_Lariats 97 Cobra build.

[_Lariat]

Well, after pestering you guys with some questions over the past few days, I figured it was time to post up a build thread.

Little backstory on me, I grew up working on cars, trucks, and tractors. Pretty much anything with an engine. The past few years have been occupied with 70-71 Torinos. After some careful consideration and the utter lack of aftermarket support, I decided it was time to step into a newer mustang again. (Had an 06 sixxer in highschool.) After some looking, I came across a cobra swapped 98 GT, was getting ready to do the deal, and a friend of mine made me a deal on his 97 cobra. I think he's a member on here?

Anyway picked the car up, found a few minor issues that I'm trying to sort out/fix. One of which was an overheating issue. Believe I have fixed it, but, sadly the heads didnt survive the ordeal. After some reading/research I decided that I'm going to C head swap the car initially. I may also try finding some forged rods and pistons. While I'm at it. End game consists of at least one turbocharger.

Mod list on the car as I know at the moment.

Tubular K member and A arms.
Stifflers trans crossmember.
Tubular 4 link arms.
4.10 gears
01-04 center console
04 cobra steering wheel.
EGR delete
IMRC delete
COP swap
O/R x pipe
Borla Stingers
Coilovers
315 nt555s
180° t-stat
Powder Coated intake and valve covers
S281 spoiler

Future mod list
01-04 radio bezel
99-04 gauge cluster surround
C heads
3.55/3.73?
On3 turbo kit
Repaint the bumpers and spoiler
Updated seats. (Undecided)
6r80 swap
Many more ideas may come in the future until then, I just want to put together a street/strip car I can enjoy.



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[96GT226410]

Nice. Have fun!

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[98 svt]

Let's see some pics.
* I have an 01-04 radio bezel for sale in the classifieds. It's already dyed the correct black for our 94-98s.

 

[_Lariat]

Let's see some pics.
* I have an 01-04 radio bezel for sale in the classifieds. It's already dyed the correct black for our 94-98s.

I tried uploading here not too long ago. Says I dont have permission? I'll try again I suppose.

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[_Lariat]

Here are some photos. The SRT8 is my buddies he picked up the same night. Oh, and I'm kinda excited about my DC heads.

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[Tillerman77]

Sweet project! What corner of Iowa are you in?

 

[_Lariat]

Sweet project! What corner of Iowa are you in?

Southwest iowa. About a 45 min drive from Omaha

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[98 svt]

Thanks for the pics. Looks like a fun project!

 

[_Lariat]

Thanks for the pics. Looks like a fun project!

Has been this far!

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[_Lariat]

Brought the heads into work today to clean em up and inspect them. Honestly, I think with a good cleaning and a new set of lash adjusters, we'll be ready for business. The break on the cam retainer has me a little concerned, but from what I've read, and see the dowels will keep it aligned. Just gotta remove two broken studs chase threads on tensioner holes and I should be good to go after a deep clean.

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[Tabres]

The crack in the webbing on the cam cap will hurt nothing. They do nothing other than retain all of the caps together versus having several individual caps. Some folks every cut the webbing out entirely when going to high-lift cams.

 

[_Lariat]

The crack in the webbing on the cam cap will hurt nothing. They do nothing other than retain all of the caps together versus having several individual caps. Some folks every cut the webbing out entirely when going to high-lift cams.

That's what I've gathered from my reading as well. Thanks for confirming my thoughts though.

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[scottydsntknow]

Those all crack, don't worry about it. I don't know how much you want to tear into the heads but a good DIY lapping (which would take forever), some Brian Tooley springs and go get them decked. Also want to swap in your 96-98 cams and a proper degree job will pick up as much as 20ft lbs from the stock timing marks. I'd also look into the Cobra engineering passnger secondary tensioner fix as well as the dowel pin upgrade kit. Both known problem areas on the 4V. And do the head cooling mod too.

Looks like a fun project tho, should be awesome when its done. For a turbo and 6R80 swap I'd go with a lot less gear than even a 3.55... the Coyote guys run the stock 3.15s or 3.31s with that auto, the first gear in them is THAT STEEP where putting 3.73s in a 6R car is like putting 5.xx gears in a 4R car.

 

[_Lariat]

I fully plan on dropping gear if I do a 6r swap. I think I'm just going to slap it together after a cleaning for this upcoming summer. Next winter I plan on turboing it, so I've got awhile. Diesel tech by trade, so turning a wrench is not something that worries me. Once I get ready for big numbers, I'm going to prep for it correctly. Lol

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[scottydsntknow]

Yeah that's what I did, I got a JY motor that was supposed to literally be an engine to get the car running to be legal to ship to me stationed here in Spain. Then I was going to build the .020 WAP I have, get the heads redone and drop it back in. But the damn thing is running so well I'm gonna run it till it blows lol. These things have a lot of top end, I have mine custom tuned and shift it at 7200 with a 7500 redline. 0 issues and the engine is bone stock. So yeah definitely just run it as is IMO.

 

[_Lariat]

So few updates. Heads have been prepped for install, and I got a mach intake. Good news! I don't have to use the bland mach upper, I picked up a B upper to C lower adapter plate yesterday, so I dont have to source cables, modify wiring, or make tubing for intake! List is getting smaller and smaller.

Things I need.

Headgaskets and head bolts
Lower plenum to head gasket
Adjustable cam gears
Exhaust flange gasket
New spark plugs

I plan on advancing my cams 4° in the C heads. Hoping to make some good power. Be interested to see what it makes.

Anyone have any recommendations on adjustable timing gears?

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[scottydsntknow]

Yeah about those timing gears... cloyes doesn't make them anymore. Get yourself a set of diamond files, tin snips and a few cheap feeler gauges and file and shim the stock gears with pieces from the feeler gauges. ARP cam bolts. That was what was recommended to me on another thread on this forum. I was also unaware the cloyes gears are OOP now.

Plugs... Autolites are fine, plugs are so damn easy to do that I just use coppers for $1 each from Rockauto.

Headgaskets, OEM or Fel pro. Head bolts, new OEM TTY bolts.

Fel pro for the lower intake to head gaskets

Header gaskets should always be OEM

I'd search on here and find a thread with what NA SVT says to set the 96-98 cams at. I forget off the top of my head.

Not sure what your budget is but I know in the future you plan on going bigger power. If budget allows, might want to do the Cobra Engineering dowel pins and passenger tensioner fix now but that's another $300-$400 or so.

 

[_Lariat]

Future power #s. 600. But i want to be 1k capable if somebody says "its just a 4.6." I live in the midwest where hillbillies run rampant bragging about their tree fiddies and their fo fiddy fos. I plan on all OE gaskets and hardware as I have access to ford parts cheap. (The perk of working on fords daily.) I plan on building an entirely different engine for it for the turbo swap so anything that can and will need done, will get done.

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[_Lariat]

Well, got the heads off today. That was a PITA. You can pull the driver head without removing the hydroboost. Putting it back in will be a trick. I'd also say, my guess on blown headgaskets was right... crawled under to unbolt exhaust manifold before cracking head bolts. Saw a drop of coolant externally from headgasket mating surface...

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[_Lariat]

Figured youd be impressed.

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