Yep, I found one under the turbo of my Diesel truck.  Also sat outside, but also driven daily.  That turbo probably hit 1,500 degrees or more in operation.  It sits in the valley though, so I guess it was sheltered from any wind and there might have been some residual heat if they waited just the right amount of time. 

Worst I ever heard was years ago a buddy of kine bought a 350 Chevy from a guy we both know who is a bit of a hoarder, but had a ton a good quality used parts.  He installed the engine in a truck he had, primed it, fired it up and everything seemed fine.  A week later it lost oil pressure and died a horrible death.  He pulled the engine back out and when he dropped the pan the oil pump pickup screen was packed solid with dead mice and nest material saturated in oil.  The engine has sat without oil in it and without the distributor.  It seems they went all Rats of NIMH on it and built a metropolis inside the oil pan.  They had no place to escape when a distributor was installed and the engine filled with oil.  Yeesh!

BILLY WALTON from GEORGIA wrote:

TKOPerformance wrote:

BILLY WALTON from GEORGIA wrote:

were they pedestal mounted ....were the factory ones shorter?
 
 

Pedestal mounted using the same weak 5/16" Allen head bolts.  Ford didn't want to spend anything on the Cobras, so they used as many stock GT parts as they possibly could.  The director to SVT, John Coletti, wanted the big brakes on the Cobras and Ford wouldn't give him the money to do it.  He literally paid for it out of his own pocket.  Imagine the Cobras without the big brakes!  Proof positive that every auto executive isn't a bean counter.  Some are indeed real car guys.

Anyway, as to whether or not the '84 valve covers will work I can't say.  I know the cast aluminum ones used on the later GTs and Cobras will work.  If you get stuck and need a set I'm pretty sure I have two sets up in the shop.  If you can take measurements on the valve covers you have from the gasket mounting surface to the top of the cover I can measure a set I know will fit and we can see if the ones you have should work or not. 
 

do your covers have pcv?
 

No, they don't, because on the EFI 5.0s Ford put the PVC in the back of the lower intake.  The oil fill cao is also on a long tube coming up off the cover.  On a set of covers with PVC you will likely have clearance issues with the PCV baffle(s).  Good call Mike. 
 

See, everyone talks so negatively about hoarders.  They never mention the positive side where a bunch of previously unknown old cars and parts appear out of thin air!

rpm wrote:

How did you go from more than one to a bunch?

I took the overall quiet from other members to mean they knew we were talking about them, but that they were ashamed to own it, and made an intuitive leap. 

BILLY WALTON from GEORGIA wrote:

TKOPerformance wrote:

'93-'95 Cobras all had them from the factory with GT40 heads and stock 5.0 valve covers.  They were 1.72:1 ratio made by Crane as I recall, though they had a Ford part number stamped into them. 

were they pedestal mounted ....were the factory ones shorter?
 
 

Pedestal mounted using the same weak 5/16" Allen head bolts.  Ford didn't want to spend anything on the Cobras, so they used as many stock GT parts as they possibly could.  The director to SVT, John Coletti, wanted the big brakes on the Cobras and Ford wouldn't give him the money to do it.  He literally paid for it out of his own pocket.  Imagine the Cobras without the big brakes!  Proof positive that every auto executive isn't a bean counter.  Some are indeed real car guys.

Anyway, as to whether or not the '84 valve covers will work I can't say.  I know the cast aluminum ones used on the later GTs and Cobras will work.  If you get stuck and need a set I'm pretty sure I have two sets up in the shop.  If you can take measurements on the valve covers you have from the gasket mounting surface to the top of the cover I can measure a set I know will fit and we can see if the ones you have should work or not. 
 

'93-'95 Cobras all had them from the factory with GT40 heads and stock 5.0 valve covers.  They were 1.72:1 ratio made by Crane as I recall, though they had a Ford part number stamped into them. 

Oh, commonly called a "catch can" in turbo circles.  IMO without forced induction these are not necessary. 

And yet, give it 10 years and it will be so full of stuff you're tripping over it trying to change your oil...

The father of a kid I went to high school with had one.  I also always liked the BOSS302s.  My Dad had one in a speed boat years ago.  He used to joke you could stick your arm down the intake ports. 

I would look at it as needing a complete rebuild, and frankly I'd use the bore scope just to try and determine IF that's even a possibility without major machining costs.  If there's rust in the bores, or its locked up I'd walk.  Ultimately most any block is salvageable, but the cost of having to sleeve cylinders, etc. makes the proposition less and less attractive.  I'm trying to remember the reason claimed for the engine being out of a car and in storage, but think about it for a minute.  If you had a 500HP world beater of an engine would it be sitting in a corner covered with junk and rat turds if it still ran right?  Yeah, me neither.  I'm reminded of those famous words we've all probably heard when looking at an old car that's been sitting for Lord knows how long: ran when parked.  Let's be honest; that's a lie in terms.  If it ran WHY was it parked?  No one parks a running, driving vehicle and just lets it sit there forever. 

I think there are probably far cheaper options than either of those engines that make just as much power and are easier to install.  If cost were no object I'd build the 390 I have into a 445 stroker with aluminum heads an 8 stack EFI.  I just can't justify it though when a stroker 5.0 will make just about the same power for less than half the cost. 

I'll agree with that.  Given the choice I'll take a good old mechanical linkage or cable over anything hydraulic.  Much better pedal feel. 

Either cam will be a step backwards.  I'm trying to figure out what you're trying to do.  The E cam is a .498/.498 lift cam with 220/220 duration (at 0.050) on a 110 degree LSA.  Basically the E cam was a step up from the stock HO cam where you didn't have to worry about running a valve into a piston, or issues with the EFI.  A single pattern cam for a stock E7TE head was kind of a joke.  The port flow ratio in them was not matched to where a single pattern cam was the best choice.  I think Ford ground them single pattern because it was cheaper.  Basically the E cam was a cheap performance roller cam that gave you a decent bump in power over stock (the B cam was kind of an in between step that most guys just walked right past).  Now, if you ported the heads, or went to an aftermarket head a single pattern cam can actually be the optimum choice, BUT if spending $1,500 or more on a head swap there are better cam choices only costing maybe another $100.  If your cam was chosen in consultation with Howards I would tend to think it was better matched to your engine than an off the shelf Ford Racing cam.