March Pulleys and Alum, Valve covers and Oval Air Filter from Cobra Restorers. Should produce about 400to 425 hp and 525+ torque. This is all hooked to a Dan Williams Top-Loader and a Ford 9" with a 3.73. I have about 600 miles on the WCC and plan to have it painted in June 2003.
I see some of you are in the process of building your engines and can't wait to hear them run. . . Well, when I fired mine up for the first time to break in the cam (open headers) I didn't see my neighbor's pain in the ass barking dog for about 3 days! It was awsome!!!! Best of luck to all buildin' em and drivin' em!

[Lynn Johnson]

Superformance SPF890, with SVO Crate 460, 535hp version. Ford Tech recommended dual plane manifold with 750 Holley to help out midrange torque and street manners.

If anyone running 750 cfm, manual choke, dual pumper, would appreciate tuning data, i.e., jets, rods, power valve, etc.

Mine is out of the box stock. Seems to run rich, loads up.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Live in North Florida area. If anyone knows of a good Holley mechanic in this area, please advise.

Thanks,

Lynn Johnson

[MAXVELO]

IM RUNNING A JASPER 514 CRATE MOTOR WITH AN ACCEL FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM AND A VORTECH SUPERCHARGER. 820 HP AND I STILL DONT HAVE ENOUGH. THE CAR IS A WEST COAST. THE MOTOR RUNS VERY WELL AND NO MATTER HOW GOOD OF A DRIVER YOU THINK YOU ARE, THIS SETUP WILL HUMBLE YOU EVERY TIME YOU STEP ON IT!!

[BB427]

FE in the Cobra/385 in the race car

572 ci (4.500x4.500)
FMS 4 bolt block prepped Engine Systems,Crower billet crank and rods,JE short skirt pistons 15-1 comp., Ultradyne roller,Indy Cylinder Head ported B series heads,Hogan sheetmetal intake,Enderle birdcatcher alcohol injection, and a MSD crank trigger.
This motor is in a 1990 Ford Probe
2052 lbs.

She is quick!!

[sambrozy]

Custom House of Cobras '72 460 with 27,000 miles in my cobra.

[BPWilliams]

429
Cobra Jet heads, Crowler .688 solids, JE pistons, 4150HP 950 cfm, Alum Flywheel, McLoed Kevlar Clutch, Runs great! nothing like eating Corvetts for lunch, Vipers for dinner! If your gonna make power, use it on the Track! I am glad I went with the BB, Lone Star said it would be worth the hassle of getting it in there!
Keep it above 100................
Brian

[RallyRacer]

I am interested in building my own Cobra. I wanted one with either a 428, 429, or 460. Where can I get information on where to purchase the engine/transmission. What are the best combinations etc? I hear alot about 460 here, but am also seeing that the 6 speed T-56 is frowned upon as it cannot take the brute horsepower etc? I had heard a few years back that you could order a long block 428, 429 or 460 from Ford, complete with block and heads etc ready for you to bolt the other stuff on. Is that still the case?

ANY information is appreciated. Thanks!

[Jahred]

Absolutely! The Ford Crate Engines are a great value. About $7000 will get you a brand new 514. The 460'd be great too, as would any of the other V-8's.

I like the 514, am very pleased with driveability, though it will get hot in traffic. Idles very well. With a solid axle you can handle the power at least sometimes and you leave nothing on the table in terms of owning the Ultimate Muscle car.

I am sure a nice 351 is also a laugh riot and you can probably drive it harder. I think with the Cobra though, they all take some finesse.

I wondered constantly before mine was delivered what it would sound and feel like it when I punched the thing in 1st gear.

Now I've had it about 18 months. I still wonder. It doesnt take long to realize that is just not something one should do!.

As to the tranny - hard to find anything that is rated for 500 let alone 600+ Horsepower. But its a light car, and I don't think there is a big problem with most cobra set ups.

I think the main thing is gearing and number of gears. 4 Spd Toploader I guess is most "Classic"..... but with a 3:50 or so you run out of top end pretty quickly. The five speed is nice in terms of knowing you, at least in theory can hit 165-200MPH. I always thought the 6 Spd was a total mismatch.

There is too much power to be able to shift gears fast enough to use them all and there is plenty of top end with the 5 Speed. maybe others have thoughts on the six speed, and a nice spread in gearing would be great at a range of speeds. But when you can do 0-140 in not much over 10 Seconds, who the heck can work the clutch and shifter 6 times effectively in 10 seconds?

I'd vote Five Speed. And don't be afraid of the Big Block. You'll never regret it.

[RallyRacer]

Yeah my dad always had one word for hard core racing- Big Block. I agree, you just cannot beat a big block. My dad always had cars while I was growing up with Big Blocks, and we never wore out an engine. I need to look at what 5 and 6 speed transmissions are available. Is there some sort of Cobra reference manual out there to help new guys like me make decisions on the stuff that is available? I hate to be a bother, but I am brand new at building cars.

Thanks for all the info.

[Jahred]

You might punch in "transmission" in the search functioin on this site and get some discussion.

Richmond makes some expensive transmissions that I understand are rated up to 500 HP. I think they can run up to $3500 or better. But to my knowledge they are kind of the top end, heavy duty for Cobra applications. I think the Richmond is in the new corvettes. I am guessing this is rare though, and only about 5% of enthusiasts run with these.

The "Top Loader" 4 Speed was in most of the original cobras.
Very popular, one of the most common apps due to authenticity and very solid.

Tremec are the most common. T-5 is the standard Mustang tranny?? And they are the most common used in Cobra's. Tremec makes a Tremec TKO and a TKO II for higher HP apps that are rated I think up to 400 HP or so. Some gearing options are available. I believe most folks who do the 460 and 514's are choosing the TKO. Available in most parts catalogs for about $1500.

[Jahred]

P.S. I think you forgot the hard question!

At least to my experience all the mystery is in what clutch, pressure plate and throw out assembly to choose.

Most systems out there don't hold 600 LBS of torque at 3000 RPM worth a hoot. Surprisingly, even with this light car, getting the clutch to hold with the throttle down in a higher gear can be a challenge.

Why put the throttle down in a higher gear to begin with?

You'll find out when you try to put the throttle down in first or second. :-)

[RallyRacer]

hahaha...! What about racing clutches? Here I go again, I know......... Hmmmm... someone has to make some pretty heavy duty stuff, or there wouldn't be race cars to begin with. Like Brembo brakes... Used alot on a lot of supercars because they're huge and can stop a car going 200 mph.

[Karl Muller]

Me too...
460/514 465hp (rw) NASTY!
Karl

[wboss429]

i have 5........ 429 cj,s
2 scj 429s
a 514 boss 429...........
623 boss,

then theres ours,close freinds

69 boss 429
70 boss 429
70 boss 302
and a f250 4x4 boss 429 powerd ,514 ci pickup,drive anywhere
632 boss ,yes another one,
2......... 648 bosses
500 ci boss nhra prostock
and boss and wedge parts for sale ,buy sell and trade,

and ,lol 2 69 428 scj cars,lol i know ,who cares right ,well fe s
r kool too right,

ps almost forgot my 72 ford w/ a 508 ci 385, (daily driver)

[Butch The Snake]

I just purchased a new SP Cobra and have choose the 460 Ford crate motor for my first choice.....I hope I have made the right decision...

Butch

[scootter]

514 Bracket SCJ Heads 1050 CFM Holley in the SPF. Specs show 635hp/600lbs from Ford Racing. I have about 9500 miles on it. I think it is GREAT.

[rated x]

Just bought a spf w/514 635h.p. on dyno, has anyone changed to a 2X4? what carbs ?? 600holley's??

[Bob Marshall]

Running SPF 957 with 460/514, AR heads,980 Holley,TKO with 373 gears....a handfull
Dyno'd at 626hp and 600 ft lbs.