Kevin,
Saw this thread and had to butt-in.
How much is your engine worth? Do you know how much it will cost to repair a spun rod bearing, or broken rod? All the time and heartache?
One of the FE's biggest weaknesses is the oiling system. Upon strong acceleration, the front sump design cannot control the
oil surge to the rear of the pan, often uncovering the pick-up tube momentarily. Now, combine this weakness with a Cobra chassis and the strong cornering abilities and high "G" loads a Cobra can generate, even on the street, and you have a "recipe for disaster" (Ominous tone here).
George and Keith will agree, a good
oil pan is CHEAP insurance on any FE. I like and use both the Aviaid's and Canton's. I personally won't use the Milidon due to their very restrictive pick-up design that limits
oil to the engine-their pans are fine.
So, in your case, the Canton would seem the best bargain. And for a Cobra, I REALLY recommend the road race"T" pan #15-820, with the full trap door baffling vs. the std #15-810 large capacity "T" pan. I always hear "I'm not going to drive it all that hard, I'm not going to need the race pan." You're driving a Cobra for crying out loud. Things change. You may really like that awsome driving experince and start getting a little frisky. Someone else may drive it, and they may not be so gentle as you. We sell the 15-820 pan with pick-up to our customers for $325, plus the good $90 windage tray, that's $415 worth of engine insurance. Pretty reasonable in the long run. Plus, it looks cool. There you have it. I'll crawl back to my hole now.
Rob