I think I'm going to build my first FE

[RICK LAKE]

767 Jockey Alot of us work the cobra on a shoestring budget. TOO bad goverment can't do the same. There is NO CHEAP motor build. Bottom line is you get what you pay for. If you have NOT built a couple of motors, ( mikeing rod and mains, checking all the clearances, checking end play on cam and crank, spending 2 hours washing and using all the brushes to clean out the galleys in the block DON'T do it yourself the first time. Get a good block first. Have it checked for straightness, thickness of the cylinder walls, how much machine work may be needed. Have it boiled and cleaned to start. If the block is stock bore, it just might need a lite honeing. You may have to go to special pistons of .010 over. Crank may need to be cut 10-10 under to clean up. Rods need new rod bolts resized and checked for cracks. The whole rotating mass should get balanced. New dampener for the motor. With all this work for the crank rods and pistons, it may be cheaper to get a stroker crank kit with bearings ready to drop in the block. There are special tools you will need, a GOOD torque wrench, a rod bolt stretch checker, dial indicator for checking end play on crank and cam, cam bearing installer kit. Alot has changed in specs for FE's in the last 20 years. .003" for rods and crank bearing clearance is too LOOSE in MY OPINION. Race motor YES not a street motor. The oil in the motors has changed alot. It cost about 2,400.00 for a crank kit with everything to assembly in a machined block. Let someone with GOOD FE knowledge assembly and machine your short block. You do the heads,oil pan,intake manifold, and other misc parts on the motor. if you want to talk about this you can call me.732-254-3536 Rick L . Also go with a nice hydro cam, small something in the .550" lift. The car will sound good and still be very drivable. Build a strong TORQUE motor and not worry about how much HP there is. I have 370hp and 460 ft of tork, car runs 12.5 in the 1/4 mile and smooth idles at 700 rpm. my crane cam is a 501-533. Bigger is not better in cam shafts, also have you driven a Viper,vette, or superbike. Even with my 33 years of bikes and race cars the cobra is still a handful.