Another COBRA JET is born at JDM Engineering...Don Belles Jr's 2008 CJ

JimIII@jdm

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This week we fired up Don Belles Jr's 2008 Cobra Jet Mustang for the first time since we started the build 3 months ago. The car is spec'd completely to NHRA Super Stock class rules which limits some of the changes most people do to make this cars fast. It's amazing the power we can make and the ET's these cars produce with the limitations at hand. The car will be capable of mid 8 sec 1/4 mile times at nearly 160 mph.

Don Jr's car started life as an 08 Shelby GT Mustang with a 4.6L 3V that he supercharged and raced in the NMRA. His Father Don had us build his car, another 08 Shelby GT (but white) last year. Since then Don Sr. has competed in several NHRA events and holds the Super Stock BA class record with an 8.71 ET going 157 mph!! Don Jr plans to run in the SS/AA class next season and with some testing before the end of this year.

The JDM Built 5.4L 4V motor is based from a Ford GT block machined for wet sump, sleeved, and bored .070" (3.62" bore diam). The internals consist of a Cobra Jet Forged Crankshaft, Manley H beam rods, and Mahle custom JDM NHRA approved spec pistons. Balancing and assembly done by Tommy Martino world famous NHRA pro stock engine builder. The Cylinder heads remain mostly stock with a valve job, stock valves, and our Super Stock Cam package. The motor was assembled in house by our builder Matt Kennedy who also degreed the cams and timed the engine. We topped the engine off with a Stock intake manifold and intercooler as per NHRA spec along with the New '13-'14 GT500 TVS Supercharger that we had NHRA approve last year. However the blower pulley has been enlarged to a 2.91" diameter making it legal for Competition. The Original Cobra Jet twin 63.5mm bore throttle body must be used on 2008 model CJ's which is a big limitation of power. The JDM 140mm Cobra Jet cold air intake is used to support the massive amount of air flow coming into the supercharger. We also fitted the car with an ATI balancer, Meziere Water pump, Thumper racing tensioner, and JDM Engineering Alternator relocation kit to make it a Single belt drive! The car does not run a heat exchanger or thermostat. It keeps cool with a Stef's oversize coolant tank we run packed with ice before each run. This helps cut down on some weight off the nose of the vehicle.

All the Chassis work was done by S&W race cars including the Funny Car Rollcage, 4 Link, and tubbing the rear to fit the 31.5" tall 13.5" Hoosier slicks! The rear end is a narrowed 9" with 40 spline Mark Williams axles, a 4.56 gear. A Mark Williams lightened drive shaft connects the rear to a Rossler Turbo 400 Automatic transmission that houses a Select Performance converter. Light weight brakes from "The Brake Man" help this car stop while keeping minimum rolling resistance for quicker ET's and MPH! Weld Racing wheels at all 4 corners. The fuel system uses Goodridge Teflon coated -10 lines and fittings from the tank forward. Cobra Jet Fuel cell with Aeromotive CJ spec Eliminator fuel pump. Fore Y-block and rails used up at the engine along with Aeromotive's new adjustable Regulator. Ford Racing 80lb/hr squirters are used to fuel the engine which runs on VP C16 Race fuel.

All that is left is to put the car on the dyno and make some noise. Jim D'Amore (my father) owner of JDM Engineering does all the custom tuning with SCT software on the factory CJ ECM. He will attend NHRA events next year with Don Jr. just like he has been for Sr. and several other of our Cobra Jet customers. He will make sure each car is properly tuned for the conditions of the race track that weekend. The car is equipped with a Race Pak data-logging system to record each 1/4 mile and give us feedback of how it performs once the car is fully dialed in Don Jr will be able to attend any event across the country and be a very feared competitor in the field!


Here are some pics of Don's car

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Here is a picture of Don Sr's car in action...

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