390 FE Edelbrock Power Package

[moore_rb]

Originally Posted by blykins

The con here is that I've tried to put similar packages together for Cobra guys and never got a nibble.... That may be a function of horsepower or it may be a function of foreseeable resale value.

Originally Posted by 66gtk

When I was looking to buy a well equipped Cobra a while back one of the "experts" told me that because it had a 390 in it, it was likely done "on the cheap". I'm glad I ignored that comment/advice. The Cobra was FAR from a cheap build and the 390 sounded completely awesome and it went like stink. The car was/is excellent. You can make a great 390 based motor, but for some reason there will always be a collection of people who think it has a farm truck motor in it.

I totally agree with both of these comments, and they also make me shake my head- It is an unfortunate truth that someone will denigrate a car over the number of cubic inches the engine displaces, when from the outside, a 390 is visually indistinguishable from a 427.

A smartly built 390, using today's aluminum heads and better cam technology, delivers you an engine that makes just as much power (or more) as the dual-carb 428's that Shelby was putting in street Cobra's in the late 60's, and it will burn less fuel, to boot (not that we care about such things... )

I say use what you've got - You won't be disappointed.

Originally Posted by 120mm

OK, as I research, I realize I have more to learn.

Just doing a casual online search (amazing the difference between pre-internet and post-internet engine builds) I may need to deal with lifter lubrication issues either way, as they hydraulic lifters evidently have an oil passage drilled in the block. Don't know/remember if mine has that.

Also, I hear a rumor that the expansion tank needs to be different on a Cobra and those are $$$. I'm sure there will be more surprises....

If your engine is an original solid lifter engine, then it is probably easiest to just leave it in solid lifter configuration. If it was/is a later FE designed for a hydraulic cam, then you can go either way...

IMHO, the sound factor with solid lifter engines is really only a factor when the engine is cold - a fully warmed up solid cam engine sounds no different to a casual ear, than an equivalent hydraulic cam engine with the same amount of valve overlap (pro engine builders might be able to tell the difference, but who are you trying to impress?).

Just keep the lobe separation angle on your cam nice and tight (112 degrees or less) and the duration above 230 degrees at .050, and your engine will have a nice, choppy lope at idle...even if it's hydraulic.

The expansion tank question is simply a matter of how "original and authentic looking" you want the car to be. For pure functionality, you could use an aftermarket expansion tank without any worries...