Kenne Bell - Stock 97 Cobra

Hi guys. First post. I have a 97 Cobra with about 45K miles on it. Right now my mods are aluminum driveshaft, 4.10's, imrc deletes, cai, koni shocks and struts, eibach springs, and full exhaust with off road h pipe (stock manifolds) and it's been dyno tuned. I am thinking of buying the Kenne Bell 2.1L kit because I heard the low end grunt is great with this kit and my goal really is 400RWHP no more. Right now it makes 305 to the wheels. I am wondering if I have anything to worry about as far as blowing up my motor with this kit without re-doing the bottom end. I was planning on changing out the pump and the fuel injectors as well as adding a meth kit to keep temps down. Is there anything else I should do or should I be alright with this kit as long as I keep the boost down?

Here is a picture of the car since I haven't posted one yet

You won't blow the motor at 400 so you should be good there. Just make sure you get it tuned by a reputable tuner.

For the meth it go with prometh don't touch any of the snow crap.

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Thanks for the info


Is there a magic number for these cars that you shouldn't go over unless you're building the motor?

I blew some compression rings and seals out of my 93 because I over boosted it. I ran 14.5 pounds on the stock engine and it eventually gave out. Although I really don't drive the car that hard. I would venture to guess staying around 8psi would get you 400 rwhp for sure and be relatively safe. The magic number for fox body 302's is around 500 hp. I don't know what it is for yours, but I think your block is stronger(thicker).

The safe number is 425 RWHP, although some people push it to 450 - 500 RWHP with a very good tune.

There is no such thing as a "Magic or Safe" power number for these cars (I made well over 500/500 way back when I bought my car). It's about the tune and the limit of the fuel your using. I wouldn't concern yourself with the number, I'd be more concerned with the drivability and safety of the tune on a stock motor. You're going to be limited with KB setup since you have no way of running an intercooler to keep your IAT's in check (only real option is meth injection).

I literally almost have the same similar mods as you but are pushing 281 to the wheels... wow.

Let me know if you go with the KB..

FWIW, I debated this when I went FI on my '96. If I remember correctly the Kenne Belle kit is NLA for our cars, because the throttle cable is NLA from Ford. You can still do it, of course, but need to find the correct throttle cable from a junker.

The meth business did not interest me, and I was more interested in top end pull than botttom end grunt. 4.10s give plenty of low end pull. You might find a used Vortexh kit easier to install (no meth) and just as fun. YMMV...