Viper Engines For Cobra's, Yes Or No!!!

[Michael4yah]

How hard would the swap be? Has anyone seen one of these swaps in person??( MORRIS AND ALL YOU ENGINEERS OUT THERE, HERE IS WHERE YOU CHIME IN).

All things being equal would the Viper's engine enhance or detract from a cobra's overall value? Would it help a fiberglass cars value While detracting from an Alum car's value? (NOW HERE IS WHERE ALL THE ORIGINALITY GUYS CHIME IN). Theres enough here for all to chew on so dive in and let me hear it.
Michael

[Excaliber]

Well they don't call Ed 'DV' Combs "Double Venom" for nothing...

Heres a pic from DV's gallery and a link to more:

http://www.clubcobra.com/photopost/s...at=500&thumb=1

Viper V-10 fits nicely under the hood of his 'Classic Roadster'. I understand one of the critical components to this swap is getting ALL of the electronics associated with the engine and SOME components associated with the CAR it came out of!

DV1


DV2 was a 'flip top' hood, also with a Viper of course!

[thudmaster]

I figure its your car and you can put whatever engine in it you want. As for increasing or devaluing the car I guess that will be up to the next person that buys it. .02

[Excaliber]

There are only a handful of engines I would personally consider 'appropriate' for a replica build, just my opinion you understand. The Viper V-10 is one such engine, perhaps because of it's connections through various people to the Cobra world.

Other interesting motor swaps that are pleasing to MY eye would be a Jaguar V-12 in a Cobra, no particular history there however, except an English connection.

Value? Risky as to re-sale, build it for yourself for your enjoyment.

Bear in mind, Ed, was a professional street rod and Cobra builder at the time of the DV's creation.

[Brent Mills]

Ed let me drive the first one down the 1/8th mile track at DVSF2. Completely different car. Manners yet gobs of torque. It really was a hoot to drive and I appreciate Ed allowing me that opportunity.

[Excaliber]

Torque you say?
Heres a pic of the worlds most powerful hand gun, er, 9" rear sitting behind Ed's Viper V-10. Twisted like a pretzel it was.

[BossCER]

Viper motors are V10's

[Michael4yah]

Seeing that V10 shoehorned into that Classic Cobra with its tiny footboxes makes me think that maybe a larger Cobra would do the deed in better style. I love the looks of a 90 in cobra but for the sake of argument, what would you say to a Viper V10 in a West Coast Cobra? Are its dimensions and LARGER appearance something you could live with as long as you had a V10 under the hood?

Hey Ernie, how much was Double Venom offered to you for?
Michael

[Excaliber]

Oops!!! I stand corrected, of course they are V-10! I've had several Jaguar V-12's and over reached. In fact my e-mail used to be ClubV12.

[CobraDan]

http://www.hunterscobrakits.homestead.com/

Randy Hunter put a Viper V10 into one of his cars for a customer. The car was at the 4th LCS and was for sale.

[CHRIS DAMSCH]

Are you going to London Cobra Show this weekend?

There is one Everett Morrison from the Chicago area with a Viper V-10 in it.

This isn't a LWB Cobra. It is a tight squeeze though. The owner is over 6' tall too.

Torque Monster

[427 S/O]

Why not used a ford V10, not sure of the HP mods but I'll Bet there out there.

[JGC]

If the Viper engine didn't sound like a Triumph humping a Volkswagen I would say go for it.

I think it was Lamborghini's little joke on Dodge suggesting the Viper engine fire two cylinders at a time. They had to know how bad it would sound.

Now, if someone would make a new crank and cam you could wind up with a sweet engine.


JGC

[lovehamr]

Originally Posted by JGC

If the Viper engine didn't sound like a Triumph humping a Volkswagen I would say go for it.

BaaaaaaaaaaHaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[CHRIS DAMSCH]

That's Hilarious..............Triumph humping a VW.

I'm using that one............

[Velox]

Originally Posted by JGC

If the Viper engine didn't sound like a Triumph humping a Volkswagen I would say go for it. JGC

He is absolutely correct. I tried everything on my Viper GTS hoping to change or reduce the incredibly droning and obnoxious exhaust sound. Headers, Corsa catback, different cats, nothing helped. Until you have driven a Viper (or a viper v-10 powered vehicle) you have no idea how terrible they sound, JMHO

[CobraDan]

Other engine options

[Aussie Mike]

It wouldn't detract from the value down here. We stick all sorts of different motors in. I'm waiting for all the purists to chime in and give this as much flack as me putting an LS1 in mine.

I heard the Viper V10 powered DV2 at DVSF2 and thought it sounded odd. Great looking car and well engineerwd but that engine note would take some getting used to for me.

The V10s in F1 used to sound pretty good. I guess you'd have to rev your Viper V10 to 18K RPM to get the same thing. You probably wouldn't be able to hear the engine note after the loud bang though.

Cheers

[Wayne Maybury]

I thought that Ed's DV-2 looked great but the sound was terrible. The sound was so bad that I thought that he had a problem with it. I changed my mind about the problem with the engine later on, when he did a burn out.

Wayne

[Double Venom]

Sound:
I always said a Viper sounded like a John Deere tractor on Steroids! That is until the engine was exhausted through true custom headers and then through straight through bullitt built (by me) side pipes!.
DVII was built strictly for SCCA and racing. Different exhaust and it did sound wimpy-but

West Coast Cobra? Good luck- DV II was built, raced and driven by a gentleman (Nick) that was just a fraction over 6'4, 130 (+/-). The car was built with full sized Recaro high back racing seats and Nick had to move the seat forward to reach the custom Tilton pedal set-up.
My suggestion is to go with a CR cobra, it IS the only one on the market (at least at the time) the Viper V10 AND the T-56- 6-spd and bellhousing will fit in to and then only with a slight customization of the inner frame rails.

Ford TRUCK V-10?, Why not the Dodge V-10? Because neither of them have even the remotest torque and speed of the Viper V-10. And the Viper V10 is hundreds of pounds lighter. In fact the Viper V-10 vs the Ford 460 with all attached hardward is HUNDREDS of pounds heavier than the Viper V10.

To answer the next questions; all testing was done at the Honda of Marysville Ohio test tack and National Trail Dragstrip in Columbus, Ohio. Much of the minor mods were done that were suggested by "Roger" of the Honda track, speed "open" at the limit of our speed limit of 157 mph-same as Run N Gun on the back straight from turn 4 down the front straight into the chicane. (NOT even close to a WOT speed!
100' Official Skid Pad- Roger-Honda of Marysville OVER 1.3 an amazing number, especially when we started out with virgin suspension wimpy at .79!

Drag numbers with a pure stock Viper V-10, EXCEPT exhaust, (my stock exhaust was used) with street M&H tires; 11:00 flat in the 1/4 mile @ 128 to 133-(Track officials kindley warned me that if we broke 11's my 4-point bar would be considered invalid, we would have to mount a parachute, etc. etc... But, then they would allow me to run the wheelie bars!

Randy Hunter: I talked to Randy about his V-10 exsclusively, turns out he insists he didn't build it and had nothing to do with it! The fellas that did were "warned" about calling it a "Double Venom" years ago at one of the original Flings. As far as I know they have never sold it and may still be the same one they have been trying to sell ???

Run N Gun, first time out set a new track record by over 2 full + seconds, took first in our class and in fact the times and speeds would have put us up with Gary Priorea (sp) first place winner Class A (?) unlimited!
In fact the people couldn't believe the times and the speed!
"THEY" protested to the judges of the track that we were running illegal tires! "They" came up to me, impounded the car figuratively speaking until the tires would be checked out! I believe it was "Wayne Maybury" (?) who inspected the tires and started to laugh hysterically! Tires: Cooper 255x60x16's M&S !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do you know what that means? "M&S" means mud and snow tires from the factory! And we won our class and set track records- Need I say more about Cooper Tires?

Gentlemen, by ALL means build your Cobra your way but please don't call it a "DV" or Double Venom" cobra. The Cobra people/famly named this car and if it isn't obvious I am very proud of what we (IT) has done.

Ed/DV Combs

PS: Ernie, If I was still active I'd have to hire you! : That 9" rear end pinion your showing came out of the car as shown at National Trails raceway right in front of the officials and "JEGS" himself while we were racing in the "Chrysler Classic Nationals"-racing Vipers! They said they had seen rear ends destroyed many times before but never had been housing twisted in half! I'm still using the "ring & pinion" to this day-3:55's if your'e interested.