Help with Kit and Engine Selection

[rhrose]

I'm really new to this and hope I don't ask a stupid question. I would like the advise of your knowledge and experience in selecting a engine for my Cobra before I order a kit car.. I want a bad ass street motor, but one that is still reliable enough for every day driving. Would appreciate your recommendations AND web sites of professional and reliable engine builders. While I'm at it I would appreciate your opinons and recommendations on the best kit car manufacturer - if you don't mind sharing your opinions in print. Thanks in advance

[BT SNAKE]

RHRose,
I assume that you intend on puttin a chevy in your snake. If
so I would recommend the LS6. There's more power per
cubic inch than any motor out there. It is also a very good
daily driver and the gas mileage won't kill you either.
The best kit depends on how big your wallet is and
which style of cobra you like. ( 289FIA, 427SC, slabside, etc.)
It also makes a difference as to your building skills. Some kits
are a little easier to build than others. A good rule of thumb
is the less you pay the more you have to do.
Use the search function here and you will get all kinds of
info on the various kits.

Hersh

[ERA535]

Hersh:

Have you ever spent any time in the diplomatic corp?

Pat

[superman]

Check out The Engine Shop for the hardcore motown 427 and 415. They will supposedly run on pump gas, produce 500 hp, and come with a warranty. I sadly have no real experience with one of these engines other than hearsay, but what I have heard so far has been great. What kind of tranny are you going to run?

Superman

[Tommy]

My primary advice is to keep up the research for a while before you buy anything. For example, a common new-guy mistake is to assume that a 500 HP engine is always better than a 400 HP engine. The problem is that one can build a very high horsepower racing engine optimized to run at 6,000 to 7,000 RPM that is hard to start, idles poorly and difficult to drive around town at cruising speed. The best engine for someone who will do a mix of cruising, drag racing, autocross racing, etc. will need to offer a balance between torque, horsepower and ease of use.

I like the LS6 advice for power and weight, but that is a relatively expensive and complex fuel injected engine that will require additional components (e.g., oxygen sensor, high pressure fuel system, roll-over protection). A simpler carbureted crate engine would be cheaper and likely easier to maintain.

Good luck with your hunt for the right car.

[superman]

Does anyone know anyone with a buick 455 in a cobra? I had a 70 GSX and was consistantly amazed at that engines power and flexability. I beleive they were only rated at 360 hp or so in the Stage 1 package.

[Jack21]

Which kit & engine should I buy? Hmmmm. Which woman should I marry? The answer is that complex, and subjective, and will change as time goes by.

The good news is there are probably more Cobras, and Cobra specialists in the Dallas - Ft. Worth area than anywhere else in the world. Go to their events and see for yourself what you like, and don't like.

We can tell you what we like, fill your head with opinions, facts, figures, websites to check, and phone numbers. But it's your money, your car, and your choice. Step one, is becoming an educated consumer. Step two, is defining realistic goals for your intended use. You came to the right place for Cobras 101.

[scratch]

rhrose,
I wanted to build a replica from scratch, so I purchased a fiberglass body shell (now defunct company) and had a custom frame built under it. I'm a frustrated aerospace engineer and I really enjoyed designing a lot of tech into the project, including aircraft hardware and reading up on road-race car design...even though it is a street set-up...

I had a new ZZ4 Chevy crate motor setting in a corner of the garage and dropped that into the equation, which meant custom headers ($) and a Muncie 4 speed, which I happened to also own.

@ 360 hp, and VERY lightwgt (2100#) - all I can say is I don't know how anyone could handle much more power/wgt than this. I know, I know...more is better but jez how fast do you want to be going when you die?

One word of caution, the "purists" across this great land will scorn you for many things above, (proper engine, true frame, wrong this or that...) but in the final analysis...it is your project and you can build it however you desire...it's a replica.

The only "purists" out there are the 300 or so original owners, and the rest are replica builders. However, many are built superior than the originals!

I also hear that "non" exact built cars ultimately sell for less, so I was careful to buy all the proper hardware (brightwork, seats, dash components, etc.) to minimize this...

If the next owner insists...I will offer to "yank-out" the well-tuned Chevy motor and trans and still sell it for top dollar when the sad day arrives...(I'll be 80 before I give away this much fun...)

Also, consider what you really plan to do with the car...race?, get coffee on Sat morning? drive 200 or 2,000 miles a month? That is how to determine what type of car to build/purchase...

With the money I have in mine, I probably should have bought a "turn-key" But remember if financed = cost 2X as much.

Good luck...
Do it right for your own pride and safety. It's a real blast to own one of these fast bastards...

scratch

[Bowtie]

When building the engine, consider using aluminum heads...they will allow you to bump your compression up a full point without detonation due to the heat dissapation characteristics of the head material. With the slightly higher compression, you can go a little milder on the cam and maintain high HP while improving drivability (good brake assist, lower and smoother idle speed, etc.) For a daily driver, a mid-range roller valve train and a vacuum secondary 850 holley suits the BBC nicely. I've had good luck with stock large-field coil GM starters (check the field input connector...if it is on the 'fat' part of the starter, it is a small field.. ir it is on the 'narrower' part of the starter housing, it is a large field). The biggest thing, however, is DO NOT skimp on the heads... that's where you will get the biggest gain in performance. Example...try running really fast while sucking air through a straw...lol. Good luck in your decision...