C4SA COBRA 4V Intake Manifold

[Dan Case]

NOT MINE. This is not mine nor am I connected in any way with the seller but this piece is so rare I wanted to make an attempt to let early Cobra owners know that it is listed on ebay®

Based on the Holman-Moody intake they created for 260 c.i.d. Ford engines in the 1962-63 time frame this version has COBRA lettering where the Holman-Moody bird logo was in the original version. IMPORTANT: This intake is functionally a copy of a Ford cast iron prototype intake for XHP-260 and HP260 engines and is not suitable for 289 c.i.d. engines performance wise.  These are rare. I have only come across five (5) of them in all these last five plus decades. It was a regular production option for early Cobras. A Holley R-2599 carburetor assembly went with the option package when ordered for a new Cobra.


https://www.ebay.com/itm/Early-AC-COBRA-Aluminum-4-barrel-Intake-Manifold-Ford-260-289-4V-Shelby/232877526048?hash=item3638950c20:g:SEEAAOSwNedbaRQv

[silverton_ford]

I have a similar intake to this one, but mine has the COBRA milled off and the back vent was casted as a blank without the hole or bolt holes.   

[pbf777]

     I know of these intakes being released: with no "call-out" (as the unit I have), with "COBRA" & "TIGER" present, and units with the call-out milled off, seemingly these units that I have witnessed and have been able to discern the original casting, were "TIGER" pieces, perhaps didn't sell well, so in the end were made to be universal for a more marketable disposal. Also have seen them with any combination of the other cast nomenclature present (w/ or w/o the H/M...... or the C4....... either or both).

     Anyone know of any other variations?   

     And of course, we have available new production from Blue Thunder (for a lot less money!).   

     BTW. silverton_ford, are you able to determine that yours was in fact a "COBRA" unit prior to the milling operation?

     Scott.

[zray]

Aren't these the infamous "low rise" Cobra manifolds ? They certainly look it, and if so may have some value as far as originality goes, but are real dogs performance wise, even on the 260. A very effective (choking) rev limiter.


Z

[No Size]

I have one of the HM versions with bird logo. How many of these were made? any idea.

[Bigfoot]

Thnx for bringing to our attention Dan.

[Dan Case]

     
     Anyone know of any other variations?   

     Scott.

One set of masters was used to create a bunch of different final versions. For a while I had the idea that I would make a collection of versions but that idea died when I figured out there were quite a few versions for different markets. Send me PM with your e-mail address and I will send you my file on 260 c.i.d. Ford 4V intakes.

[Dan Case]

I have one of the HM versions with bird logo. How many of these were made? any idea.

Lee Holman once told somebody that 'about' one hundred total castings with any kind of logo version were made, that they were not popular, and most got redirected to marine engine use.

There are a bunch of versions between Holman-Moody's rally Falcons and Shelby American offering TIGER lettered ones as accessories. There were at least two versions cast without 'names' just a machine flat pad on the top front runner. One Shelby American magazine advertisement showed one with a COBRA text decal placed on the flat pad.

[Dan Case]

Aren't these the infamous "low rise" Cobra manifolds ? They certainly look it, and if so may have some value as far as originality goes, but are real dogs performance wise, even on the 260. A very effective (choking) rev limiter.
Z

Performance wise they were losers. Designed in terms of 1961 souped up 260 c.i.d. engine with a rather low rpm red line. An original owner of a Cobra ordered his car equipped with one of the COBRA lettered ones. He said it did not do well. I don't recall his exact words anymore but they were something along the lines of any 4V intake made for a 289 worked better.

If somebody wants to outfit a XHP-260 or HP260 for show use, this piece is far easier to find than any other intake used on 260 c.i.d. engines in Cobras.

I have one of the COBRA intakes, the matching carburetor for the option package, and a HP260 distributor that came out of an early Cobra. They are interesting history points and that is about it. I don't think but a handful of Cobras originally fitted with a 260 something still has a complete original engine. One owner has a long block assembly still and another a short block assembly.

[csxsfm]

When SCCA placed the 289 in B-Production the low rise manifold was the requirement.  The Shelby GT350 Hi-Rise manifold was not legal.  I had my aluminum low riser reworked extensively in the plenum area in an attempt to make it work.

[pbf777]

I have one of the HM versions with bird logo.

     Yep, I forgot that one, and I think I saw one these milled flat also.

     I think if I had a Tiger, this would be the manifold I would use (w/ "TIGER" call-out of course), as being of stock height would allow proper fitment with minimal issues including the unique air cleaner to fitted. A cool period day-two artifact, not the raciest, but just seems "right".

     Scott.

[silverton_ford]

     
     BTW. silverton_ford, are you able to determine that yours was in fact a "COBRA" unit prior to the milling operation?

     Scott.

Scott,

I don't know if my intake is a "Cobra" unit before milling or not.   It has a part number of C4SA9421.   I have a few pictures of my intake here.

Brian

[pbf777]

     I can't make out what it might have been, but the photos aren't clear either (hopefully your photos & not my eyes!).  I see yours has the C4# present but without the HM9424-1#, whereas mine has the HM# but without the C4#. Also, mine was cast less any "call-out" or even a pad for such, and with the draft-tube/breather machining, perhaps an earlier unit?

     Scott.

[JD]

Here is a sampling of some of the 4V aluminum intakes for Ford small blocks that Shelby and others made...

[Dan Case]

     I can't make out what it might have been, but the photos aren't clear either (hopefully your photos & not my eyes!).  I see yours has the C4# present but without the HM9424-1#, whereas mine has the HM# but without the C4#. Also, mine was cast less any "call-out" or even a pad for such, and with the draft-tube/breather machining, perhaps an earlier unit?

     Scott.

All casting versions and or how they were machined Holman-Moody with their bird logo through the COBRA lettered model included the Holman-Moody engineering number cast in. The Shelby number was added for COBRA versions; a casting configuration but final machining done more than one way.

The Holman-Moody number was dropped for the TIGER lettered version and the version with a long raised pad with rounded ends.

If you find one without the Holman Moody number cast into it, it was one of these last two versions.

To be clear these were sized for 260 c.i.d. engines in terms of what was considered a performance engine of the 1961-62 time frame.  (Maybe that is why I have not come across a running engine with one of these (any version) is use.) In Cobra terms the 260 4V engines Ford supplied were in two known variants. (The 1963 Lola GTMK VIs used the Ford 260 4V race engines also.)

1)   XHP-260 (Experimental High Performance 260), used 1962 model year oil pump pick up (modified for racing by Ford) and oil pan: Besides most fasteners and some ancillary pieces or assemblies most of the engine parts were unique to the racing experimental 260 engines Ford engineers built in house at great cost. Most of the individual parts had their own serial numbers and many parts were designs that never made it into any other known Ford engine.  Not many were made, best information available to date makes me think that between 14 and 35 assemblies were made.


2)   HP260 (High Performance 260), used 1963 model year oil pump pick up and oil pan (1962 and 1963 model year designs are different depths, mixing a 1962 pick up and a 1963 pan jams the oil intake against the floor of the oil pan which nearly cuts off oil flow.): This engine still used a lot of parts no other Ford engine did but it was almost production ready. Ford made at least 137 of them and probably more.  The ignition distributor and camshaft of the HP289s coming out in early 1963 were very much like HP260 versions.


PS 260 c.i.d. engines for Sunbeam Tigers were not based on XHP-260 or HP260 engines.