Which Ford V8 for fun?

The DOHC is quite wide and may not fit. Check with the manufacturer to see
if there are any problems.

Jonathan Barnes wrote:

>
> "Pat Farrell" wrote in message
>
>> I've been thinking about which motor for a light kit, say a FF Cobra.
>> I've owned a 85 Mustang 5.0 OHV rated at 225 HP,
>> a 97 Lincoln LSC DOHC 4.6 rated about 290 HP
>> and now have a 05 lincoln LS V8 DOHC 3.9 rated about 280 HP.
>>
>> From a visual measure, the 4.6 looks the coolest.
>> But seat of pants says that the 5.0 smallblock had the
>> most torque during normal driving. Each of the DOHC engines
>> need to be twisted up on the RPM range to get working.
>>
>> So without any experience with one of these in a light car,
>> my guess is that the pushrod engine would be more fun to drive.
>> How does the real world see this?
>>
>> Thx
>> --
>> Pat
> With a light weigh body you don't need so much grunt for normal driveing,
> so you can fit one of the DOHC engines and still be happy when you drive "
> normaly ". It's then a case of do you LIKE wrestling with power that
> will break the tyres free when your already traveling at the speed limit
> .
>
 >> Stay informed about: Which Ford V8 for fun? 

For perfomance for the buck you cannot beat the small ford v8 either the 289
or 302 block. A lot of aftermarket goodies at low cost are available if you
want to jack up performance a bit later on.
Weight for correct handling/weight distribution is also a major
consideration for this chassis where the small block V8 with aluminum heads
is a worthwhile choice.
Peter

"Pat Farrell" wrote in message

> I've been thinking about which motor for a light kit, say a FF Cobra.
> I've owned a 85 Mustang 5.0 OHV rated at 225 HP,
> a 97 Lincoln LSC DOHC 4.6 rated about 290 HP
> and now have a 05 lincoln LS V8 DOHC 3.9 rated about 280 HP.
>
> From a visual measure, the 4.6 looks the coolest.
> But seat of pants says that the 5.0 smallblock had the
> most torque during normal driving. Each of the DOHC engines
> need to be twisted up on the RPM range to get working.
>
> So without any experience with one of these in a light car,
> my guess is that the pushrod engine would be more fun to drive.
> How does the real world see this?
>
> Thx
> --
> Pat
>
>
 >> Stay informed about: Which Ford V8 for fun? 

Peter W Peternouschek wrote:
> For perfomance for the buck you cannot beat the small ford v8 either the
> 289 or 302 block.

Of course, for even better bang for the buck, you have to have
a different label on the valve covers. There are so many
speed parts for mouse motors.

But this doesn't address my fundamental question, given
a Ford V8, is there a strong reason to go for one of
the dohc V8s over the pushrod? From my driving of
stock motors in stock bodies, the right now torque
of the small block is more fun than the higher
measured HP of the quads, probably because they
don't pull much below 3 grand.

I assume that the modern engines are lighter than an
all iron 5.0, but I don't know the figures.

I also assume that there is not the same variety of speed
parts (cams, ported heads, etc.) for the quads at
any price as the pushrod, but that is pure speculation.


--
Pat
 >> Stay informed about: Which Ford V8 for fun? 

I would go with the 351W. It is basically the same block as the 302 in
weight. You can interchange many parts from the 302 also.
http://www.priveye.com/cobra.htm


--
R. L. Lesnick
Gamma Investigative Research, Inc.
P.O. Box 10981, Fairfield, NJ 07004
Licensed NJ GMT (Hrs Zulu) -5
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"Crisis occurs when women and cattle get excited"...James Thurber
"Peter W Peternouschek" wrote in message

> For perfomance for the buck you cannot beat the small ford v8 either the
289
> or 302 block. A lot of aftermarket goodies at low cost are available if
you
> want to jack up performance a bit later on.
> Weight for correct handling/weight distribution is also a major
> consideration for this chassis where the small block V8 with aluminum
heads
> is a worthwhile choice.
> Peter
>
> "Pat Farrell" wrote in message
>
> > I've been thinking about which motor for a light kit, say a FF Cobra.
> > I've owned a 85 Mustang 5.0 OHV rated at 225 HP,
> > a 97 Lincoln LSC DOHC 4.6 rated about 290 HP
> > and now have a 05 lincoln LS V8 DOHC 3.9 rated about 280 HP.
> >
> > From a visual measure, the 4.6 looks the coolest.
> > But seat of pants says that the 5.0 smallblock had the
> > most torque during normal driving. Each of the DOHC engines
> > need to be twisted up on the RPM range to get working.
> >
> > So without any experience with one of these in a light car,
> > my guess is that the pushrod engine would be more fun to drive.
> > How does the real world see this?
> >
> > Thx
> > --
> > Pat
> >
> >
>
>
 >> Stay informed about: Which Ford V8 for fun? 

for bang for the buck I would stick with any of the windsors 289,302 or
the 351 they haven't changed too much thru the years and they have alot
of aftermarket speed components too ,and if you hit a ford swap meet
early you can pick up some nice performance parts on the cheap from the
guys upgrading to the latest and newest and in such a light weight body
you can put in just a mild performance engine and still have alot of fun
,
good luck and have fun
 >> Stay informed about: Which Ford V8 for fun?