Easy way to add HP?

[MKS427]

3.55? 3.73?
Personal choice dependent upon tire size and trans gearing (.82 vs .64 OD), where cruising RPM should be tolerable to you.
You should be able to find a speed calculator online. Typically, you will need to know revolutions per mile for the tires.

[twobjshelbys]

Originally Posted by MKS427

3.55? 3.73?
Personal choice dependent upon tire size and trans gearing (.82 vs .64 OD), where cruising RPM should be tolerable to you.
You should be able to find a speed calculator online. Typically, you will need to know revolutions per mile for the tires.

What the discussion about transmission and rear end is really about is summarized as "it's not necessarily how much horsepower you have but how effectively you transfer it to the ground". The stuff behind the engine is just as important as the engine itself, and all need to be properly balanced. It does no good if when you step on the accelerator your wheels just spin on the pavement, which is what most "horsepower additions" yield.

[hauss]

First I will admit I am no expert, but I am considering a larger carb witch I was told will run leaner . I think that will help with altitude . I was told carbs run higher hp than fuel injection.

[Gaz64]

Originally Posted by hauss

First I will admit I am no expert, but I am considering a larger carb witch I was told will run leaner . I think that will help with altitude . I was told carbs run higher hp than fuel injection.

A larger carb will only give you less throttle response etc.

You need to run less mainjet area across the whole carb to compensate for altitude. The air density goes down, so you pack less air volume, which is less oxygen, so we need less fuel to match.

All else being equal, a GOOD carb can match or exceed EFI for power, but a good EFI will win hands down in every other way. Cold start drivability is the first win area for EFI.

Gary

[RB60]

Cars are like women, the longer you have them, the less "exhilarating" they become.
That said, I'd start with the aforementioned rear gear reduction, that would probably
be the cheapest route. Adding a power adder and especially changing cams could lead
to valvetrain issues, make sure your engine build is "stout" enough to handle whatever
you want to add.

[120mm]

Originally Posted by RB60

Cars are like women, the longer you have them, the less "exhilarating" they become.
.

I guess that means I'm not normal.

All my cars still turn my crank, but then, I've been married for 31 years and still think she's the sexiest thing out there.

[twobjshelbys]

Originally Posted by 120mm

I guess that means I'm not normal.

All my cars still turn my crank, but then, I've been married for 31 years and still think she's the sexiest thing out there.

As I wrote my response which is nearly identical to yours I wondered how many times he's been married (if at all )

[twobjshelbys]

Originally Posted by RB60

Cars are like women, the longer you have them, the less "exhilarating" they become.
.

I'll take serious umbrage with that claim My wife of 44 years is still pretty hot.

[Anthony]

I would just replace the engine with a bigger one.

408/427 windsor vs 450 FE

I think this keeps it simple. I like simple .

[Jdata]

look for easy convenience. Just be sure your internals of your engines are well-thought-out and just put nitrous oxide on it so you can get on it when you want to.

[Selo]

Awesome info Ed. Thanks. I'm the first to admit I don't have any experience in these matters and that's why I asked. I never learned how to work on cars - eyeballs instead. I very much appreciate the way you broke it down for me, I like the quick and dirty. Since I'm not at a place just yet to either read those books or do the work myself, I'd be looking to Craft or Lykins. At $10,000 minimum, I'm better off to buy a new car, I think, If I really feel I need more power. New gears will likely be worth it, but not a new motor or Forced Induction.
Thanks for helping me answer that question.

[eschaider]

Originally Posted by Selo

Awesome info Ed. Thanks. I'm the first to admit I don't have any experience in these matters and that's why I asked. I never learned how to work on cars - eyeballs instead. I very much appreciate the way you broke it down for me, I like the quick and dirty. Since I'm not at a place just yet to either read those books or do the work myself, I'd be looking to Craft or Lykins. At $10,000 minimum, I'm better off to buy a new car, I think, If I really feel I need more power. New gears will likely be worth it, but not a new motor or Forced Induction.
Thanks for helping me answer that question.

These cars are extraordinary assaults on our senses, no matter what you have previously experienced in automotive performance vehicles. There is something I like to call the spectacle of speed, it is that assault. When you are in roadster like a Cobra, that can in almost any form run low eleven second / high ten second quarter mile performance, it is stunning and much more so because of the open cockpit.

I like to think about these cars as attitude adjustment vehicles. After you have been beat up and beat down during the week in our normal lives an eclectic spin through the mountain roads in a Cobra will bring you home feeling just about as good as is humanly possible.

Enjoy your car as it is today. Don't be too quick to sell your car and start over. You will not believe just how much the car's personality and character changes with a new engine that is several notches higher up the horsepower totem pole than your current engine.

Get close to both Lykins Motorsports and Craft Performance they are excellent and excellent falls short of the mark in expressing just how good they really are. Like most of us, your knowledge and expertise will grow with time and exposure to your car. Be patient. It's not just the end game that is significant. As you have probably heard before the journey is the real prize.

Take your time, measure twice (or more if necessary), cut once and your journey will be extraordinary!


Ed

[Ace23]

Keep it simple. Throw a 460ci Windsor in it and a some rear gear. Have a cam designed to peak at 5500. It will make great power everywhere and completely usable as these things have gas pedals and you don’t have to mash them to the floor all the time. I’ve got a 6-speed with a 4.30 rear gear and a 427 Windsor that spins to 7k...great street setup that can also scare the crap out of you.

[Ace23]

Keep it simple. Throw a 460ci Windsor in it and a some rear gear. Have a cam designed to peak at 5500. It will make great power everywhere and completely usable as these things have gas pedals and you don’t have to mash them to the floor all the time. I’ve got a 6-speed with a 4.30 rear gear and a 427 Windsor that spins to 7k...great street setup that can also scare the crap out of you.

[olddog]

Take a look at how much room there is between the engine and the car, especially on the sides. Also use some silly putty roll up about an inch diameter at maybe 3" long and put them around the air cleaner. Close the hood. Open the hood, and the smashed putty will tell you how much clearance you have.

A 351 windsor is the same engine family as the 302/5.0. Off the top of my head it is about 3/4" taller and about 1-1/2" wider. The heads interchange. Front to back the block is the same length. If there is plenty of room, I would go with that block. If not, I would go with a 347 stroker. There will be almost no extra work to put the 347 in, and it will be a little less cost.

If it will easily fit and it fits you budget go with a stroked 351W. I don't think the 460 cid stroker version is worth the extra cost, but some do. I think the 408 stroker is fairly inexpensive in comparison. Built mild you should have more power than you need.

No one has discussed radical cams and difficulty to drive. Even worse, longevity and maintenance. The more power you make out of the same CID, the more radical you have to go in the build, NA. If you focus on peak Hp, you end up with steep torque curve. A high radical idle. An engine that wants to buck and hop at low rpm. Generally has poor street manors and is a fuel pig. It will have a short life and require a lot of maintenance.

Understand your tolerance to all of this. You can also get an engine that makes good power everywhere, that is reliable and has good street manors. It will not hit the High Peak Hp of the radical build, but it could easily have more power at cruising rpm. Note that in these cars, you do not need huge Hp numbers. They are fast enough to easily get you killed at modest power levels. Don't get caught up in chasing huge Hp numbers. The fact is that you can take the same engine and have it dynoed many places and get just about any number you want. It's not an exact science, even though it should be.

[120mm]

olddog said what I mean in a much more succinct manner.

[olddog]

Originally Posted by 120mm

olddog said what I mean in a much more succinct manner.

Dang! I had to look that word up.

Not the first time I heard it, but its been so long I pretty much forgot it existed. But then again, I have forgotten more than I remember.

[AC Ventura]

I had a 5.0 Liter Efi in mine. 225bhp allegedly and it felt tame. So much so, I wouldn’t take my car buddies out in it. I looked high and low, but couldn’t find a fix. I think the ideal ‘driver’ Cobra has 400-450 hp. I changed mine to an FE, but that was for other reasons. If I was in your position and decided I liked the car enough to keep it (sounds questionable IMO) and just wanted more go, I’d stop wasting your time, give you old motor to a reputable builder and have a budget 331 or 347 built.

[120mm]

Originally Posted by AC Ventura

I had a 5.0 Liter Efi in mine. 225bhp allegedly and it felt tame. So much so, I wouldn’t take my car buddies out in it. I looked high and low, but couldn’t find a fix. I think the ideal ‘driver’ Cobra has 400-450 hp. I changed mine to an FE, but that was for other reasons. If I was in your position and decided I liked the car enough to keep it (sounds questionable IMO) and just wanted more go, I’d stop wasting your time, give you old motor to a reputable builder and have a budget 331 or 347 built.

I keep forgetting his real or username on this forum, but that is what "The Traveler" has in his. A fairly mild 347, and he does ok with that.

A driver quality 347 will make 400 hp/400 tq, and that should feel pretty good in a Cobra.

[Selo]

There doesn't seem to be a lot of enthusiasm for a Coyote.