What is the best FORD engine per dollar

[Excaliber]

Well I will repeat this part:

If your running more than 500 horse, your going to need some serious tires or some kind of traction control on your COBRA. They don't transfer weight like many other cars do, which creates a traction problem. If you don't address that you simply can't put the power to the ground. Doesn't matter what engine your running.

67FEfastback makes a good point, at a car show I'll glance at a Windsor or a 385 series engine, but there really nothing to linger over. Just another motor, nothing to see here folks, move along. Small block Chevy, oh puhlease, I might not even glance at one, there everywhere and reguire zero imagination and a moderate budget.

Hemi, in whatever, well now theres something different, better take a look. Old Cadillac or Oldsmobile engine in something like a Rat Rod? Excellent choice, GOTTA check that out!

You can't ask an engine related question here on Club Cobra without getting opinions across the board, no matter WHAT the original question was. To think otherwise is clearly the ASSumption of a newbie!

Trap speed was 121, went down to 118. VERY tall gearing, shift into second at 65 mph, 2.0 0-60 ft time which didn't change (traction limited even with the tall gears, big or small motor). I'd shift into fourth just short of the line, hardly optimum gearing for a "drag race" setup.

700 horse is a "waste of time" as in ET at the drap strip, with street tires, loads of fun and very impressive other wise. A good number!

[WildBill3]

Is drags the only stats were talking here roadcorse follies favor a smallblock in most cases I have seen.Morris not included ;-)

[DR 385]

67FEfastback,
As I have stated earlier, I agree with the position on ORGINAL cars and the use of period correct power-trains.
We are talking about REPRODUCTIONS not originals is any way! These cars are meant to provide the experience of a Cobra at a lower cost.

Excalibur,

Ahh! here again "FE"-TARDISM rears it's full of itself, swollen, ugly head.

"I won't give a second look at non FE's, because they are, well you know... not FEs...."
"I am not capable of figuring out how to actually calculate or harness the power my ancient lump of iron makes, so to suggest the building of a engine that can easily and cheaply eclipse my inflated numbers causes me to make irrational statements defending my obviously flawed position."

When I run your numberS thru several different drag calculators, they just don’t add up. ASSuming you car is approx 2800 lbs with you and fuel,
I would say your actual crank number were safely under 500 with your rwhp near 390-400 to arrive at a 121mph trap speed.

I would ask Mr. Schroeder if 700hp would be a "waste of time". I would believe that he has the experience and skill to put this level of power to good use.

Dr 385 at your service

[Tom Kirkham]

Turbo 2.3 L SVO Mustang

On $$$/HP just turn up the boost.

Of course nothing beats N2O

[Excaliber]

We have a LOT of "cruise in's" here in Hawaii. Guess how many FE's you might see at any given car show or cruise in (if I'm not there, it's likely zero)? Now how many Windsors or 385's will you see? GM small blocks?

I rest my case, class dismissed.

Are you suggesting Mr. Schroeder expects to hook up 700 horse with street tires? HA HA HA HA and pigs fly!

Drag race calculators assume a near perfect world. Max rpm in high gear at the line for instance, good traction, reaction time, minimum drive train parasitic losses (IRS takes more power than a live axle), etc. Most street driven vehicles, including my ERA aren't "perfectly" set up for drag racing, so the data IS going to be flawed. Strange, I would have expected a Dr. to understand that fundamental flaw with drag race calculators...

500 horse for an FE is easy, you could do that with STOCK components that were readily available in the 60's!

By the way, some drag race calculators will show a 0-60ft time based on ET. 11.90 = 1.6 seconds, in my case. In fact, my 0-60 time was 2.0 seconds, with BOTH engines. I could be running 700 horse, that won't change the real world hole shot because it's TRACTION related.

[67FEfastback]

interesting discussion. It depends what you want.
If you are building a car, build it the way that you want to.

From a strictly car enthusiast fan perspective
The 289 is a pretty engine
The FE is one of the prettiest looking engines out there.
Maybe the hemi, and boss 429 are a little nicer
Flat head fords etc.

385 is nothing to write home about
neither is a gusseted up windsor. I've even seen adaptors to put FE valve covers on a windsor WTF??

boss 302 or 351C are way nicer looking engines. Despite that fact, personally i would not put a boss 302 or 351C in a cobra or coupe either.

If I did a 351W stroker, I'd do my best to make it appear like an orginal 289.
That's just me.

[Excaliber]

You know when I shift into second, at 65 mph mind you, I STILL have to be careful not to break 'em loose to bad. I really nailed 2nd gear one time and the car dang near got away from me when it started to go sideways from wheel spin! Never had that problem with the reduced horse power motor though, kind of miss it...

[Great Asp]

Originally Posted by DR 385

The Dr is IN,

This is an old post, blaa blaa blaa

Dude, do you even own a Cobra? If you do, you have not decided to grace us with the details.

Instead, you insult long time members and posters, dig up 5 month old threads just so you can get the last word in.

This is "clubcobra". The best engine for the dollar in "A COBRA" is an FE, sorry ..."doc". Great performance, no shame when you pop the hood, and great resale value if needed. You might notice that some of the best replicas with a flair to the originals almost always have FE's (or very nice 289 style small blocks).

If you want to race, get a small block for your cobra, great choice!




How do you get internet service under a bridge?

E

[Silverback51]

Gee, I'm never ashamed to open my hood with a 460 under it.

[Excaliber]

Silverback, you know it's always difficult talking about the finer points of one replica vs another without stepping on somebodys toes. I recognize a Kirkham or CSX is a cut above my ERA, for instance, but I still love my car (no matter what engine it might have under the hood).

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Great Asp

You might notice that some of the best replicas with a flair to the originals almost always have FE's (or very nice 289 style small blocks).

But the real truth is that the only people that are impressed with an FE under a Cobra's hood are other Cobra owners (or fans of old Ford engines, who are really few and far between).

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by patrickt

But the real truth is that the only people that are impressed with an FE under a Cobra's hood are other Cobra owners (or fans of old Ford engines, who are really few and far between).

That's not always true of course. During my short ownership so far, I've had several people ask me if it was a REAL 427 versus a Windsor-ized 427, and those people weren't really Cobra/Ford types.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by RodKnock

That's not always true of course. During my short ownership so far, I've had several people ask me if it was a REAL 427 versus a Windsor-ized 427, and those people weren't really Cobra/Ford types.

I would counter that with the fact that if they can't tell the difference between a big block and a small block, when looking at it, you could tell them anything and they'd believe it. But OK, I'll admit there might be a small segment that appreciates the FE without really even knowing what it is.

Afterthought -- I wonder why nobody ever asks me "Is that a REAL 428?"

[RodKnock]

Actually, these people weren't looking at my engine. We were just having a conversation about my car, sometimes with hood closed and the car in front of us and sometimes the car wasn't even there and we just talking about it.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by RodKnock

Actually, these people weren't looking at my engine. We were just having a conversation about my car, sometimes with hood closed and the car in front of us and sometimes the car wasn't even there and we just talking about it.

Alright, you win this one.

[RodKnock]

My point is that some people have heard about the Cobra, but don't even know much about the car's history, but what they do know is that the car came with a 427 Big Block, although 428's came in them too.

Sorry, so far, no one has asked me if my car has a REAL 428 either.

Of course, my Cobra ownership has been short, so my anecdotal evidence/sample is small.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by RodKnock

My point is that some people have heard about the Cobra, but don't even know much about the car's history, but what they do know is that the car came with a 427 Big Block, although 428's came in them too.

Sorry, so far, no one has asked me if my car has a REAL 428 either.

Of course, my Cobra ownership has been short, so my anecdotal evidence/sample is small.

I only put my FE in to impress other Cobra owners.

[Silverback51]

Originally Posted by Excaliber

Silverback, you know it's always difficult talking about the finer points of one replica vs another without stepping on somebodys toes. I recognize a Kirkham or CSX is a cut above my ERA, for instance, but I still love my car (no matter what engine it might have under the hood).

I meant to add a wink and smile to my note. Honest, I'm not upset.

It's fixed now.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Silverback51

I meant to add a wink and smile to my note. Honest, I'm not upset.

It's fixed now.

What you meant to say was that a CSX or Kirkham is only a cut abover his ERA.

[greg schroeder]

It seems most Cobra owners are real happy with about 450 to 550 engine HP, so maybe 350 to 450 at the wheels if you're fortunate to get that much out of the engine in a Cobra. From a performance and price perspective one would think a small block Ford crate engine would be a nice value.

Get a set of Mickey Thompson ET street drag radials to make your driving look better than you really are. That's what I did. I do think 600 HP at the wheels would be fun on drag radials for the street or well prepped track at the strip, but it would require an elevated level of awareness.

I like to keep in mind one mistake puts a car into something that doesn't move out of the way. The higher HP Cobras no doubt can be a handful if your careless and particularly so if you don't select tires for the application.