How many street-driven 514's?

[DocDirk]

Thanks for visiting a subject that's already covered in various ways....my West Coast cobra kit is due in my driveway in 2 months and its builder recommends the 550HP Ford 460. New acquaintances of mine who own cobras have suggested the 514 will run and drive just fine in a daily driver...tranny is uncertain but I'm concerned about having to keep it idled up high, working in traffic, keeping it cool, being able to drive it without supercar experience....you know...all the newb questions. I have an itch to go "over the top" because that seems to me to be helluva lot of what the cobra really is in essence already. Would I be quickly wishing I'd not loaded up so much HP?? Perhaps there is no "right" answer per se but I sure as heck would like to max the fun factor without having to do this twice in the early years Thanks in advance for your replies!

Dirk

P.S. No, I don't believe I'll ever be MaxVelo lol

[DocDirk]

Ohmygoodnessgracious....I just finished reading everything I could find on the forum having to do with the search for the word "OVERPOWERED"...HA!! Seems I'd be asking to have my tush served up on a platter to plunk 625 horses into the cobra even if as a West Coast it has an extra 400-500 pounds of overall weight!

Suddenly 550HP is sounding like quite a handful! Maybe just having the engine built well with forged internals would be the better place to put the cashola....

Dirk

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by DocDirk

..my West Coast cobra kit is due in my driveway in 2 months and its builder recommends the 550HP Ford 460. New acquaintances of mine who own cobras have suggested the 514 will run and drive just fine in a daily driver...tranny is uncertain but I'm concerned about having to keep it idled up high, working in traffic, keeping it cool, being able to drive it without supercar experience....you know...all the newb questions.

I wouold say drivability is more dependent upon compression and cam profile design, and less on displacement. Either the 460 or 514 can be built from mild to wild.

[Tom Wells]

Hello Dirk,

My 514 just passed 18K miles and is going strong, including 11 track days last year alone. It pushes through a C6 to a 2.88 Jag rear.

I did change the cam to a hydraulic roller for longevity.

Whatever you select, enjoy!!

Regards,

Tom

[Tom Wells]

Hi Dirk,

Couldn't get the reply offline to work, so here's the response:

It isn't just the adjustment!

Solid rollers do not like to idle. If you idle one of these in normal traffic you will eventually break one...

Flat solid lifters are much more tolerant of idling. This would be OK for those who love tinkering

I went to a hydraulic cam (with hydraulic rollers) to reduce maintenance overall. I have enough things to repair on the car after each track session without that!

I forget exactly but seems to me 75 or so on the highway is around 3000 rpm. There are several calculators on the internet you can use to get a closer estimate. You put in your tire diameter and axle ratio to get the rpm.

Tom

[BlueRooster]

My 520 is coming up on 20,000 miles. never a problem...my clutch, on the other hand is another story, it's a constant source of concern and adjustment.

[Bob Marshall]

My 514 is now 5 years old and has 24,000 miles on it !!! NOT a problem in traffic or with heat....the clutch has been replaced twice...oh well. It was dyno at 626 at the flywheel.....more hp than needed but that's me...more is better.

[Tom Wells]

Dirk,

Forgot to mention changing the valve springs too. The solid-roller-cammed 514s springs are good for 2K-5K on the street, then you get to replace them as a regular maintenance item. Unless they break first, then you may get to replace more stuff

Bob & BlueRooster,

What type cam/lifters/springs youse guys runnin' ?

Tom