Jonathan Pavia’s Four-Valve build, Part II

Jonathan Pavia 2Back in January we brought you news of Jonathan Pavia building his own Four-Valve engine for his Cobra. You can see the short block build here. Recently, he was able to finish off the top end of the engine, and he sent us updated info and pics on the build.

Jonathan torques the heads after Total Engine Airflow went through them, adding new valvetrain components in the process.

Jonathan torques the heads after Total Engine Airflow went through them, adding new valvetrain components in the process.

“I received the heads back from Total Engine Airflow complete with stainless valves, Trick Flow springs, new followers, new lash adjusters and a complete valve job,” Jonathan says. From there he bolted to the heads down using Fel-Pro head gaskets and ARP head studs torque’d to 85 ft/lbs. To finish off the head installation, Jonathan used a Cobra Engineering secondary timing chain tensioner, rear head cooling mod, and a prototype oil cooler delete.

When it comes to his camshaft of choice, Jonathan ordered a set of Bullet race cams spec’d by Todd Warren to allow the heads to breathe even better. As we all know, to degree the cams in a Four-Valve, it can be a tough job to get them in concert with each other. In the name of maximum horsepower, Kurtis Forsberg assisted Jonathan in getting the cams degreed. “He knows a lot about these Four-Valve modular engines, and he’s degreed a few sets before,” Jonathan says of Kurtis. “I could not have done it without his help,” Jonathan adds. Even with Kurtis’ help, it took them a full day to get them right.

Jonathan is a big proponent of Cobra Engineering, and as such, fitted the engine with the company's head cooling mod, secondary chain tensioner, and oil cooler delete.

Jonathan is a big proponent of Cobra Engineering, and as such, fitted the engine with the company’s head cooling mod (shown here), secondary timing chain tensioner, and oil cooler delete.

“After that, I was able to bolt on the timing cover and install the valve covers, which were freshly painted by Scott Murray and match the car perfectly,” Jonathan says. A nice addition to the build was from Central Florida Motorsports (CFM) in the form of a new oil breather to replace the stock oil cap.

The Metco Motorsports front accessory drive components and pulleys are a work of art, but also work, as intended.

The Metco Motorsports front accessory drive components and pulleys are a work of art, but also work as intended. You can also see Jonathan has added the VMP Tuning TVS supercharger, and CFM breather, as this project hits the home stretch.

For the front accessory drive system, it all starts with an Innovators West harmonic balancer. Specifically, Jonathan chose a 2003-’04 Cobra balancer with the integrated hub design to allow him to mount a Metco Motorsports 4-lb pulley directly to the balancer. The list of Metco Motorsports parts doesn’t stop there, either. Jonathan is a big Metco supporter, and as such, he also added the company’s complete 8-rib pulley set and tensioner support brace.

To complete the engine, Jonathan added a VMP Performance TVS supercharger, a GT500 throttle body, and ID1000 injectors. Behind the built Four-Valve, Jonathan plans on running a Turbo 400 transmission, with suspension parts from UPR Products and Viking Performance. The transmission and suspension install are what’s up next on the docket for Jonathan’s Cobra.

Remember, Jonathan’s goal is to set the VMP TVS record, and he hopes to run in the 8s once the car is all back together. Stay tuned right here for more updates on Jonathan’s progress as he goes for 8s.

About the author

Michael Johnson

Michael Johnson brings his years of experience in the Mustang aftermarket and performance industry to StangTV. He has been passionate about cars since childhood, with a special affinity for the Mustang.
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