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Unveiled: Top Secret UBERCOBRA- New Vids pg 4

75K views 207 replies 135 participants last post by  glastron351 
#1 · (Edited)
OK, OK, I’m being pressured and rushed by a few guys to hurry up and post, so here goes… Warning: long posts ahead, serialized for your reading annoyance!
Many of you have heard or read about my early 4.6 modular-powered MKIII car, built back in 2004. I have lifelong memories of the guys I met, the fun of the two build parties, and working on the car night and day. I blew my original timeline, but I had the time of my life doing it.

Just a bit of history, and I’ll try to leave out most of the bitterness… Some of you are also aware of the Moroso oil pan issues which have plagued 4.6 builds. In no uncertain terms, the first two or three pans provided were defectively designed and often defectively manufactured. At last count, more than a half-dozen engines have been ruined by oil starvation attributable to that pan design. FFR keeps redesigning the pan while not admitting a problem, but most of the wise guys here have looked to Richard Oben and Champ Pans for a safe pan design. Good move, guys – please keep supporting the guy that worked to design and produce that pan for us!

After having seen Paul Westerbeck’s engine puke its guts out, and one or two others as well, I was nervous. My car was never drag-stripped, tracked, autocrossed, or otherwise. True to my build plan, it was a weekend cruiser. Even so, last summer I began developing an ugly rod knock in the engine. I pulled down the (third) oil pan, and saw just what I suspected – spun bearings, loose enough to wiggle the connecting rods on the crank by hand. A used oil analysis confirmed the diagnosis, with unbelievable readings on lead and other metals used in the bearings.

I decided the car was unsafe to operate and pulled it off the road – I didn’t want to have the Westerbeck Engine Experience on a Houston highway or around my neighborhood. I could have dropped another 4.6 engine in quickly and easily, and by that time there was even a pan I would trust.

But if you’re taking the car all apart and you have a little budget, why not build it back the way you want it? Or better yet, why not go all-out and build something that no one has ever done with a Factory Five before. Lots of guys like to talk about the chassis as a “blank canvas,” and I decided to take my chances. A torch and a welder were added to my tool collection, along with some new pipe and tube, and I started making some changes. Meanwhile, I sourced a new (used) engine, and went completely through it to make sure everything was tight and so on. I also kept it bone stock, because I trust the OEM to have gotten it right. You’ll see why…shortly.

I made the frame modifications necessary to fit the new engine and OEM transmission in the chassis myself. Some new tubing was added to restore strength where other tubes and sub-assemblies had to be cut or modified. A custom billet aluminum driveshaft adapter was sourced to mate the non-Ford tranny to a slip-joint driveshaft and the 8.8” Ford solid axle rear. The original defective Bilsteins up front were replaced with the FFR-supplied Koni coilovers. New engine and transmission mounts were welded to the frame, and the driveline was bolted down solid.

Now, I’m not totally stupid… I learned the first time that engine wiring is not my forte. OEM wiring was out of the question, so I called our friend and expert Wayne Presley. He prescribed an Electromotive TEC3R control system to run the engine, and of course he is equipped to actually make up the harness and do the dyno tuning to perfect everything. I took the car to him over the 4th of July weekend. He asked for eight weeks.

Of course, like any good project, I had a big case of “scope creep.” Given the work I have seen Wayne do on cars for some of you, I told him to go all-out and fabricate an intercooled twin-turbo system for the car. Wayne never flinched – he just got to work with his welder, built exhaust headers, sourced turbos, welded up a beautiful custom aluminum intake to my design requests, and more. I can cram an engine and a transmission in a chassis, but I knew I wouldn’t regret having a pro do the hard work for me!

True almost to the day, I picked the finished car up just before Labor Day and trailered it back to East Texas. (I’m in Houston now, but am in the process of relocating to Tyler, for those of you that know the state a little bit.)

So…next post, let’s tell you what the car is and show you a few pictures…
 
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#2 ·
The time has come…let’s unveil the TOP SECRET rebuild. As some of you know, Sergio and I had a mostly-healthy competition and race to finish our 4.6 builds back in 2004. He originally named his Terminator-powered car SuperCobra.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to introduce to you the latest innovation and evolution in building an FFR Roadster: UBERCOBRA.

Please meet the first twin-turbo, V12-powered Factory Five in history – and as far as I know, the first V12TT Cobra Replica ever built:





The engine is a 5.0-liter, BMW V12. It is all aluminum, and was practically built for boost right from the factory – it has a 60-degree V to save some engine bay space, 8.8:1 compression, 24 valves on a single overhead cam, four-bolt mains, and forged crank, pistons, and con-rods. The cams are not real aggressive, but the limiting element is the 10mm torque-to-yield head bolts. With ARP parts, she’s good for a lot more power than we’re already running. But we’ll get to that… I don’t need more power right now.

The transmission is an OEM BMW Getrag six-speed, as used in the 850CSi. Combined with 2.73 gears in the rear, it is almost perfectly spaced. The smoothness is remarkable. Careful measuring lined up the shift mechanism with the original hole in the trans tunnel. Wayne combined some Lokar parts with the BMW parts to finalize the shifter as you see it in the car:



Enjoy some more pictures in the next post(s)!
 
#3 ·
Pics:
The first turbo – hanging in front of the engine, mated to the passenger-side cylinder bank:



The second turbo – on the passenger side, mated to the driver-side cylinder bank with under-engine exhaust routing:



Here’s some more of the custom piping that Wayne Presley fabricated, to get the exhaust under the car (still above the frame rails) for the extra turbo:

 
#4 ·
Here’s the new aluminum radiator, shielded by the new aluminum intercooler. Big enough?



A view from the top:



And from the front:

 
#5 · (Edited)
Here’s the custom aluminum adapter I had made on the CNC to mate the three-eared trans output shaft to a Ford style driveshaft and slip-joint:



And the world’s most bizarre FFR driveshaft:



Here’s the beautiful intake that Wayne welded from aluminum. BMW originally used two drive-by-wire throttle bodies, one for each bank’s intake. That’s way too much work. We’re using a single Ford traditional throttle body into an intake that splits as it runs down the engine V, then makes a U-turn into each OEM intake. The design idea was mine, and Wayne’s execution was fantastic.

 
#6 · (Edited)
And now, for some numbers. With the hood (newly hinged, with the pins retained just for the vintage look that I enjoy) up, there’s plenty of show. But lest you be confused, there is also more than enough “go” out of this engine. Original specs for the BMW V12 came in at 295 horsepower and 322 lb-ft of torque.

Here’s the exciting part – throw on a couple of Garrett ball-bearing turbos, and the peak numbers from Wayne’s dyno at the wheels come out like this:
491 horsepower
576 lb-ft of torque




Hopefully I'll embed this correctly -- a dyno pull with Wayne Presley at the helm:


And this is me, with the car at Wayne’s shop on pick-up day, wearing the requisite t-shirt to reflect my forum name around here. :D

 
#7 ·
I guessed right!!! Congratulations it looks AWESOME!!!

-Jon A.
 
#8 · (Edited)
I need to thank a whole wad of people…

Factory Five, (Moroso pan issue aside, without which this project never would have happened!) for building such a good kit and platform for this project.

Terry C. (who has owned an FFR street car and spec racer, and now has a gorgeous Unique 289FIA) and Lance, and his neighbor Bobby for early help pulling the old 4.6 driveline out and test-fitting the new engine and tranny combo. Terry was generous enough to loan me his engine hoist for six months while I pulled this thing in and out and in and out to get everything where I wanted it, and he also let me borrow a great tandem-axle trailer for drop-off and pick-up at Wayne’s. I couldn’t have done it without you, Terry!

Another half-dozen or so guys from the Houston Cobra Club that came by to lend a hand with body removal and installation, as well as engine test-fitting. I appreciate your help and the fact that you were able to keep this TOP SECRET for a whole year!

James Yale, for practically giving me the engine stand that this new powertrain sat on for months while I worked to get it in the chassis.

Ken Pike (SRP), whose original paint job on this car still looks great after five years of service. We’ll just call the rock chips “patina.”

Kurt D. (98Aggie around here) for teaching me to weld and for doing some of the serious lifting to make this whole driveline work. Kurt is a good friend, a real big boy when you need to get work done, and a guy we’re very lucky to have among our ranks. If you’re ever south of Houston, stop by and do some dyno pulls or tuning in his shop!

Our forum friend Ed Reynolds provided a wealth of BMW-specific knowledge and a few boxes of OEM parts for the project -- thanks for all the help and for saving me a bundle, Ed!

And to be sure, we cannot forget our good man and forum vendor Wayne Presley, who actually got her completed, running, tuned, and ready for the road. I cannot say enough good things about the work he did on the car, the updates and communication he gave me while he had the car, and how satisfied I am with the final result.

I know there are plenty of others, so I’ll be editing this post as necessary. Thanks to each and every one of you that helped out, played along, and kept my secret until today’s unveiling. It’s obvious to the point of being trite, but this is truly an exceptional community of people.

Alright – it’s your turn, guys. Comment away! I can hardly wait to see the reactions.

Cheers, John
 
#9 ·
Oh my....

Sound files please!
 
#11 ·
Ubercool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
#16 ·
OUTSTANDING !!

Now...just keep her between the lines !!!! :)


Pig :pig:
 
#18 ·
Omg!
 
#19 ·
HOLY S.........whoops....family site . :) OMG, that's is incredible. I don't know what it will be like to change a spark plug, but I don't care, either. The pre turbo numbers are kind of sad for that much engine, but your after turbo numbers are amazing! Great work to both of you!! Congrats!
 
#23 ·
WoW that is impressive, creative and Beautiful WoW
 
#27 ·
Dude, that was worth canceling my flight for. Totally wicked, and I love the exotic sound.

I gotta get me a Turbo car.

SWEEET, TOTALLY SWEET!!!!!!!! :WOW:

OK, I'm off to the airport now.
 
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