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

[Gav]

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

[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

[venom0427]

yeh tride it and didnt like it, tryed one last year. and it is a bloody tight fit, the only way could do it is put a very large scoop or cut the hell out of the body. i ran 2002(i think) 5.4 single and an auto, with about 300mm for the shaft and running a jag diff with the ofset......naaa. the way im going to build the next one will have to do some mager body work. posted (i think, if i can get it to work) is some picks of the car i put together last year, and sold it to a bloke out of gelong in vic

[LoBelly]

Apparently its a bit dated now

Bernie belly is apparently much slimmer but the cranium - that's another story





LoBelly

[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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[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

[NASSTY]

Originally Posted by stephen low

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!!!

Nah, went to Melb Uni

The More Beer Party would come into a lecture, usually just after it started, in a group of three, wearing ponchos and the biggest sombreros you've seen. One would play the guitar while the others attempted to sing. They were usually already pretty hammered which made the singing sound like a karaoke competition at the local. However, they always finished strongly by each member of the trio shot gunning a can of Vic.

[Gav]

Ahhhhh
Always a reaction with that one liner!

[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....

[nader]

Hi Devo,

Here are a couple of pics of my 5.4 ltr in one of Laurie Bongailas' (RCM) kits and it fits, a little tight but it's in. A bit of mucking around but i think it will all be worth it once its on the road.