I ran with a Cobra Club for a while. I learned a few valuable things. Of course, this was after my build. I have an FIA car. So, that guided my engine choice. I’ll finish with that, in a few. The first thing I learned was that all the cars with a solid rear axle would bottom out on less than perfect roads. The two of us with independent rear, did not...ever. The second major thing was engine choice. One member had a motor producing Over 600hp. There were cars all over the range. Some with fuel injection, others carbureted. Some aluminum blocks, others full iron. Some big block motors, others small. My end conclusion was that no matter what I chose, it would be carbureted. That is mostly for experience. Personal, of course. As I mentioned, I went for the FIA feel & look. A 64’ 289 with small chamber iron heads & medium bump up in cam. Nothing crazy. I topped that off with 48IDA’s. It was a brutal learning curve but, I eventually got it all figured out. I don’t track the car. It’s purely for the feel & vibe of owning/driving a Cobra. Everyone has their own reasons. However. In the streets, there was rarely ever a moment when I wished I had more power. Street driving, I don’t have much trouble keeping up with any other car or cobra, big or small. To me, there are a few ideal feel/sounds for a cobra. A small block with webers, a big block with a 4bbl & the right cam or a small block slabside with a carburetor. I feel like a lot of people lose sight of this when building. & probably don’t end up satisfied. For me, There’s nothing more thrilling than listening to those webers sing, & that sound between shifts(no vacuum advance). I would take any of these three cars. All of them were a time in history that can only be reproduced by driving such a car.

I’d put an LS into anything. I’ve had fantastic experiences with the 5.3 in particular….. With regular maintenance I’ve consistently gotten 300,000 to 400,000 miles in my trucks, used not abused. Granted , at 400,000 it’s not very happy but still running. My 60s era Mopars all have the big blocks, the cars have the weight to handle it as well as the performance. One day I hope to have a cobra or a Boss 302 … childhood favorites.

Finally someone has built a Cobra that makes daily practical fun driving sense. Enjoy!

I couldn't agree more with you. While I don't own a Cobra, I've ran quite a few small block Ford Windsor motors (260, 289, 302, 351) over the last 40+ years. Your math is spot on, in a car that light and configured the way it is, anything between 275 HP and 350 HP is going to be an absolute blast to drive on the streets. I've always preferred the 289 or 302 motors, their combination of bore and stroke make them so much fun in a lighter weight car.

Hey bud...I'm an old fart from the 60's...Dad had me changing tranny's and engines when I was 8 LOL. I love your vids. Makes sense. Thank you. Carrol was a gift

My cousin’s friend has a 66 Cobra. It has the original 289 Hi-Po. He has driven different Cobras over the years and he said the small block was so well balanced in power and the performance was he could really get into the throttle and it remained so much better the the power houses

We built an end of series Mark 2 kit almost 20 years ago with a 302 from a 79 Mustang. Very glad to have fuel injected the motor (rare at the time) since the car is garaged and not driven enough to keep a carb in tune. Back in the day, 427 motors were more powerful, but never needed for street performance. With some mild upgrades the motor has 365 hp and I would not want any more. Factory Five has continued to upgrade/update/impress with their engineering and remains at the top of the "reproduction" companies.

The Stroked Windsor is a great strong engine!

Thanks for a great no B.S. presentation. Loved every minute of it. I particularly liked your approach and logic to the horsepower requirements for having a super fun yet safe road going sports car.

I completely agree with your assessment about the power needs for these cars. I had an early FF5 cobra with the old 302. It had about 260 whp. The car had enough power to have fun with it but not feel out of control. It was pretty quick, but 300 would have been ideal.

I've been driving small block Windsors since the 80's, and have no plans to change that. They are just dead simple, reliable, parts are cheap and available literally everywhere. Some really well paid engineers at Ford perfected those engines over nearly 40 years

I was at an all Ford car show, in Nashville, back in the 90s. Found a guy with FFC with a SOHC 427 in the car....HOLY SMOKES!!!! Overkill, but I loved it!

Great video with allot of info for someone who hasn’t rebuilt a engine before. Good job. BEAUTIFUL cobra. C.S. Would be proud.

tacojoe your car is my favorite factory five car ive seen. the tires, the wheels, the black paint, it all looks period correct and perfect. great work!

Not currently in the plan to build one but I love watching these videos

A guy here in Denmark has a Cobra Replica car with a Jaguar V12 5.3 HEI engine , it looks like they have putting it in the engine well using a huge shoe-horn .

Sweet car, I need to start budgeting because I recently found out that I NEED one 😅 awesome and informative video thanks for sharing!!!

I absolutely love Cobras. This gentleman is very knowledgeable. Everything he says makes sense. I really like the Cobra he built. I envy him for how neat and clean his garage looks.He built a really nice Cobra. Thanks for the video and your technical expertise.

I would have never consider rebuilding an engine, but this video completely changed my mind. In fact, I think I will do the engine and transmission before I even purchase the kit. It will be a for me and my kids drive, so I don't want it to be a rocket. I was reliable and budget- and I want to end with a car I truly build. I imagine there is that much more pride when you revived an engine like this. Thank you!

Thoroughly enjoyed this build and video, you did an amazing job on both. At this point in my life I'm definitely more interested in stability and control over maximum hp. I grew up at my grandfather's salvage yard so I really enjoyed watching you tear down that old junk yard motor and rebuild it. I gasped when you pulled that beautiful engine block out of the electrolysis tub, I guess that means all of this car stuff is still in my blood LOL.

My friend had a kit Cobra, it had a 302 in it. It was burnouts at every stoplight. 🏎

Really an outstanding presentation! Thanks for all of the information THAT MATTERS as compared to the "fluff" that many put on. Truly outstanding. If I am ever in a position to own a Cobra, I will use your advice. Thanks again.

Very good detail oriented walk-thru. Excellent work! A Windsor is all you really need to have a good fast economic build!

Great vid! Thanks for posting! Yeah, people will assume the Coyote is small because of the 5L displacement, but those heads are massive. In terms of fitting it into an engine bay, it can take up a lot of useful space. The main reason I'd do it is it can be a turnkey system, which is amazing for all the ECM stuff involved. LS for base motor simplicity, Windsor for saving dough and it can be fun to dig around for something to make your own without getting too exotic. Great suggestions!

Sure is fun fantasizing about building and owning one of these things...actually DOING it is another matter...

I think you did a very good job informing people of what you were trying to explain

As always, your videos are very informative and to the point. Thanks, Joe! Love watching these.

A very informative guide. Thanks heaps for sharing your experience.

Spectacular video. Thanks for putting the time into making it.

Small block stroker 347 good heads and nice matched cam with holley FI

I’ve looked in on your videos for a while. Great job, super informative. I really appreciate you taking the time and effort to share your experience and knowledge. I’ve been getting info from Factory Five since they started and one day, hopefully I will get to build one soon.

Another OUTSTANDING video Joe!!! Can’t wait to hear about the new motor.

This is a sweet hand built car, also a well edited & narrated video!

Love the old school tires/wheels. Carroll would have been proud.

Just super. Video. Thank you.

Very well presented and an absolute wealth of knowledge through experience! Well done!

I'm not sure how I found this channel and to be honest I don't know a lot about building engines but you did an amazing job with your explanations and the editing was excellent. This was a solid video and beautiful car; Thanks for sharing.

I am building a cobra from the ground up, its a 25 year old never finished project, been through a couple of poorly selected hotrod shops, now starting over with a brand new chassis, been doing a lot of research over the 18 months i have owned it, while building up the build budget. Reading about the original 289 and 427 cars, found that the 289 was a sports car, the 427 is a beast ready to kill you the moment you take your eye off the ball, these are motortrend road test of original cars, the most interesting item that shows up , the 0-70mph time, its when the 289 beats the 427 only after that speed does the 427 pull away, my car will have a 4500cc 350hp non usa engine 6 speed manual, i am aiming for 0-100-0 in the original cobra bracket, around 14? Seconds

Well done. I needed an engine for my truck 4.3 v6. Found one for 300$ that only had 78k miles. But the guy who had it didn't believe in changing oil. I measured the crank and it was good. Replaced bearings and oil pump. it works great. I am glad I checked the bearings though they looked really bad.

Riveting video. Thanks for the great description of engine options.

Awesome video and topic. The electrolysis was just mind blowing!

I know nothing about engine rebuilds, and am unlikely to ever do one, but that was fascinating. Thanks and good luck.

Thanks for directing me here, Another great information video. Take Care and Stay Safe.

Good information, Joe. Nice work on your Cobra.

Very informative, hope your channel grows to 4million+ thanks for giving me the motivation to build me one.

Quality vid as always K. Good to see you still making content!

Idk if that’s your garage , but I love it. Clean , organized greatness.

This would be so cool. But I will tell you, I'm challenged replacing a lower radiator hose on my Park Avenue.

Great video! You talked me out of the 427 which needed to happen. Thank you.

Best short Cobra replica video on YT 👏👏👏

A Windsor is the way to for me. Its just in the spirit of the car

I've watched most of your videos over the years. Great straightforward content. An everyman and DIY point of view. Thanks for you efforts and vids of your awesome F5 Roadster. I grew up on Fox bodies. Im still weighing when to pull a trigger on a F5 roadster. My kids are early teens and want to help build. My concern is giving up a family friendly high performance AWD Subaru. Anyway, love your car and your vids. Keep up the great work!

Very, very great video! Well done mate!

Beautiful job on that engine, kudos

Man! This is a great informative and straightforward honest video! I have a 69 FB with a 351w and love your approach. Thank you for posting,

This was one of the best videos I have seen on KZfaq. In the event that I get a Factory Five replicar, I would like to build and install the lightest ~300 hp engine possible.

Nice build and thx for the budget build info

That rust removal process rocks!!

Excellent video. Very informative and concise. I am now a subscriber.

I love everything about this bud. Great work.

Hey, I really enjoyed this video. Best regards from Germany.

Awesome video - compliments!!

Hello Taco Joe. Thanks for posting this video. I am in the infancy of starting an FFR MK4 and you have provided great info here and a lot of food for thought. I am thinking this car will be more of a daily driver than a track rocket so I appreciate your perspective of not getting hung up on horse power. Cheers!

Very good information Taco Joe😊😊😊

amazing video, very informative and a clearly good guide to begin with. Your engine choice makes a lot of sense and considering my budget that's what i would do if i had the chance (some day i will build one with my twin boys and my dad)

You're not living if it's not unsafe!!! I personally love the Cleveland. Have one in my 67 stang and it will take a pounding and not hard to produce 300+ hp with simple bolt on's. Excellent mid range torque on mine, would be great for a cobra on the drag strip.

You sound like you are from the mid West such as Ann Arbor Michigan. I have family out there so I recognize it

Good job on the build nice car too I got a 5.0 from explorer in my fox body .

Thanks for the video @TacoJoe! I have been following your build for a while and am using many of your tips in the FFR I'm building with my family! We pulled an engine from a 2001 Explorer and have gone through it much like you've described. Did you use the factory oil pan? And if so, any fitment issues? Factory oil pickup? Thanks again!

Awesome job!

Nice job thanks for sharing.

sharp car thanks for the build tips

Brilliant mate, well done

I cant wait to build mine.... just hope the motor I want actually fits and that I wont have issues with heat...

Excellent video!

Good advice on horsepower versus safety.

7:31 Supervisor makes an appearance

I built one of these twenty years ago and put a 460 in it. I'm building another one now and I decided I'm going to stick with the 460. There is a ton of concessions I have to make including the cost. And Factory Five doesn't make headers therefore I'll have to have them made elsewhere. I'm sure your video will help many considering a build like this

Very informative video! One thing to keep in mind is the value of your time. When you do that the cost difference between rebuilding a junkyard engine and purchasing the same engine as a crate motor with warranty shrinks considerably.

Excellent video! Thank you!!!! 🙂

THIS VIDEO WAS INCREADIBLE!!!

Excellent video.

good walk through

Thank you for introducing another option really to a Cobra Kit build that most I believe do not look to as an option. J

What an enjoyable video thank you

Excellent video. I definitely want to know what mistakes you made! I just couldn't do a modern engine in a Cobra. You made a good choice.

AGAIN, EXCELLENT VIDYA SCEEEEELLS

Amazing. I wish I knew engines like you. Beautiful car also.

Good sensible advice.

Great video! Thanks!

Great video. Logical approach and yes being a PAST owner of an MKII with 420 HP you are correct. That was too much HP. Crazy to handle under spirited driving moments. Each spring the car reminded me not to be a fool. Loved the car and only sold it because during the summer months here in MA it was like sitting in a toaster on a warm day. That was my only complaint. Again, a good video from a very logical and frugal perspective. Thanks,

Well done 👍

Lovely video thank you.

My dream is to build a F5 Cobra with my son. Not sure about my skills rebuilding engines, but thanks for sharing.

So glad you didn't fall for a big block. I'm seeing you're meticulous and you don't like to waste a dollar, so the Windsor makes sense. 300hp can be a waste in the wet, and you want to be able to use all the power for a great experience. I'm talking about having a car that's fun to own. Personally, I'd go with a warmed over 289, and I wouldn't go for max HP. People tend to disregard how the driver can get great results, especially with great brakes and suspension, gbox and diff ratio. I love the build up.

Wow electrolysis to clean your block is onto it mate. Looked really good 👍. This is a good show, your onto it mate. Keep it up. Cheers from New Zealand 🇳🇿

Thanks for sharing!!! Most interesting thanks again!!!

Great video! An easy upgrade to your 302 is a Edelbrock Pro-Flo. Easy starts hot or cold and diagnostics on a Bluetooth connected Samsung tablet.

Great video

Solid video Joe. I'd love to put a coyote in one of these things but I think you're right about it being too much power to be safe as a regularly used road car. It's easy to forget these things are NA miata light and a lightly built coyote would have a fair bit more power than my C6 which is mildly terrifying to think about.