Project Last Anglo-American Hero

[AC Ventura]

Just another day in the engine shed, preparing for instalation of an all aluminium, Ford 427 FE (big block) side oiler, plus TKO 600 into my '93 Mk IV. The project is fraught with technical feasibility issues. Most importantly,  the engine position will be key to minimising the compromises. It will be bad enough doing this once, so it better be right, At the very least, the grp footwells, the engine mounts and some chassis crossmembers need cutting out and replacing, so this kind of caper is not for everyone. All things being equal, I guess it depends on your life agenda: Keep it original at all costs, or experience, maybe improve on the legend?. Either way, it's worth mentioning that all this can be reverse engineered back, just as easily as it's been modified.
To be as sure as one can be, regarding feasibility choices, I have meticulously measured the engine and trans in meticulous detail. I'm aware people have done the 427 conversion, but not as far as I am aware with an all aluminium motor and the 5 speed TKO. This incidentally can be had with a extra high 5th for economical motorway cruising. However, I rejected that option in favour of progressive gearing. This is not exactly an economy drive after all.
Anyhow, I've converted the data into a scale CAD drawing, showing how the the car should look with the engine installed. To get it where it needs to be and the vital propshaft angles correct, means positioning the entire 5 foot long drivetrain within 4-5mm. You can see it's all very tight.....but it might just work. Incidentally the huge 7 litre FE weighs just 20 lbs more than the current cast iron 302. Shelby never had this available, nor ceramic header coatings and that's the attraction....

[AC Ventura]

The all alloy 427 FE

[AC Ventura]

The TKO 600 5 speed

[westcott]

Nice engine, what bellhousing will be used, I put a Quick Time RM-6056 between my FE and the Tremec?

[AC Ventura]

It's the 0.5" shorter Quick Time RM 6057 and the TKO is a matching short input shaft. I have a steel flywheel and McLeod 12" clutch.  I'd be iterested to know what clutch actuation parts you used.

[AC Ventura]

This is the best quality I can upload

[westcott]

Used a McLeod internal release bearing as a slave and a simple 7/8 or 1" master. All went into my former car, a Crendon Cobra replika.

Need to find my build notes for the correct size of the master. Most important with an internal slave is to limit the pedal movement not to extend the max. slave travel. With internal slaves I always used adjustable pedal stops below the clutch pedal.

Clutch was from Centerforce, the dual friction. It needed more release travel for complete disengagement, therefor the 7/8 or 1" master.

[AC Ventura]

I'm trying to use an external fork for actuation. I have to remake the bulkhead anyhow. I'm also think of installing the earlier 'A' struts from under the dash hoop, to the chassis rails. My clutch is a Mcleod 12" Super street pro.

[Hobo]

There is another "hero" here in Germany:
"AK 1073" heavily modified by a professional shop and the pre-owner decades ago with an 550 hp iron 460 Cobra Jet SVO engine (550 hp) and an even bigger 6-gear Richmond (internal release bearing) installed......moreover with sidepipes..

............and you are right:
All and everything had to be modified: GRP footwells – both sides, chassis crossmembers, engine and gear box mounts...........clearance between starter/bellhousing and frame is 0,001" -  also after cutting off a part of the bellhousing. Meanwhile the cooling has been also improved by a new fan with shroud on the backside of the radiator.

I bought the car as it was some years ago – because of the car itself not the drive train.
Repair and maintanence is quite difficult, because engine compartment is totally filled with the engine and components and everything is really very tight and often you wish to have child's hands.
Currently the car is in a repair shop because the gear box is damaged and acquiring spare parts for the Richmond is a night mare for many, many month.
However there is a light at the horizon and hopefully the car will be back on the road this year with a repaired gearbox......moreover improved with overdrives 5th & 6th gear instead of sixth gear 1:1.

............and the day will come that I will convert this all the way back to a nice (aluminum?) Small Block combined with a TKO (0.64 OD).
(The sidepipes are already replaced by a nice underfloor exhaust with big silencers  :-)  )

[AC Ventura]

Hobo, thanks for your reply which I found interesting. I am under no illusion regarding the car that I hope will materialise from my work. I have for years read the problems of the Mk IV FE conversions and not come across one happy owner. But not everybody wants a crazy, overpowered, ultimately uncontrollable car. However, there are many happy owners of the big block cars, although they are US based and mostly of course replicas. The secret of car modification is to be able to develop it yourself and be capable of doing that. Professional shops dont have the time to get it right or come up with new ideas. They are always under pressure timewise so can't sit still and think about how best to solve the problem. I have my own engineering facility and have built several cars. My aim is a outrageous road car for fun only. However I am going to unusual lengths to ensure its serviceable. For example the gearbox and clutch will be removable without needing to move the engine.  The Cobra isn't a very practical car for all weathers here in the UK, so it's always going to be a special occassion car.
I agonised about the 347 and 331 and I know they can offer enough power and would have been a vastly easier prospect. In the end my mind was made up, when I realised that the car has already the 427 chassis, the 427 body and the 427 suspension, so I wanted to experience the full fat experience before they stop selling petrol.
By the way, the Mk IV is perfectly balanced with the all iron 302, so if your getting a Windsor stroker, I'd keep it iron block with aluminium everything else...or it might be very tail happy.
Incidentally, I read and my engine builder advised that the 0.64 5th is not the best choice on the TKO 600 in Cobra, despite the power delivery. The drop is too much, always in and out of 4/5. Most owners regret and want the progressive 0.82. I'm running a 3.54, but might need 3.31.
I'm wondering with over 500 hp what exhaust pipe diameter you have after the primaries and whether it the cockpit is cooler or hotter with the underfloor exhaust? Suppose you can't tell, if you just changed the rad and I'd also be interested to know of the dimensions of that if it works well.

[Hobo]

Hi AC Ventura!
Your concept  demounting the gearbox without pulling the engine is perfect.....I would wish to have it with my cars.
With the 460 in the engine bay I have to demount the gearbox from inside (out of the cockpit) and pull out the engine together with the bellhousing – no other way to do, even not pulling out engine and gearbox as one unit :-(.
The engine is close to the (front) cross member that in any case the pulley on the crank has to be removed to pull out the engine.

The complete underfloor exhaust is custom made from stainless steel.
The headers are made of 2" pipes slipping in a 4in1-piece followed by 2,5" pipes.
In the rear the pipes are routed through the wheel arch as with the original MkIV but no dampers there.
The most extended dampers which fits under the floor have been installed, a small one for high frequences and a big one for the low frequencies on each side.
As a result I could reduce the loudness dramatically (50% compared with sidepipes) and the flow of the exhaust gas is excellent.
Cruising is quite comfortable now and conversation with your co-driver is possible, if you put the pedal to the metal the lion is really roaring :-).
The ground clearance is the same as before.
There is the opportunity to install a O2-Senor on both sides (temporarily) to adjust the carburetor exactly.
I'm out of my home and have only a few photos available on my notebook
( I hate to storage docs and photos in any third-party cloud :-) )

An overdrive is for cruising not acceleration. With the TKO 500/600 the 4 th gear is direct drive (1:1) and very strong, 5th gear is weaker.
Regarding the overdrive with the TKO we have a different situation here in Germany. Cruising on the highway (if you have to do) here is best with 100 mph @ 3000 rpm, a comfortable speed for an open roadster on the one hand and a moderate rpm for the engine.......and still the option to shift into 4th gear and accelerate as there is no tomorrow. 
However best is open winding road beside the highway and nearly no need for the overdrive at all.

[Hobo]

First photo shows the improved cooling for the 460 Cobra Jet engine.
2-stage fan with shroud, now on the backside of the radiator....far better than before.

Photo 2 and 3:
I have "long term cobra-project" in progress with an aluminum body and an original MkIII suspension.
I started this to create a "light as possible" car, however I keep the original parts as iron-Jag.-diff and Girling brakes in place....different from the drive train.
The drivetrain already arrived: An all aluminum 302 (aluminum Dart block) stroked to 347 cui (450 hp @ 400 ft/lbs) combined with a TKO 600 (0.64 OD)......

............and I will see where I will end up one day with this crazy, overpowered, ultimately uncontrollable driving machine - hopefully before they stop selling fuel :-)

[AC Ventura]

Hi Hobo,
All good information thank you! The point about exhaust diameter is interesting and you might like to search You Tube for a series called Engine Masters. They seek to explode myths about engine tuning, exhaust diameters for I think 400 and 600 horsepowers, X s. H pipes etc. Its a very cool series. I think on a 600 hp unit, 2.5" vs 3" exhaust pipe loses around 20bhp, but of course that is irrelevant if we don't have space of a 3" pipe! I am going to try for an underfloor system, but I don't want the down pipe in the footwells. I have another idea for that. Did you know the original 427 had footwell fresh air vents?

Thanks for reminding me about the O2 sensors, forgot about those.

I will wait your findings with the 0.64 OD. I was a tough call and sounds like we are both objective enough to say which is best.

You will be pleased to know that you worried me when you said, the starter was very tight on the chassis. I thought I missed something. So today, I did another virtual fit and you can see it looks okay. I'm using a high torque Powermaster, Mini-Starter. this is much smaller than OE. If you already have that maybe the 460 is different. My engine is offset 12.7mm with the crank at 2.5 degrees to the horizontal.

It's taken forever to undo all the 302 EFI engine connections, but am almost ready to lift the engine. Will try not to drop it

[Hobo]

Regarding the exhaust gas flow I'm satisfied with 2,5" pipes.
The other reason not to go for a 3" pipe was the routing through the wheel arches in the rear.
My exhaust builder told me, that bending the stainless steel pipes for that area is difficult because of the bigger diameter.

Regarding the starter I see that the FE has a total different position.
With my engine the problem is not the starter itself, the critical area (arrow) is where the bellhousing flange meets the frame.

[westcott]

There are FE starters available which are adjustable by themself. You can dial them in until the most clearence to the engine block and the 4" main rails is reached. That means the starter body rotates in the flange mounted to the engine.

The 460 is not comparable to the FE regarding package, the FE need much less package, for example the engine flange to the bellhausing is smaller in " diameter" and the clearence to the main rails is bigger where the 460 is close to a touching condition.

With a standart MK IV you don't have the cutouts in the trunk a lightweigt normally has giving the exhaust loop more space. The tank above the rear axle does not allow cutouts at the side of the trunk where the lightweights doesn't have any problem because the tank is hanging underneath.

With the tank underneath, cutouts with the covers inside the trunk are feasible.

In a Lightweigt MK IV the package inside the rear wheel arches is much bigger for the exhaust tube routing.

With 16" wheels and 255 rear rubber the situation is better as with the 15" and 275 tires.

So the routing for the exhaust tubes rear is limitted by the available package between tire and tank.

Check this first before the final tube diameter decision.

Routing the exhaust tubes below the rear axle close to the main rails will reduce ground clearence significant, for me this is never an  alternative.