Valve lifters…solid/hydraulic/roller tappet/flat tappet?

[Jerry Clayton]

There's a couple issues you guys are not considering---

#1----why shift at a higher rpm than peak hp/tq numbers???? remember that the older trans (4 speeds) had wider gear ratios and with the smaller engines we had to turn them WAY over rev so as not to fall out the bottom of the hp/tq curve on upshifts AND when down shifting, the engine r's would go pretty high----

#2 flywheel weight----with a small engine a high rpm leave with a heavy wheel allowed us to get going in a drag race AND we could get some extra umpt as we upshifted except for road /circle racing , the heavy flywheel put an unnecessary demand on some pretty inadquete brake systems

Of course back then we didn't have a wallet full of dyno numbers to shift our butt weight to assist with clutch or brake pedal effort---

In all my years of racing back then, I never had an engine that had been on an dyno, so we did what made it faster by moving shift points or playing with flywheel weights

[CHANMADD]

My friend back in S.A. had a pretty stock 289 ,with a 5 speed , I don,t remember exact specifics, but I remember him driving the sh*t into that car everyday. He never complained but sure had a lot of pleasure from that little motor. Ps. He never got left behind either.

[xb-60]

Some of you guys have built more engines than I’ve had hot dinners and I appreciate your advice greatly, thanks.
Compromise is usually necessary, so you look at what’s important and what’s not. I want a Toploader so OK maybe I need to shorten my final drive ratio a little to help driveability. But the engine….I don’t want a stroker, I want something closer to the original. 289s are too hard to find, so it’s a 302.
That 260 engine in the first Cobra, the one that did the rounds of the car shows and was repainted many times to make it appear that there were more cars in circulation ….that was the car that was also road-tested by an long line of motoring journos. There’s no doubt that motor wasn’t a standard 260; it was modified to make the Cobra look extra special in the road reports. But…I don’t recall reading in any magazine reprints that it was a b*gger to drive at low revs. Surely somebody would have mentioned low rev grumpiness if it was a problem? All reports mention 7000 rpm, 0-60 in 4.2sec and 150 top end. I read those figures and I think, that’s what I want (assuming it's driveable!).
So....if that is not achievable, then please post "That is not achievable. Compromise, and move on!"
Cheers!
Glen

[blykins]

With a 3.54 or 3.70 rearend gear, I would compromise on the engine specs and let it pull a little higher. However, with the 3.07 gear, I'd aim for a lower powerband.

Building an engine to pull to 7000 is absolutely pointless if you spend most of your time at 1500-2000 rpm. You may think that it would be more fun and enjoyable to watch the needle peg on the tach, but an engine with more torque and a more usable powerband will feel much stronger to you.

As for the 331/347, it's going to be much more cost effective for you to go this route and there's no use in passing up on cubic inches. You can't tell what size an engine is by looking at it, and we're all driving replicas anyway.

Keep in mind that a nice street engine will make about 1.4hp/ci. If you add almost 50 cubic inches to that 302 and increase the stroke by almost one half inch, you're going to gain about 65hp and probably almost as much torque. There's no reason to pass up on that and it will help offset the lack of bottom end that the 289/302's have, especially when you're trying to pull to higher rpms.

By the time you pay a machinist to grind a crankshaft, recondition rods and fit them with good fasteners, you're more than halfway to a brand new stroker kit.

So.....compromise and move on.

[xb-60]

Originally Posted by blykins

Building an engine to pull to 7000 is absolutely pointless if you spend most of your time at 1500-2000 rpm. You may think that it would be more fun and enjoyable to watch the needle peg on the tach, but an engine with more torque and a more usable powerband will feel much stronger to you.

As for the 331/347, it's going to be much more cost effective for you to go this route and there's no use in passing up on cubic inches.
So.....compromise and move on.

Honest, Brent, I don't want a stroker! It's unlikely that I'll pull up next to a 427 Cobra in my neck of the woods!
Driving to work, I use 1500 to 6000 every day, and no I don't do it at every set of traffic lights! The boys in blue lock us up here for dragging on public roads....
So, the rev range I would be chasing is 1500 (or OK, 2000 if using a slightly shorter diff) to as high as I can get.
Cheers,
Glen

[ERA Chas]

Originally Posted by xb-60

There’s no doubt that motor wasn’t a standard 260; it was modified to make the Cobra look extra special in the road reports.
All reports mention 7000 rpm, 0-60 in 4.2sec and 150 top end. I read those figures and I think, that’s what I want (assuming it's driveable!).
So....if that is not achievable, then please post "That is not achievable. Compromise, and move on!"

John Christie, who wrote that first report was a dear pal of Shel's and was being very supportive of the fledgling effort for an all-new sports car.
It was very common in the day for ringer motors and popcorn times to help new marketing-like the 389 GTO, elephant Hemis, and a million GM projects like the Z-28 and 396, 427, 454 cars.
Consider building a brand-new, 49 year-old project or a modern project which will truly add to your enjoyment of your work. There's really no comparison.

[xb-60]

Originally Posted by ERA Chas

John Christie, who wrote that first report was a dear pal of Shel's and was being very supportive of the fledgling effort for an all-new sports car.
It was very common in the day for ringer motors and popcorn times to help new marketing-like the 389 GTO, elephant Hemis, and a million GM projects like the Z-28 and 396, 427, 454 cars.
Consider building a brand-new, 49 year-old project or a modern project which will truly add to your enjoyment of your work. There's really no comparison.

I think John Christie was the guy who, by his own admission, told Shelby about AC losing their supply of Bristol engines for the Ace, and that Ford had a new lightweight small block ready to roll.
Agreed, that first car was quite obviously faster than the average Cobra 260 road car, but then the average Cobra road car could embarrass just about anything else on the road.
Cheers,
Glen