LONESTAR OWNERS. will a 385 series engine fit ?

[FUNFER2]

Still thinking of two engines, either another FE, or maybe,.......a 460.

I have a 2000 Lonestar and I built it with a 428FE, FE motor mounts of course, Tremek TKO 500.

I have a brand new FE scatter shield, flywheel, clutch etc.

If,.....I go with a 385/514cu. I'll have to sell of trade for 385 series parts.

Anyway, have any of you installed a 385 motor or know for sure, if these engines will fit under the hood ?

I was mad that with a FE ,the turkey pan will not fit ! (only thing I don't like with the Lonestar)

And with my 428FE, I had to machine the carb surface 3/8" when I changed the intake manifold from the Edelbrock RPM to the Air Gap.

So, I don't know if the 385 engine ?

I would need measurments of both blocks from the pan surface to the intake surface.

Faster and easier,.....I would like to find someone that has a 460 built, so measurments from the pan to top of the carb would be great.

Kevin

[Dwight]

How much clearance did you have under the oil pan with the 428?

I had a Lone Star with a fuel injected small block and I made motor mounts to drop the motor. 42,000 miles with no problems.

Dwight

[FUNFER2]

I don't recall, but after I installed new coilovers and shocks, lowering the car, the pan is at the lowest I want. I have no engine in it, so I can't measure it now.

[olddog]

Somewhere on this site there is either a picture, drawing, or link to one that shows the Modular 4.6, 351 W, FE, and 385 series. I think there were dimensions that would tell you how much taller the intake/carb flange a 385 would be compared to a FE.

[FUNFER2]

Well,.....where is it !

Lol,....

That would help a lot. I'll do a search.
Thanks, ya olddog.

[Luce]

There's a couple of them with 460s. That's the same block, right? Fitting the carb under the hood may be a challenge. One of the ones I've seen has an extra large scoop.

[*13*]

I goggled it

[cycleguy55]

I had concerns with how low my pan was to the ground. I had a custom-made pan built by Armando's Racing Oil Pans. It has kick-outs on both sides, three-quarter-length sump and the bottom of the oil pan is 1/4 inch above the frame rails. Pan capacity is in the range of 11 quarts.

That's always an option - a custom oil pan could allow you to drop the engine further than you could otherwise. FWIW, my clearance issue is now the bellhousing, not the oil pan.

[FUNFER2]

Originally Posted by Luce

There's a couple of them with 460s. That's the same block, right? Fitting the carb under the hood may be a challenge. One of the ones I've seen has an extra large scoop.

Same block, you mean the 385 series is a 460 block too, then yes.

Originally Posted by *13*

I goggled it

Thanks bud, that helps a lot !

Originally Posted by cycleguy55

I had concerns with how low my pan was to the ground. I had a custom-made pan built by Armando's Racing Oil Pans. It has kick-outs on both sides, three-quarter-length sump and the bottom of the oil pan is 1/4 inch above the frame rails. Pan capacity is in the range of 11 quarts.

I had the kick out pan by Canton, which is 8qts if I remember correctly. Maybe 9 ?
A dry sump system like on the sprint car or like the Vette, would be ok, but expensive. It would have to be a retro-kit.

That's always an option - a custom oil pan could allow you to drop the engine further than you could otherwise. FWIW, my clearance issue is now the bellhousing, not the oil pan.

How much did yours cost ?
Do you have pics ?

Ya, my flywheel cover hit the street one time coming out of a parking lot, and it wasn't that steep.....

[cycleguy55]

Originally Posted by FUNFER2

Same block, you mean the 385 series is a 460 block too, then yes.

How much did yours cost ?
Do you have pics ?

Ya, my flywheel cover hit the street one time coming out of a parking lot, and it wasn't that steep.....

No photos of pan in car, but I have these: https://goo.gl/photos/LV32eSaJ4uwCyRWY9

As you can see in the photos, I have 2 drain plugs plus a bung for the oil temperature gauge.

I was not charged any more for custom dimensions / specifications. Prices include pickup and windage tray. Price list is here: Road race oil pan

[FUNFER2]

Looks nice.

For amount of oil with your 460 and this pan, did he say the amount and what dip stick to
use ?

Also, did you make the headers or did West Coast Cobras have them ?

[cycleguy55]

Originally Posted by FUNFER2

Looks nice.

For amount of oil with your 460 and this pan, did he say the amount and what dip stick to
use ?

Also, did you make the headers or did West Coast Cobras have them ?

I put the oil pan on a level surface (bottom surface is parallel to frame rails and almost perfectly horizontal to ground) and filled it to the level I wanted with water. I carefully measured the water as I filled it, so that was easy. Once the pan was installed I filled it with the same amount of oil, inserted the dipstick (generic dipstick from Summit Racing) and marked the dipstick at the level indicated by the oil.

I'm the 3rd owner of the car - the headers came with it and have not been modified by me. I believe they came from West Coast.

[Tom Wells]

FUN,

ERA has this comparison on their web site: http://www.erareplicas.com/427/img/3pro_front.gif

Also worth noting that the intake system (manifold plus carb/EFI throttle body) has a large variance in the 385 series.

For example, the Torker II is the shortest intake - all the rest are higher. I use a Torker II.

Also FWIW the Holley throttle body is at least an inch, if not 1-1/2" shorter than a Holley carb if memory serves correctly. I use this also.

That said, I still have a vertically sorta ugly scoop on my E-M to accommodate a reasonable size air cleaner. Not sure I want to lose a bunch of HP by using too small a filter area.

YMMV!

Tom

[FUNFER2]

Hi Tom, I don't see any measurments ?

Tell me about your 460/521, specs etc.

Pics too.

[Tom Wells]

Kevin,

My gallery has photos like this:

which is the Torker II with the Holley 1000cfm throttle body.

I use a K&N oval air cleaner with about a 4" tall element, not sure this is exactly it - been too long - but same idea:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/knn-66-1480

And here's the scoop:


The engine is a 521 with a Crane Hyd roller, Ford Racing aluminum heads around 10:1 compression and Holley EFI. If you want some more specific info, just ask.

This is an E-M Cobra dimensionally, so it may not match exactly with any other brand of replica...

Tom

[FUNFER2]

The EM has a lot taller scoop. Mine's more like the Cobra next to yours.

Who built your motor ?
Did it come with a dyno sheet ?
How do you like the injection ?
Doesn't really matter, but I'm curious, what's your gas milage with the injection ?

[Tom Wells]

Kevin,

Interspersing answers:

>Who built your motor ?

Leggett Engine Research, Boonsboro MD.

>Did it come with a dyno sheet ?

No.

>How do you like the injection ?

After two years of carburetor problems, and after 10 years of updates/upgrades by Holley, fine. The carb problems (for me anyway) seem to have been related to the very low boiling point of the substance we now laughingly call "gasoline." I have two cars that had this problem and the EFI has solved it for both. The Cobra now has 36K miles, both street and track, and works fine for either place.

>Doesn't really matter, but I'm curious, what's your gas milage with the injection ?

Don't really know. Maybe 8-12 depending on where my right foot is...

Tom

[FUNFER2]

If you can find someone that knows what their doing,...... tuning injection systems, can make a huge difference with an engine running with a lot of issues to one running at the top potential.

And hey, if NASCAR can figure out and run injection, so can Cobras.

[olddog]

Kevin,

Here is one of the threads I was remembering. It came up several times over the years.

Ford Modulars are enormous engines

I thought it had the 460 engine too. This one does not have dimensions, so it is of little use for you.

Here is a link to the ERA site with the drawing. Perhaps there is more information on their site. Sorry I was of little help.

http://www.erareplicas.com/427/img/3pro_front.gif

[FUNFER2]

Wow, a Boss 429 shoe horned into a Cobra !
That motor is more expensive than the car.

Ah, no worries, what can I expect out of an old dog ! lol.....
Thanks for the link, I'll look forward to reading it.