460 / 514 with blower

[Methodz]

Hey I was getting a big block pretty soon and have enough budget to get a blower for it. I was just wondering can I put a blower on a 514? Would that be too much since it's already stroked? Or should I just put the blower on a 460? I am going for big power but I also want to drive it on the street for fun.

Thanks,
Alex

[MidOHasp]

Alex,

I would say that HP for HP, the most "streetable" way to do it is with a big hair dryer on it.

To get to the same place, naturally aspirated, means (most of the time) bigger cam, bigger heads, more compression - all of which eventually impair driveability.

That being said, I much prefer a high strung naturally aspirated motor.

But if you want huge power and streetability, a blower is a good way to pull it off.

[xlr8or]

The problem with blowers is finding one that can feed a 514 and still fit under the hood of a Cobra.

[Methodz]

So would the blower be better on the 460? or the 514? without worrying about the engine blowing up?

[MidOHasp]

probably a 460, would require a less large blower. just be sure to build a 460 that is meant to run a blower, not a regular 460 and then slap a blower on it.

[Tom Wells]

What about a nice big pair of centrifugal blowers similar to the Cosby/Shelby Cobras? I look at mine now and then and have decided there is enough space to do that

That way the low speed torque wouldn't be enhanced too much so the tires aren't blown away immediately, but then if you got into it at say 100mph you could do some really scary donuts

Tom

[Tim Brewer]

It dosn't matter which engine you decide to put a blower on, because they are the same. I don't think you are thinking of putting this in a cobra anyway, are you? If so, it's a waste of time and money. IMHO.
Tim

[xlr8or]

None of the crate motors are setup for this. If you go for it make sure the compression ratio and the camshaft are setup for a blower application or you'll just blow it up.

[ffindling]

You would also want to build the 385 as a fuel injected engine. Carbs and blowers
are tricky and not terribly reliable setup.
Blowers are far easier to integrate into
FI engines. Seek out a good FI expert
that has experience with blower applications and plan your induction system from there..

....Fred

[djseed]

Sounds like fun! Just remember not to floor it at 80 mph because you will break traction and find yourself spinning like a top in the oncoming lane of traffic. I only have 525 HP and 600 Ft Lbs. This is quite sufficient to light up the tires in the first 4 gears. Good luck on the project.

[Methodz]

With that being said, can I ever floor it when driving a monster big block with a blower?

[Tim Brewer]

Methodz,
You need someone to give you a ride in a naturally asperated big block Cobra, and then let us know if you still need a blower.

[MidOHasp]

yeah methinks methodz knows not of what he is getting into

[tpiini]

Originally posted by Methodz


With that being said, can I ever floor it when driving a monster big block with a blower?

Sure you can. But probably not twice...

[Methodz]

Yes I have been in a naturally aspirated 93 cobra and loved it. My friend let me drive it twice. It's a pretty quick low 11 high 10 second car. I also have a friend with a 84 mustang that put in a blower in his 351W and is now running in the 9's. I've never driven it but I have been in it a couple of times. As of now my 93 cobra runs high 12's with a small block but am going to upgrade to a big block. More cubes more power!!

[cobrashoch]

Methodz - What Cobra body do you have? About 3/4 of them won't take a 385 let alone one w/ a hair dryer. There is no nice blower kits for race built 385's. All are strictly custom fabs and big $$$. And that brings me to the motor. The engine will have to be custom built for a blower, all the rest is junk.
You got good advice on building a low compression 650hp big cuber(545) and going to the bottle for a occasional blast on spray with a Cobra. Don't confuse power with how a car runs. NHRA factored 375hp stockers run high to mid 10's in 3400lbs cars. Setup is everything esp. with a Cobra. Spend your dollars there first and I think you will be 100% satisfied. If not and you choose to go this way bring money, lots and lots of it. Anyone can put a parts list together, making it work takes time. I'll be around if you still think it's the way you want to go. But it won't be easy and thats for sure. Yes, it can be done. But right now you are asking the wrong questions. Sorry if I seem to be skeptical but I really don't think you know what you are getting into. Been there, done that, but still there too.
cobrashock

[ByronRACE]

The beautiful part about a properly set up big block blown cobra is that the power output is completely adjustible and under your control. Correct, 1000hp is enough to kill you. So is 400. So is 200. The throttle is fully adjustible from fully closed to fully open, and the blower participation level is completely tunable by either restricting the inlet or changing the pulley ratios. My combo should make anywhere form around 500hp (no boost) to somewhere close to 1000hp (12-14lbs of boost). I suspect the latter will be used at the dyno and drags. Otherwise I'll run the bigger cogs. I've designed the system such that I can change the cog ratios in about 10 minutes. And as far as being a "waste of money"...isn't any cobra? We're not actually going to argue the practicality or thriftyness of buying a cobra are we? Cobras have nothing to do with NEED; it's all about WANT.

That said, if you've never driven a cobra, you should before making these decisions. A cobra with 500hp is a real handful, quite twitchy, and can get out of hand in a hurry. The 96" wheel base heavier models like my West Coast Cobra are a little more stable in that regard. I drove a 700hp west coast cobra and it was entirely manageable. A 3rd gear stomp on the freeway would yield a second or two of squirm, and then it would launch. The west coast cars can take 360 series rear tires (14" tire patch), so that helps.

[ByronRACE]

http://www.racesystems.com/cobra

As far as cost of my cobra blower kit...not counting the head unit, it cost me about $400 to have the plates water-jet cut, time and materials.

I spent about 60 hours design time, and cut the spacer stock on a lathe myself 10hrs.

I'm working now on another bracket kit like this for the 385 series that accomodates all the usual accessories. It's for the fox body mustang; I doubt it will fit in a cobra. I could probably design one for just alternator and power steering and make it fit.

[MAXVELO]

I think I am qualified to give input on this matter. My car with the setup I had was ONLY managable (and I mean barely manageable) because of the 2:73 rear gears. If I even tried to change these gears to , say 3:0X, It would just be a matter of time before I killed myself!!! And I mean that! Im by no means a proffesional driver. Ive just graduated over the years like most of us from one fast vehicle to faster vehicle. A normally aspirated 514 625 hp motor is phycho in itself. Dont waste the money (like I did) unless its just pure bragging rights your after. If you are looking for a streetable blower Im selling mine on Ebay as I write this. sit way more than you need and I had it under the hood! If you do go with that much Hp go with the BARELY manageable 2:73 ratio. I noticed in your gallery a standard transmission. Not only will you blow that up, you'll be doing 360's every time you shift. Yea guys, I think Im qualified to say it. DONT BE STUPID!!!!
jUST MY $.02
GARY

[ByronRACE]

Take a look at this: http://www.zensurweb.com/cars/road_t...ca_fremont.htm

The Yellow Viper, Apex Lethal 750, is a car I had a hand in building, driving, testing, uses the same transmission I'm using, same gear ratios I'm using, same tires I'm using, same wheel dimensions, and at this power level (862fwhp) was completely manageable. No donuts. No broken parts. Not even at the hands of the Car and Driver maniacs who beat on it relentlessly during the course of the 2003 SuperTuner Challenge (we placed 6th). So, your concerns are noted, but the choices were made from prior experience. The WCC should weigh about 3000lbs when I'm done...a couple hundred pounds lighter; I'll play it by ear.

I have plenty of seat time in that car, and other less capable cars with more power than that (like a 772rwhp fox body mustang with stock suspension), and I'm still alive. Hell, I drove around in a 650rwhp F250 lightning for a while and didn't die. I've seen multiple vipers dyno and drag at well over 1000rwhp on nitrous with the viper T56 and not fail. The clutch was the weak link; we have a custom solution for that. Those transmissions are amazingly tough. It's not the best drag transmission, granted, but I plan to do more than just drags.

I hear you. Its a buttload of power and if some guy stepped directly from his 350hp vette into this monster and decided to play superman, he'd become a grease spot in record time. I assure you, that's not me. If the vehicle is unstable or dangerous beyond some power level, I have all kinds of ability to easily cap the power at whatever level I desire. But, when it's heads-up slicks and skinnies time at the drags, it'll be damn hard to beat with that kind of available power. The car is being built to hopefully compete in the 2006 Hot Rod Pump Gas Drags. Unfortunately, they won't invite many NA vehicles. Power is king, and that's what the readers want to see. This is not handicap eliminations. This is about brute force, wow factor, and fun, and having a few things to frame and a few good stories to tell when I'm 80 and can't do this anymore.

What kind of tires did you cram under the rear of your WCC? I managed to fit 360/710-17's under there on a set of 13" wide rims without modifying the chassis. 360mm wide tire patch (over 14" wide!). Perhaps that will help. Race rubber, however...not DOT legal (shh, don't tell).

Byron Reynolds
RACE Systems
San Jose, CA