YouTube can be a time suck sometimes, unless you find the right channel. These rare finds can turn a late night of mind-numbing mundaneness into a jaw-dropping visual experience. While I was perusing YouTube for cool content and some visual stimulation one night, I came across a video titled “Building An 8000 RPM High-Compression N/A Cobra Head V10.” Now, I’ll be the first to admit that the title screamed keyword targeting at its finest, but it piqued my interest to say the least.
The channel’s host explained, “We’re building the 6.8-liter Triton V10 with 4-valve Cobra heads. Ford never made the V10 in a 4-valve configuration, they only came with either 2-valve and 3-valve heads.”
This might sound like the alcohol-fueled conversation that could be associated with most car enthusiast’s garages across the world, however, these guys are actually making it happen! Unfortunately for me, I arrived on episode 8, which meant I had a lot of catching up to do. The crew started off by sourcing a Triton V10 engine from a Ford F-350 and then purchased four sets of Cobra heads. The next step involved cutting the cylinder heads and welding them together to accommodate the 5 jug per side block.
The engineering marvel didn’t stop at the completion of the heads and an intake manifold was needed to fit the ten-cylinder engine. In episode 5 the group experimented with a 3D printed manifold and by episode 7 the metal fabricated one was finished. The real fun begins when the build took a drastic turn with a goal of 700 horsepower with a high compression setup.
After spending a bit more time than I had anticipated, I realized these guys embody the classic hot rodder’s mentality. After all, its bio states, “If you can’t buy it, build it!” If you haven’t already, go ahead and subscribe to this channel as quickly as possible.