patrickt- no,...no,...no lol;)
No loans for my hobbies. The only one I've ever had was for our house and I paid it off in 2001. I sold my Pro-Street Camaro and my wife's 68' Mustang for a large down payment. We agreed that after we paid the house, we would build a Hot Rod or Cobra, and we did. The same with the sprint car. If we didn't have great sponsors, we would not race. We have a "toy fund" for all the toy's, if the piggy bank is empty, we don't dig into savings.


mjmacqua- the torque also matters but, not as much because, in these light cars, a lot of torque just blows the tires off. HP is better for ME, for top speed and higher RPM's. If you have a heavy 3,100 lb car, you do need the high torque to get the car moving.

With aluminum heads, 10.5 compression is fine. I'm at 10.2 with steel heads with no detonation.

(I have to leave right now but will continue latter) :rolleyes: (wedding to attend and racing the sprint tonight. be back asap)

Your compairing apples to oranges and you've already decided on the orange.

So what are you looking for in this discussion? It's obviously the right choice for you and that's fine. There are reasons for the extra money to be spent on the aluminum engine. Is it worth $6k, well, yes.

If your not interested in originality, the 510 chevy is a pretty good choice as well...

I love the 385 series engines as a power plant. Lots of options to make good power relatively inexpensively. A better designed engine than a FE in most areas. However they are big. Too big to look right under the hood of a Cobra in my opinion. I have seen plenty and even rode in one. The ride was impressive, but they still do not look natural to me all crammed under the hood.

They look like it would be difficult to work on them, but I never tried. The close proximity of the pipes to your feet has to be hot. The longer bore centers making the block longer has to shift the ballance point further forward than an FE.

As I said I like the engine, but I just do not think it is the best pick for a Cobra. Now for all of those who have one, more power to you. I enjoy looking at them, and would like another ride in one. I hope there are always people who do something different, as it would be boring if they were all exactly the same.

The one fact you can never get away from is that most people, who see a Cobra, asks if it has a 427 in it. The FE can make plenty enough power. I guess you could even diaper the damn thing to keep it from pissing all over the garage. Love it or hate it, it sure does look and sound good.

That's my opinion, anyway. It ain't worth much.

Well in that case, the mere fact that you are asking about an FE in this thread tells me that if you don't get one now you'll always wish you did and, absent failing health (fiscal or otherwise), you'll put one in sooner or later. You should go ahead and do it now and just tell the builder what HP/TQ numbers you fancy and they are easily achievable. Remember though that as those numbers go up, the drivability and life-expectancy go down. Only 1 in 100,000 people will appreciate your FE; you will be one of them. The FE will provide you pleasure simply looking at it. It's not the best engine ever made, nor the lightest, nor the strongest, nor the most reliable -- but it's what you obviously want (I understand that) and you won't shut up about it until you get it.:p

OK, forget borrowing. How about selling your first born into slavery? :LOL:

If you can afford to borrow, then borrow, or take it out of savings or sell some stuff in the garage on eBay. Just do it. I know you want it. ;)

Weight savings, resale value, correct appearance, what else do you need to know?

There have been two post to this thread that really matter, yours is one of them. Dave made the other.

RD

When I was looking for my Cobra, I looked at a beautiful Superformance. The car was really a sight to behold, The owner who was selling didnt miss a trick, Nothing but the best, however it was powered by a a 500+ HP small block. No offense to anyone, but it just didnt "call" my name. It didnt say buy me. Then I looked at a Shelby CSX 4---. Again great looking car with "only" a 390 with only 435HP. Even though Im 100% positive the SP would have been much faster, bought the FE car. Very, very happy with no regrets.

FE's are great, but a little trickier than the 385's to make into big HP motors. But HP is really not relevant after a certain point. It's 1965 technology, not a 911 GT2, so the extra HP is just more wheelspin in most situations.

Also, I'd check the streetability of that 385. Big compression? Solid cam? Big lift cam? Roller lifters? Race heads?

If so, that's a very poor setup for longevity.

Nice attitude.

What is the problem with a couple of you ? Are you actually trying to upset me almost to the point of being rude ! It 's a very simple question and you're making this discussion tougher that it needs to be. I don't know how to make my point more straight across ?

It's easy and your making it too hard & harsh. For you two, either take a Valium or please don't reply any longer. I mean no disrespect but, you're just not getting my point where the others are.

One more time- I asked how you can beat KC's 514, with 700 HP for $10,600 vs the FE for $17,000 and much lower HP. I don't care it's it aluminum, make them both aluminum or iron as far as I care.

Decision #1

FE- for $17,000 and 580 HP
514- For $10,600 and 700 HP
Total difference = $6,400 .

Decision #1

Is the FE worth the difference in price ?

Decision #2

Is the difference in price worth having a FE for $6,400 ?

Decision #3

Other than the aluminum being lighter, why is it worth $6,400 more ?


Question #1 For the money, which engine would you buy and why,........ in detail ?

Question #2 Is the choice for you only a FE, and less HP/Torque does not matter ?

Question # 3 Would the 514 with 700 HP and the great price of $10,600 win you over and the originality not be a factor ?

As a note- if anyone can build me a FE with 700 HP, for $10,600 please let me know. That, would really turn my crank ! (like that could happen) :LOL:

Also, I think my FE sounds awesome so, what does the 514 sound like ?
And, what makes the FE sound so different ? This is my first Ford. Is it like a Big block Chevy vs a Hemi ? (Hemi sounds cool) !


So, let's quit the nick picking, be rational and not make this a augment.
I'm just wanting the pro's and con's of both. Be :cool: guy's, ok !

I bet they are.

Well, just looking at his site quickley, the 514 uses a production block, worth a couple hundred dollars, while the aluminum FE block is about $5000. I would think that makes up alot of the difference.

You hit the nail on the head with the block deal. If you built the 514 with the only aluminum block available you would spend 5500.00 more on it because of the cost of the block and head studs.
If you do the FE engine in a similiar size as the 514 like a 510C.I. FE Big Bore version with a single plain intake you would make in the 650 to 660 HP range. We just finished a 527FE engine for a customer with 10.25 to 1 compression, our Stage 3 CNC ported heads, mild custom street solid roller that was 256/262 with about .650 lift and a single plane intake that made 685 ft/lbs torque and 730HP. Granted the FE does run a little more than the 365 series but they are a lot better for the same money compared to what you use to get. We have tried to make the FE engine as nicer and more affordable than it has ever been.
We sell a lot of the 514 to 600C.I. 365 series angines to the fast street and drag racing crowd. Good luck with your project and I hope that we can help. We do have some less expensive FE engines available with cast iron blocks and less options. Thanks, Keith Craft

I agree of course, that aluminum is more expensive but, that was not really a question. What I asked was, is it worth the extra $6,600 and less HP ?
You the man Keith !

Keith, can you email me the price's of these engines ?

My point was simple, buy whatever makes you happy.

Yep, whether it's an FE, a Parker Side-by-Side, a Pine Tree Shilling, or whatever else it is your interested in, stuff like that you buy for yourself because it makes you happy. Asking for others' input on those type of buys and all you're likely to hear is "Just looks like an engine, gun, and coin to me.":rolleyes:

Yes, it's worth it. The lighter front end, by about 150 lbs +/-, will make up for some of the HP difference and make your car handle better, which echoes the sentiments of earlier comments.

And if and when you sell it, you won't have snobby people like me ignoring it becuase it has a 385 series engine in it.

No one is trying to argue just trying to answer your request for input.

That is what you were asking for, right?

If your looking for input from only those that agree with you then state so.

Fact is your stance is similar to another person around here who only wanted to justify his choices and ignore people's responses that don't share your view.

Ronbo- I've appreciated most others opinions here but, you have a tendency to be sarcastic rather than helpful. I believe my question's have been clear. If you choose not to reply with any constructive input, then you don't have to be part of this discussion, and I won't answer any further replies from you.
We have complete differences on how we approach discussions, and that's ok . Were just different people with different mindsets.
Take care.

Too all others, thank you for your positive attitude and opinions. :)

And, thank you.

Funny, seemed more like a sermon than a discussion...:rolleyes:

Sorry you don't see it but if you review your comments you'll see your trend to dismiss the FE as a stupid choice based on HP/$$. For those of us that know there's more to it than that, your opinon that it's a waste of money is insulting.

Since the point of any discussion is to learn something, perhaps you now understand why the FE costs more and is not a waste of $6k.

At least to some of us...