[1]It’s an age-old formula: small chassis plus big power equals killer performance, and it’s one of the reasons that the original Shelby Cobra was such a sensational machine on the road course.
And while shoehorning that 427 cubic-inch big-block into the Cobra’s engine bay was no small task back in the day, it can be an even trickier proposition with a modern Ford V8 like the Coyote 5.0. That’s because despite being nearly two and a half liters down on displacement versus the vintage iron, the modern Ford small-block uses a dual overhead camshaft design that makes the cylinder heads significantly wider than those used in typical cam-in-block V8 motors, and as a result, the motor is dimensionally larger than the old school mill, meaning that space in the engine bay is at even more of a premium.
Such is the scenario with our Factory Five Cobra Challenge project car [3], which saw us drop a 650 horsepower, naturally aspirated 312i Livernois [4] Coyote block into Factory Five’s MK4 competition chassis. At a shade over 2,100 pounds, we’re definitely taking that “small platform with big power” strategy to heart, but in order to get all of the mechanicals into the car, some hardware had to be vacated from its original spot.
To that end we’re using a remote oil filter kit to relocate the Coyote’s oil filter into a location that allows everything to fit correctly while keeping the oil filter in an easily accessed area in the engine bay.
More Than Just Location
“Not only does it allow you to free up space in the engine compartment, it gives you the option of running a larger oil filter than the car was originally equipped with if you want to,” explains Thor Schroeder of Moroso Performance [7]. “It also inherently adds oiling capacity to the system.”
Not only does it allow you to free up space in the engine compartment, it also gives you the option of running a larger oil filter than the car was originally equipped with. -Thor Schroeder, Moroso Performance
In terms of oil cooling, we selected a Derale Performance [9] 10-row stack plate unit (PN 51010 [10]). It is touted as the company’s most efficient heat exchanger, offering 20,000 BTUs per hour, and can be used to cool engine oil, transmission fluid, or fuel.
The aluminum construction also keeps excess weight off the nose of the car, and as an added bonus in our install, the cooler tucks up behind the Cobra’s front clip nicely. We also had success with a similar unit that we hooked up to the power steering system on Project Blank Slate [12] a few months ago, so we knew their oil cooler would likely be up to the task.
Turning our attention back to moving the oil filter to its new home, we used Moroso’s billet aluminum, side-port style mount (PN 23763 [13]), as it accepts filters with either a 13/16-16 thread with a 3.25-inch seal ring or a 3/4-16 thread with a 2.625-inch seal ring. It features a black anodized finish to keep it looking sharp, and protects the surfaces against corrosion.
Offering two -12AN inlets and three outlets (one -12AN and two 1/4-inch NPT), this mount allows for hassle-free plumbing of oil pressure lines to turbos, superchargers, valve spring oilers, and oil pressure gauges, and it includes two screw-in center adaptors to provide compatibility with both types of commonly used oil filters.
Moving Supplies
To get the system hooked up to the FFR Cobra’s Coyote 5.0, we also used Moroso’s remote oil filter adapter that’s designed specifically for the job (PN 23687 [14]). This piece replaces the modular Ford’s factory spin-on oil filter mount, and the fitting direction is adjustable to provide additional clearance in tight confines – a particularly nice feature in our install, considering the factory fitting’s close proximity to the exhaust headers. And, like the new mount it’s also black anodized, which not only adds to the visual continuity, but also keeps the adapter from developing any corrosion.
To connect the oiling system together we turned to Russell Performance [17] for hoses and fittings. As noted when we utilized its ProClassic II lines for the fuel system [18] on the Cobra, one of the key benefits of Russell hoses is the weight savings over a regular braided line with integrated multi-wire, as the ProClassic II offers the same strength but does so without the weight of the outer braided material.
With a number of additional lines going into a project like the FFR Cobra, you can start to see how incremental weight savings like this can quickly add up to real benefits – the oil cooler and remote filter mount are just two more examples of that strategy in effect.
Getting the install right is just as important as the components used. “The most important recommendations we have for any installation is to make sure the lines are routed with plenty of slack,” notes Eric S. Blakely of Russell Performance.
“This allows for any changes that may occur when the line is under pressure. It’s important to make sure the line or hose is routed with smooth bends and radius to make sure the line is not collapsed or crimped, ensuring that the fluid is flowing at full capacity,” Blakely said.
Now that everything is buttoned up, the oil filter has a new home that’s both easily accessible and situated away from high temperature engine components, making filter swaps an easier task both at the track and during regular maintenance. With the added ports on the Moroso mount, we can easily add oil cooling into the mix at the same time. All of the performance in the world is worthless if the set-up isn’t reliable, so bolstering durability where we can is always high on the list of priorities.
Be sure to head over to the Project Factory Five Cobra Challenge build page [25] to check out all work that’s gone into creating this beast. Visit Moroso’s website [26] for more information and applications for its oil filter relocation components, and Derale’s website [9] for its line of fluid coolers.