aye, most of the
suspension gear is cake for a weekend wrench, its when you look into thinks like k members,
panhard rods, and trilinks that really make you question your abilities
mcteague is not far off on suggestions. it really would help to work on the
suspension... not necessarily go full bore (as i have resigned myself to do), but gear to your needs. honestly, what i have now is prolly what you'd like.. it handles great... i just want more
to make some solid power the price goes up however i think i might have scared you a bit
that may be a good thing. honestly if you shot for around 400 to the ground then bump to somewhere around 450 or so with supporting mods i think you would be more then happy and not have to replace the engine (that is, as long as the tune is very solid).
i gave up on the cobra engine (not enough power), gave up on the 5.4 4v (way too expensive), and am leaning twards getting a kenne bell supercharger, ported heads, and mild blower cams, then reworking all the coolant plumbing to fight off heat soak. this will net me well over 450 when i am done and on the stock block (i will be DETUNING my engine to keep it around 420 or less), and run it fairly safe till i have the money to go ahead and ramp up to 15 lbs of boost, blow a rod, and drop in a shortblock and never have a problem again.
i fell in love with all motor power and thats why i was looking into both cobra and 5.4 4v motors (400-500 all motor) but the costs were just too steep. with a kenne bell i can get ~380 with everything stock, get my coolant parts so i have no issues with it being a daily driver, then pop on ported heads and mild cams to get a lot more power (if i see fit). the best part of the kenne bell (and all positive displacement blowers) is that the feel mimics that of a big power motor. you have the power all the time.. just push the pedal further to get your desired result.
the
vortech you mentioned is another good way to get some nice power, however it behaves differntly. a centrifugal acts like a turbo, meaning you get more power the more you climb in RPM. for a drag car this can be ideal, slightly lower power on a launch to keep traction, then once traction is firmly handled you get more power. i have ridden in two, and though the power is nice i kinda felt like i was in a *** car... just didnt feel right to me. many people swear by
vortech, paxton, and procharger... all are good companies with many many happy people putting down 350-800 hp with them.
one thing to note, i am very very picky with my car, which is why i dont think i will ever be 100% happy with my
suspension, and prolly never completely happy with my power.. but i must sacrafice to keep from going broke/insane.
you could easily get that blower kit for around 2500 or less because its used, and with the mods/order mcteague suggested you would be quite happy, especially if you are not as picky as i am (most people aren't).
just something to think on.
Torinalth