Motor blew in market for new 427w

[AK427CobraGirl]

Well, last week was a bad week. My 427w threw a rod- pretty much destroyed the motor and blew a hole in the oil pan. I am in the market for a new 427w. I am thinking of a Smeding 427w with 460hp and 510 ft. lbs of torque. I want to take my Classic Roadsters to the edge, but not where it is too much to handle on the street. I enjoy cruising as much as an occasional race (most of them on the track or autocross). My car weighs roughly 2700lbs and has a 4-speed top loader- any suggestions on motors or max hp?

[vatdevil]

I would go larger displacement ....454.....assuming youre staying under 6500 rpm. Easy streetable 600 HP....600 ft/lb.

[byron w]

I would contact Brent Lykins at B2 Motorsports. He is a great guy/builder. In fact he has a thread going right now on CC.

Byron

[charles roybal]

I recommend Keith Craft vender on forum...my 408w he made for me came out with 530hp 535 tq. Motor very streetalbe...go's like bat out of hell... good vender to work with.
Charles

[blykins]

Sorry to hear that about your engine. Is anything reusable? Block? Heads? Intake?

I'd be happy to discuss a new engine with you and maybe we could save some money on reusing some existing parts.

Most of my 427 Windsors are in the 550-600 hp range. The 550hp engines are very streetable, with hydraulic roller cams, pump gas, etc. It would most definitely take your Cobra to the edge without going overboard.

A lot of my customers are shy to ask for something with higher horsepower numbers, but the ones that are conservative always come back for a little padding down the road. The good news is that Cobras have gas pedals and as long as they're streetable, you only have to give them as much gas as you feel comfortable with.

[SkipB]

Smeding builds a great engine.

[Fred Z]

CobraGirl.
I usually don't get into these threads unless I am pretty happy to refer. That referring thing can be tricky. I am a Realtor , just so you get my point.
I have a 427w with 550hp and 550 torque. The builders are CHP, here in South Bay, Torrance. THey offer a 2 year unlimited warranty. I highly recommend them. I have had my car for 5 plus years now and no problems at all!!
just my 2 cnts.
fredz

[Dwight]

Keith Craft

Keith Craft

Keith Craft

Dwight

[Cashburn]

Are you in Alaska?

[sspano01]

what was going on when it happened to fail?

[RICK LAKE]

AK427cobragirl There is a big different between street driving and road course or auto cross. Street driving the motor would have lasted for years longer. Auto cross is brutal on the motor. If you have a couple of pictures. would like to see the bottom end or the end of the rod that broke. My guess is one of the back 4 rods. The rod end will be blue or blacken. This is the sign of no or low oil pressure. The motor can't live without it when you are pulling high "G" turns. It sound like you where happy with the power of the motor. I wouldn't change this. How ever since we are going with a new motor, better parts would be in order.
The only thing I will say from 15+ years of just roadracing and autocross is 98% of the motors die from no oiling at times when running. A drysump setup for your next motor would be key or to add an accusump with a 3 quart tank. This will help keep your oil pressure up even if the pump is loosing oil from high "G" turns. HVHP oil pump to start and look for any oil modifications to help keep more oil around the crankshaft and rods. 80 psi system would also be recommended. Adding a low oil pressure light on the dash would help to telkl you if the oil pressure drops below 30 psi. You have 4 guys on this threads that all build motors and stand behind their products. Uping the power to another 20-40 ft of torque would be nice with a new motor, Forget about HP, you are not driving top speed at Maxon or Silverstone. You might want to look at going to a Run&Gun for 3-4 days of all the track and autocross you can handle. No Police or tickets either. Rick L.

[AK427CobraGirl]

Thanks for all the replies. I will start checking out the vendors mentioned. I don't think much is reusable. I think at .60 over, my block was over-bored (worried about this when I bought the car, but hoped for the best). I don't want to reuse the block, even if it is o.k. Heads and intake might be o.k., but I do want to increase the hp, so I will probably be selling anything that is still usable. We are leaving on vacation tomorrow, so will start tearing into the old motor when we get back in a couple of weeks. Will take some pics then.
Will check into the oil pump/pressure. I have a gauge and didn't notice anything unusual, no engine noise either. I was just driving on the highway at 70 mph when it blew- in rush hour traffic. Although, Anchorage traffic is probably nothing to you in the lower 48. I haven't raced a lot, so I thought the motor would last a bit longer, it only had 6K miles on it. I am also looking at the octane requirements, since the best premium gas we can get in Alaska is 90 octane. To go any higher, I have to mix race gas. My husband had a car that required that and it was a real pain. I am guessing my old motor was roughly 400hp, never got it dyno'd. I was looking at 460hp, but some of the posts are making me think of 500+. Although, I agree with better parts, and plenty of torque.

[blykins]

Do you know which heads/intake that you're using now? The heads have a lot to do with the horsepower, but most SBF intakes can be made to perform well. If it's an RPM Air Gap, Victor Jr, or Super Victor, then they will all support big numbers.

[WardL]

AKCobraGirl, we are developing a shared spreadsheet on Cobra manufacturers and engines. Use this link to access the Excel spreadsheet:

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BzD...XhNMWpHTmFRQTg

You are welcome to update the tab on engines or add criteria. If you update the spreadsheet, email it to me at WFridrich@comcast.net and I will update the online shared version.

Thanks!

[Tony Ripepi]

AKCobragirl,

Sorry to hear about your troubles, all of the suggestions are spot on and you are making the right decisions. I have heard good things about Smedding and Keith Craft has a great reputation. Avoid the Engine factory and be a little leery of the Ford crate motors. As for input on the Horese power 500+ will keep you happy and cruising and it all controlled by the slim pedal on the right.

Going with a fully built and dynoed engine is the best path, as for the reusable bits from the old engine ---- Ebay them down the road, would be my advice.

Ward great spreadsheet...........

Tony R.

[FUNFER2]

For fun on the street, go with high torque,... as top HP means nothing.

[FUNFER2]

Go by what Brent and Rick recommend, as they know their $hit.

[FUNFER2]

Originally Posted by WardL

AKCobraGirl, we are developing a shared spreadsheet on Cobra manufacturers and engines. Use this link to access the Excel spreadsheet:

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BzD...XhNMWpHTmFRQTg

You are welcome to update the tab on engines or add criteria. If you update the spreadsheet, email it to me at WFridrich@comcast.net and I will update the online shared version.

Thanks!

--------------------

I could hardly read it, even increasing the page up to 400%. Is there any way to post a better view or email me with the sheet ?
Looks interesting !

[twin turbo]

Cobragirl, I take it this was a stock block 427? Whatever you decide, I highly recommend an aftermarket block (such as Dart) on your next engine if you go any larger than a 408 ci. When my first engine went south not long after initially getting my car, I just looked at it as an opportunity to upgrade. It's been good ever since. Cheers.