Watch a 2003 SVT Cobra evolve…

[Stud Diesel]

…into a 500+ hp beast.

I thought I’d post this here for any interested gearheads on the board. I have already modified my C5 Corvette quite extensively and so now I’m going to start modifying my Cobra.

Introduction:

The 2003 SVT Cobra comes with a 112 c.i. Eaton (roots style) supercharger, intercooler, intercooler reservoir, 8.5:1 compression, forged pistons and Manley H-beam rods, an Iron block, Tremec T-56 transmission, and 3.55:1 rear gears.

Ford rates the Cobra at 390hp at the flywheel, but most owners are finding out that this number is substantially underrated. If the 390 hp number is correct, and figuring 16% for drive-train loss the Cobra should put down 328 rear-wheel-horsepower, but my bone-stock Cobra put down 350 rwhp, which means either I’ve got a ringer or (most likely) the Cobra really puts out about 415 hp at the flywheel. (415 x 84% = 349).

Here is the dyno chart from yesterday afternoon.

http://www.capitalmailing.com/images/CobraDyno.jpg

Now that I have a baseline number, the fun begins. All parts are in and I am scheduled to begin work on June 24, 2004. The list of modifications is as follows: cold-air induction kit (approx. 10hp), 2.8” pulley and idler (increase boost to 17 psi, approx. 40 hp.) custom tuned chip (approx. 20 hp), MagnaFlow exhaust (approx. 10 hp). That’s it for the go-fast goodies, the rest is for support: Global West sub-frame connectors and bushings (so that I won’t twist the frame like a pretzel with the increased torque), Ford Coupe springs (convertible springs are softer), Anti-hop drag racing shocks (better launch), high capacity heat-exchanger (keep the blower charge cool).

When all is said and done, I should be making 500+ hp at the crank and laying down an honest 430 rwhp, but the dyno will tell the true story. Next time I update this thread I will have an AFTER modification dyno chart to post.

And finally, here’s the car as it sits now.

http://www.capitalmailing.com/images/SVT-Art.jpg

"I had a lazy moment in April, but now I'm pushing it. Roid cycle? What about that big dude's brother who suddenly croaked last year? That really freaked me out. No thanks! There very expensive and if you stop taking them... you would probably shrink!" —A recent email conversation with an old friend.

[archive_Mickey]

Well I am another gear head here!

I used to have a Camaro Z28 that I just sold a month ago http://anabolicfitness.infopop.net/infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif It was a 1991 with the TPI that I added stuff like intake, headers, SLP stainless exhaust and I also swapped the stock auto tranny for a T-56 with goodies.

I am a Chevy fan and I'm not too fond of Fords but the Cobra is nice. My friend has a 93 5.0 that is mint and my other friend had a 99 Lightning and now he has the 2002 Harley truck. He ran a best of 12.8 witht he Lightning. He hasnt run the Harley truck yet but he does have headers, Borla exhaust, chip, pulleys and all the basics. Its pretty quick. I like the Harley because its a luxury truck thats fast, he has it decked out with tv's and MB Quartz's. Its fukken nice!

I sold my Camaro to save money in the short run so in the long run I can get a Corvette Z06 hopefully in a year or two.

I am anxious to see your results.

"Come on, get serious!" Arnold in Pumping Iron

[Stud Diesel]

I also have a C5 Corvette. I’m not into the whole “brand loyalty” thing. I like performance cars whether they be Mercedes Benz, Chevrolet, Ford… whatever. Though I must admit that this is the first FixOrRepairDaily I’ve owned. http://anabolicfitness.infopop.net/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

"I had a lazy moment in April, but now I'm pushing it. Roid cycle? What about that big dude's brother who suddenly croaked last year? That really freaked me out. No thanks! There very expensive and if you stop taking them... you would probably shrink!" —A recent email conversation with an old friend.

[archive_Mickey]

I have a warm spot in my heart for Chevy sports cars but I really am like you, I like a great car no matter what it really is. I have loved my friends Mustangs and my other friends trucks.

I just get on them about FixOrRepairDaily because its fun. Plus its kind of true. He had lots of problems with his Lightning. He had the dealer put in a whole new enine at only 30k.

Stud what do you have done to your C5 and how fast is that thing? The friend with the Harley had an uncle that had one and he made the mistake of letting us have it for a weekend. I got it up to 160 on a straight road behind my house http://anabolicfitness.infopop.net/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

"Come on, get serious!" Arnold in Pumping Iron

[Stud Diesel]

At Ford, Quality Is NOT Job One! http://anabolicfitness.infopop.net/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

Lets see, @ 2K I had the entire rear drive-train replaced. This was a “known issue” with the early run SVT’s. In other words, they weren’t about to issue a recall, they just waited until an owner brought in their car with the “strange rattling noise” and then they replaced it. “Waddaya know, a blown rear. First time I seen that happen. We better replace it free of charge." http://anabolicfitness.infopop.net/infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif

Seems that this is SOP with many car manufacturers. Chevrolet did it on the C5 with the electric steering column lock (bad design), and I seem to remember a few things with the Benz although they were very few and far in between. (excellent car) I tell you this; they hate internet message boards for this very reason. I had my entire serpentine belt assembly replaced on my C5 because some guy posted a scanned internal service bulletin about it on Corvette Forum.

So far, that’s the only problem with the Cobra. The thing is, if you leave it alone, I’m sure it would give you 100K of trouble free life, but when you start turning up the boast, you have to prepare for the worst, but so far I haven’t heard of many people grenading their motors due to excessive boost. This motor is very strong. A bad tune will kill your motor more so than too much boost. Engine knock is a piston killer!

The C5 mostly sits with an occasional trip to club meetings now. You can read all about it here. (http://anabolicfitness.infopop.net/2/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=702093973&f=1713051557&m=6333092377&r=1733002477#1733002477) I had the C5 up to 160 on my way to Carlisle and the headlight plugs popped out. When I went to service, the first thing the guy asked me was, “how fast were you driving?” Then when I read about this happening to other C5 owners we surmised that this was a trick Chevrolet used to determine how fast people were driving their Corvette—they designed a plug that would pop out at > 160 mph, which would be very easy to track via the service records.

"I had a lazy moment in April, but now I'm pushing it. Roid cycle? What about that big dude's brother who suddenly croaked last year? That really freaked me out. No thanks! There very expensive and if you stop taking them... you would probably shrink!" —A recent email conversation with an old friend.

[archive_Mickey]

Increasing the boost seems to be the only big problem with the new blown engine that Ford is putting out the last couple of years. If you dont get your chip dialed in perfect then you are in trouble and you will have way too much knock and then shortly after a bad engine. Thats what happened to my friends Lightning.

"Come on, get serious!" Arnold in Pumping Iron

[~ JP ~]

I love messing with cars, though I typically prefer to mess with the older ones a bit more and not get into the computerized stuff. My project is a 1978 Trans Am, but it is not a short term deal by any means.

The Cobra is going to be sitting pretty, and you are right they are under rated on purpose, remember the fiasco they had a few years back when they overrated them and everyone was so upset. They really do not want a repeat of that and the lawsuits. I would have been mad too if I threw down the cash and ended up with a sub 300 horse car.

[Stud Diesel]

Oh yeah, I’m an old hot rodder myself. The old Trans Am is a nice car to work with. I liked when each company was unique and had their own motors. The 455 Super Duty was a great Pontiac motor.

Yeah, I remember that about the underrated Cobra’s. And I expect more underhandedness down the road from Ford with this car. I’m already hearing about voided warranties for all sorts of silly things. See, they already killed this car—only 2003-2004 for the supercharged Cobra’s, so I think they are trying to sweep it under the carpet so to speak. Of course it goes both ways. Kids are putting pulleys and chips, blowing up the motors and then returning them back to stock trying to get Ford to replace the motor under warranty. Not me; if I blow this thing, I’m taking it to HPH and having him rebuild it right—with some good forged pistons, not the teflon coated crap it has now.

[~ JP ~]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="**-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Stud Diesel:
Oh yeah, I’m an old hot rodder myself. The old Trans Am is a nice car to work with. I liked when each company was unique and had their own motors. The 455 Super Duty was a great Pontiac motor.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yeah, me too. I am going to keep the 400 and crate it in the garage and build a 455 to drop in when $ allows.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="**-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>
... not the teflon coated crap it has now.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

The joys of modern engineering, huh? Such progress we have made. Actually these new ones are a lot of fun too, and I love to see people getting into fixing up their cars, it. And as long as you dont dump $20,000 into a honda civic, then its ok with me.

[Stud Diesel]

Anybody that has ever owned a Teflon frying pan knows that eventually it wears off, and the same will happen with these pistons. I just don’t understand why they built such a strong motor with a good bottom end and then skimped on the pistons. http://anabolicfitness.infopop.net/infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif

[archive_Mickey]

FORD http://www.anabolicfitness.net/smileys/lol2[1].gif

That really doesnt make sense though. Teflon pistons? In a supercharged motor? You would think that they would have made the Cobra their bread and butter and made it bulletproof but they of course didnt.

GM is trying to pull off the same shit with the Vortec truck engines. They have all kinds of piston slap and I think they are still blowing it off as a "normal function" of the engine. Riiiiggghhhtttt http://anabolicfitness.infopop.net/infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif

"Come on, get serious!" Arnold in Pumping Iron

[Stud Diesel]

The only thing I can figure is the cost factor; I mean you must admit—they’re giving you a lot of horsepower for the money; 390hp advertised (415 in reality) all for a meager 36K—my convertible was 38K. Still; I would have paid an extra grand for a good set of forged pistons.

If you ask me, tacking an extra grand on the sticker wouldn’t have made that much of a difference, because the SVT Cobra is a bit out of its demographic anyway. I mean look at your typical Mustang owner; people with hair way over their collar that live in trailer parks—like the white guys you see getting arrested on Cops. (I’m only kidding guys) http://anabolicfitness.infopop.net/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif I'm a white guy too.

Then they put out this thing, and it’s a “special” Mustang with a supercharged motor and beefed up suspension, but HEY they also want 38K for it! Well I got news for you Ford; most people that can afford a 38K car won’t opt for a Ford Mustang no matter how “special” it is. I did because I happen to have an affinity for American muscle cars, and I always wanted a car with a factory blower. And also, it’s not my only car.

Update: I dropped the Cobra off at HBH this morning. Pictures will follow in a few days and then off to the dyno-jet to validate my true horsepower gains.

[This message was edited by Stud Diesel on 06-24-04 at 12:18 PM.]

[Stud Diesel]

Update 2:

A bit of a letdown. http://anabolicfitness.infopop.net/infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif I called HBH and he advised that my car WILL NOT be ready today. I have to call him Monday afternoon to see where they are with it. Damn, I was really looking forward to driving it this weekend, but then I’d rather he takes his time and does it right than rush and have something break on it down the road.

[archive_1911]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="**-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Stud Diesel:
_…into a 500+ hp beast._

Ford Coupe springs (convertible springs are softer), Anti-hop drag racing shocks (better launch),
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

That spring/shock combo going to give you any drop? Looks like you could get a bit lower with class IMO (get rid of that "gap"). Looks like a fun project.

[archive_Mickey]

I'll reply for Stud...the shock/spring combo that he is proposing probably wont lower the car. The purpose is to stiffen the suspension so the car gets a better launch at the track.

Lowered cars look cool but they dont really drag race well http://anabolicfitness.infopop.net/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

He could cut a coil out of those stiff springs if he wanted to lower it a little.

"Come on, get serious!" Arnold in Pumping Iron

[~ JP ~]

So...you pick it up yet? How's it comming along?

[Stud Diesel]

Yes I picked it up (finally) on Friday. It’s a beast alright. Gobs of low-end torque and I can now break the wheels loose in second gear while cruising along by punching it. Only one complaint so far. It’s too low. I understand the reason behind lowering it; the pre-load is off the springs and I get a better launch, BUT I don’t like having to go over speed bumps sideways or scraping the front pulling into my driveway. The car is MUCH stiffer as a result of the welded sub-frame connectors, and coupe springs and the wheel-hop is totally gone. The blower is now spinning at around 17K rpms, so it makes a really cool whine at wide open throttle. Herman is on vacation this week as am I, so I’ll take it back to him the week of July 12th to get it raised about a ½" to a full inch. This thing is lower than my vette and that’s pretty damn low!

Next up, I’ll post some shop pictures and then after I get back from a wedding next week, I’ll have it dyno’d again and get some ET’s at the drag strip.

Oh yeah, one other thing; I’ve been running Exxon 92 octane and when I dropped it off it had a full tank of it. Herman tried to install the predator chip, but he was getting some knock (not good), so he had to install a SET chip which has several customizable settings. He put the switch in my glove box and set position one to allow for junk gas and position two for better fuel. I asked him which brands where the best; he said Sunoco 94 Ultra and then Mobile, but NO EXXON. He said it’s more like 91 octane. I always knew Sunoco was good fuel, but I had no idea EXXON was junk.

[Stud Diesel]

Sorry for the crappy quality. I gave Herman a disposable camera when I dropped it off and I guess they couldn’t figure out how to use the flash.

First day in the shop.

http://www.capitalmailing.com/images/A.jpg

Stock air-box removed:

http://www.capitalmailing.com/images/B.jpg

New cold air intake installed:

http://www.capitalmailing.com/images/C.jpg

[Stud Diesel]

Blower Idler pulley install:

http://www.capitalmailing.com/images/D.jpg

Blower Idler pulley installed:

http://www.capitalmailing.com/images/E.jpg

New front springs installed:

http://www.capitalmailing.com/images/F.jpg

[Stud Diesel]

Stock exhaust from the catalytic converters back removed:

http://www.capitalmailing.com/images/G.jpg

Welding on new sub-frame connectors:

http://www.capitalmailing.com/images/I.jpg

New bushings installed:

http://www.capitalmailing.com/images/J.jpg

[Stud Diesel]

Larger heat exchanger installed:

http://www.capitalmailing.com/images/L.jpg

Heat exchanger with the Horsepower by Herman logo installed:

http://www.capitalmailing.com/images/M.jpg

Installing a shift light:

http://www.capitalmailing.com/images/N.jpg

Shift light is positioned to blast me in the eyes when it’s time to shift:

http://www.capitalmailing.com/images/O.jpg

[archive_Mickey]

http://www.anabolicfitness.net/smileys/banana.gif

Nice bro. I like the shift light on the column, my friend has one there.

I agree that low isnt really that cool. I had 2 inch drop springs that I was going to put on my Camaro but the fact that I had to go sideways over any bump without them quickly changed my mind and I sold them.

Do you run your car at Cecil?

"Come on, get serious!" Arnold in Pumping Iron

[archive_Ulter]

Hey what happened here?

[Stud Diesel]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="**-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Ulter:
Hey what happened here?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

All kinds of stuff has been happening in my life.

The company that I was VP and minority owner of began losing money since January of this year. I knew what the problem was and I thought we could work it out once the owner got back from his yearly winter hiatus in south beach where he and his wife own a second home.

The problem was this; for years he had not been taking a paycheck. Instead, he and his wife would use the company accounts as their personal checkbook, paying off their mortgages, their cars, the parties, the kids’ weddings, the wife’s 5K designer dresses that she would only wear once. http://anabolicfitness.infopop.net/infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif Basically everything came out of the company.

I knew this had to stop so I got together with our CPA and we convinced him to start taking a paycheck which he did to the tune of 5K per week. The idea being that he would use his paycheck to cover his bills. The problem is that it didn’t happen that way. Instead of using his paycheck to cover his bills, they both continued to use the company accounts as well and sure enough we began losing money like mad.

So when he got back we sat down and discussed the problem. I laid it out for him in a way that didn’t directly point a finger at him, but made it plainly obvious. Unfortunately he didn’t react the way that I thought he would. Instead of looking in the mirror and cutting back on him and his wife’s expenses, he decided to make cuts within the company to make up for it. It’s his company mostly, so he can do what he wants, but I didn’t want to be a part of it anymore. I had had enough. I knew right then and there that there was no future for me there. So I put some feelers out and landed at a much better company. It turned out to be a parallel move salary-wise, but since the company is much stronger I feel that I came out ahead.

Here is the screwed up part. I was brought in under a plan that I would be upper management replacing an older gentleman whom had been there for a long while. The screwed up part was that they wanted me to come on board and observe for a few weeks before pulling the trigger and canning this guy. So basically I was working, pretending to be entry level, all the while knowing I’m taking this poor guys job. That’s over now and things are starting to settle down, but boy was that uncomfortable.

So that’s what has been happening and why I haven’t been online lately. The Cobra is exactly where I left off and I need to get it dyno’d which I hope to do soon. I haven’t run it at the track either, but have engaged in many street speed contests. http://anabolicfitness.infopop.net/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif It has so much power that if I floor it in 3rd gear, it’ll break loose.

Talk to you all soon and I’m glad to be back.

[archive_Mickey]

Take it to Cecil! I want to see what it can do. Nice and cool there now too!

"Come on, get serious!" Arnold in Pumping Iron

[Stud Diesel]

This is crazy but my car is finally finished. This thread sure didn’t turn out the way I wanted it to. The pictures above were all sitting on my previous and now defunct company’s server and I don’t have a copy of the original dyno pulls. ANYWAY… I want closure on this, so here goes.

As stated in my thread starter, my baseline number was 350 rwhp. Just a note for those that don’t understand this; RWHP = rear-wheel-horsepower. When you see that commercial advertising the all new 300hp Nissan Maxima, it’s referring to flywheel horsepower. A manual transmission has about a 16% drive-train loss and an automatic, I think, can be as high as a 20% loss. So in reality, the 300hp Nissan Maxima lays down 240rwhp. Conversely my stock Cobra made around 405hp at the crank.

What took so long? Well the problem was Herman, the guy who installed all of the parts to begin with. Not that he did a bad job installing the parts, but he lacks the tools to finish the job properly.

As most of you know, cars these days are computer controlled. After installing the smaller pulley which increased the boost on the supercharger from a stock 10 lbs. to about 17 lbs. some tuning is required. Herman, as good as he is, could never tune it properly because he was relying on “canned” tunes. Basically he would call the chip manufacturer, tell their techs what parts he installed on my car and then he would download the tune which he would then burn into my chip. Then he would test drive it, and if he felt like it wasn’t running right he would ask them to add a little timing here or a little timing or fuel there. Anyway, the bottom line is that it never really ran correctly. It was very strong, but it had some spots where it lagged. Rather than letting Herman keep playing with it I just parked it for a long, long while.

And then all the other crap hit the fan that I mentioned in an earlier post regarding my job.

Well finally a few months ago I found a guy that does dyno tunes. He installs an O2 bung on the exhaust, hooks it up to a computer, puts the car on the dyno and observes the performance under load. He writes the tunes himself in his shop. This is the only way to properly tune this engine. He had the car for an entire month, and I logged over 14 hours of dyno time. A few grand later and my car running like I always wanted it to, or how it should have ran when I picked it up from Horsepower by Herman.

The chip has three positions. Position zero is a street tune. On pump gas (93 octane) it pulls a conservative 425rwhp, which equates to about 505 HP at the crank. Position one is a drag strip tune with more aggressive timing tables. Say it’s a cool night, and to be safe, you pump in a few gallons of race gas (103 octane). With this tune it pulls a massive 450rwhp which equates to around 535 HP. Position two is the valet tune. You are dropping the car off at the detailer or handing the keys to the valet. With this tune, the car will not rev over 2.5K RPM and won’t go over 45 MPH. Suckers. Well, that’s pretty much it. Mission accomplished and then some. End of story for now. Thanks for being patient.
https://home.comcast.net/~james.f.moss/mosscobradyno.jpg

[archive_Mickey]

Dyno tuning the chip is the best and only real way to go when it comes to power adders like superchargers, turbos etc. This seems to be even more so the case when it comes to the Ford's. The Ford's with the superchargers, Lightning and Cobra, seem to have all kinds of problems when adding pulleys and other things without getting custom dyno tuned chips. Everyone tries to throw in a Diablo chip or something thinking it will fix all the problems and thats why they have Ford putting in a new engine shortly after.

I cant even tell you how many people I have seen blow Lightning motors by not getting the proper chips.

Good luck with that car Stud, sounds like you did things the right way. Now get that thing to Cecil so we can see what it runs!

"Come on, get serious!" Arnold in Pumping Iron

[Stud Diesel]

Thanks Mick, I will do that. Either Cecil or Capitol. I’ve never been to Cecil. The thing is—unless I invest in a set of drag radials, I won’t see any difference between the 425 and 450hp tunes. Know what I mean? No way can I transfer 450 hp to the pavement with my Goodyears—425hp is difficult enough.

[archive_Mickey]

Just get a pair of Mickey Thompson ET streets and mount them on a set of Welds. Take them on and off when you go to the track. You can usually find them used on ebay or the car forums fairly cheap.

"Come on, get serious!" Arnold in Pumping Iron

[Stud Diesel]

Yeah, I’ve been meaning to do that and I will because I’m getting sick of buying tires. I’m already on my 3rd set. Talk about a negative environmental impact. http://anabolicfitness.infopop.net/infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif Even if you’re not making jackrabbit starts, these high-horsepower cars eat tires like they’re nothing. You think just because you’re not hearing spin, that the tires are not wearing, but with this car, the Corvette Z06, the Dodge Viper, they all use a tire with a very soft rubber which attempts to keep the tires planted and even during normal starts with the tremendous amount of torque the tires are fighting to keep the wheels planted which causes wear.

It came from the factory with GoodYear Eagle F1 Supercar. I went through two sets of those and I recently switched over to the GoodYear Eagle F1 GS-D3. I really like the tread design. Check it out.

http://www.tirerack.com/images/tires/goodyear/gy_eagle_f1_gsd3_ci2_l.jpg

I don’t know anything about wheels, offsets, and drag tires. The car has 17” rims. Will I be looking for 16” rims for the Mickey Thompson’s?

[archive_Mickey]

Yeah that F1 has a nice tread but they are pricey. Goodyears seem to be soft and wear quickly as well so that is why you might have gone through a lot of them.

As far as the rims, you can get any size really. You could get 16's or even 15's. Remember the ET streets are huge so they put the car in the same position, or even higher, on a small rim. I used to have ET streets mounted on 15's and it worked out fine. If you buy them new the company will tell you what rim you need for your bolt pattern and offset. Just make sure you get a wide enough rim to fit the tire that you purchase.

"Come on, get serious!" Arnold in Pumping Iron

[Stud Diesel]

I just got my chariot out of the speed shop… again. http://anabolicfitness.infopop.net/infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif Let me tell you what happened the first time I set the chip to 450hp mode I totally grenaded the stock clutch. http://anabolicfitness.infopop.net/infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif Not only did I fry it—it actually broke a chunk out of it making it completely un-drivable. It was only a matter of time with that much power.

So I had Maryland Performance Center install a Centerforce Dual Friction. This clutch is a mean bitch. You don’t let it out slow like a stock clutch, it’s meant to be let out fast, almost popped and it grabs like a mutha!

http://www.centerforce.com/images/uploads/gen_clutch2a.jpg

[archive_Ulter]

This is like reading a thread on Rocket Science http://anabolicfitness.infopop.net/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

[archive_Mickey]

Stock clutch! http://anabolicfitness.infopop.net/infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif http://www.anabolicfitness.net/smileys/lol2[1].gif

That Centerforce is nice, it will take the beating that you are going to give it.

Stud, what kind of shifter do you have? The Hurst short throw is nice in the Mustangs. I am partial to the Pro 5.0 shifters though. I love the feel and you can literally slam it into gear as hard as you can and that stainless steel wont break.

And Im too lazy to look back but what rear end gears did you put in it?

"Come on, get serious!" Arnold in Pumping Iron

[Stud Diesel]

You named it… Pro 5.0

I got a good deal on that. I picked up a barely used one at the track (75/80) from a guy that blew his motor and was parting everything out.

I agree with you about slamming it and I did something a little “trick” that I think makes it even better. You know how it comes with the rubber bushing or grommet that you put between the shifter and the linkage? I suppose it’s used to cut down on noise but at the same time, it also makes your shifts a little softer. I tossed it in the trashcan and stacked some flat and lock washers together and tightened it down real hard. Now the shifter is bolted right up to the linkage with no rubber in between. It is slightly noisier but the gears are music to my ears and it gives it a much better feel; like I am one with the transmission.

I haven’t changed anything in the rear end… yet.

[Stud Diesel]

Capitol Raceway opened today.

On my 3rd run:

60' ------- 2.024
330 ------- 5.313
1/8 ------- 7.902
MPH ------- 98.04
1000 ------- 10.171
1/4 ------- 12.049
MPH ------- 119.39

I got to the turnaround and I heard a tick. I’ve heard that sound before and I knew it was coming from deep inside the motor; I knew it was bad news. George, my mechanic from the shop was there and he confirmed. Main bearings. I’ll need a new long block. This motor is gone. http://anabolicfitness.infopop.net/infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif

[archive_Mickey]

That really sucks. Look on the bright side though, you easily have an 11 second car as soon as you get that 60 ft time down to a 1.7-1.9 with some practice at the track.

Like I said before, those motors seem to have a problem adding the extra boost. I know so many people who have blown their Lightning, Cobra and Harley truck supercharged motors. Good luck with the rebuild, let us know when you get it up and running again.

BTW, did you ever get the Pontiac? I saw one the other day in person for the first time. Its a sharp car, I like it. Next year they are coming out with a turbo version which should be nice.

"Come on, get serious!" Arnold in Pumping Iron

[Stud Diesel]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="**-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Mickey:
That really sucks. Look on the bright side though, you easily have an 11 second car as soon as you get that 60 ft time down to a 1.7-1.9 with some practice at the track.

Like I said before, those motors seem to have a problem adding the extra boost. I know so many people who have blown their Lightning, Cobra and Harley truck supercharged motors. Good luck with the rebuild, let us know when you get it up and running again.

BTW, did you ever get the Pontiac? I saw one the other day in person for the first time. Its a sharp car, I like it. Next year they are coming out with a turbo version which should be nice.

"Come on, get serious!" Arnold in Pumping Iron<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>The thread title should be called... watch a 2003 Cobra evolve into a pile of junk. Or; how to blow up a brand new car in less than three years.

Yeah, I got the Solstice. It’s a neat little putter.

Here’s the updated bad news. The main bearings are shot due to... a lack of lubrication.

George at Maryland Performance Center had it up on the lift and there was oil splatter from front to back. He drained the oil and it only had two quarts in the pan. He filled it, started it and found the leak. This car has an oil cooler that is connected to the oil filter. There’s a two-sided connector and an o-ring between the two. The oil was coming out of the o-ring connected to the oil cooler. I did some research and found that there are others who have had this happened but they caught it in time. I should have checked my oil in between runs, but why should I have thought that? It’s never had an oil leaking problem before this. It must have vibrated loose during my runs because there is no evidence of oil leaking in my driveway or at work.

I could have George build it right, or just install a new factory long-block. I got a quote from Ford. A new long-block, complete R & R for $6,295. They’ll switch over the blower and all other parts, plus maybe an additional $200 for shop supplies.

I might just dump this car. If you know anybody that wants it, let me know. If you can’t tell I’m bummed about this car just follow this thread for the history. I know this isn’t a poor mans sport but I think I’ve had enough of this car. This is a 2003 convertible with 38K on the odometer. It will sell quickly for $23K and $26K if you are willing to be patient. I’ll sell it as is for $10K. That’s a $6,500 profit for someone that has the money to invest in a new long-block. All it needs is a new motor. http://anabolicfitness.infopop.net/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

[archive_Mickey]

I dont know if you have a warranty but when my friend tanked his motor after putting on the different parts he took it to Ford with the parts off (and computer reset) and told them it just happened. They replaced the motor for free. That doesnt really solve the problem though if you put the parts back on a stock motor.

Good luck with whatever you choose to do. I will ask around for you.

"Come on, get serious!" Arnold in Pumping Iron

[archive_Ulter]

Sorry about the demise of the Cobra. Better luck on the next project bro.

[archive_BIG SMT]

Are you serious about selling it?

If so, I'll see what I can do.

[Stud Diesel]

YES

[archive_BIG SMT]

I don't know how you feel about posting your info on the open forum, but you can email me at bigbrickman@hush.com and let me know where the car is so I can decide whether it would have to be shipped or if it is close enough for me to make the drive and pick it up.

Also, is the car disassembled or still together?

[Stud Diesel]

It’s still together and it still runs, although for how long, I couldn’t say. If you were to drive it home and it threw a connecting rod through the block I believe it would reduce the value of the core, but I’m not certain. I’ll email you with the shop name and contact info.

[archive_BIG SMT]

Oh no, I was going to haul it. I would risk trying to drive it back and get stranded. Its just if you were all the way across the US I would rather have someone else do all the driving, lol.