mark viii engine & tranny for AC Cobra kit car

jruppert

jruppert

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Greetings..

I have been a member on this site for some time now because I use to own a 98 Mark VIII. I have sold the Mark VIII and therefore havent logged on in a while. I had a few questions regarding the engine and transmission of the entire model years of Mark VIII. My dad is building an AC Cobra kit car and was originally going to build a 460. He as recently changed his mind and I talked him into going with a Mark VIII donor engine & tranny. I understand that there are differences in intakes between the two Mark VIII styles and some will argue as to which is better. I do believe he will plan on going with a 96-98 Cobra intake. Does anyone know if when going to the Cobra intake will cause any other changes to have to follow? He wants to retain the Mark VIII harness because he wants to keep it with the 4r70w. Anyone have any thoughts to this project as to which parts to keep and which to change? Do you guys think he should stick with the B heads or upgrade to C heads? I know he would like to put a blower on it at some point. I also think he wants to go with a kenne bell style. At this point, I am thinking he may want the C heads with this style blower.
 
Laser has B heads with a KB blower...I'm sure he will say upgrade to C heads with a better blower...probably something inner cooled with a meth kit

and forge the lower end
 
With "C" heads you have more options,plus you would also be going to COP which should tidy up the engine bay some.
 
B heads still have COPs, it's the OBD that determines the difference in COP or Coils and wires
 
Not true, 96 is OBDII and the engine isnt COP. Plus 96-98 Cobras are not COP.




I would go C heads cause you can get 99/01 heads for cheap and 03/04 blower setups for cheap. I would only do a KB B headed blown engine if you also do a meth injection system. The IATs get insaine on warm days.
 
Yeah I forgot bout the weird 96...I wasn't talking bout Cobras tho
 
Hi J

Most of your questions can be answered on the FFCARS.COM forum. They install all types of engines in the Factory Five roadsters(formally known as cobras, till the chicken farmer sued everyone) and hot rods. I am also a vendor there and they are a great bunch of people and it usually takes 10 min or less to get 20 answers to almost any question. I think there is a section all about the mark VIII eng install.
good luck
Max
 
I apologize for never replying back. For some reason I never got a notification regarding you guys replying. I will have to check out the ffcars site. Since then I have done some research on the cobra engine for in my mustang. I now understand the differences in heads and why you guys recommended the C heads. Thanks
 
But it is a kit car and a big block is really heavy, although a JK Boss 9 would be a dream setup.
 
I've seen cobra kits with the mark viii drivetrain and it looks damn sexy. Sort of a modern classic. Whatever he decides on will be awesome. I have always wanted a cobra kit, but need another 20 years to afford one.
 
a cobra with a 4.6 looks sweet. i've seen one. green i think.
in their time, cobras were lightweight, moderately powerful, and fast.
the aluminium block 4.6 continues that theme.
 
thought i had more but this was all i could find.

IMG_1828.jpg


you can see the cobra intake.
 
I've thought about this swap in my 60 MGA many times, measured.. remeasured... Over and over again. It just won't fit unless it goes in from the bottom, not what I want to do on a full frame car.
I'll end up sticking with a 302, if it were my cobra I'd be looking at a BB or 351 to go in it. Especially after buying 4.6 performance parts for my engine build.
 
If I'm not mistaken, Ford Motorsport used to make all kinds of stuff like that. They even made distributor adapter kits for the 4.6L and 5.0 "Cammer" crate motor. I distinctly remember reading about it somewhere...
 
I seriously need to figure out why I never get notifications on these postings. The pictures of the AC's look awesome! Money has been short for some time now due to some medical expenses. Its amazing how much insurance costs and how you still have to pay more on top! Anyway, I have been toying with the mark viii engine but also toying with the idea of dropping my 351w out of my 94 Mustang into it. It currently has a 460 from a 69 Lincoln sitting on the chassis. This was my dads idea when he owned the kit car but never really got anywhere with it. He has given it to me. As far as extra parts are concerned, what do you think I would need to come up with if I wanted to take a mark viii 4.6 and mount the C heads to it? I would also use a m112 at the point. Might as well since you can get these parts pretty reasonably. I probably would want to put a forged rotating assembly in it also. My concern would be the cost approaching what an 03/04 engine would run. I cannot remember if the entire rotating assembly is forged on those motors though. If memory serves me correctly I believe they are.

All this talk makes me wish I didnt sell my 98 Mark VIII. It was such a smooth running engine.
 
jruppert said:
I seriously need to figure out why I never get notifications on these postings. The pictures of the AC's look awesome! Money has been short for some time now due to some medical expenses. Its amazing how much insurance costs and how you still have to pay more on top! Anyway, I have been toying with the mark viii engine but also toying with the idea of dropping my 351w out of my 94 Mustang into it. It currently has a 460 from a 69 Lincoln sitting on the chassis. This was my dads idea when he owned the kit car but never really got anywhere with it. He has given it to me. As far as extra parts are concerned, what do you think I would need to come up with if I wanted to take a mark viii 4.6 and mount the C heads to it? I would also use a m112 at the point. Might as well since you can get these parts pretty reasonably. I probably would want to put a forged rotating assembly in it also. My concern would be the cost approaching what an 03/04 engine would run. I cannot remember if the entire rotating assembly is forged on those motors though. If memory serves me correctly I believe they are.

All this talk makes me wish I didnt sell my 98 Mark VIII. It was such a smooth running engine.
Click to expand...

I would pass on the 460 just the weight thing. The 351 would drop in in minutes and be runnnig with a carb. It would look like every other one out there. The C heads will go right on your mk8 block,you would need C intake also. The 03/04 teminators blowers are kinda cheap but to find all 1 million parts for the complete stock deal will ADD up. Terms have steel 8 bolt crank,manley rods and I forget who makes the pistons but Ford made clearance to tight and they scuff.
 
So much to consider.
32v
I would look for a low mile c head engine, don't swap heads.
Build the short block forged so it is ready for anything you might want to throw at it.

A 32v will need to be tuned/ob II computer... which will add cost compared to a push rod engine.

A 32v 4.6 is a heavy fat engine, like a 385 series, but does not have the torque a 385 series has.
A 32v 4.6 gets gas mileage a 385 series never will get close to.
But a 385 series stop light launch can not be denied.

In the middle you have a 351w.
Which is cheap and can hold its own.
Cheap and plenty of power...but no sex appeal.

Good luck with your choice....they are all good.
Just depends what you want out of the cobra.

FWIW.... my cousin went with the 351w in his.
 
Thanks for the comments and suggestions. The 351w is a stock truck short block with AFR 185 heads and it runs pretty good in the Mustang. I will need to think about this thoroughly. I just love the idea of a 32v powder coated chrome with some ford blue valve covers sitting on top. Adding an eaton would certainly make it more enjoyable.
 
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