Hello! I just wanted to introduce myself to the forum. I’ve been following both forums for quite some time and have been amazed by the wealth of information and experience here.

A little about myself, I’m getting ready to make the move to Milwaukee and with the prospect of finally having a garage again (I’m currently in Chicago proper) I figured it was time to start planning for a future project. I’m probably a year or so out before I’d actually be able to pull the trigger on a kit, but, given that I have a tendency to over-research/analyze everything, I figured now was a good time to start planning. While I don’t have any experience with Factory Five or Cobras specifically, I do have a bit of general build experience - my current project is a 1965 Chevy C10 frame-off restomod my father and I have are in the process of trying to finish up.

For the Cobra, I was planning on going with the complete kit, and am hoping to build something I can drive reliably on the street (hopefully to work from time to time), to shows on the weekends, and perhaps to a track day or two a year (with Road America within an hour or so of our new home I figure it would be a shame not to). I assume the car will be updated in phases over time (e.g., interior, power steering, etc.) but I’d like to nail down the drive train the first time around.

That said, right now my biggest research project is the engine. Traditionally, I have always been more of a SBC guy but I don’t think I’m up for bucking the Ford trend on this particular project. Unfortunately my knowledge on Ford engines is quite limited. I was hoping to get about 450-500 HP and, while I prefer the look and sound of a traditional pushrod V8, I am not adverse to the more modern Coyote engines. My current ideas are as follows:

1 – A Dart SHP 427W from Forte’s Part Connection (probably the limit of my budget)
2 – A Coyote setup (look into possible upgrades if possible)
3 – Build a 427W myself using a Dart SHP short block.
4 – One of the other Blueprint Engine kits (although I’d probably have to compromise on performance to stay in budget).

I’d be curious to hear any input on whether I am barking up the wrong tree with any of these setups, or if there are some mods/variations I should be looking into as possible alternative options.

I really look forward to following the projects on the forum and, hopefully, adding a build thread of my own some day.