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  #21 (permalink)  
Old 10-15-2011, 06:24 PM
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I agree, a mild 390 or 428 FE is great for your purpose and for the street. Put a little bigger cam in for that rumble we all want in a cobra. You'll be happy with it.

The one in my post on pg.2, would be great for you. Sell the 2x4 and get a single carb., Edelbrock RPM intake.
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Last edited by FUNFER2; 10-15-2011 at 06:28 PM..
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  #22 (permalink)  
Old 10-15-2011, 06:27 PM
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The cheapest, stripped-down, 428FE on Southern Automotive is $9,000. I wouldn't buy from them, personally, but that's beside the point. My point was not that you can't have an FE built for a cheap price, you just shouldn't.

EDIT -- I can't find prices on Keith's or Barry's sites....

Last edited by patrickt; 10-15-2011 at 06:29 PM..
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  #23 (permalink)  
Old 10-15-2011, 06:30 PM
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What I'm afraid of is, especially with a mild 390, the car will only seem too fast for about six weeks. If I can put the pedal to the floor and hold it there and wish it had more, it's not fast enough. A 428 CJ could do it, or as I said, a center oiler 427.

Last edited by Flygirl; 10-15-2011 at 06:33 PM..
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  #24 (permalink)  
Old 10-15-2011, 06:34 PM
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Boy, how do they stay in business for 9k, with a stripped down 428 ?,....wow.

"you just shouldn't". What ever my friend.

I had 6k in my 428 FE as is ran in the car, with all the performance parts, polished everything on the motor ect. 500 hp.
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  #25 (permalink)  
Old 10-15-2011, 06:37 PM
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Originally Posted by FUNFER2 View Post
Boy, how do they stay in business for 9k, with a stripped down 428 ?,....wow.

"you just shouldn't". What ever my friend.

I had 6k in my 428 FE as is ran in the car, with all the performance parts, polished everything on the motor ect. 500 hp.
Then check this recent thread by Brent. A 450HP 390FE for $12K. Complete 390FE Engine, Quicktime, TKO 600 Package, Under $12500 Would you say that was a fair price?
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  #26 (permalink)  
Old 10-15-2011, 06:41 PM
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I think blykins undercuts all the major FE builders on this forum. Brent, can you build her a 450HP, reliable, street based turnkey 428FE for under, say, ten grand?
Turn-key? I'd have to figure it up and see. If you wanted to use a true 428 block, it would be pushing it. My turn-key stuff is truly turn-key though....while others lack fuel lines, plug wires, PCV valves, blah blah blah. I'd say it would be closer to $11-12k depending on what options are ordered.

I would be very apprehensive about any FE build for $3-4k though. The prep and machining alone for my FE builds (on the block alone) usually runs $700-800 by itself.
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  #27 (permalink)  
Old 10-15-2011, 06:42 PM
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What you have to remember is, the cobra is almost half the weight as a Camaro, Mustang ect. So the same HP & TQ is pretty fast in our light weight Cobra's. Listen to my 428 FE. Fairly mild in the build.

I only made these for the buyer of my engine. 415 hp rwhp. $6k spent on the entire engine, including machining. My point, there's no reason to spend that 9k on a great performing and fun HP/TQ 428 FE.

For buyer of my engine #2 - YouTube

For buyer of my engine #7 - YouTube
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Last edited by FUNFER2; 10-15-2011 at 06:45 PM..
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  #28 (permalink)  
Old 10-15-2011, 06:45 PM
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Flygirl,

I would look at a stroked 390. Skip the expensive blocks and go with a simple 390 block with a stroker kit - 445ci. Getting 500-550 hp is not hard with this combination. It will perform the way you want and it won't be as costly as trying to find a good usable 427 block.
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  #29 (permalink)  
Old 10-15-2011, 06:52 PM
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Sounds good from what I can tell from the videos, especially the idle. Sound quality doesn't do it justice sometimes, though.
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  #30 (permalink)  
Old 10-15-2011, 06:53 PM
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Originally Posted by Flygirl View Post
What I'm afraid of is, especially with a mild 390, the car will only seem too fast for about six weeks. If I can put the pedal to the floor and hold it there and wish it had more, it's not fast enough. A 428 CJ could do it, or as I said, a center oiler 427.

A well built 390 with a mild cam and the right components will roast the tires on the street. Even a moderate built 428 will overwhelm the independent rear suspension in an ERA, especially with 15" wheels if you go authentic on wheels. I went a little to radical on my 428 the first go-around, and (honestly) felt my previous 428 with 100 less horsepower was just about as fast when it was able to hook up. You have to remember, this is a 2500lbs car with an FE in it, with a 90" wheelbase, and going too radical on the street can actually be dangerous. Talk to Peter and Bob, and really listen. We've all been through it. It all becomes 20/20 after you've been through a few cars and motors. I've seen people spend $25K on a "great" motor and completely miss the boat in other areas and wind up with something no better or faster at the track or on the 1/4 mile.
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  #31 (permalink)  
Old 10-15-2011, 06:58 PM
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I think the primary reason I want a 427 or 428 is so that I can know that's what's under the hood and pretend I'm in a real Cobra. It's more of my trip, really, and I also don't want to say "390" when someone asks. I know, that's vain.

I definitely will take Peter's advice when I speak with him. And yes, planning 15" wheels.

The five speed trans is a good idea, though.

Like I said, on one hand I want to be period correct in as many ways as possible; on the other, it's a replica anyway. So, if I were to have one built, why not make changes that will result in a car that makes sense for me?

Last edited by Flygirl; 10-15-2011 at 07:05 PM..
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  #32 (permalink)  
Old 10-15-2011, 06:59 PM
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Brent- did you see the example 428 that I posted ?

I would of course, not over rate, or undercut you as a engine builder, and your price for 500 + HP, almost ready to run for 10-12k is good. But like I said, for a basic 428 with a healthy sounding cam, there's no need to have that kind of money wraped up in it.

Flygirl- Since Shelby/Ford used 428 FE's in the street cobras, having one if your cobra is still correct.
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Last edited by FUNFER2; 10-15-2011 at 07:02 PM..
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  #33 (permalink)  
Old 10-15-2011, 07:01 PM
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Originally Posted by FUNFER2 View Post
I would of course, not over rate, or undercut you as a engine builder, and your price for 500 + HP, almost ready to run for 10-12k is good. But like I said, for a basic 428 with a healthy sounding cam, there's no need to have that kind of money wraped up in it.
Indeed. You can clearly have a POS engine built for considerably less.
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  #34 (permalink)  
Old 10-15-2011, 07:06 PM
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Patrick- are you saying my 500 HP 428,.... was a piece of crap ?

Have you seen & heard mine ?

Click on my engine link I posted and listen.

Clearly,......you don't know what the hell you're talking about.
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  #35 (permalink)  
Old 10-15-2011, 07:08 PM
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Patrick- are you saying my 500 HP 428,.... was a piece of crap ?

Have you seen & heard mine ?

Clearly,......you don't know what the hell you're talking about.
Didn't you have your engine built by Pops Performance? The threads regarding his builds over on the FE forum certainly raise an eyebrow....

Edit: FE Forum is here: 332-428 Ford FE Engine Forum

Last edited by patrickt; 10-15-2011 at 07:24 PM..
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  #36 (permalink)  
Old 10-15-2011, 07:10 PM
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Brent- did you see the example 428 that I posted ?

I would of course, not over rate, or undercut you as a engine builder, and your price for 500 + HP, almost ready to run for 10-12k is good. But like I said, for a basic 428 with a healthy sounding cam, there's no need to have that kind of money wraped up in it.

Flygirl- Since Shelby/Ford used 428 FE's in the street cobras, having one if your cobra is still correct.
The one for $4995? Yes, I saw it. I personally would be cautious of a 428 FE built for that price. Also, you'll notice that it's lacking a lot of key components; components that will add up very quickly: carbs, harmonic balancer, fuel pump, distributor cap, plug wires, pulleys, brackets, air cleaner, etc, etc.
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Last edited by blykins; 10-15-2011 at 07:13 PM..
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  #37 (permalink)  
Old 10-15-2011, 07:14 PM
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Sounds good from what I can tell from the videos, especially the idle. Sound quality doesn't do it justice sometimes, though.
Yep, good speakers , not normal computer one's, are needed to hear every engine.

I have like 9 different vids to listen to. Just follow them on my page.
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  #38 (permalink)  
Old 10-15-2011, 07:17 PM
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Your wish list sounds very similar to the street version ERA I'm currently building, although I'm sticking a little closer to pure street. ERA has an undercar exhaust option with headers. Only problem is they recommend their standard rear suspension (in-board brakes) and the tail pipes are 2 inches dia. I was OK with the standard suspension but 2 inch tail pipes would just strangle a healthy stroked 428. The wheel and tire situation complicates the tailpipe clearance issue. I purchased the standard halibrand replica style wheels from Vintage in the 7.5 and 9.5 inch widths because repro street style Sunburst wheels were not readily available yet. To allow enough room for 2-1/2 inch tailpipes I'm going to run a 255-60/15 tire on the rear - which is a little marginal for that size wheel. It looks like I will have around 3-1/4 inch clearance to snake the 2-1/2 inch tail pipes through.

ERA has another approach as an option. If someone wants to run a steet style 7-1/2 inch wheel on the rear, they can modify the rear track to widen it slightly which moves the narrower wheel and tire package out in the wheel well a little further. Peter's ERA street car has this done to it. Some like the change and some don't. This has the added benefit it that it would also create a little more room for tailpipes.

I plan to run Spintech mufflers on my car which are only 3 inches deep. They should hang just about even with the bottom of the frame or slightly below.

On the motor if you plan to run a smooth hood w/o scoop you need to plan ahead. These FE motors get me confused with the interchangeability issues between LR, MR and HR top ends but generally I believe you will need to stick with LR top end parts. It's possible that MR heads can be used with a LR intake - I would have to go refresh my memory to be certain one way or the other. Keith Craft built my motor as basically a near visual replica of an original dual quad Cobra motor. It has low riser high performance steel heads that he ported and polished and installed larger valves in. They are basically the same as early 406/427 LR or 428 Cobra Jet heads. I found an early 427 LR aluminum dual quad intake and had it refinished and Keith provided the Holleys and original air cleaners. You can check with Bob or Peter at ERA but I think any MR intake will require a hood scoop. If going with a single quad carb, then a 428 Cobra Jet intake in aluminum would be a good choice. Forget the turkey pan unless using a hood scoop. I did use a 428 service block with a stroker crank for 460 ci and medium hydraulic flat tappet cam. It's a little low for me but he didn't want to build any higher than 9.0 compression with the steel heads. I have a Corvette with a wild L88 motor in it - I wanted something this time that is a little more streetable. It still made 470 HP and 535 ft lbs of torque.

Not being a slave to a completely accurate Street Cobra will help you hold your budget down some. Some of the details for authentic appearance can start to add up - fuel filler, motor, wheels, bumpers, engine trim, ect.

I highly recommend ERA - they are excellent to work with. I'm doing my own body and paint work but from what I've heard, the deals they can work for painting your car are a good value.

Good luck
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  #39 (permalink)  
Old 10-15-2011, 07:17 PM
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Originally Posted by FUNFER2 View Post
Yep, good speakers , not normal computer one's, are needed to hear every engine.
I was wearing high fidelity headphones. I think setting the camera on the seat wasn't helping matters any, and the part with the car idling in the garage just didn't make sense to me, with the sound echoing off those freshly finished walls. Editing would definitely help; my Mac came with free software that makes that possible.

__________

Dan, thanks for the input. I would go with the scoop, riveted. I like the way it looks from the driver's seat.

Not sure about the narrower wheels in back. I've seen some cars where the fenders don't seem to be filled by the rear tires, and that doesn't look so good to me. Would have to get more information on that and see pics.

The 390 or 428 would not be stroked, and I think a single 4bbl would be fine, like I said with the turkey pan. This isn't going to be a high RPM, race engine. If I lose some top end horsepower, I don't think that'd be a huge issue. And it'd be even more okay the first time my mom gets into the car and doesn't burn herself on the side pipes.

I won't be a slave to the ultimate period correct car, but I don't want to stray too far, either. I'm sure with some more info I could balance price and correctness, and come up with something nice.

__________

I'm not going for a show car, I've driven Porsches and gotten them to the point where they were so perfect that the whole object of each outing was to get the car back into the garage without the smallest stone chip, or getting the chassis dirty.

This car—or a used one, if I were to go that route—will be driven and enjoyed, and will see much of California and perhaps the West Coast, too. And it won't have a bra on the front or spats or anything, it'll develop a driven patina and that's just the way I like it.

Last edited by Flygirl; 10-15-2011 at 07:38 PM..
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  #40 (permalink)  
Old 10-15-2011, 07:20 PM
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Maybe it's you location, like housing costs, but many GOOD,........428's here in the midwest sell for under 6k.

"lacking a lot of key components; components that will add up very quickly: carbs, harmonic balancer, fuel pump, distributor cap, plug wires, pulleys, brackets, air cleaner, etc, etc."

Do you sell yours with all these extra components for the 11-12k ?
Not unless it's a RTR crate engine,....right ?
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