[craigayl]

Tom

As Eric pointed out, the only weak point of the current crate 514 is the camshaft. It is VERY aggressive and does not lend itself to street driving. By “current” I mean with Eagle rods. The first 514 crates has rod problems, so Ford switched to Eagle.

On my 514 I broke valve springs at about 5000 miles. A friend broke tappet rollers. Others I know with 514’s changed the cam before they had a problem.

I don’t think you can beat the 514 crate. If I were to get another Cobra, it would definitely be a 514, but I would swap out the cam immediately. There are many really good alternatives. Even good solid roller alternatives. The ramp on the stock cams is great for the drag strip, but not good on the street. The ramp is just too fast…

Craig