Cobra262
New Member
I guess I made a big blunder in purchasing the 1998 SVT without pre-purchase inspection. It is a 5 speed manual with 105K miles. It is now obvious that I did not check it out fully. I was buying the car for my 17 year old son as his high school graduation present. It is a nice looking white convertible and my son was so excited to see the car that I let my emotions overcome my rationale thinking.
I took the car to my trusted mechanic and he found the following problems:
1. The clutch needs replacement.
2. The rack & pinion is leaking
3. Needs subframe mount bushings replaced
4. Excessive play in the rear differential.
This is not the best time for me financially so I cannot afford to splurge. So he suggested that I take care of the clutch and rack & pinion and I can wait to do the subframe and differential later.
My question to this forum is the following.
The clutch is very hard and it is difficult to put in reverse. So I do need to replace it. Is there a big benefit of upgrading to premium clutch over the stock? What is the advantage? My son will not be racing or anything like that so I am inclined to go with the least expensive option. Should the flywheel also be replaced? What should be reasonable labor cost ($$ and hours) for replacing the clutch?
Also what is the reasonable labor cost ($$ and hours) for replacing the rack & pinion. My mechanic said that when replacing R&P I should also replace the tie rod ends and alignment.
Thanks for your expert advice.
I took the car to my trusted mechanic and he found the following problems:
1. The clutch needs replacement.
2. The rack & pinion is leaking
3. Needs subframe mount bushings replaced
4. Excessive play in the rear differential.
This is not the best time for me financially so I cannot afford to splurge. So he suggested that I take care of the clutch and rack & pinion and I can wait to do the subframe and differential later.
My question to this forum is the following.
The clutch is very hard and it is difficult to put in reverse. So I do need to replace it. Is there a big benefit of upgrading to premium clutch over the stock? What is the advantage? My son will not be racing or anything like that so I am inclined to go with the least expensive option. Should the flywheel also be replaced? What should be reasonable labor cost ($$ and hours) for replacing the clutch?
Also what is the reasonable labor cost ($$ and hours) for replacing the rack & pinion. My mechanic said that when replacing R&P I should also replace the tie rod ends and alignment.
Thanks for your expert advice.