Lykins Motorsports 496FE Build...
 

It's been a few months since I've focused on a particular build on Club Cobra, so I thought I would highlight this 496FE that is in between the planning and procurement stages.

This build is for a mid-Atlantic area Club Cobra member. He had contacted me a month or so ago to ask for advice on changing valve springs, and after he started doing some routine maintenance, he found out that things were a little worse for wear. We tossed around some options and he finally decided that he was just going to take the bull by its horns and go with a new engine.

His previous build was a 427 with some Stage 2 Keith Craft cylinder heads, a Tunnel Wedge, and a solid roller camshaft. His requirements for the new build include making a lot of horsepower (duh) and putting the powerband pretty far up into the rpm range. I normally don't like to do that for customers with street car builds, but I made an exception here. His previous engine was aimed at 7200-7300 rpm shift points, so he is very well accustomed to the low-end manners and maintenance schedules that a high strung engine would have.

With all that in mind, we'll get to the good stuff.

I'll be replacing his short block with a fresh piece based on a Pond aluminum block, a forged Scat crankshaft, Diamond pistons, and a set of Callies rods. Bore and stroke will be 4.310" x 4.250". 496 cubes.

I called Keith and told him to be expecting a set of Stage 2 heads in the mail, along with a Tunnel Wedge intake. The plan is to take the Stage 2's, snag some new valves, and do a Stage 3 upgrade. The Tunnel Wedge will be massaged to match. Once the heads are finished, then I can flow them, choose a camshaft, and order some pistons.

My workload is quite heavy right now, but as always, I will update the build thread as parts/info trickles in. Going to be using a lot of specialized, high $$$ parts in this build, so I promise there will be eye candy for everyone to see.

BTW, for now, my customer has decided to remain anonymous, but I'm sure that when the pictures roll in, he will surely lay claim to them....;)

Looking forward to seeing this one come together!

Cool... Post lots and post often. Plz. :D

Wow, sounds like a heck of an engine. Congratulations to you both. It seems that even if torque peaks quite a bit earlier, an engine like that could potentially put out upwards of 700 HP. Are you using a carb for this build?

Yep, two of 'em. :)

I have to ask. Will the engine be zippy or zippier? :LOL:

Question. Is the Pond block max'ed out at 496ci? And is the Shelby block max'ed out at 527ci?

With this kind of horsepower, it will be towards the zippier side of things. :)

The aluminum Pond block is maxed out at a 4.310" bore. The cast iron Pond block will go way out past that, towards the 4.400" numbers. The Shelby block is done at 4.375" I believe.

He and I actually had a lengthy discussion about bore sizes and weighed the pros/cons. Given the goal, we decided to head this direction. I will also have lifter bore bushings put in, to help with lifter stability/lifter bore integrity at the lift numbers that we will be using.

Build
 

What will CR be and are you setting up for 93 octane or 110 leaded

We will be setting up for pump gas (93 octane). Will probably be in the 10.7-10.8 range.

When you write "His requirements for the new build include making a lot of horsepower (duh) and putting the powerband pretty far up into the rpm range. I normally don't like to do that for customers with street car builds..." how does the car drive at low RPMs? Meaning, can you putter through town at 2000RPM or does it misbehave way down low like that?

They won't lug down low like a street-cammed engine would and really don't start making big power until the upper rpm range.

No, forget power for the moment. If you just want to go slowly through town, in stop and go traffic, how is that engine going to do?

They won't lug down low.....I wouldn't expect it to let you cruise through downtown at 1800 rpm. It would probably buck your brains out. We're talking about a camshaft with probably 270 or more degrees duration at .050" on a short LSA.

That's what I thought. Does he plan to drive it on the street much?

Yep. His previous engine had the same temperament.

There's nothing really malicious about it, you just keep it in a gear that will keep the engine happy. These bigger engines still make hp and torque way down low, but they're just not very efficient off-idle.

I know my engine isn't as radical, but it is a solid roller build that favors higher RPM (up to about 7k). It's completely drivable at low speeds. As Brent says, it just doesn't like to cruise at less than 2k RPM (not a problem). One of the things I like about this type of engine is that it is relatively tame and controllable at lower RPMs, but you can get the power when you need it.

Hey Brent-

In your first post you mentioned a Scat forged crank. Is this a new development, or did i miss something a while ago?

They've been out a few years now, available in 3.980", 4.125", and 4.250" strokes.

Most FE's don't need them at all. With the rpms and horsepower this one will make, it was insurance.

Crankshaft is ordered and hopefully 4-6 weeks from now I'll be posting some pictures of a fully custom Scat crank...forged....lightened, and even sporting some SBC rod journals. ;)

How about some Pond prep in the meantime......?