Cobra engines

[RedEsprit]

If resale value is important to you, a 427 / 428 is the way to go in the big block car. The more accurate the replica to the original, the higher the resale value. If resale value is of secondary importance, whatever floats your boat. Small blocks, Chevys, Carroll Shelby bobbleheads on the dash. Small blocks get all the horsepower you will ever need.

[Slick61]

meh... here's MY 2 cents... incorporate all the options & get an aluminum 427 Windsor stroker! Awesome power, very light weight, room to work on it, & good air circulation in the engine compartment. If you're putting it in a Backdraft, heat should not be much of an issue, as the body & cockpit are glassed together & seals very well. I notice more heat wafting up from the sidepipes at stoplights than I do in the footwells. With the right cam & exhaust, it'll sound as nasty as a big block, but weigh in at, or less than a small block. Every engine will sound somewhat different, depending on how it's set up. No matter what setup you go with, you'll probably always want to tinker with it.

[Excaliber]

Back in the day the terms 'small block' and 'big block' carried more weight that they do today. Easy to get big cubes out a small block these days. One part of the question was 'heat'. A 351W bored/stroked to 427 puts out a LOT of it and will rival a traditional big block in that regard. My friends CSX8000 street car with a 'small block' Roush out to 427 cubes is as hot or more so, in terms of cockpit temperature, as my ERA with a traditional big block 427. Without adequate heat shielding (header wrap, insulated firewall, ventilation, etc.) you can melt your tennis shoes, literally, in either car.

Sound is a can of worms and not easily defined. It can vary a bunch depending on side pipes or under car exhaust, type of cam, carb, compression ratio (thats a BIG factor) and other variables. I've heard stock 302's that were as 'loud' as my 427, not necessarily a good thing being loud for louds sake. I prefer a more melodius exhaust note over raw noise myself. One of the BEST exhaust notes I've EVER heard was my own 427 side oiler when it was running 12.5 to 1 compression, comparable to 'back in the day'. That particular 'note' or 'sound' was due in large part to the extreme compression, which was more common in the 60's than we find today. When I reduced the compression to 9.5 to 1 for more 'streetability' it killed the exhaust note substantially. Still sounds like an FE, which is good, but it's just not the same 'earth shaking' raw powerful note that made women hide the children and grown men run to or from the car depending on the 'wuss' factors involved.

For me there are only a few options for engine selection. Small block belongs in an FIA or street type slab side. 427 FE belongs in a SC style 427 Cobra. 428 is acceptable and may even be preferred for a 427 Cobra STREET STYLE interpretation of the orginal.

But since your talking BDR, it doesn't really matter what you run it. What matters is how good a 'story' teller you are. After all you ARE gonna need to explain it. "The superior BMW suspension offers better handling, brakes and lighter weight (yeah, THATS the ticket, your doing fine). The motor really IS a 427, uh, er, well actually it's a 351. The body is pretty close, just slightly wider, longer, but thats what makes it more comfortable, you see, more room. And... (insert other good reasons/excuses/story here)"

Stir that pot, a little more butter on my popcorn please.

[RICK LAKE]

madmaxx Max to have an Aluminium motor built, by a PRO motor builder is that not what we pay for? The other side of the coin is that most people jump in there cars aluminium motor and with a cold motor, cold oil and fly down the road. BIG NO-NO. My rod and main bearing clearances are under .002. for my motors. Like to thank the Goverment for all the smart thinking and removing Zinc and other elements from the oil. I also have a preoiling in my car to stop dry starts. This is way you pay TOP dollar and FE builders, the better ones cost more that others. A total build from start to finish do EVERY thing is 80-100 hours with a 1 hour breakin time. Anyone doing this operation in 30-40 hours is CUTTING corners and not double checking the work. Rick L

[madmaxx]

Rick Lake,

Valvoline VR-1 has the additives you are looking for in a non-synthetic and has the detergents for every day driving. Availabe at autozone where I live for 3.32 per quart. 1200 ppm of zinc/phosphorous.

Let the flames begin but here it goes. I have seen many engines from engine builders including KC, Roush, HEB, Southern etc, they all need a little tightening here and there, the only bolt I have had to touch on my Lexus (no I am not a big fan of that rattle trap chassis) but the engine is sweet is the drain bolt on the oil pan to change the oil after 75K miles.

The "engine builders" are still growing as compared to the OEM and therefore just am not comfortable with them building an aluminuim block based engine. I have no doubt they can do it but statistcally you will find more failures on the alumininuim based blocks then the cast iron.

[427supr]

Most of us talk HP, but torque is really what we want to feel. Most of us drive our cobra's on the street, and 500-550 hp won't ever be tapped in a 35mph zone with a kid and a UPS truck in the way. These HP #s we talk about sound impressive to our buddies, but will never be used on the street. If you race your cobra on the strip or road course and our consistantly running at 6 grand than you can talk your 500-550 HP. Maybe us street driver's should use terms of lb-ft. torque, I think that's what were after.

[JWilly]

Engine choice is like every other choice you have in Cobra replicas...Whatever works for you. I chose the Roush 402 R (351W) and I'm am very satisfied with with it in all aspects. The sound is different than a BB but it still sounds great. I have unintentionally scared the bejesus out of a few people when I have given it a bit too much gas on a startup. The car is crazy fast and handles extremely well. The heat is managable and I have no overheating issues at all. It is a blast to drive. Funny, but one of the reasons I chose the 402 Roush over the 427 Roush because of the "story" issue Excalibur brought up. No matter what brand of car or what engine you chose, these things are replicas, they're great cars but they're still replicas If one wants a visual clone for the purpose of passing it off as an original that is his problem (although, I have not yet encountered this). So, unless you do have an original there is always a story (e.g., yes it is a CSX but it is not an original 1965 Shelby Cobra...but yes, it is a Shelby Cobra. Well Shelby quit making them, then he...). I did not want to be forever explaing that it is a 427 but it's not a BB 427 FE. I simply tell people the engine is a Roush racing engine and for what it's worth, most people seem pretty impressed with that. Also, I believe (hope) it will hold its value pretty well. BTW, the reason I did not go with the BB 427 FE is that I have heard of too many problems with them and associated with them (as an example, watch the you tube video with Jay Leno that made its rounds on this forum). I will add, there are a helluva lot of very satisfied 427 FE owners out there who wouldn't have anything else. It's whatever works for you.

[bulletbrown]

One Quote isn't the whole story , the car that was called a turd was the 1st time that a 427 was installed in a 289 chassy. It isn't a surprise that the brakes and the handling wasn't very good. I have a 428 FE so I like the power. But the 289 cars are fun to drive.
In is interesting that the most popular motor in todays Kit's are 351 blocks and they nerver was around and niether was the BMW suspensions. Some of the Cobra Kits have changed the wheel base , the width and not even close to the dimensions of the originals. So built what you like .

[kurtmart]

When it comes to heat in the cockpit, no matter what motor, a liberal application of "DYNAMAT" will go a long way to controlling it. Highly recommended.
Oh, and seal all the seams where the aluminum panels come together, if you've got aluminum panels that is.

[RalphSchmalph]

Excalibur, I hope you get to use all that HP and torque on those Honolulu freewayshttp://clubcobra.com/forums/images/smilies/laughing.gifThough I do envy you those North Coast drives you must take from time to time. I for one am glad my BDR has BMW handling and a little bit of a unique look to the trained eye. Who cares if its wheelbase is 3" longer. I think Shelby would have loved it if he could have raced today's cars. Also, those guys "back in the day" were all tinkerers and were hardly romantic about their cars. They would have done anything to improve the handling, HP or torque of their cars. If we were true collectors we'd only have originals that we waxed every week in our air-conditioned garages. I'd rather be a driver!

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by RalphSchmalph

I for one am glad my BDR has BMW handling and a little bit of a unique look to the trained eye. Who cares if its wheelbase is 3" longer.

And that's why there are so many manufacturers to meet the various wants and needs of every individual. Some people like chocolate, some like vanilla and there are others that like strawberry. In fact, they even make Neopolitan for people that like all three or who can't decide.

[madmaxx]

As far as resale a BDR will hold it value and sell quicker than any other simply because it is very quality product at a very attractive price point.

[MFE III]

Bold statement:

As far as resale a BDR will hold it value and sell quicker than any other

No doubt based on exhaustive study and analysis

[madmaxx]

No doubt based on exhaustive study and analysis ,

Based on personal results, sold the first one for 10K profit after owning for 10 months, bought and sold the second one within 30 days (last month) for 4K profit while my spf was sitting in the garage next to it. Funny people are willinging to give up 42K alot quicker than 65K.

Last time I checked I guy in Houston could not give his Hurricane away for 30K, yet I sell a used BDR with 4200 miles for 42K, go figure.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by RodKnock

And that's why there are so many manufacturers to meet the various wants and needs of every individual. Some people like chocolate, some like vanilla and there are others that like strawberry. In fact, they even make Neopolitan for people that like all three or who can't decide.

But Backdraft's are like "home made" ice cream, where all others are the "food club" brand.

[MFE III]

My mistake. . . selling two is exhaustive analysis.

[Excaliber]

Re sale of replicas is a complex market at best, just when I think I have a handle on it some sale I hear about comes around and turns everything upside down.

I suspect it has as much to do with the 'color' and 'gotta have it now' attitude as much as anything else.

[Bartruff1]

That Backdraft has a high butt !!! Jesus, how can you beat that !!!...This damn butter is all over my keyboard and mouse ...now where were we ???

[RICK LAKE]

madmaxx There are getting to be alot more aluminium motors broken because, there are alot more guys racing them. The old stock blocks are drying up and getting harder to find a 427SO with stock bore and NO SLEEVES in the block. No matter how good the motor builder is, there is a guy out there that can break that motor in 20 minutes. We went from SB/BB to a material and stress question. A windowed aluminium block can be repaired alot easier than iron one. They have come out with an iron spray for repairs that is better than any welding rod repair. I don't have alot of info on this. After I assembly my motor, I have had no need to go back and retorque, bolts,nuts, and screws. The rockers are the only thing I check after the 2 breakin periods. Motors are living breathing things, just let them eat. Rick L Ps I do limit the max rpm's for my strokers.

[Bartruff1]

The are blowing Roush away....I think I will switch motors out of my Tundra