HELP.. Blown Engine... Need to rebuild.

[JOEZ06]

My son's 99 Cobra has apparently blown a rod bearing. So say the small local auto mechanic. (Fairly loud metallic rap, about 2Hz at idle, rpm dependent, rear drivers side of the engine. Sometime it will go intermitant for a brief second or 2). Ruled out Tranny/Bell housing. Ruled out the Passenger side valve train. Engine has 60K on it.

Getting beyond the exact cause, I am preparing for the worst... Engine will come out, and while I am at it might as well invest a little.

I am corvette guy by nature. I know who the big reputable tuners are in that world, and what can be done with LS1/LS6's... In the land of Mustang talk, I admit I am totally novice, and appreciate any advice.

What are the stroke/boring options with this 4.6L?

My goals are:
1) To keep the enging serial number consistent with the car.
2) I do NOT want to cut or invest in new hoods.
3) No bolt ons for forced air, but I am flexible on this one.
4) My goal is to increase the 315-320 stock ponies... Perhaps as high as 400HP. I am not looking for a drag rocket. I want reliable, streetable power. Can this block be bored to 5.0L ? Who makes the sleeves? Rods/Piston recommendations? Porting Heads ? Cam recommendations?

How much money will take to get there?
Any people within 300 miles of Jacksonville, FL you would recommend?

Thanks in Advance.

 

[white99gt]

COntact either www.hp-performance.com in orange park -ask for tony tell him i sent you

al at www.boss330racing.com

Lamotta Performance
Longwood, FL
407-695-4549

Any of these can help you out with what you need.

Our cars can be sleeved to a 5.0 but there is a lot of power to be found in the normal setup.

315~330 rwhp isnt hard with the right combo n/a with out a big bore/stroker setup.

 

[JOEZ06]

Thanks White! I appreciate the advice! Nice setup. You have me rethinking FA as an option also.

What about a 5.4L as a replacement for the 4.6? Besides an aftermarket hood, what else will it take, tech and dollar wise?

I went to local shop today and a reputable tuner/engine builder told me that he could get 50HP out of more aggressive cams (reasonable lope), springs, and a 3 angle valve job, and tuning? Can anyone comment on that? 2K extra. Anyone care to comment on that feasibility? What RWHP/T numbers can I realistically expect with that set up and MAC headers/Flowmasters ?

 

[Dark Knight GT]

Thanks White! I appreciate the advice! Nice setup. You have me rethinking FA as an option also.

What about a 5.4L as a replacement for the 4.6? Besides an aftermarket hood, what else will it take, tech and dollar wise?

I went to local shop today and a reputable tuner/engine builder told me that he could get 50HP out of more aggressive cams (reasonable lope), springs, and a 3 angle valve job, and tuning? Can anyone comment on that? 2K extra. Anyone care to comment on that feasibility? What RWHP/T numbers can I realistically expect with that set up and MAC headers/Flowmasters ?

With any motor swap, you'll need to probably re-route the wiring of the motor so everything hooks up. I don't know personally whether the battery will need relocated but I know in some setups, that has to be done as well. With any internal motor changes or engine swap, you'll either need a EEC flash for the new setup, custom dyno tune, or new computer. Personally, a custom dyno tune would be best.

As for what the guy told about cams, cams alone with a valve job will not yield 50hp on one of these cars n/a. Maybe on a hoss 5.4 liter with all the right works, but not on a stock bottom end 4.6ltr n/a. Contact the guys at VTEngines. They will hook you up with what you need in terms of cams and cylinder head work. My advice though is this. If you pull the motor to have it rebuilt or swapped to a 5.4ltr, then send the heads and cams into VTEngines and have the heads worked over. They'll still fit the 5.4ltr block as long as its the 5.4ltr modular block from Ford. Get the heads ported and polished, bigger valves, ss valves, competiton springs, and high performance cams. You'll see a huge gain in power. Gains of 50rwhp n/a are definately easy to accomplish with VT Engine cams and VTEngine built cylidner heads. Probalby more. On a 5.4ltr with VTEngine high lift cams and high performance build cylinder heads, gains of 100hp is not unlikely.

www.vtengines.com

 

[white99gt]

Thanks White! I appreciate the advice! Nice setup. You have me rethinking FA as an option also.

What about a 5.4L as a replacement for the 4.6? Besides an aftermarket hood, what else will it take, tech and dollar wise?

I went to local shop today and a reputable tuner/engine builder told me that he could get 50HP out of more aggressive cams (reasonable lope), springs, and a 3 angle valve job, and tuning? Can anyone comment on that? 2K extra. Anyone care to comment on that feasibility? What RWHP/T numbers can I realistically expect with that set up and MAC headers/Flowmasters ?

Thanks.Mine is just a little old stock looking gt .

YOu can get plenty out of the 4.6 but if you want the pros and cons of a 5.4 talk to al at bos330 racing he races a 500+rwhp 5.4 N/a ..Let one of those shops tell you what you need.They have built many combos like you are wanting and can lead you in the right direction..