390 FE or Roush 427?

[1985 CCX]

All the above!

Roush 451FE.....................
http://www.roushperformance.com/news...l_story&sid=67

[patrickt]

... you can have a 428FE stroked and bored to your liking. Properly built it will deliver your entire wish list quite handily.

[ENTDOC]

I think the Roush makes more sense in a BDR. Make sure it is a SR. A 390 FE gives you the pains of a 427so without the power or panache

[Power Surge]

I bought my 390 crate engine from an engine builder I found on ebay. I spent some time talking with him to make sure I was comfortable with him, and then bought it. I paid $3200 SHIPPED to my door for a 400hp 390. The motor has been in the car for over 8k miles and has been flawless. It's got plenty of power and it will sit and idle in 95 degree weather all day long. The same engine builder also offers a 450hp 428 for $4500. I was never an FE guy till I got my Cobra, but I can't say one bad thing about my 390.

[Kzof]

Originally Posted by Power Surge

I bought my 390 crate engine from an engine builder I found on ebay. I spent some time talking with him to make sure I was comfortable with him, and then bought it. I paid $3200 SHIPPED to my door for a 400hp 390. The motor has been in the car for over 8k miles and has been flawless. It's got plenty of power and it will sit and idle in 95 degree weather all day long. The same engine builder also offers a 450hp 428 for $4500. I was never an FE guy till I got my Cobra, but I can't say one bad thing about my 390.

agreed, love my 390.

[RICK LAKE]

Chuckster How deep are your pockets? Let's start there. We need a number to work with. If you have a 15K limit with this car, either a stroker windsor 393-427 or an all aluminium FE stroker buildup. Which Rousch 427? the Windsor or FE based motor? You might want to look is Car Craft for the 447 buildup of an FE motor. Which every way you go, the best motor would be in aluminium with heads and manifold of the same material. My Shelby 482 stroker is 492 lbs dry. This is about 20-30 heavier than an all iron small block Ford. If you want the WOW factor but a set of webers or TWM stack injection system on the top of the motor. Which every motor you go with, have a TORQUE motor built and match the drivetrain for the rest. What gears are you looking at? What trans? If you are looking to smoke the new vettes you better look at the new XFI fuel injection system from FAST. They now have a traction control built into the system. Just like the $100K cars. The only plus side of the Rousch motor is the warrantity for 2 years. YOU have to look at the fine print on the warrantity for abuse and racing, They make the choice if it is covered or not. Alot of guys are running 482 strokers, it's a square motor with bore and stroke. If you limit it to a 6,500 rpm limit you should have many years of driving fun with little maintainance to the motor. Resale valve is a whole other thing. Need some of the questions answered before giving anymore choices on your new car. What does BDR reccomend for a powerplant?? Rick L.

[Chuckster]

Thanks for the quick feedback everybody. Great info.

Rick, I want to land all in between $45k and $55k. Obviously I can get the 390 package on the lower end and the Roush would be at the upper. Tranny will be a TKO 600 and will be running a base BDR chassis (with 15" wheels). I want to get the engine right and spend my $$ there rather than on chassis accessories I can change out at a later date.

BDR recommends either the Roush 402SR/TW or the 427SR/TW, but I can get a 390FE built for a hair under $6k.

My dilemma is this.....At this point, and it being my first cobra, I am wondering if I should go the FE (budget) route first to minimize my cost, drive it for a few years in order to figure out what I like/dislike, sell it, then order another one with the more expensive powertrain (exactly what I want).

[ENTDOC]

no, build what you want the first time.