Realistic horsepower for the street

[PANAVIA]

anything over 300HP/Ton (rear wheel ) is a bit touchy.

2500lb = 375HP

3000lb = 450HP

4000lb = 600HP

[Ron61]

This is like the BB/SB argument. There is no winner because not all people want the same thing. Build the car for what you want and ignore the fact that your buddy brags about his 800 horsepower that is useless except on a long straight stretch. These are not 6,000 pound cars that you are building and you should build it to your satisfaction. I got all kinds of crap because I had my 418 stroker built to just around 530 horsepower instead of over 600, but no one ran away from me on the road course and it ran well on the street. And if I were building another one it would most likely be a 408 with less than 500 horse.

Ron

[RICK LAKE]

Ron61 There is a winner, It's a stroker windsor motor in the 390-427 range. Unless you have an All Aluminum motor, you loose in the weight department. The bottom end of a 351 windsor motor assembly is about 10-15 pound lighter. This makes for a faster revving motor. The FE weight is one of the heaviest bottomends out there. Heads, The best FE head is now into the 420 cfm range with off set pushrods, and rockers. The top windsor head are flowing in the 370 range. In a cobra with a 2,700 weight the torque of the FE may beat the windsor off the line but catch up in the mid range of the power band. Remember that lighter spinning assembly. Top end is just who runs out of HP last. I like my FE motor and like the way it looks in an SC cobra engine bay. I also like 600ft of torque and 550 HP to play with. This was 100 more of both than I had last year. The only thing I will do different with my car is advance the cam timing to kill some of the bottom end. TOO MUCH TORQUE. For racing, windsors are the way to go, they are cheaper to build and have alot more speed parts to work with. Windsor motor are also 40 years old but have stayed in the lime light better than FE. I will leave the BOSS and CLEVELAND motors go for another time. Rick L. Ps the cammer motor is a whole different animal. I am waiting to see how a KCR cammer matches up with a cobra. BRUTAL with an unlimited speed possibility.

[Ron61]

Rick,

I had a 418 stroker for racing and a 408 for the street. The 418 put out around 530 horse and the 408 around 490. I have owned every FE engine that Ford has built including the 332 PI and all are good, but I stand by my statement that like the BB/SB there is no clear winner. It all depends on what you want to do with the car. Myself I much prefer the Stroked 351 Windsor in a Cobra to a BB. Since my racing has always been road racing, I don't have to worry to much about 200 MPH top end that the BB will give. I still have one BB car and it is a 69 with 42,012 original miles on it and still has the original old Polyglas Tires. Fun to drive at times but won't begin to corner like my Cobra did. Please note that in my prior post I said I had Windsor Strokers. But I also know of a couple of very good running 302s around here. The worst engine I ever had in a car was a 1965 427 Tunnel Port with two huge Holly Carbs that you could stand in. I traded it after about a month for 390HiPo as it wouldn't run on the street at all unless I was in 1st or 2nd gear. Some drag racer wanted it for his Mustang and I was more than happy to part with it and he paid to have the swap made. But once you got it above 6800 RPM it really took off.

Ron

[Nantucket427]

Is just about right for our cars to drive on the street, much more and you will be sh...ing yourself evertime you WOT. Traction is the problem and knowing how to use it. I recommend a High Performance driving school for everyone.

I don't like seeing a wrecked one.

Hill Street Blues quote; "People be carefull out there."

[D-CEL]

"You never know what is enough unless you know what is more than enough."

William Blake

So first i need to find the "too much"