FE ONLY OR 514ci. CRATE IN YOUR,....COBRA ?

[Ace23]

The more I read the comments in this thread the more inclined I am to say that there is no right or wrong engine for your car. If your working with a builder then set a budget and build for nostalgia or power. You are the one that has to drive it so if your looking for power a mild FE is going to irritate as would a big hp 385 series if you wanted period correctness. I will get my flame suit on but a stroker EFI LS7 would be just as awesome....those things make crazy power

[cycleguy55]

Originally Posted by FUNFER2

Yes, that's when I mean by cost vs HP with other engines. The FE is expensive unless it's a pooch motor.
Look at the Ford 514 and the Chevy 572. Apx,..... 8k to 14k with 625 HP. To build a FE with that much, it's from 18k to 25k. Approximately guys !

It depends upon your goals. If you're happy in the 400-500 HP range, I'd expect a small difference in price between an FE and a BBF. If you're looking for 550+, then the BBF will be much cheaper.

Begin with the end in mind.

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by Ace23

The more I read the comments in this thread the more inclined I am to say that there is no right or wrong engine for your car. If your working with a builder then set a budget and build for nostalgia or power. You are the one that has to drive it so if your looking for power a mild FE is going to irritate as would a big hp 385 series if you wanted period correctness. I will get my flame suit on but a stroker EFI LS7 would be just as awesome....those things make crazy power

Actually, IMO, once you're contemplating some engine other than an FE for your 427 Cobra, then I think the LS series of engines from Chevy make an excellent platform from which to choose. There's no particular magic for me of the SBF's or 385's in 427 Cobra replicas. Essentially, once you steer away from a significant piece of 427 Cobra authenticity in the FE engine, then appearance, HP/tq, parts availability and choices, maintenance and reliability would be more crucial to me. And the LS engines have all that and more.

[scottj]

Originally Posted by Ace23

The more I read the comments in this thread the more inclined I am to say that there is no right or wrong engine for your car. If your working with a builder then set a budget and build for nostalgia or power. You are the one that has to drive it so if your looking for power a mild FE is going to irritate as would a big hp 385 series if you wanted period correctness. I will get my flame suit on but a stroker EFI LS7 would be just as awesome....those things make crazy power

An LS7!? Only some kind of ahole would put an LS7 in a Cobra bodied car.

[Rich A]

Originally Posted by scottj

An LS7!? Only some kind of ahole would put an LS7 in a Cobra bodied car.

Or an ahole that doesn't want a slow ass FE or 514 in one.

[FUNFER2]

Originally Posted by blykins

Yes, a Torker/Torker II is actually one of the shortest intake manifolds for a BBF. Carb pad average height is 3-7/8". Pretty short. Next up is a Performer RPM, average height is ~5-1/2". Victor is 6-1/2". I'm using "average" height because the intakes are actually angled (except for the Victor) and the front of the carb pad is much lower than the front.

Hey Brent, originally, we used a the Edelbrock RPM manifold, then after the rebuild we got the Air Gap and it hit my hood.
So, I had to plane down the carb surface about 3/8". The Lone Star is a great car, but that and we can utilize a turkey pan pissed me off.

Anyway, even the air gap barley,...hit's the hood, just a small rub. Do you think we should stay with it or a different manifold if I build a 427 or 428 ?

[FUNFER2]

Great news. I sold the 1/4 scale RC Sprint Car ! Woo-Woo !

Now I can put that find towards the foundation,.... of my engine, the block !

[Rich A]

Originally Posted by FUNFER2

The only thing I'm worried about is not enough power.

Most Cobra owner boast about how much HP they have under the hood, but
NEVER use, know how to use or want to take it to the track (any track) to use.
So lounge chair racers are a dime a dozen like the Cobra roadster.

That's my two cents.

[FUNFER2]

I don't know if that was an insult, or not ?

The trend today is to have over 1,000 HP, and that's nuts, as like you said, unusable power. But, 600 HP/TQ is usable, in most cars, even the Cobra.
You need the chassis set-up, good tires and throttle control.

Power,....is fun. If I were drag or road racing, I'd have a small block and more controllable power bands.

So, I'm not worried about too much power dude.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Rich A

Most Cobra owner boast about how much HP they have under the hood, but
NEVER use, know how to use or want to take it to the track (any track) to use.
So lounge chair racers are a dime a dozen like the Cobra roadster.

That's my two cents.

He's right. FUNFER2, after the first few years of owning an FE powered Cobra, if you haven't sold it, you're likely to have turned your attention towards: 1) eliminating leaks, and 2) getting it to run "beautifully" at slow, around town, light cruising speeds.

[FUNFER2]

No he's not. Not me. To each it's own on what a Cobra means to you.

Fun city cruising, low power and good MPG.
Driving highways & interstate's.
Hard street driving.
All out racing.
Huge torque, low grunt, very loud and gassy.
High HP bragging rights.

We can go on & on, but we're all different on how & which way we enjoy our cars. Just because you disagree with my wants & needs, doesn't mean I'm WRONG, and you're RIGHT.

For me, a Cobra with quiet under the car exhaust doesn't get my crank turning, but I've never,....told any owner on how to construct their cars, what engine to use etc....

Although I laughed, George of Gessford Machine once built & installed a Hemi,
into a customers Cobra. Would I, hell no, but to each it's own. I'm not going to insult the owner for what he wanted. I'm sure he loves it.

If you want to "murder it out" being all flat black, fine.
If you want "Bling", fine.
If you want a 250 HP motor, fine.
If you want 2,000 HP, fine.
Or how about a "Batman" jet engine in the trunk, fine.

It's all good guys.

[FUNFER2]

Patrick, how much power do you have and how much money do you have in the engine ?

[Joe's Garage]

Originally Posted by Rich A

... So lounge chair racers are a dime a dozen like the Cobra roadster ...

Welcome to the lounge my friend, here is where those clowns hang out

[fordracing65]

Originally Posted by patrickt

He's right. FUNFER2, after the first few years of owning an FE powered Cobra, if you haven't sold it, you're likely to have turned your attention towards: 1) eliminating leaks, and 2) getting it to run "beautifully" at slow, around town, light cruising speeds.

Getting it to run at cruising speeds is just cam shaft choice. Let Blykins build you an engine tell him what u want let him pick the camshaft.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by FUNFER2

Patrick, how much power do you have and how much money do you have in the engine ?

I wanted a "true, honest reading," so I had it dyno'd with the side pipes attached, and water pump cranking. That number was 475HP. If you pulled the engine out and put it on a dyno with open primaries, the numbers would likely be in the low 500's. IMO, a dyno reading that doesn't at least try and duplicate the running condition of the engine is blatantly misleading. As I said before, blykins could probably clone my engine for $15k, or right around that number, maybe less... as I have some overpriced parts in her that aren't really necessary.

[Joe's Garage]

Even more a "true, honest reading" - chassis dyno, and those vary depending on the dyno used. It's gotten to the point where if I don't see a RWHP dyno chart, the numbers are meaningless.

[FUNFER2]

Thats why I prefer using a chassis dyno vs engine dyno. More real world, especially the Mustang brand. You can also break-in a engine on the chassis dyno and, it's much,.....cheaper to tune than a engine dyno.

Patrick, why did you pay to have your engine dynode, just for tuning and not for power results ?

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by FUNFER2

Patrick, why did you pay to have your engine dynode, just for tuning and not for power results ?

In the scheme of your FE's build costs, the cost to dyno it is next to nothing. And with a SFT cam engine, the break-in is a bit trickier than with a hydraulic. Having it broken in, and then checked on a dyno, was just "reasonably prudent," as we like to say. Stuffing it in under a Cobra's hood steals a few more horsepower, so I generally quote my number as an "honest 450HP," and she is the weak sister around here, although I would bet my car has a slightly higher number today than it did when I took delivery. I've spent a decade learning exactly what it likes, and she runs absolutely phenomenally at WOT, slow cruising and all points in between. And I don't know what I'd do with an extra 50 or 100 HP anyway, since she breaks loose now on hard acceleration at just about any street speed.

[FUNFER2]

They chassis dyno is a great tool. Why spend $500-$1,000 on a engine dyno, when most good,.... tuners with a chassis dyno is $75 per hr.

But, if a motor is a very high power machine and it's critical to get the best tuning, especially fuel delivery, a engine dyno is preferred.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by FUNFER2

They chassis dyno is a great tool. Why spend $500-$1,000 on a engine dyno, when most good,.... tuners with a chassis dyno is $75 per hr.

But, if a motor is a very high power machine and it's critical to get the best tuning, especially fuel delivery, a engine dyno is preferred.

My builder had an engine dyno, so the cost was next to nothing. As I recall, it was less than a hundred bucks, if it was broken out of the price at all.