Originally Posted by
tirod
What do you want the car to do?
Lots of guys jump in with some idea of what the car will be, but the real nitty gritty comes down to exactly what it will be used for, in numbers.
It's the same with firearms, "I want to buy an AR15" is a starting point, but when it's known what the range and target are, then you get into the real details. A long range sniper rifle and short 14" tax stamped hog gun are both AR-15's, but they simply cannot do the other job well.
So, you specify exactly what you intend to do with the car. What kind of driving, if competition, specifically what kind. Autocross, drag, Land Speed Record, 25 hour endurance, short track sports? Each has very specific and individual requirements that as they are developed exclude other choices. Same as an AR15.
That's why the engine info request is a bit early. Some have already commented on it, the purpose of an engine is to either make horsepower, look "good," or even amplify the owners self image. Guys build cars to do that, just as much as they buy firearms. It's an extension of their image they are attempting to market externally in sociologically acceptable ways.
It's why some guys marry the wives they have, to amplify their own status.
In terms of cars, does this one need to do that sort of thing, or does it need to actually perform on asphalt with certain kinds of handling and performance in mind? Knowing that, we can specify what will fit the profile of success. You get a car that is custom tailored to your goals, and things work out nicely.
Ignore it, and we see the results in the for sale forums, parts, bits, even whole cars sold because they didn't come up to the owner's goals. And the very real problem creeps in, sometimes those goals were only temporary in their life. Things change and new decisions are made. One of the better chassis and handling writer's of the 80's quit to become a psychologist.
I'm going to hazard a speculation: the 427 Roadster is an icon in the automotive arts, not for what it actually was, but for what we think it represents. The reality behind the image is quite a bit less than we make of it. They aren't for everyone, it's not a matter of machismo, it's a matter of that kind of car simply may not have the kind of performance that the owner discovers he prefers in the long run. A lot is made about their abrupt and powerful handling, ankle burns, and how dangerous they can be. That is a real insight to what they are, an overpowered sports car with a large, heavy truck motor, that was actually built to showcase the Ford brand in the marketing contests against Chevrolet and the Corvette.
It wasn't the car that actually build the Shelby reputation, and it wasn't the car that won the FIA championship. It wasn't the Shelby that first went over 180mph at LeMans. If anything, it's a short track monster that would barely put a second or two over the 289 models on most American racetracks.
With the F5 kits you get to fix it. The 351W based motor weighs 150 pounds less, makes more hp if you want, is less expensive, and can be dressed up to look the same. Only the really knowledgeable could tell. The lap times would be far superior, especially with sorting out after the build, which is where the real performance is refined.
What that performance is, we don't know. It has to be spelled out, and then what is known to be successful to make those goals becomes a lot clearer.
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) true of a crate engine. Here's the engine dyno plot for my Roush 331SRXE:
