Who did NOT do the head cooling mod and survived long term??

CSCOBRA03

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My Cobra has 31,000 miles and gets tracked 2-3 times a year, 12 lbs. boost and no problem. My son's 03 10'th anniversary 125,000 street driven, no problem.
It's probably not a bad mod to do when the trans is out, but I believe most cobras are fine without doing it.
 

Pmbrown

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That's the main thing.. Sounds like you have to pull the trans out. I'd definitely do it if I had the Trans out but I'd be curious to see what percentage of Cobra owners have this mod done. Especially how many pulled the trans solely to install this.
 

Bdubbs

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Most will do the install while the tranny is out for a clutch job. That's when mine was done.
 

black 10th vert

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I did mine many years ago, but never pulled the trans. Mine is installed from the top freeze plugs at the rear. I think the rear ones are easier to do overall (if the trans is already out). Since I only had 12k miles when I did mine, there was no reason to pull trans. If I was doing a clutch though, I'd certainly have used that one as the type I used wasn't all that easy from what I remember, but it was at least 10 years ago so memory is a bit fuzzy.
 

Terminator Dave

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You don't "have" to do the head cooling mod, of course, but it is usually recommended. Especially if you're in a convenient position to do it. Only a small percentage of '03-'04 Cobras have developed the tick issue, so in all likelihood you'll never experience it. And your mods won't affect it either way. All that said, if I was in your shoes I'd probably do it, just because it's a convenient time to do it and you'll have assurance going forward that you won't have to deal with an issue down the road, IF it were to develop. JMO.
Apparently, Ford slightly redesigned the 04 head to correct the tick; run cooler.
My Cobra has 31,000 miles and gets tracked 2-3 times a year, 12 lbs. boost and no problem. My son's 03 10'th anniversary 125,000 street driven, no problem.
It's probably not a bad mod to do when the trans is out, but I believe most cobras are fine without doing it.


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c6zhombre

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I've already posted in this thread...but I'll post again since I rolled past 26k last night...no hcm here. Late 2004 build with original untouched heads. And I hit 22psi multiple times again last night, this car just continues to rip every bit as strong as when I bought it 6+ years ago. This car has seen 22psi for a minimum of 8 years now, no head tick. Knock on wood lol
 

Terminator Dave

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I've already posted in this thread...but I'll post again since I rolled past 26k last night...no hcm here. Late 2004 build with original untouched heads. And I hit 22psi multiple times again last night, this car just continues to rip every bit as strong as when I bought it 6+ years ago. This car has seen 22psi for a minimum of 8 years now, no head tick. Knock on wood lol
Thank you.

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bigwave

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I ended up sending mine back and did not install it. The EGR line was in the way and there was no "moving" it a little and putting the mod on. Car is back together. It has 41k miles on it, 38k from previous owner. Maybe it's a hit and miss thing?? Strange thing with this is there is no definitive answer to something that could be catastrophically important. Maybe that speaks volumes. IDK
 

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