Ok, here is another can of worms

[BT SNAKE]

Not an issue here Rod... I ain't never gonna own a lectric car. Not as long as there is oil.
I knew about the Kirkham tanks. I don't think Ren..auh I mean Stimpy has decided a 100% on a Kirkham yet.
I have a 350Z. Luv driving it but it's two different worlds compared to a Cobra regardless of make.
The Cobra is the switchblade of knives, The Grizzly of bears and the best thrill ride you will ever have on a track.

Hersh

[elmariachi]

Originally Posted by BT SNAKE

The Cobra is the switchblade of knives, The Grizzly of bears and the best thrill ride you will ever have on a track.Hersh

The hammer that drives the nail.

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by BT SNAKE

Not an issue here Rod... I ain't never gonna own a lectric car. Not as long as there is oil.
I knew about the Kirkham tanks. I don't think Ren..auh I mean Stimpy has decided a 100% on a Kirkham yet.
I have a 350Z. Luv driving it but it's two different worlds compared to a Cobra regardless of make.
The Cobra is the switchblade of knives, The Grizzly of bears and the best thrill ride you will ever have on a track.

Hersh

I was speaking more to Ren's original post re: gas mileage. I mean, even the small blocks aren't gas sippers. Granted the gas mileage on average probably tends to be worse with a big block, all things being equal, but I would never make the gas mileage a part of my Cobra purchase decision. But that's me. We're all different.

I need more power Scotty!

[Bill Bess]

Well I think it's all about money and what makes your mojo work. If you want gas mileage...buy a Prius...Zoom...Zoom! If you want to have fun, make lots of noise, shake the ground, disturb the neighbors, piss-off the cops, make people afraid to ride with you....go with the big block. The low rpm torque alone is the best reason...staarting off in 2nd. or 3rd. gear from a stop and still beating the crap out of that chevy next to you.
Do I need to keep going? It's about fun.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by RodKnock

I need more power Scotty!

Uhh, tell the truth -- have you ever put your throttle pedal completely to the floor and held it there for three seconds or more (with the car running, that is)?

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by patrickt

Uhh, tell the truth -- have you ever put your throttle pedal completely to the floor and held it there for three seconds or more (with the car running, that is)?

That's between me and my...., I guess just me.

But for the cost and the amount of fabrication to do, there would be a SOHC engine in my car.

Insert Full Throttle Al's Weber-ized SOHC engine here.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by RodKnock

Insert Full Throttle Al's Weber-ized SOHC engine here.

... and Ernie usually cuts in right about now and points out how he increased the enjoyment of his Cobra my shaving a hundred horsepower off the engine build.

[SuperHart]

I don't actually recall where I saw the comment, but supposedly Carrol Shelby himself said once that when he decided to upgrade the power of the 289 Cobra, if Ford had the 351W in its lineup he would have chosen that motor instead of the 427. It would have made the upgrade a lot easier, cheaper and made for a better weight distribution.

Had the 351W been used, I wonder if the car would actually look the same as it does today considering the changes that were made to accommodate the choice of motors.

[Excaliber]

Even with a 100 (or more) less power than before I STILL have trouble putting the power to the ground. Spinning your wheels is fun and all that, but it sucks when your actually trying to get somewhere; like to the end of a 1/4 mile or coming out of a corner on the track!

MPG is important if you have a small gas tank, it has a dramatic impact on your cruising range miles. It's not my first consideration, but I won't ignore it either. Getting the compression down so I could run pump gas was a good call. Having to run race gas get's old in a hurry, it aint easy to find and cost an arm and leg to boot.

I suppose Shelby, or a lot of other people, "would have", "could have", "should have" as the years roll by, technology marches on. But they didn't, they made the best call for what was available at the time. As I recall it, Shelby's FIRST engine choice was a 800 pound Olds V8 (he always liked Oldsmobile, go figure). The 289 was an extreme light weight in comparison, even the FE was a light weight. Small block Chevy, at the time, weighed even more!

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by patrickt

... and Ernie usually cuts in right about now and points out how he increased the enjoyment of his Cobra my shaving a hundred horsepower off the engine build.

I always love to hear Ernie "wax on" philosophically about he old "tall and terrible" High Rise 427 with the solid roller and 15:1 (hyperbole Ernie, I know)compression.

The 351 Cobra. Has a nice ring to it.

Ernie, somehow they figure out how to put tire to the ground in the F.A.S.T. class, but then they're musclecars and they cheat.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Excaliber

Even with a 100 (or more) less power than before I STILL have trouble...

We're starting to remind me of old married couples playing "balloon toss" at the retirement home.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by SuperHart

I don't actually recall where I saw the comment, but supposedly Carrol Shelby himself said once that when he decided to upgrade the power of the 289 Cobra, if Ford had the 351W in its lineup he would have chosen that motor instead of the 427. It would have made the upgrade a lot easier, cheaper and made for a better weight distribution.

I think Shelby/Ford chose the 427 because Chevy was out with the 396 vette in late '64, and the 289 didn't generate the HP, and the Nascar 427 was an off the shelf race motor. Shelby wanted to run bigger tires, so the fenders were widened/rounded. The frame was redesigned to be over twice as strong, yet weighed about 40lbs more. The suspension was redesigned. The 427 Cobra came to be from many of these wanted modifications. If they had a 351W back then, with the technology back then, I believe the Nascar 427 would still have been the choice. The 289 cobra was a beefed up AC ace. The 427 Cobra was Carroll's baby, designed by/for him.

[Excaliber]

Don't forget to consider the GEAR ratios! Trans and rear. The big change I made to my car recently, a TKO with a 1st gear ratio similar to what most folks are running. BUT, before that I had a close ratio top loader with a high 1st gear ratio.

Turns out, the top loader, with that high gear, was not a bad call. The higher gearing allowed for much better control of rear wheel spin. I've heard guys here talk about getting faster ET at the 1/4 mile by using SECOND gear to take off rather than first gear!! Well, the close ratio 1st gear is almost like second gear already.

OK, so NOW I have the typical TKO with a "reasonable" or "typical" 1st gear ratio, nothing wrong with that, but it's a learning curve for me. It's WAY more difficult to control wheel spin now than it was before. BIG POWER is great, after you hit 85-90 mph and it finally starts to "hook up"!!! Literally, I have to be in third gear, north of 85 mph, with SLICKS to put ALL the power down. Before that, I have to modulate the throttle carefully to keep the wheel spin down. I am not exaggerating even a little, I'm talking 100% truth as tested on the the drag strip and the race track.

...and this is AFTER I rebuilt the motor for a more mild street build and gave up a 100 horse or so. There is little doubt I'm still running 500 plus horse, or I got some worthless slicks, or something.

Had a small block, it was OK, it bothered me not being a big block. It kept eating at me in fact, finally, I had to do it, HAD to have a big block. Of course, that had to be a side oiler as well, only way to be sure I'd be satisfied. Love it, wouldn't go back, gotta be big, with plenty horses, dam the tires, let 'em fry then.

[Excaliber]

I was lucky to be able to rent a garage stall at Infineon for this weekends SAAC-35. Ya'll stop by if your at the track. Kei is sharing the garage with me, black on black, CSX8000. I just put my number on the car today, #44, see ya there.
Ernie

[Dangerous Doug]

On the BB/SB question, I first set out to build a 427/BB Cobra. As I got to looking at the build cost, though, I realized an FE was going to be very expensive, and this occurred at a time when my "Cobra fund" was getting tighter (think: post internet-bubble stock options...). I realized that a SB car was more in my budget (After Ernie swooped in and bought that 427 ERA from the infamous "First $25K Takes it" thread. See picture above...) I got to looking at the 289FIA by ERA, and completely fell in love with the shape of the 289FIA over the 427.

Rarely do I wish I had more power---okay, maybe a little bit. My 289FIA still stuns virtually anyone that sees it, and it has enough giddyup to keep me satisfied---for now. I'm sure I'll be up for a KC stroker on the inside of 36 months, though.

The nice thing about a 289FIA (other than it has a small block, heh, heh, heh) is that the body shape is a bit different than most of the Cobras people usually see running around, which are predominately the 427 body shape. I like being "different".

DD

[Excaliber]

I would have got it for 25K too, except a "bidding war" broke out, I was sweating bullets the price would go to high before it was over.

...then the motor blew up shortly after I got it. Sheesshhh,,,,

[Jamo]

Oinie...I'll hunt you down in the garage.

[tin-man]

Originally Posted by stimpy

Are the big block cars overpowered?

I know that HP is (like certain anatomical features) USUALLY thought of by most of us as being an end in and of itself WITHOUT diminishing marginal returns.

More is always better.

But are the big-block cars too much of a good thing?

I would think that the balance of a small block, while still producing more than adequate HP for almost any real world situation, would just make more sense day to day given the handling advantages as well as the practical (gas mileage, repair bills etc.) considerations.

I have also heard that the big-block cars can be tricky where overheating (both engine and driver) are concerned.

But I have never owned (or even driven) either one.

What do you guys think?

Do you big-block guys ever wish you had a little LESS under the hood (or wherever, as the case may be)?

How does real-world ownership experience inform the decision of how much power is enough?

TIA for the input.

Stimpy, in a man's world its big vs small. I just had an opportunity, thanks to SandyC from the Arizona Cobras to hear what my 511IRFE will sound like vs the Anvil iteration, being a small block sound provided by Roush. BB's sound like rolling thunder. I guess it boils down to what you want, big ass noise and power or something less. Like I said big vs small. In the end however its whatever rings your bell. My two cents. tin-man

[JST4FUN]

These things are awesome no matter whether BB or SB, or whatever else you choose to go with it. I spent 4 years researching here, talking to owners, reading books, looking to gain whatever I could to make a decision. Being a guy who grew up in the 60s with all the big block stuff, I keep going back to "I really want a BB".....and that's what I got. Great power, great sound and way cool. At the few shows I've been to, I realize from the questions most folks probably don't know or can't tell the difference.

After having driven it for several months, the BB was the right decision for me. However, my buddies with SBs sure seem happy with theirs and have just as much fun. If you're looking to buy/build, the reality is it just boils down to personal preference. You'll gain great knowledge here, but ultimately it's your call.

My C5 Vette SB puts a smile on my face, but my BB SPF puts it on bigger and and for much longer!

Good luck with your search.......there's sure a lot for sale at very good prices on Cobra Country!

[stimpy]

I will be using the car daily, mostly to go to the gym (great way to get psyched).

With me, it is all about the aluminum, balloon tossing aside.

I really don't even care if it is a Cobra--there are other all aluminum cars to be had like the Lynx (D and C type Jag) and a few limited run copies of the 550s Spyder James Dean drove under a tractor.

I just figure the Kirkhams have done it long enough and in sufficient quantity to be the best of the alternatives.

There is just something about hand wheeled (and I know some parts of it are stamped now but that is life) superleggera type cars that represent an era in motoring that will never be equaled by space-ships and computer chips.

I just don't understand why anyone would want a sports car with a paddle shift.

Again, chocolate and vanilla.

Thanks again for REALLY great feedback, I'll be heading back to the nursing home now.

PS: Ren was the mean one.