New Heart for juanone 289

[juanone]

After much thought over the last year and a half I have decided to give my 289 street Unique a heart transplant. I took a lot of abuse over the way my car sounded, performed and in short I decided to take action.

I have had a new DSS Racing 331 Stroker built and installed in my car. The difference is incredible. Now I have a real Cobra, to my way of thinking.

I think on my original engine Rick and Butch did a great job in both specifying and building but it just was not visceral enough for me. I thought I would be happy with a perky 302 Ford Racing Crate Motor but it just was not enough.

Attached are some photos of the engine before installation, folks it is a work of art. Plus it sounds and feels great. As soon as the weather cooperates I will post some photos of the engine in the car. I also redid the exhaust system. Before I had just 2' pipes all the way back, now it has 2-1/2" all the way back and ceramic coated black looks awesome. With the amount of new horsepower this baby puts out we needed the breathing room, not too much so as not to affect the torque that comes with it. Pictures will come.

Just thought I would give you an update since I have not visited the forum in quite a while. I will also post the specifics on the engine later on.


I love my 289, I don't get tired of looking at it plus the design of the car is just so beautiful, I think I'll keep it.

Enjoy,

Juan

[JeepSnake]

Looks good, Juan!

[Naumoff]

Juan, Tear up those streets!:cool:

Looks good. Can't wait to see it in the car.

[PhillipM]

Juan, Nice looking engine. Any idea how much it will produce at the crank? I expect the fun factor just went up a notch. Would like to see pictures once you have it back in the car.

Phillip

[Justin Upchurch]

Nice to hear from you Juan. I wish I would have known you were in the market for a 331, I just sold my DART 331 last week that only been run on the dyno.

Justin

[juanone]

The estimated hp at the flywheel is roughly 500, but that is just a guess, could be a little more or a littlle less. DSS Racing is really conservative in their estimates of horsepower on engines they did not put on the dyno since we assembled their engine package in Louisville.

With the Cam they custom ground, AFR Heads and a 650 Quick Fuel Technologies Carb plus all the other goodies they put in their engine packages, the estimate is pretty accurate.

Pictures of engine in car coming soon.

Juan

[eliminator]

Just to be sure were all on the same page:

Neither Butch or I decided on the first engine or the exhaust or anything about it.

That all came from Juan, 100%

It was like "pulling teeth" to get him to put roller rockers on the 302.

Wow, what a 180 degree turn around, like I have told Juan he is worse than any women I have every known, can change his mind in a instant and head some other direction. Thats not a negative just the way it is.

OK now we can proceed.

[will butterworth]

engine looks good, buddy. Put homecoming 2008 on your calender, cause we gotta see what you have done.What block did you start with? Cy and Zach started with a 351 block , and wound up with a 383 stroker , lot more there than me and Joan need.Surprised at fuel economy, left pigeon forge with full tank last sept., had quarter tank left when we stopped in tallapoosa, ga. here at home to eat lunch.Will gobble fuel when you goose it a bit, so don,t do that much.Did you keep pipes under car?Will-alabama

[TurnpikeBoy]

You're gonna be smiling now, Juan! Apart from an absence of traction in the low gears, the rush you'll feel in the higher gears will dazzle you.....what a difference those 29 inches make. And there's nothing like the sound of a little stroker at 7000 rpm - they flat-out scream and make your hair stand on end. And the steady reliability of this motor - put gas in it and change the oil is all you gotta do - will have you driving it so often you'll suffer withdrawal when you're not in it.

Big blocks are dandy, but crank this one up and you'll forget all about 'em. ;)


-Roger

[juanone]

For the last two years I have driven to and from, with my Unique 289, to the London Cobra Show and I have to tell you that the more I take it to these kinds of events makes me so proud to own a Unique. The 289 body style is so sensual. Everything about the car I love. Yes there are differences of manufacture between brands but this one is a keeper for me. The next step for me is to do some work on the paint job that I am not satisfied with.

That is, in essence, the reason for changing the engine from a crate 302 to a DSS 331 stroker.

Rick, I have not said that what you did for me I was not pleased with. Actually I always compliment the craftsmanship you demonstrated on my engine install. It was beautiful. I just decided that since this car is a keeper I want it to feel more like a muscle car and this one does it. The investment on this engine is not a cheap one I may add.

Yes, I am planning to go to Homecoming this year. Got it on my calendar already.

Thanks to all for the encouragement on this engine build.

Juan

[Naumoff]

Juan,
When I see you at Homecoming this year I want to race you.:D

[juanone]

As for the specs on my new engine, here they are. They started with a seasoned 1968 302 Hi-Po Mexican Block, bored it 20 over (I may have misnamed the block so please forgive me if I am not too accurate), new custom 20 over DSS forged short skirt racing pistons, DSS Girdle and Billet scrapper, Comp Cams custom ground roller camshaft , DSS SBF 1.6 ratio 3/8" stud aluminum roller rockers, DSS 5.0 STROKER Main Support System, 3/4" billet aluminum w/ custom ARP main studs, AFR 185 w/ 61cc chamber Heads, Progear 3-position, double-roller timing chain, DSS Steel Crank and I-Beam Rods.

I am quite sure that there are many other items that I don't know about but the above should give you guys an idea of what the engine was built like.

Juan

[TurnpikeBoy]

Juan,
When I see you at Homecoming this year I want to race you.:D

.......................bring money, Mr. Clean............. :)

[davebetts]

Haven't met any of you guys. Hello from New Jersey.
First I want to say congratulations on Juan's new engine build. Sounds like quite a different gig all together. How can more horsepower or torque be a bad thing? Can't wait to see and hear it run. Same trans and rear end? We should do a survey in the Unique family. What engine block is in your Cobra?
I did read a prior post that caught my eye, though - "Big blocks are dandy, but crank this one up and you'll forget all about 'em." Don't think it works that way. Not for Shelby, not for me, or many other big block guys. I'll maintain that I've never seen two Cobras the same. Choices are endless.
Again, best luck Juan,and keep her sunny side up.
Can't wait to meet the gang next homecoming.
Yes, we will bring Thunder, as a trailer was this year's choice.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

[Naumoff]

.......................bring money, Mr. Clean............. :)

Mr. Clean? I'm not bald yet.:D

[TurnpikeBoy]

Mr. Clean? I'm not bald yet.:D

:( Lucky dog. ;)

[Justin Upchurch]

Juan,

can you take some pictures of your under car exhaust, along with a side profile?


Naumoff,

If we have drag races at homecoming, we can't tell my wife!

Justin

[juanone]

Justin,

Right now it will be difficult to take pictures of the car outside but I promise I soon as I can I will. Also of the engine compartment.

I purchased and installed a very rare set of Holman Moody valve covers that look so awesome on the engine.

Juan

[Master]

Juan, side by side burn-outs this year at the London show.:shift:

[juanone]

I'm afraid your FE will make mince meat out of mine. Drag racing is not one of my strong points. Besides, I would make a fool out of me trying to burn tires with wire wheels. I don't think they are made to take the beating.

Maybe someone with skill, but me nahhh..

I am truly looking forward to Homecoming and the London Cobra Show.

[eliminator]

Juan,

Your wire wheels will take anything you can give them, they will be fine.
Plus only one will spin!!!

[juanone]

Rick,

That's right, I think you told me that before. Do all the rears that Unique puts in their cars same as mine? Or is that an option to go with where both wheels spin?

Juan

[JeepSnake]

Two-spinning tires is optional.

Oh, and note that as long as the tires are spinning, there's hardly any load on your wire wheels. Wheelspin actually SAVES driveline parts. It's traction that breaks stuff.

Over in the Jeep world, many of the parts that Cobra-philes consider "bulletproof" behind FE and 385 series big blocks are considered marginal at best behind mild V-8's or hot 6-cylinders because the gear reductions and lack of wheelspin really load the forces into them.

[eliminator]

Juan,

Your differental is an open unit, only one wheel pulling.

There are options that you can purchase so when Mr. Capps does a Jag unit he can add a Auburn Unit, or a locker, depending on the customers preference. Most are done with Auburn Units. The housing remains the same, the internals are changed.

[Brent]

Juan,

Nice looking motor. DSS is known in the 5.0 community very well and they make good horsepower. You should be pleased!
After all of the money you have spent on it I would remove the housing and take it to Mr. Capps for some traction. If you don't, you might as well have kept the motor you had because you cant push the pedal on the new one. Plus, one black mark on the pavement is a joke.

At least she will lope at idle (-: