5.4L into cobra

[Devo]

Hello Members,
i am contemplating building a cobra this year and was wondering if anyone had ever fitted or thought about fitting a 5.4L DOHC FORD Modular engine into a cobra and are there any issues with height and width.
Thanks David

[Aussie Mike]

There are a couple of manufacturers gearing up for this motor. I think DRB may have done one and Laurie Bongalias is doing one.

They are a huge motor and make for a very tight squeeze in a Cobra engine bay. There's quite a few arround with the older 4.6 and they are a snug fit. The 5.4 has a taller deck height on it's block making the motor even wider.

Cheers

[G1947]

G'day Devo
You didn't mention which state you are from, DRB in Queensland have a new model designed to take the 5.4L Engine, so all us NSW people don't have to put LS1's in our Fords.
If you phone Peter Ransom at DRB (07 38072480) he will give you all the details. Best time to call is around 5.00pm, he is always busy through the day.
Regards
Garry

[Devo]

Thanks Gary,
I,m from Victoria and I still can,t believe they put Ls1's (piston slappers) in Fords

[G1947]

Well Devo, I want a Cobra, and the only way I can have one in NSW is to put an LS1 in it, so that is what I will use. No different to building a Hot Rod, really, lots of old Fords running around with Bow Tie's in them.

Oh, and as far as the LS1 being a "piston slapper", my daily driver is a VT Series II SS Commondoor, which we have had from new. It now has 285,000 k's on it, and has not had a spanner on the engine other than being serviced every 10,000k's. Has had one new diff and one transmission in that time, and is just about due for another tranny now.

My Cobra will be a daily driver, so I am going to duplicate the power train of the SS, with an LS1, 4 speed Auto, 3.08 diff, there is 100,000k's of trouble free motoring at about 11 litres per 100 kM.

Regards
Garry

[jess]

hi guys
i have heard of people putting 5.4l in but i think they tilt the motor 6 degrees to make it fit which could lead to other issues
cheers
jess

[Devo]

Sorry to get you offside Garry.The way your original post was worded it sounded like you were a ford lover. You have been very fortunate with your VT SS compared to alot of my friends.

[G1947]

Sorry Devo, I did not mean to sound offside, but you only hear the bad stories about LS1's, not the good ones. Have to remember to use the "smilies" more.
As for being a Ford lover, does having owned 2 XY GT's, 1 XB GT, 1 V6 Capri, 3 V8 Fairlanes, (all 351, 1 Windsor, 2 Clevo), 1 XC 302 that in it's later life was rebuilt as a 400hp 351, and a couple of 351 LTD's qualify me as one?
The Commondoor is the first Holden I have ever owned, and even then, I didn't buy it, my wife did, as her daily driver. When she bought herself a Mazda MX5 last year, I inherited the SS as my dd, because it was cheaper to run than my 4WD Ute, and we were only offered peanuts as a trade in because of the high mileage. It has been a great car. The LS1's are supposed to be oil burners, ours used none when it was new, and even now, with 285k, it only uses 1 litre between oil changes.
I wanted to use a Ford engine in my Cobra, and have even bought it (if you look in my gallery, you will see a 5.0L HO EFI Engine sitting on the floor of the shed), but the Government changed the rules, (my fault for taking so long to build it), and the way NSW interprets those rules, the only way I can get it registered is to go to the Dark Side, so that is what I will do. What pees me off is they are ADR's, yes AUSTRALIAN Design Rules, yet they are interpreted differently from state to state.
The Ford engine will not go to waste, it will go into a Hot Rod one day.
Regards
Garry

[400TT]

Harrison accomodates the 5.4lt as well. I heard talk of it a while back, so assume it's done by now.

I've seen 5.4lt in a DRB...holy cow. 5.4lt looks huge just sitting on the ground, let alone shoe-horned into a Cobra. And we thought Lexus V8 was a big engine, the 5.4lt is over 100m wider.

Can't see much merit in the 5.4lt though, it's just one heavy lump of an engine, with it's cast iron block. It's significantly heavier than the smaller alloy 4.6lt. 5.4lt is for the die-hards.

[Beejay]

A Cobra is not a Ford, especially not the ones we have to build these days....

Ben

[NASSTY]

Originally Posted by Beejay

A Cobra is not a Ford, especially not the ones we have to build these days....

Ben

A can of worms............
too late it's been opened!

Devo, yes the 5.4 dohc fits just. I have seen two builds using them. I too was going to use one ( I also seriously considered a LS1 too) until my engine was advertised for sale. However, in Vic you will not be able to use any windsors with the current rules as they stand.

Have you thought about using a SOHC 5.4? I think this engine has slipped under the radar, especally in BA series II spec. It now runs a knock sensor allowing 230kw and 500nms from it. It makes torque down low unlike LS1's or Boss's. It's a bit smaller fit wise and would be awesome with a blower. Plus they're alot cheaper than a Boss. Only problem is you'll get dic#heads complaining that's it's not a Boss.

Now back to the can of worms...

All this talk of Cobras not being Fords reminds me of student politics when I was at Uni. The only people who cared were the lefties. So much so that there were a multitude of lefty factions; all with their own agendas, couldn't agree about anything, content about nothing. Yes, there was a righty group but they never won elections b/c the majority of students couldn't be bothered voting at all - they were content with student life. So the lefties got all the attention by default b/c they were the only ones that did care and did vote.

Although the More Beer Party one year came close...

[Plums]

Originally Posted by Beejay

A Cobra is not a Ford, especially not the ones we have to build these days....

Ben

With a bit of luck, my Cobra will not contain any Ford parts! My car will simply be a lightweight, LS1 powered hot rod.

I think of it more as a lightweight drag racing toy, that I can play with (read modify) to my hearts content..... I can do anything to it, 4.11 gears, crazy convertor, light carbon fibre parts, modify the nose for better aeros, anything that takes my fancy!!!

[NASSTY]

Originally Posted by Plums

With a bit of luck, my Cobra will not contain any Ford parts!

Plums it's too late for me.

Motor - Ford
Trannie - Ford
Suspension - Jag; but Ford now own Jag so I guess it's really Ford
Steering Column & switches - Mazda but hang on a sec... Ford owns Mazda too so, Ford
Pedels - Ford

[Rebel1]

I'm not sayin nuffin.

I made a new years resolution not to give the ch...che...you know, the dark side fellas a hard time.

I know that underneath their collective unobtainium metal body armour beat a multitude of FORD hearts. Not all of em....but a lot.

I said to one of their bretheren the other day....why the hell did ya use that asthmatic piston slappin LS1 when you could'da used a proper engine and got a LS2 which puts out plus 300kw?. What about the 6ltr. iron block gen 111 says I?. If ya gonna blow the thing the iron block in the gen 111 will take heaps more abuse than the recycled beer cans that make up the LS1 and 2. and it only weighs about 65 lbs heavier.

Soooooo...in the end I figured that even amongst their own kind they were just as confused about what to use as the FORD fellas.

So there ya go....I'm not gonna beat up on em, nor beat up on their choice of engine .....I'm just gonna accept that they are confused little puppies.

[Gav]

So touchy those Ford guys
Is it OK if I bring up that bit about Carrol Shelby approaching Chev first

[stephen low]

Hey Gav it's ok to mention it, but remember to mention that GM did rejected him as well! Mind you it was only because they though they were on a winner with the Vet being the real deal - you can't always be right!!

Nassty, you didn't happen to go to Chisholm did you, I think I recall a "More beer party" or perhaps it was the "Save the llama" party I remember joining. Never mind I am sure it would certainly have made my uni days cheaper at the pub!!!

On to cars, these days it seems you have to do what you have to do, if you want to road register these beasties but the whole issue does beg the question why the f... we can't get our **** together and attempt like the hot rod fraternity to get some sensibility into our engineering approval system via the road authorities.

Seems our professional cobra builders/suppliers, though not liking the changes are just going with the flow. I reckon its time to show some brass one's and challenge the regulators. I have been on that side of the fence, and know first hand how bad the bureaucratic types can get if they are not lateral thinkers, and most aren't or at least can't bend the rules as much as they might want to!!

If however we develop an avenue for them to legitimately follow under their rules, we can achieve as many concessions as we can get approved. Just a though I suppose but until we really club together on the build issues the national and state authorities are just going to make it harder and harder.

Almost as hard as trying to decide whether to go the dark side in a Ford backed car!!

Food for thought, I hope!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Gav]

Ahhhhh
Always a reaction with that one liner!

[Rebel1]

hahaha...nuh Gav, but you are right, chev was Shelbys first choice.

I'm just stirrin the pot. Take little notice of what I write.

Cheers Mate

[Rebel1]

Originally Posted by stephen low

On to cars, these days it seems you have to do what you have to do, if you want to road register these beasties but the whole issue does beg the question why the f... we can't get our **** together and attempt like the hot rod fraternity to get some sensibility into our engineering approval system via the road authorities.

Seems our professional cobra builders/suppliers, though not liking the changes are just going with the flow. I reckon its time to show some brass one's and challenge the regulators. I have been on that side of the fence, and know first hand how bad the bureaucratic types can get if they are not lateral thinkers, and most aren't or at least can't bend the rules as much as they might want to!!

If however we develop an avenue for them to legitimately follow under their rules, we can achieve as many concessions as we can get approved. Just a though I suppose but until we really club together on the build issues the national and state authorities are just going to make it harder and harder.

Stephen, you are dead set correct. We have a situation here in Queensland wherein the door has been opened by the authorities for exactly that to happen.

But....It needs quite some work to be done by the club and sadly the Cobra club is run by volunteers, many of whom have registered cars so the heat to get things done is not a priority. Can't blame them really. it's a big enough job to manage the various clubs let alone get involved in all sorts of bureaucratic bull$hit.

But, you are right...got to happen and soon

Cheers

[ferociousfish]

It really is a double-edged sword. I, for one, being an owner of a registered vehicle, would be willing to stand up and try to get the regulations changed because I feel that, one day, I am going to have trouble reregistering it, or selling it, or buying another built one. However, I also feel that I do not want to attract attention, and have someone scrutinise my car and pull it off the road for some very minor infraction. Although I feel that my car is perfectly roadworthy and road-legal, you do hear some horror stories at events like Summernats, etc,of people being canaried for things like not having a correct centre in the steering wheel! It's that whole 'devil-you-know' thing....