advice needed; rookie mistakes 97 cobra

[HoosierDaddy]

I work in the Middle East so keep heat in mind. Now, I started making some extra scratch and decided I wanted to start a “project” or have something to do to make this place a bit more bearable. So I ended up getting a sweet 97 cobra.

It came with:
screamin demon distributors,
MSD wires
Bassani Catback
NGK TR55 plugs

at the time I had ZERO idea what I was doing. I drove it a bit and after a few weeks I got comfortable with the car and realized I wanted more power of course…

so I started forum hopping and ordering parts. My rookie mistake.

parts ordered:

EAGLE 4.6L 4V COMPLETE COMPETITION ROTATING ASSEMBLY W/ FORGED CRANKSHAFT (-17CC PISTONS, .020" OVER)

ARP 4.6L 2 & 4 VALVE CYLINDER HEAD STUDS- (HEX NUTS)

KOOKS 96-98 MUSTANG 3" INLET W/ 2.5" OUTLET OFFROAD XPIPE

Ford performance 3.55 gears and complete kit

fuel injector clinic 650cc injectors

Kooks 1-7/8-Inch x 3-Inch Long Tube Headers; Stainless Steel

BBK full length subframe connectors

as well as a full gasket kit from modular motorsports.

I did all of this thinking “yeaaa gonna supercharge this bad boy”

now after actually researching everything, parts in hand, I feel stuck.

would a KB 2.1 be enough? Is that too much exhaust and injector for the KB?

would meth be enough to keep the KB cool out here in the desert? Should I procharge? Will that also be too hot out here?

not only that… should I consider upgrading my timing components? Are the heads good stock? Fuel rails? A pump? Throttle body? MAF?

I pulled the trigger too early and feel like I dug myself into a hole and with no experience I’m a bit overwhelmed trying to move forward. There is a machine shop here and some trusty mustang mechanics willing to help but there is a language barrier and a lack of parts in country.

what should I be considering? What am I missing? I don’t want to slap FI on the car and cause some major failure.

ALSO!!! There are speedbumps EVERYWHERE!!! The guy before me lowered the car on eibach springs. Prob 1.5” under stock and put some 17” enkeis on it. How can I lift it back up? I’m not trying to run it on the track. I’d rather have a tight well handling (as good as an sn95 could) Mustang with some extra power.

if you took the time to read, thanks and don’t hold back.

 

[ZD302GT]

You can always build the motor and get the car running so that you can enjoy it and then boost it in the future if you decide to. That may help it feel less overwhelming right now. Take it piece by piece. Stock throttle body and fuel rails will be fine until you turn the power way up.

As you mentioned, cooling might be an issue so that is something to consider.

Does your car have the export parts? (folding mirrors, amber taillights, fenders). Im not sure where all the export cars were sent. An oppoutunity may be present to find old cars with export parts and sell them back to Americans since they are in such demand.

 

[CobraBob]

I want to piggy-back on what @ZD302GT said. It looks like you have the factory tune with those bolt-ons that came with the car. While I agree with him that it might be good as a first step to build the motor and enjoy the car for now. BUT, add a custom tune to your list. The power and torque increase from those new parts you got might just be enough for you. Well, at least for awhile, LOL.

Best of luck with your build. You should end up with a nice '97 Cobra to drive around.

 

[DSG2003Mach1]

those injectors aren't huge, even if they're bigger than you need it wont be a problem

3" exhaust won't hurt anything but that size tailpipes can be a pain in the ass to run. Mixing long tube and mid pipes they may or may not line up.

SN95 and new edge cars have air flow problems - not enough of it. A big air to air procharger intercooler is going to cause issues trying to run the AC at a stop/low speeds. When it's 95 or so here in FL my coolant temps are higher than I'd like

You need to be honest about your power goals and what can be supported by available fuel there. It's hard to tell you if a 2.1 KB is too small or not otherwise.

I dont know what compression that kit would leave you at but you could always leave the compression higher, make it more of an NA build and run some 4.10 or 4.56 gears depending on how much highway driving you do.

 

[robvas]

The 2.1 KB for the 96-98 cars doesn't even have an intercooler, does it?

What octane gas do you guys get over there?

 

[Roots-type]

Don't hold back? Ok... you've got a mismatched set of parts, tons of missing parts, no clear gameplan, and nobody around you to guide you or build the car that can even speak english. The internet can help give you some advice, but that's it. It can't put this car together for you. This sounds like a nightmare from where I'm sitting. I say try to return/sell off as many of the parts as you can and enjoy the car in stock form and try to not blow it up. Besides all this, building/sourcing parts during this corona bs is tough enough here in the states. Doing this in a sandbox on the otherside of the world? Good grief, my head hurts imagining this scenario. At least you haven't already bought a blower or any significant fuel system parts. Pull out now!

 

[vnmus96]

Ooof man. I’m kinda with @Roots-type on this one. Finding parts out in the sand box has to be a nightmare. Shoot, it was hard enough getting part to ship to Alaska when I was out there. That said, I don’t know if I’d start panic selling all of your parts off. You got some good stuff stocked up and I’m sure it took some time to get all of that over to ya. It just takes some good advice and good research on your part. Take your time, read up, and build what you want to build man. Sounds like you have a shop that’s capable of doing the work.

My advice: if your still thinking of building up the motor, do all of the cooling mods/upgrades you can and get a good, SAFE, modest tune. There are already know issues with the firewall side of the drivers head overheating. MMR makes a good “cooling mod” solution for this. They also offer an electric water pump set up that could offer some additional flow. (Not sure if it’s necessary though).

In reference to raising your car up a bit: make sure the last owner installed the rubber spring isolators on the upper and lower portions of the springs. Some people leave these off the vehicle to give it a little extra drop (IIRC it’s like .25 of an inch + or - a bit). Aside from that, you can do a little digging through some of the big name mustang parts stores (lmr, lethal, American, etc.) and find a spring that offers a bit less of a drop. You can also opt for a taller wheel and tire set up…..if you’re in the market for that. (18s vs 17s or a beefier sidewall on your tires).

 

[Tabres]

I would have built a nice N/A setup in your situation. Cams, long-tubes and rear-end gears. Pair it with a nice tune and you could be right around 380-400rwhp on b-heads for minimal cost (comparatively). C-head swap it and you could be mid 400's. All without the concern of the additional heat and high IAT's. A KB especially is going to present problems in your location.

Fwiw, if you continue down the road to supercharge the car and my assumption that the gas there is nice is correct, ditch the -17cc pistons. You will absolutely hate the off-boost power, it'll be a total dog. Put flat tops in.

 

[decipha]

Those screamin demon coils are ok for being stock or n/a but won't hold up with boost. You'll need to upgrade to stock oem replacements.

You already had a forged crankshaft but never hurts to have a spare. The -17cc pistons are same as 03/04 cobra so your compression is going to drop significantly. That's fine though and even ideal given your situation.

FIC injectors are ok. You would have been far better off with a set of siemens deka 80s from chris at poweraddersolutions as they are oem cobra jet ford injectors and are probably cheaper too but your injectors should work fine though. Keep in mind your tuner will have to dial them in.

Im partial to the prochargers.

If you can run e85 (doubtful) that would be ideal but otherwise meth or water injection would be necessary when in boost.