FE ONLY OR 514ci. CRATE IN YOUR,....COBRA ?

[Ace23]

We are all driving fake Cobras so who cares about resale value. If I was starting from scratch I would go with a 385 series and I would save my money until I could afford to do it right. If you are worried about too much torque or low end grunt then maybe look at smaller CI 385 stroker setup that you can pull to higher Rpms and shift the torque curve. I see where Brent mentioned being limited to a torquer intake in a SPF.....that's usually what you see but I think Craig from Craig's cobra is running a victor intake in his SPF. If your using it as a street car and you like sheer grunt I don't see how you could go wrong with the big block.

My idea of the perfect cobra is something that is so loud and nasty people think your coming down the road in a Winston cup car. I want babies to cry when I pass by and I want it to make me scream profanity everytime I step into the loud pedal. Oh and also add getting 20mpg and being able to cruse at 2000rpm....sounds pretty fun!!!!

[FUNFER2]

The only thing I'm worried about is not enough power.

I will only be racing here and there for fun, so being used mainly on the street, I always like a torque motor over a high HP one. Torques gets you there, HP stays you there.

You and I have the same "IDEA".

I like driving downtown at night around the bars, as I get on the loud pipes and scare the CRAP out of people !

[FUNFER2]

This is partly how I do it, my mufflers.

[xlr8tr]

Originally Posted by FUNFER2

This is partly how I do it, my mufflers.

LOL- same pipes on mine, love setting of the car alarms as I rumble by. And I'd always take horsepower today (and for many years) vs. a few extra bucks at some unforeseen point in time way in the future if/when I sell.... its all about the smiles per mile!

[FUNFER2]

The only time I cringed at setting off my neighbors alarms, was leaving at 4:00 in the morning to Kansas to the Good Guys Meet.

I could hear them now,..."GILMORE" !!!

[FUNFER2]

Hey Brent, what do you suppose is this engine.
Small block what ?

Sounds incredible !


[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJN2diQPpMU[/ame]

[blykins]

Originally Posted by FUNFER2

Hey Brent, what do you suppose is this engine.
Small block what ?

Sounds incredible !


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJN2diQPpMU

Little high compression small block of some sort. Doesn't take that much power to smoke the tires like that though.

I could build a 390 (not stroked) with some compression and a healthy solid flat tappet and do much more than that.....

[Ace23]

Originally Posted by FUNFER2

The only thing I'm worried about is not enough power.

I will only be racing here and there for fun, so being used mainly on the street, I always like a torque motor over a high HP one. Torques gets you there, HP stays you there.

You and I have the same "IDEA".

I like driving downtown at night around the bars, as I get on the loud pipes and scare the CRAP out of people !

Sounds like we have similar uses for our cars. If you have any doubt on not having enough power the 385 would be my choice...especially if you are a TQ guy. Small blocks can make pretty insane TQ as well but most of them aren't going to be capable of making the higher end power if they are setup for the lower TQ....and if they do they will be more high strung. In all honesty the 427 I have now is plenty but I want more....I want to get to a point where I don't want more. I think 700-750hp and 600-650tq would be enough for me.

[Rich A]

Originally Posted by FUNFER2

The only thing I'm worried about is not enough power.

Most Cobra owner boast about how much HP they have under the hood, but
NEVER use, know how to use or want to take it to the track (any track) to use.
So lounge chair racers are a dime a dozen like the Cobra roadster.

That's my two cents.

[FUNFER2]

I don't know if that was an insult, or not ?

The trend today is to have over 1,000 HP, and that's nuts, as like you said, unusable power. But, 600 HP/TQ is usable, in most cars, even the Cobra.
You need the chassis set-up, good tires and throttle control.

Power,....is fun. If I were drag or road racing, I'd have a small block and more controllable power bands.

So, I'm not worried about too much power dude.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Rich A

Most Cobra owner boast about how much HP they have under the hood, but
NEVER use, know how to use or want to take it to the track (any track) to use.
So lounge chair racers are a dime a dozen like the Cobra roadster.

That's my two cents.

He's right. FUNFER2, after the first few years of owning an FE powered Cobra, if you haven't sold it, you're likely to have turned your attention towards: 1) eliminating leaks, and 2) getting it to run "beautifully" at slow, around town, light cruising speeds.

[FUNFER2]

No he's not. Not me. To each it's own on what a Cobra means to you.

Fun city cruising, low power and good MPG.
Driving highways & interstate's.
Hard street driving.
All out racing.
Huge torque, low grunt, very loud and gassy.
High HP bragging rights.

We can go on & on, but we're all different on how & which way we enjoy our cars. Just because you disagree with my wants & needs, doesn't mean I'm WRONG, and you're RIGHT.

For me, a Cobra with quiet under the car exhaust doesn't get my crank turning, but I've never,....told any owner on how to construct their cars, what engine to use etc....

Although I laughed, George of Gessford Machine once built & installed a Hemi,
into a customers Cobra. Would I, hell no, but to each it's own. I'm not going to insult the owner for what he wanted. I'm sure he loves it.

If you want to "murder it out" being all flat black, fine.
If you want "Bling", fine.
If you want a 250 HP motor, fine.
If you want 2,000 HP, fine.
Or how about a "Batman" jet engine in the trunk, fine.

It's all good guys.

[FUNFER2]

Patrick, how much power do you have and how much money do you have in the engine ?

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by FUNFER2

Patrick, how much power do you have and how much money do you have in the engine ?

I wanted a "true, honest reading," so I had it dyno'd with the side pipes attached, and water pump cranking. That number was 475HP. If you pulled the engine out and put it on a dyno with open primaries, the numbers would likely be in the low 500's. IMO, a dyno reading that doesn't at least try and duplicate the running condition of the engine is blatantly misleading. As I said before, blykins could probably clone my engine for $15k, or right around that number, maybe less... as I have some overpriced parts in her that aren't really necessary.

[fordracing65]

Originally Posted by patrickt

He's right. FUNFER2, after the first few years of owning an FE powered Cobra, if you haven't sold it, you're likely to have turned your attention towards: 1) eliminating leaks, and 2) getting it to run "beautifully" at slow, around town, light cruising speeds.

Getting it to run at cruising speeds is just cam shaft choice. Let Blykins build you an engine tell him what u want let him pick the camshaft.

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by Ace23

We are all driving fake Cobras so who cares about resale value. If I was starting from scratch I would go with a 385 series and I would save my money until I could afford to do it right.

Who cares about resale? I do.

For not much more money, and you'll need different parts for the 385 too, which adds to the final price, you could get a budget 390/428 build. That's the way I'd go. I'd argue, resale over HP. If I'm on a budget, I'd opt for the FE with less HP than the 385 with more HP.

[Ace23]

Originally Posted by RodKnock

Who cares about resale? I do.

For not much more money, and you'll need different parts for the 385 too, which adds to the final price, you could get a budget 390/428 build. That's the way I'd go. I'd argue, resale over HP. If I'm on a budget, I'd opt for the FE with less HP than the 385 with more HP.

I don't take issue with anythjng your saying. Personally I have yet to have the thought of resale ever enter my mind when driving my car.....the only thing I think about is wow this is a blast and man I sure would like some more power. If you have a nice well taken care of car what's the worse you could hit on resale...10-15k. There is always someone wanting a high hp car and as time goes on the people who grew up when the FE meant something are going to be gone. Hell by that time comes around we may all have worthless undesirable kit cars worth nothing! Put the power in it you want and let it rip .

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by Ace23

I don't take issue with anythjng your saying. Personally I have yet to have the thought of resale ever enter my mind when driving my car.....the only thing I think about is wow this is a blast and man I sure would like some more power. If you have a nice well taken care of car what's the worse you could hit on resale...10-15k. There is always someone wanting a high hp car and as time goes on the people who grew up when the FE meant something are going to be gone. Hell by that time comes around we may all have worthless undesirable kit cars worth nothing! Put the power in it you want and let it rip .

You also have to consider how quickly you could sell your Cobra. As an example, I looked at Cobra with a 460 and decided to walk away. I knew I was going to have to invest $10,000-$20,000 in the future just to get it to where I liked it. And I'd be stuck storing and selling the 460. It's just easier to sell a 427 Cobra with an FE.

A 289 Slabside would be a blast to drive too. I'd like more power too, but the cost/benefit ratio of a Cammer makes no sense to me.

[Luce]

Originally Posted by RodKnock

You also have to consider how quickly you could sell your Cobra. As an example, I looked at Cobra with a 460 and decided to walk away. I knew I was going to have to invest $10,000-$20,000 in the future just to get it to where I liked it. And I'd be stuck storing and selling the 460. It's just easier to sell a 427 Cobra with an FE.

A 289 Slabside would be a blast to drive too. I'd like more power too, but the cost/benefit ratio of a Cammer makes no sense to me.

Having a FE in a Kirkham will make a big difference on resale, but for us guys with the quieter and more solid sounding interior and 3.5 extra inches of legroom, it doesn't make that big of a difference.

You can't get 500 Cu In plus out of a windsor, but you can get a large looking 427-460 out of a 351 block putting out an easy 550 HP plus and save a few thousand dollars.

[Ace23]

The more I read the comments in this thread the more inclined I am to say that there is no right or wrong engine for your car. If your working with a builder then set a budget and build for nostalgia or power. You are the one that has to drive it so if your looking for power a mild FE is going to irritate as would a big hp 385 series if you wanted period correctness. I will get my flame suit on but a stroker EFI LS7 would be just as awesome....those things make crazy power