Quote:
Originally Posted by AlmostThere
...please advise if there will be much turbo lag with a V8 or should I just simply get a supercharger instead. I want the torque to be available at all times so If I'm going 65 I want to be able to shoot to 100 quickly.
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Max,
Turbos don't sound good, don't give you the kick in the keyster when you stand on the throttle and can be, lets say, surprising when the boost finally does come in. Lots of turbo guys do absolutely great at the drag strip and poor around town. If you ever track your car, turbos will add an additional dimension to the complexity of controlling one of these vehicles. A Cobra is basically a land based rocket that holds on to the terra-firma by the thinnest of threads.
Almost any Cobra can break the tires loose at the drop of a hat because of their light weight and high power to weight ratio. Turbos complicate this already tenuous relationship the car has with its driver. Once the boost does come in, the turbo lag quickly translates into a boatload of power you (and the car) are not ready for.
If you are looking for period correct nothing but nothing beats a 427 (or larger) FE engine. This is visually the way these cars were born so many years ago. The 289/302/351 small block based engines will absolutely astound you in terms of power production and they can easily be stretched to the magic 427 (and larger if you choose) cubic inch space.
In terms of absolute visual knockout points the high watermark is probably a 427 SOHC with webers. A totally uninformed non car type is still going to be flat blown away when you open your bonnet (hood). If the individual is a car nut I doubt there is anything that could possibly be more impressive.
If, as you say, you are not emotionally or psychologically tied to the period correct implementation restrictions then I would encourage you to look at a Terminator engine from a 2003/2004 Cobra. It not only comes from the right gene pool it produces staggering power. Put a twin screw on and two or three Ford GT fuel pumps and this will move a 3800# car, with driver, down the quarter mile in the high 9 second range at 140+ mph. Now take that same powerplant and put it in a car that weighs a half ton less and guess what happens.
For what it is worth, the Terminator engine idles at 800 rpm gets over 20 mpg (when you don't have your foot in it) and is as large as a 427 SOHC when you open the bonnet. It is almost as visually stunning as the 427 SOHC. By the way, at about 16 psi of manifold pressure this little thumper produces right at 600 ft/lbs of torque from 1800 rpm to redline! The torque curve is as flat as a pancake. Ask any big block owner what he likes most about the big block and he will tell you the instant blast when he touches the loud pedal. Ask a small block owner and he will tell you his car is much more nimble because of the lighter weight small block up front.
I have an aluminum block version of a '03 Terminator with a Whipple. the whole engine with blower comes in less than 420#s! The performance from one of these engines will blow your mind.
In the end this is your toy. Build it the way you want it! You can buy it the way someone else wanted it much cheaper than you can build it your way. As long as you are spending the big bucks get it your way - not someone elses.
Ed
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p.s. Forgot to mention, if large displacement rings your chimes the Terminator Engine probably will not. It is only 281 cubic inches. But if horsepower rings your chimes, you will be quite happy. You will easily put 650 HP to the ground, at the rear tire, with that Whipple based combo - and that is with Whipple's small 140AX blower. They have two larger compressors that will bend your brain.
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