Typical Newbie Questions

[rickmoss]

Ugly was obviously a poor choice of words -- I was speaking to the incongruity of the modern engine in a classic car design.

The Ford Crate Engines available in the US are not significantly different in looks than their 1960's counterparts -- performance, however, is another story. Every part is easily identifiableto some like me, who last took an auto mechanics class in the early '70s, and it matches the body. They are colourful, shiny and, while that doesn't contribute a bit to the performance of the engine, it looks spectacular when you put up the bonnet at a car show.

The Cobra body is -- not just my opinion -- a classic work of mid-century art. The curves were designed to mimic the shape of a feline body without any superfluous lines or space-aged fins so popular in that era.

I personally find modern engines dull and utilitarian looking -- the notable exception being Mr. Murphy's gorgeous example above.

There are car kits that are faster than the Cobra and those that are much more expensive -- but, I personally haven't seen anything that matches the Cobra for sheer poetry -- it is speed and grace manifest in metal. So, what I am building is not just a driving machine -- but a piece of art -- so aesthetics are a crucial component.

But, the reality is, I live in Australia and have to build according to Australian road rules -- and rightly so -- so, I would appreciate any leads on where I can go for Turnkey or Crate LS Chevy Engines or street legal Ford Boss Series engines in Australia.

Thanks!

[Aussie Mike]

No offence taken Rick and in fact I agree that the stock LS1 isn't pretty. However once you peel back the plastic covers, get rid of the coils on the rockers cover and re-arange some of the plumbing there is actually a very nice looking engine under there.

It usually gives people a bit of a surprise when they look under the hood and can't quite work out what it is.

My motor started as a stock LS1 crate motor from the US Camaro/Firebird. Basically the same as the Holden LS1 but with a different sump design. There are plenty of suppliers out there with new crate engines at great prices. I'm sure some of the guys that have bought recently will chime in.

The electronics are actually pretty straight forward when you get into them. An internal combustion engine requires the same things whether it's a modern EFI engine or an older carburetored donk. The systems to control air and fuel delivery and ignition timing are just a bit more sophisticated with more accurate control in the modern engine. If you understand all the principles of an older carburettored engine then it's fairly easy to translate that into the new engines systems.

This might be a good topic for a seperate thread. An explanation of what each of the systems in an EFI engine does and how it compares to the older technology.