My reasoning behind the Hogan manifold is that I have as of late come to believe the 4.6L manifold is simply not enough for the 5.3L displacement especially considering the higher rpms over "stock". I can arguably presume the same for the Cobra intake alternative. So rather than go through the rebuild process and arrive at the same conclusions, I figure it best to just dive in with both feet and eliminate any suspect bottlenecks.
Besides all that, it just looks cool!
As far as the E85 decision, it is purely the simplest way to maximize the potential of the high compression naturally aspirated build. It will need to be tuned anyways, so subbing corn for gas is just a few keystrokes away.
I am left to ponder the sizing of the fuel injectors. Previously, I had calculated 39# injectors to be sufficient for the combo and I went with 42# injectors. It has been a long while since I looked, but I remember the duty cycle of the injectors to be in the 80% range.
The typical sizing factor for E85 is 1.47 times that for gasoline. The conclusion is 60# injectors should now be sufficient. The question then becomes whether to upsize from that and go with 80# injectors. The jump from 60 to 80 is significantly more than the jump from 39 to 42.