AC Owners Club Forum
AC Owners Club Forum => 428 Frua Forum => Topic started by: Emmanueld on July 29, 2007, 15:31:36
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I am in the process of building a new motor for my Frua, this would have probably been the motor of choice for AC or even Ford if cost and Pride!!!! were no object.
Let's start: I bought a 68 original 427 block and I am having a billet steel crank made by Moldex. Rod bearing size will be stock Big block Chevy 2.2" and the small end will be Chevy as well allowing the use of Chevy pistons. Stroke will be 3.98" just like the 428 motor, however I will be using 6.8" long oliver billet connecting rods giving a much better rod to piston angle. The other advantage of using a longer rod is slower piston speed. The net result when combined with the 4.25" 427 bore should give me a 454 motor that can safely rev to 6500 rpm or more. I will be using a relatively mild cam, either solid or hydraulic, I have not made up my mind as of yet but I am leaning toward solid. The goal is 500hp and 550lbs of torque with a very reliable motor which can be driven long distance, I have been told my rotating assembly is overkill for such a motor, but I am lead footed and I would like the motor to be durable. The motor will look almost completely stock on the outside. Only one problem, delivery time for the new crank is 20 weeks!
Emmanuel
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Hi Emmanueld,
Boy! that is going to be one powerhouse which will really wake your Frua up!
I admire what you are doing as I guess most 428 owners would not stray away from absolute originality with such a rare car.
I too love my 427 so I know where you are coming from. Good luck with the engine swap and I look forward to upcoming progress and road test reports.
Kind Regards,
Nigel.
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Emmanuel, yep the thing which always amazes me when people stroke a 351w out to wait for it ..427 c.i. is the extreme rod angle, anyway that FE sounds fierce; looking forward to further developments!
Paul.[:)]
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The problem with these extreme small blocks is the lack of reliability, 3 to 5000 miles and that's it! They often end with a loud bang!
Emmanuel
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quote:
Originally posted by Emmanueld
The problem with these extreme small blocks is the lack of reliability, 3 to 5000 miles and that's it! They often end with a loud bang!
Emmanuel
Which doesn't seem to have put many people off; 408 or 418 c.i. popular Windsor strokers, I went for 396 because
a) This would give all the torque I'd ever need..
b) Didn't want the extreme rod angle.
Paul.[:)]
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I actually like an engine that revs which is why I want to limit the stroke to 3.98" which is standard 428. People are building FEs' with huge 4.2" stroke and more, but they won't rev past 5,000 rpm. Of course the torque will be huge. With a 4 speed car, one wants to be able to rev past 6,000 rpm safely. As far as originality, the 428 was never fully developed, if one wants to make it fun to drive, one has to address a few problem. It's like for the cobra, if you make it better, no problem!
Most 427 which came with a 428 motor are now running 427s' and most small block cars I see for sale here have 302s' installed. As long as the mods are done tastefully with quality parts no problem!
I will not install anything on the car that could not have been found in the 60's or early 70's. With the exception of the radio maybe. Even the high quality speakers I found go back to that era. This is one of the reasons I like ACs', nobody is too picky with originality. For some cars, even things like heater hoses, battery cables have to be with the right markings, this is insane! Or the matching numbers scheme, another crazy and silly thing, how many of these high price matching numbers cars are genuine. I know a few vehicles that became matching number cars, when they became valuable, [:D][:D][:D][:D] Of course my mouth is sealed! The good thing with Ford is that in most cases there was no such thing as an engine number, just a date code (with the exception of some K-code cars) which had their chassis number stamped on the engine.
Emmanuel
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With all the internal strength of the 427, yes I think that is going to be a magnificent motor, always amazed how many Cobra replica people go for the heavier 460 truck motor, (which won't help the steering..) then stroke that to 514 or whatever..[:0] then again, those are cheaper than side oilers, in the UK people are spending £20k+ on 427 turnkey..!
Saw a 289 Mk3 for sale last year, the original 289 motor to come with the car; presently fitted with a 400 horse ally heads etc 351w, as you say, why not?
Paul.[:)]
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I personally like the 427, good oiling system (Side oiler), great strength at the bottom, relatively light when equipped with aluminum heads and intake manifold (<500lbs), it's just a very good motor. We now have access to some very good aftermarket parts from the like of Edelbrock, Dove, Blue Thunder. It's an easy motor to work on and it can make huge amounts of power and torque. Unfortunately, a little pricier than other big blocks (except for the Hemi). Emmanuel
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Then, if a future owner want to reinstall a 428 later on, why not! there are no engine numbers anyway. I think the car will be so good with the stroked 427 that it would be foolish! It will be mild enough to be smooth and hopefully will last for quite a while. AC used a basic 428 truck engine in the Frua with a 600cfm Holley or Autolite four barrels carburetor, nothing fancy, no Cobra Jet or Super Cobra Jet here.
Emmanuel
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Thats right Emmanueld, The original 428 engine fitted to these cars was nothing special in the 428 line up. Just a regular production engine. But even so it still gave excellent performance in that chassis.
Good idea to keep the original engine in the corner just in case someone down the line wants to revert back to original.
You won't regret the upgrade. I exchanged the 428 in my Cobra for a 427 and the difference was like night and day! I love the 427's big bore, short stroke characteristics. A deep breathing highly responsive engine. Really more engine than I can safely handle! and the sound is something else!
Can't wait to hear about yours
Regards,
Nigel.
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That was one of the things which staggered me when reading 'Motor's test of John Woolfe's street 427 (GTM 777F) in '67; the way such a huge displacement motor 'got up on the cam and surged to 7000 rpm..'!
Surprised to see that these side and top oilers (relatively rare and costly in the UK) are freely available in the States from Southern Automotive.
Paul.[:)]
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Paul,
There are a few companies making new Side Oiler blocks these days, Shelby enterprise makes a modernized aluminum block with six bolts main and Chevy style oiling system, Pond and Genesis make side oiler blocks in cast iron and aluminum, and Dove makes an exact copy of the racing aluminum block of the sixties. Also, all these companies, Edelbrock and Blue Thunder make heads as well. It's becoming more difficult and more costly to find good original blocks these days and the 427 can only be bored .30 over at most. The cost of a new iron block is about $4K and about $5.5K for an aluminum one these days. You still need to spend money in machining as well, not cheap when compared to a Chevy. Dove also makes S.O.H.C. parts, so one could build a new Cammer as well!
Emmanuel
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Thanks Emmanuel, didn't realise that, must say those blocks are keenly priced, there is a shift towards originality/period detail across the UK replica scene now, these new 427 mills would find a market.
Paul.[:)]
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Hi, A friend of mine bought a Jaguar C type replica in England, a great car! All alloy, tubular chassis, just awsome! The only thing that gives it away as a replica are the instruments which look too new!
Emmanuel
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Emmanuel, that may be the Lynx company, or Realm who also produce the Ram Cobra rep.
Their XKSS and D Type are stunning too.
And of course the other difference would be the use of BMW oil seals, so the old XK won't use QUITE so much oil..!
Paul.[:)]
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The 454 FE engine is now in early assembly process, I will post pictures soon. Billet crank is from Moldex, straight 3.98 stroke (428) and Chevy big block rod bearing size. Rods are Oliver Nascar Billet 6.8" length BB Chevrolet as well, quite a bit longer than original. Forged piston from JE. Block is an original 1968 427 FE side oiler bored .10 over. Heads are Edelbrock big valves and stage II porting from Keith Craft. Intake manifold is an original Ford aluminum PI. Carburettor is an original Ford Holley 780 minus the Le Mans bowls which would not fit the air cleaner anyway. Cam is a Crowler solid lifter. The engine will look almost stock externally and should provide massive amounts of torque and HP when finished! Camshaft is conservative with good idle and vacuum characteristics for the power brakes. It will be dynoed before installation in the car. I am hoping for very usable 500HP and 550 Lbs of torque. We will see. Pictures to follow very soon.
Emmanuel[:)]
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This has to be the 'ultimate hyper motor'; looking forward to the pics, and later on, hearing your driving impressions..!
Excuse my ignorance, why are Chevvy parts being used?
It's worth remembering that the first FE motors (352?) saw the light of day in '58 I think, fantastic the potential in these motors, this will be the icing on the cake in that beautiful Frua!
Paul.[:)]
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Paul, I know it's a sin to use Chevy parts on a Ford motor, There is probably a price on my head from the Ford crowd. But believe me, it's done a lot. For one thing, parts for Chevy motors, both small and big blocks are plentiful and cheap.
When you build a high performance motor, you want to minimize the rod angle as the piston travels through the bore. The longer the rod, the less angle you will have and as a result you will have less side load reducing bore wear. Also the longer rod will reduce piston speed as well which is also a benefit and increases the time the piston is at top dead center. The limiting factor is the position of the piston pin in relation to the oil ring (Lower ring). On an FE with 3.98" stroke, a 6.8" long rod is pretty much the maximum rod length you can have and have the piston pin sufficiently away from the oil ring. Some small block builders stroke their motor so much that the piston pin sits so close to the oil ring that the motor has unacceptable oil consumption and blow by. The drawback of having a long rod is weight, that is why I chose Oliver Nascar billet rods which are pretty much the lightest for their size without going to a titanium rod (833 Grams Each).
http://www.oliver-rods.com/products/FordBilletIndex.html
This is lighter than the Ford "Le Mans" rod used in the 60's racing 427 and the 428 Super Cobra Jet. These rods like almost all Ford FE rods were only 6.488" long. Oliver rod are much stronger than any stock rod and can withstand tremendous load in top fuel dragsters and offshore racing. As a matter of fact their unique parabolic shape make them as strong as an H beam design like a Carrillo for example, but quite a bit lighter. Another advantage of the longer rod is less tendency to detonation. Since I am requesting 10:1 compression, which is the limit for a carburetted aluminum heads engine on pump gas here in the US.
Why use a Chevy rod bearing size? The FE has a rod journal size of 2.4384" but is slightly narrower than the BB Chevy. Chevy rod journal size is 2.20" in diameter but slightly wider. Racers like to reduce journal diameter because it reduces the rotational speed of the bearing. The smaller diameter of the rod big end saves weight, increases clearance to the block walls and allows the uses of a rod made for the Chevy motor which is quite a bit less expensive than a custom designed and built item. Some people will turn down a stock Ford crank to the Chevy size but the crankshaft weights have to be trimmed as well to accommodate the wider rod and crank strength and stiffness can be seriously compromised. The other alternative is to machine the rods but then a custom size bearing has to be used, not a good idea as well! This is why I think that this should only be done when using a new custom forged or billet crank.
With longer rods, the engine should have a bit more torque and reliability should be much better than if I was using stock Ford bits. We will see! When you look at the size and weight of the rotating assembly in one of these motors, (4.25" bore) you want to make sure that your bottom end is bullet proof or everything might go with a loud bang at 6,000 Rpm! After all, each rod and piston assembly weights over 3lbs.
Hopefully, the motor will stay together during the dyno run, I will publish the sheet when that happens probably in a month! The bottom end of my engine should be able to handle more than a 1,000HP with these components, the goal is to have a motor which will be dead reliable like a stock motor but can go the distance with about 500HP. Time will tell.
The FE is a wonderful motor which is seeing a resurgence in popularity. Being a full skirt block, it is extremely strong, and as a side oiler, it can withstand tremendous rotation speeds. Long ago, Shelby saw it's potential and the GT40's that won Le Mans ran virtually stock motors. It's not perfect, the rocker assembly is horrible and extensive modifications are required for the heads to breath half as well as a big block Chevy. But the motor is relatively light and compact compared to it's competition and is an icon in automotive history. With this type of engine, the Frua is virtually the fastest automobile of the 60's, 70's and maybe 80's as well, and we know the chassis is up to it! It should be a fun ride![:D][:D][:D][:D]. I might have to sell my house to pay for the gas!
Emmanuel[:)]
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I'm sure the Fo Mo Co crowd will watch this space with reverence;nothing wrong with what you're doing there. Thanks for imparting all this knowledge in layman's terms Emmanuel, I've heard of 351w people suffering rod angle problems when stroking out to 427,(on other forums),I see why you are being careful here.
Next question.. how do you rate the Eagle 'I' beam rods, these are on my 393w, with Eagle steel crank, why are there 'H' and 'I' rods?
I bet your FE will run sweetly on the dyno, my answer to friends who ask; "How do you pay for the gas..?" has been the same for years; I join them in the pub ONE night a week, they're in there seven nights.[;)]
Racing the GT40.. must have been terrifying (and HOT)having that monster 427 rumbling away behind your shoulder, these guys were supermen.
Looking forward to updates!
Paul.[:)]
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Paul, Hi
Thanks for your compliments, but I know many people much more knowledgeable than me. I just like to hang around car people, hot rodders and engine builders and I have read a lots of books on the subject. Also, I like to be conservative when playing with engine dimensions, more particularly stroke. On my new 454, the rod angle will be less than a stock 428 motor. The piston pins will still be far away from the oil control rings. I also bought a 12lbs Romac harmonic balancer which is a replica of the original Ford 427 one. This should help tame any unwanted vibration and make the engine happy.
Eagle makes really good products, good quality, way better than the original Ford stuff. Yet their products are affordable. My engine builder likes to use their rods.
H beam rods are supposed to be stronger than I beam. Torsional rigidity of H beam rods is higher, however I beam rods are lighter. Prestigious companies like Carrillo for example specialize in H beam rods, however these are not always the best choice for performance when a lightweight rotating assembly is needed. If your motor is in the 400hp range, I beam rods are sufficient and probably better as far as weight is concerned. I guess your 393 uses a 351W block bored .30 over resulting in 4.030" bore size with a 3.850" stroker crank, this is already quite large for a small block.
Above 450hp or for blown applications, I would go with H beam rod. Again, the trick is to use the maximum rod length and staying away from the oil control ring or you wont be happy with oil consumption. I think you did well not to go any bigger with your small block, those SB 427 don't like to rev and have to be rebuilt often (or they go BANG!!!). Of course, using a small block in a Cobra makes for a much better handling car. To me, I like any motor with more bore than stroke, otherwise you got a lazy truck engine.
I think Eagle uses American made steel at least in their billet and forged items. Others like Scat use blanks which come from China and are machined in the US. I have not heard anything really bad about Scat but their prices so competitive that a lot of people use their stuff. [:)]
Emmanuel
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Hi Emmanuel, yep when I looked at the 351w stroker options what shied me away from 408 was that it's 'square' and as you say; even 393w for example has a longer stroke than a 390 FE..!
I asked for no more than 400 horse as I had no experience piloting any 'Cobra type' car, and inhabit the traffic infested E.London suburbs! But..I did want lots of torque for lazing in fourth/fifth.
The motor made 390 horse on dyno; 450+ ft/lbs, pulls like a lion and still has that lovely instant response to the loud pedal that all tuned SBF have.. haven't been brave enough to bring in the secondaries yet (Holley 650).
I would have loved a 427 FE but as you say these cars are easier through the bendy stuff with a Windsor; also I was running out of money!
Have recently picked up a wonderful book entitled 'Super '60's Fords' by John Smith chronicling the Total Performance era, 1957-73,great learning curve for me and I'm thinking WHAT a range of power units; FE, 289-351w family, and 351c all in one decade!
Paul.[:)]
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Paul FYI, here is a photo of an SB Ford aftermarket piston with the pin inside the oil ring. Because there is no wall behind the oil control ring, the oil will sip behind it and find it's way in the combustion chamber, not to mention the risk of the pin eventually hitting the ring (not very likely since it's probably a press-on or semifloating type).
(http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q271/Emmanueld_2007/mmfp_0711_11_zford_small_block_stro.jpg)
(Muscle Mustangs and Fast Fords Magazine)
Incidentally, around here people like the 347 SB Ford which combines a stock 302 block with a 3.40" crank, this makes a 400HP motor which likes to rev. Coast High Performance he in California even manufacture s a long block for modern mustangs which passes smog and is street legal here)
Regards,
Emmanuel[:)]
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Thanks Emmanuel,all is explained. I forgot to say, yep those are the exact bore/stroke for my 393; although some builders (like Engine Factory) refer to these as a 396..?
As to the 302 stroker 347, we have a company over here called Real Steel offering one of those, claimed 422 ft/lbs @5000 rpm, over 360 ft/lbs in the midrange, I always thought as 351w has a stronger block, why not start with that ..?
(Don't mean to knock the 302, those revvy Boss motors sound wonderful!)
Paul.[:)]
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The 351W block is the same as the 302 except the 351W has a taller deck to accommodate the longer stroke, this is why you can't use a 289 or 302 intake manifold on the 351W (heads sit further apart). Also, the main bearings of the 351W are larger which is why the cranks are not interchangeable. Ford Motorsport sells a racing 4 bolts 351W block with the smaller main bearing for racing which reduces the likelihood of a spun main at high RPM. The 302 boss basically is a 4 bolts main 302W block onto which Ford grafted big ports 351 Cleveland heads. This was a great racing motor but a bit shy on torque for the street. Regards,
Emmanuel[:)]
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Thanks Emmanuel, when my 393w was built, a 1972 block was used; as '69-'74 351w had more metal and weigh I think about 8lb more?
As you say the larger bearings are an issue for racers.
I guess with the different firing order perhaps the 347 stoker might SOUND different to a 351w..or wouldn't it be noticeable?
Paul.[:)]
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If I may plant my 2 cents. My being involved heavily with both Boss 302's and Panteras ..the idea of building small blocks which some call clevors is second nature to both clubs.
My self at this time my Cobra has a stock small block and I choose to keep it that way .. lets say originality has its advantages .. in my opinion.
But for my GROUP 4 Pantera I had built a 351W 9.5 deck SVO G block, with SVO C302B Aluminum heads solid roller cam 3.75 stroke scat crank, H beam Oliver 6.125 rods. This stroker keeps the oil ring OUT OF the piston pin area. Motor dyno'd at 713 hp at 6900 withj 620 ftlbs torque.
Its been together for 2 years of club racing with the group. All a matter of who is behind the wheel I guess.
Ron
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9.2 deck block ...reread that and made an incorrect statement.
Ron
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quote:
Originally posted by runt
Thanks Emmanuel,all is explained. I forgot to say, yep those are the exact bore/stroke for my 393; although some builders (like Engine Factory) refer to these as a 396..?
As to the 302 stroker 347, we have a company over here called Real Steel offering one of those, claimed 422 ft/lbs @5000 rpm, over 360 ft/lbs in the midrange, I always thought as 351w has a stronger block, why not start with that ..?
(Don't mean to knock the 302, those revvy Boss motors sound wonderful!)
Paul.[:)]
Paul Hi!
I had a 351W on my early MK4 and I did not like the sound! However, after 1982 the 302 adopted the same firing order and modern mustangs sound nice so I think it has more to do with the exhaust than anything else. The lack of a balance pipe between the 2 sides will make for a more uneven and harsher sound.
Emmanuel[:)]
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Ron,
Oliver does not make an H beam rod. They make what they call a parabolic rod which is a variation of the the I-beam design. They claim their design is actually stronger and lighter than the H-beam and I guess Nascar seems to agree since most teams seem to use their rods.
Emmanuel
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Hi Ron, I imagine that makes that Pantera motor around 383 ci?
Astounding power/torque,have you fitted a pair of wings? Incredible potential in these engines.
Emmanuel, Hi! That answers the question I guess;obviously with the sidepipes I am hearing two sets of four when driving,I am pleased with the smoothness of my 351w stroker, but a 289 Mk 2 (with underslungs) I heard recently was SWEET!
Paul.[:)]
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Emmanuel,
I had drag race 427 & 428CJ's for about 15 years. Couple things are definately sure about those FE big blocks ...they dont like rev's and dont need to rev. My SS CJ's we did extensive research and developement. They make a LOT of HP and Torque at 6400 rpm after that it drops off fast.
Couple tricks I recommend. Restrictors in the heads .. solid lifter motor dont need all that oil up top. FE's like a lot of oil pressure and light wieght synthetic oil.
not to high jack your thread but ...Oliver used to make a nascar H beam rod CUSTOM for nascar 6.125. This is a set.
Technically my 351 is a 377 with a stds bore ..its new SVO block.
Ron
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Ron, thanks for the info! How old are these rods? Never seen these. We typically run 10Lbs pressure per 1000 rpm on the 427. My new crank is not crossed drilled so it's probably better for oil pressure! On the Kirkham, I ran a side oiler with stock crossed drilled forged 427 crank and billet crower rods. My engine builder does not like to run more that the figure above, he says it creates too much drag on the motor.
I was thinking about trying 15W50 Mobil one which has a higher zinc content than others. We have had problems with cams running flat over here because most oil companies have reduced the zinc content which is supposed to be bad for cats on modern cars. Meanwhile, if you run solid lifters and a bit of spring pressure, you might have a problem. People are running diesel oil, or Racing Valvoline to prevent this. Crower makes solid lifters which have been polished to a mirror like finish, have you heard about these? They say they resist better! We will see!
Emmanuel[:)]
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Emmanueld,
In my heart the FE is a great choice. They make loads of HP and TQ with low rpm.
I used 5W-30 Synthetic and changed it after each race day. Found in the long run the motors lasted about 50 more runs. The lighter the oil the better it flows thru restricted oil lines in the block.
Dont be alarmed .. a close friend is a metalurgist, engineer and builds weapons for the gov. We tested a few bad cams that ran flat and it was the metal and not the oil. The cams are foriegn metal ... its porousity and hardness is not per spec.
I ran solid lifters and a high spring pressure for many years .. make sure what you are buying is back by guarrantee on the quality of the metal. Comp Cams had a bad run for a few years.
Also be careful FE's a thin around the freeze out plugs .. they crack.
Hey I wish I could post pics here .. I have a nice motor for you .. I picked it up for 3800.00 ... 2 - 427 SOHC's LOL
Ron
Ron
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Thanks Ron,
I avoid comp cam, I have heard that the quality of their parts is not so hot. My engine builder is partial to Crower and I have been happy with their cams and lifters. Crane and Iskenderian are very good as well.
Rollers are great for racing but on a street car which will be in traffic, there are lubrification problems at idle for the roller bearing which can lead to massive (expensive) failure.
Emmanuel
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A week from tomorrow, I have a date with the dyno! we will see what type of power my new motor will make. 10 to 1 compression, ported Edelbrock heads from Keith craft, the block has been bored .15 over. I selected a relatively mild solid cam from Crower. We will see, I am dying in anticipation! Hopefully, all will not end in a loud bang!
Emmanuel[:D]
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Hi, I got a call from my engine builder, Dyno results are 502HP at 5200RPM and torque 532lbs at 3200 or 3400rpm I don't recall exactly. All with a smooth idle and plenty of vacuum for the power brakes. He also says the curve is very linear which should make the car enjoyable to drive. This is with a mild solid lifter cam. I am happy! I did not want a racing engine with no vacuum, ruff idle and fouling plugs every 5 minutes. With it's Stock 427 Holley vacuum secondary carb, this engine should feel and behave close to stock with a lot more grunt of course. It will also look stock too except for the aluminum heads. He said there was another 20 to 30 horses with leaning out but I chose not too because of possible pinging and overheating problems with the gas available here. I need to start looking for MKIV hubs because the wire wheels will self destruct!
Emmanuel
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Here are some photos of my new motor!
(http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q271/Emmanueld_2007/428/DSCN0155.jpg)
(http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q271/Emmanueld_2007/428/DSCN0156.jpg)
(http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q271/Emmanueld_2007/428/DSCN0157.jpg)
As you can see the motor looks completely original externally with the exception of the heads. This is the way it was Dynoed! Oil pan will be different and the fuel pump will be installed. Even the valve covers are rare sand cast original GT 500 pieces.
Emmanuel [:)]
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Hi guys, well many things have changed since 07. I have removed the 4 speed gearbox and installed a TKO 600 with a .82 fifth gear. no modifications to the car were necessary. The Toploader would not go into first gear after being in reverse and it drove me crazy. I was told it was because I selected a Hurst Shifter. With the 5 speed gearbox, the car has become so nice to drive. It has immense power all the way to 6500rpm, runs cool and the inside stays cool as well and now it's off to the body shop for probably 6 to 8 months. Gear ratio will be lowered again to 3.31 and the springs will be uprated again to 550 front and 600lbs rear like Jeffrey 's car. I will post photos from time to time to show the progress.
Emmanuel
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Siegfried, I thought you may be interested in reading this thread when you are doing your motor. I spent a couple of years experimenting with different engine configurations. Sorry to bring back an old thread for other members. Jeffrey and I did engine mods at the same time, he stayed more conservative than I. He had a 428 police block from the start, my car being a much later model was outfitted with a service block which I suspect was due to the fact that Ford had already discontinued the FE when it was built, so I decided to start with a 427 Side Oiler block. Its a 1968 which has the advantage of being outfitted for the use of both hydraulic and mechanical lifters.
Emmanuel[:)]
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Hello, Emmanuel:
You may recall I built a rather similar 427 for CF-21. I used the 428 SCJ crank, the Chevy bearing & pin sizes in Jahns pistons at about 9.5:1 compression. I chose a Crane solid (but mild for auto trans) cam. I, too, have the Edelbrock heads but elected to go with 406 Tri-Power carbs.(The look is cooly excellent.)
This is a slow project thus far, but I expect dyno numbers very close to yours.
Thank you very much for sorting out ring/pinion and coil spring specs. I shall plagerize. Did you convert the rear suspension trailing arm to Cobra (i.e., adjustable) type? Which pin-drive conversion did you use for Halibrand mag wheels?
Best Regards,
Rheinubung
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Yes I did the adjustable upper control arms came from Kirkham as well and have a heim joint instead of the rubber bushing, you can now adjust the camber and raise the car, just like a 427 Cobra. For the pin drive conversion I tried to use the original hub but the rear did not work, they are not machined for pins and the thread does not go far enough to secure the wheel properly. I ended up replacing all 4 hubs, by specific pin drive ones. The man who use to make them for Shelby is still around and he still makes them for the Cobra restoration people, his name is in the back of my mind and when it comes back to me I will give it to you. Shelby would thrash the English made hubs which were braking in racing and install those. I bought a set of locally made Halibrand copies in 15" but I also bought a set of MKIV Halibrand wheels in 16" which I have not tried on yet. The 16" are not that different but there are a lot more street tires available in 225-60X16 than 225-70X15 rear. This is the best size for the car with all that power. Up front I currently have 215-70X15 to keep the steering light same as a 365 GTB4 Daytona. Any thinner tire makes the car a bit scary at high speed. I have purchased a beautiful set of Dayton wire wheels with aluminum rims and when I installed the big motor I switched to pin drive for safety. Jeffrey is currently using those. They are mounted with 225-70X15 Michelins OEM to later Jag XJS. The original india made Dunlop wire wheels which I still have are really cheap and weak for a car with a built motor and a manual box. Let me know if you want the name of the hub guy.
Emmanuel[:)]