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Factory Five Cobra replica body and chassis...check! Ford Racing 302 crate engine...check! Low-cost ($2,500 or less) donor car...check! $10,000 Summit Racing Equipment credit to buy parts...check! The Hot Rod Magazine Q Collegiate Power Challenge checklist included everything our four Universal Technical Institute teams needed to build their Cobra spec. racer. Everything, that is, except a blueprint on how to make it the fastest, coolest-looking, and best-handling Cobra in the contest. Fortunately, each team had its own idea on how to win the inaugural Hot Rod Magazine Q Collegiate Power Challenge. Because judging included seven different categories-dyno, quarter-mile time, 60-0 mph braking, 600 foot slalom, fit/finish, coolness factor, and creativity-our four UTI campuses used their $10,000 Summit Racing Equipment budgets in different, creative ways. Here's a look at each team's blueprint for success: Team Avondale The Avondale, Arizona team built its Cobra to excel in the quarter-mile and dynamometer phases of the competition, according to Avondale Power and Performance II Instructor Jerry Conlin. The team stroked the 302 cubic inch Ford Racing motor to 342 cubic inches using an Eagle Specialites cast crankshaft and "SIR" connecting rods. A set of Ford Racing Z-Racing cylinder heads, Comp Cams Xtreme Energy camshaft, and Comp Cams valvetrain components make up the engine's top-end. An Edelbrock Victor Jr. intake manifold and a Proform 750 cfm carburetor deliver the air and fuel. To give the car an added power boost for the dyno and quarter-mile, the team chose a Nitrous Express 50-100 horsepower nitrous system and Jacobs Mastermind nitrous controller. "We went with a cost-effective way to make horsepower," Conlin told us. "On one hand, a blower goes for about $3,500. A Nitrous Express entry level nitrous system, like the one we have, is only about 400 bucks." Team Avondale took some of that cost savings and used it to bolster the drivetrain. While other teams stuck with the Tremec 5-speed transmission, Avondale upgraded to a T-10 four-speed transmission. "We used a Richmond Super T-10 to hold up to the horsepower," Conlin said. "It took a lot of modification to work." The team turned to Ford Racing braking components to provide the stopping power. They pinned their hopes of competing in the braking contest on a Ford Racing front brake rotor kit, Ford Racing brake calipers, and VGX brake pads. A set of Mickey Thompson ET Street Tires should give the team the traction it needs to shine on the dragstrip. Up front, they selected Kumho Ecsta 711 tires-all mounted on Center Line Terminator Series Telstar wheels. Team Exton While Team Avondale expected its Cobra to dominate in the quarter-mile and dynamometer testing, the team from Exton, Pennsylvania wanted to build a car that would perform well in each phase of the testing. "We looked at the events and decided we needed something that handled well," Exton Instructor Nate Buchanan told us. "But my main focus was the engine and the drivetrain." The team settled on a cold air-fed fuel injection setup to make the horsepower. To help the small block engine flow as well as possible, Team Exton's Lou Guglielmo ported and flowed the Ford Racing Z-series cylinder heads in house. The modified heads are fed by an Edelbrock Performer RPM II fuel injection manifold with Ford Racing fuel injectors, ems, the team routed the intake runner through the firewall and into the cockpit area. "As far as the whole fuel injection system goes, we wanted to try something a little different," Buchanan said. As for the rest of the drivetrain, the team maintained the T-5 transmission and 8.8 rear-end from the donor car. They refreshed the rear-end with a Ratech 8.8 Deluxe rebuild kit and 4.10:1 ring and pinion gears, then upgraded the tranny with a Ford Racing T-5 rebuild kit. They also added a Ford Racing friction modifier and covered the transmission with an RCI transmission blanket for added safety. The team focused a lot of time on the suspension design and braking systems, making sure the Cobra was biased properly to shine on the slalom course. For added braking power, Team Exton added a Stainless Steel Brakes rear disc brake conversion kit and Power Slot brake rotors. To get the suspension properly tuned, the team relied on information they learned from Factory Five's Mark Dougherty, who visited each campus at the beginning of the competition. Team Glendale Heights The group from Glendale Heights, Illinois was the only team to put a blower on their Ford Racing crate motor. The team invested a lot of money-and time-into the Vortech supercharger in hopes of gaining an edge in the quarter-mile and dynamometer competitions. In addition to the $2,500 the team used on the blower, they also put in countless hours making custom bracketry to fit the supercharger into the engine compartment. "We felt that it would lay down a little more horsepower because of the supercharger," team member Stuart Crocker said. "Unlike the other teams, we won't have to wait for the nitrous to kick in." The engine also features a fuel injection system with a BBK 75mm throttle body, BBK fuel injectors, and a Trick Flow high-flow EFI intake manifold. A Snow Performance Stage 2 methanol/water injection kit and Vortech MAF keep the supercharger working at peak performance and an MSD digital ignition and MSD TFI ignition coil provide the sparking power. The supercharger isn't the only thing that makes the Glendale Heights Cobra unusual. The team also decided to go with an AOD transmission-the only automatic transmission in the contest. The team took the transmission from its donor car then rebuilt it using a TCI Ford Master transmission overhaul kit. They added a Hughes Performance flexplate and torque converter. "We're supercharged with a methanol/water injection system to stay cool, have drum brakes, and an AOD transmission," Glendale Heights Instructor Dennis Denz said. "The 2.55 gearing gives us an advantage off the line, and the fuel injection should give us better consistency." Team Houston Team Houston had a completely different goal in mind for their Factory Five Cobra. "Fit and finish-that was our gameplan from the beginning," instructor Mark Piatkowski said. "We didn't just spend our budget in one place; we spread the money around to several different aspects of the car." As part of that gameplan, the team build a straightforward, carbureted engine and hoped to use "homefield advantage" to fine-tune the engine. "While EFI is great, we feel carbureted will allow us more room to make adjustments to the air/fuel ratio prior to the race," Houston Education Manager Jim Gegelman explained. "Because the race is in Houston, this gives us the advantage of having the engine tuned prior to race day." The Team Houston Cobra spec. racer features a 750 cfm Holley HP carburetor feeding an Edelbrock Air-Gap manifold. The intake combination sits atop a set of ported and polished Ford Racing cylinder heads. The team added a little extra kick to the engine in the form of a 50 horsepower Nitrous Express nitrous system. The team took the money it saved with the cost-effective engine combination and applied to areas of the drivetrain. They refreshed the Ford 8.8 rear-end from the donor car with a Ford Racing Trak-Lok rebuild kit and refreshed the transmission with a Ford Racing T-5 rebuild kit. They added a new Ford Racing clutch and flywheel, installed a set 4.10:1 ring and pinion gears, and upgraded to Superior Axle and Gear Evolution Series 28-spline gears. To make maximum use of all that rear-wheel horsepower, the team chose Mickey Thompson Drag Radial tires. Team Houston chose a set of Wilwood disc brakes provide the stopping power and an AGR rack-and-pinion to deliver responsive steering on the slalom. Once all the components were ordered and assembled, the team spent the entire month of January on bodywork, sheetmetal, paint, and details-the fit and finish. So which team had the right formula to become the first-ever Hot Rod Magazine Q Collegiate Power Challenge Champion? You'll know shortly, as we bring you the results from Houston Raceway Park in Houston, Texas. |
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