Engine build question

[eaglesnick]

Hey guys,

I am having an engine built for my 03 cobra and was looking for some opinions and possible answers/help. I currently have a 1st gen. whipple 2.3 and since I am going to a 5.0 Boss engine stroked to 5.3 I am considering upgrading to a 2.9 or a 2.3 TVS. So I am looking for some advice/opinions on which one and another question is will either or both fit under my MM 3 point strut tower brace I currently have installed (it is the one that fits over the whipple 2.3) Once I get more details on the build after talking to my builder I will update the thread.

 

[Scotty B]

what are you HP goals? that will drive your descision.

 

[mach1033]

The 2.9 fits with the MM strut tower brace.
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[mach1033]

Hey guys,

I am having an engine built for my 03 cobra and was looking for some opinions and possible answers/help. I currently have a 1st gen. whipple 2.3 and since I am going to a 5.0 Boss engine stroked to 5.3 I an considering upgrading to a 2.9 or a 2.3 TVS. So I am looking fir some advice/opinions on which one and another question is will either or both fit under my MM 3 point strut tower brace I currently have installed (it is the one that fits over the whipple 2.3) Once I get more details on the build after talking to my builder I will update the thread.

I would assume head porting and cams are going to be done to compliment the 5.3 stroker?

 

[eaglesnick]

Horsepower goal is between 650-700 at the wheels.

And heads will be ported with some variation of cams, those are the details I need to work out with the engine builder.

 

[mach1033]

Horsepower goal is between 650-700 at the wheels.

And heads will be ported with some variation of cams, those are the details I need to work out with the engine builder.

I have news for you. A 5.3 stroker with ported heads, custom cams, 3 inch exhaust system and for arguments sake a 2.9 with a stock upper pulley is gonna put you over 700+ rwhp. Hope you have tires and suspension work done lol.

 

[eaglesnick]

I have news for you. A 5.3 stroker with ported heads, custom cams, 3 inch exhaust system and for arguments sake a 2.9 with a stock upper pulley is gonna put you over 700+ rwhp. Hope you have tires and suspension work done lol.

Suspension is not stock, full tilt boogie kit installed with FRPP rear cover, steeda springs, Tockico adjustable shocks, carbon fiber driveshaft and 315 nitto nt05Rs out back

 

[mach1033]

Suspension is not stock, full tilt boogie kit installed with FRPP rear cover, steeda springs, Tockico adjustable shocks, carbon fiber driveshaft and 315 nitto nt05Rs out back

What fuel system are you going with? I just received my motor back and it is a standard 4.6 with stage 3 head port and custom comp cams. I stayed with a returless set up consisting of a Fore triple gt pumps, 3 fpdm's, Fore rails and 80lb injectors. Clutch I did the twin set up from Mcleod. Exhaust I went with kooks 1 3/4 LT's, Dr.gas 3 inch x pipe, Magnaflow 3 inch high flow cats, Dynomax 3 inch tails, Magnaflow 3 inch race mufflers and there 4 inch polished tips. I will be running NTO5R's size 305 45 18's. Suspension I also have the FTBR kit, I will be buying a IRS brace, Kenny Brown full subs, MM K member, MM coilover font and back, MM CC plates, MM A-arms with delrin bushings, MM front bumpsteer and as you already saw there strut tower brace. Who is building your motor?

 

[eaglesnick]

What fuel system are you going with? I just received my motor back and it is a standard 4.6 with stage 3 head port and custom comp cams. I stayed with a returless set up consisting of a Fore triple gt pumps, 3 fpdm's, Fore rails and 80lb injectors. Clutch I did the twin set up from Mcleod. Exhaust I went with kooks 1 3/4 LT's, Dr.gas 3 inch x pipe, Magnaflow 3 inch high flow cats, Dynomax 3 inch tails, Magnaflow 3 inch race mufflers and there 4 inch polished tips. I will be running NTO5R's size 305 45 18's. Suspension I also have the FTBR kit, I will be buying a IRS brace, Kenny Brown full subs, MM K member, MM coilover font and back, MM CC plates, MM A-arms with delrin bushings, MM front bumpsteer and as you already saw there strut tower brace. Who is building your motor?

Dwayne Gutridge (Big Daddy Performance) is doing the build. The fuel system is still returnless (it's JDM's fuel system) I believe it's twin Ford GT pumps with upgraded lines. However, everything is going to be looked over by Dwayne since I had some sort of engine failure. Who did your build?

 

[mach1033]

Dwayne Gutridge (Big Daddy Performance) is doing the build. The fuel system is still returnless (it's JDM's fuel system) I believe it's twin Ford GT pumps with upgraded lines. However, everything is going to be looked over by Dwayne since I had some sort of engine failure. Who did your build?

Kogan motorsports built it out in Long Island. I must have missed it but didnt you just buy this car? What happened to the motor? I hear good things from Big Daddy.

 

[eaglesnick]

Kogan motorsports built it out in Long Island. I must have missed it but didnt you just buy this car? What happened to the motor? I hear good things from Big Daddy.

No, I am the original owner of the car. As for the motor not really sure what failed just yet, Dwayne will report back once he tears down whats in there now. I have been having some issues with it over the past couple of years and something finally let loose. It's supposed to be a built 4.6L stroked/built motor from JDM. Dwayne will be doing a complete evaluation of the motor to see what failed as well as documenting everything that is/isn't in the motor in event litigation is necessary. Apparently JDM has been known to not put what you pay for in some of their motors :bash:.

Have you dynoed your combo yet, if so what kind of numbers did you make?

 

[mach1033]

No, I am the original owner of the car. As for the motor not really sure what failed just yet, Dwayne will report back once he tears down whats in there now. I have been having some issues with it over the past couple of years and something finally let loose. It's supposed to be a built 4.6L stroked/built motor from JDM. Dwayne will be doing a complete evaluation of the motor to see what failed as well as documenting everything that is/isn't in the motor in event litigation is necessary. Apparently JDM has been known to not put what you pay for in some of their motors :bash:.

Have you dynoed your combo yet, if so what kind of numbers did you make?

I just received the motor 3 weeks ago and it is finally going up to my buddies shop tomorrow. Once everything is done I will start a build thread on everything that I did along with a video. I hope the exhaust system I pieced together will sound good.

 

[eaglesnick]

I just received the motor 3 weeks ago and it is finally going up to my buddies shop tomorrow. Once everything is done I will start a build thread on everything that I did along with a video. I hope the exhaust system I pieced together will sound good.

Are you running cats, if so which ones are you running? I have been trying to find cats to use with my setup, but everyone I have talked to keeps telling me at my hp level there are no cats that will "work" meaning pass inspection with them and eliminate the smelly exhaust. Where in NJ are you? What are you expecting/hoping for as far as hp/tq?

 

[mach1033]

Are you running cats, if so which ones are you running? I have been trying to find cats to use with my setup, but everyone I have talked to keeps telling me at my hp level there are no cats that will "work" meaning pass inspection with them and eliminate the smelly exhaust. Where in NJ are you? What are you expecting/hoping for as far as hp/tq?

I'm up in Fairlawn/ Paramus area. What is your exhaust set up? My car past emissions when I had the Mac LT's, lethal catted x pipe and magnapack catback. From my understanding is that the new testing for DMV is a simple ODB plug in to make sure there arent any codes present. They dont even put it on the emissions dyno anymore or even check for busted lights or tinted windows. I'm hoping to make the same power I did with a stock upper and 4lb lower but only this time with just a stock upper and stock lower with pump 93. Last year I was making 23.5llbs of boost and having to run torco. I know some guys want that big 800+hp number but for the street I just done see how your gonna keep it under control at WOT. Not that 700hp is any better which is where I should be at once its all said and done. In all honesty I should have just stayed with my 2.3 at 17lbs of boost. It made plenty of power at 603 and gave zero issues. It wasnt until I went with the 2.9 and wanted to boost it that all this crap happened. Fck it Its just money lol.

 

[eaglesnick]

Where you on a stock block before? My exhaust set up is Kooks long tubes with gutted cats, so the shells are still there in event of a roadside emission spot check with magna-flow mufflers and resonators at the tailpipe to keep things somewhat quiet ;-) I am aware of the new inspection procedure, but with no cats the rear 02s see no difference so I would think it would trip a code. I think my tuner tweaked the rear 02 voltage so it would pass, but I have had a couple of codes thrown in the past prior to my failure about the rear 02s so I'm not sure what can be done. I was told that with 650hp you can collapse/melt the cats from the heat :shrug: I am not looking for the huge numbers either, I was very happy with my 650hp. I decided to go a little bigger with the 5.0 Boss block stroked to 5.3 and slap a 2.9 whipple or a 2.3 TVS blower on it (not sure which blower to go with yet) instead of the 2.3 gen I whipple so I can have it tuned down to 650-700hp on 93 octane. I am hoping that with the bigger motor and blower I can run a very, very conservative tune with 17# of boost and minimal timing to obtain my goal. With my past experience I would rather go bigger than needed and have the motor not break a sweat than try and squeeze out every last pony and worry about a bad tank of gas. My plan is to have 2 tunes one being my DD tune at around 675hp, even though the car is a garage queen and the other with the timing cranked up a bit, but still very safe for cruises with some of the bigger dogs or dyno days just for show ;-)

 

[mach1033]

Where you on a stock block before? My exhaust set up is Kooks long tubes with gutted cats, so the shells are still there in event of a roadside emission spot check with magna-flow mufflers and resonators at the tailpipe to keep things somewhat quiet ;-) I am aware of the new inspection procedure, but with no cats the rear 02s see no difference so I would think it would trip a code. I think my tuner tweaked the rear 02 voltage so it would pass, but I have had a couple of codes thrown in the past prior to my failure about the rear 02s so I'm not sure what can be done. I was told that with 650hp you can collapse/melt the cats from the heat :shrug: I am not looking for the huge numbers either, I was very happy with my 650hp. I decided to go a little bigger with the 5.0 Boss block stroked to 5.3 and slap a 2.9 whipple or a 2.3 TVS blower on it (not sure which blower to go with yet) instead of the 2.3 gen I whipple so I can have it tuned down to 650-700hp on 93 octane. I am hoping that with the bigger motor and blower I can run a very, very conservative tune with 17# of boost and minimal timing to obtain my goal. With my past experience I would rather go bigger than needed and have the motor not break a sweat than try and squeeze out every last pony and worry about a bad tank of gas. My plan is to have 2 tunes one being my DD tune at around 675hp, even though the car is a garage queen and the other with the timing cranked up a bit, but still very safe for cruises with some of the bigger dogs or dyno days just for show ;-)

Yup I was on a stock block. The reason why it blew on me was because the fuel system was right on the edge and I raced it one to many times and that was it. The TVS seems like a great blower from all the threads popping up lately. My 2.9 performed great. The person I raced had an 02 SS with a 418 stroker making 530rwhp NA and then he also had a 150 shot of NOS. He later admitted to a friend of ours that even with the shot he couldnt pass me.

 

[Quick Strike]

The melted cats are more likely to be from using a leaded race fuel mixed or strait: not an associated RWHP limit. Most at 650 RWHP or beyond are using a some race gas to increase the octane level. This will be the eventual undoing of cats. I use Torco additive to raise my octane level, and it is completely compatible with unleaded fuel and unleaded fuel systems (including cats). I have 3" high flow cats in my Kooks X-Pipe, and they are having no issues at my HP level.

 

[eaglesnick]

The melted cats are more likely to be from using a leaded race fuel mixed or strait: not an associated RWHP limit. Most at 650 RWHP or beyond are using a some race gas to increase the octane level. This will be the eventual undoing of cats. I use Torco additive to raise my octane level, and it is completely compatible with unleaded fuel and unleaded fuel systems (including cats). I have 3" high flow cats in my Kooks X-Pipe, and they are having no issues at my HP level.

Good to know, thanks. FYI, I have never run any type if leaded fuel, so not sure what happened. The explanation I got from JDM was I was making too much power for cats. My guess is their tune was too lean which I believe will melt cats.