Engine life expectancy and Mods....?

CobraRLC

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With all of the modding going on lately the mind wanders and imagines all the different facets that appear. In recent days members have posted about CARB and on road inspections, then one wonders about what to do in Five years when it is time to smog our Cobras. :bash: Sure there is always the friendly neighborhood smog shop owner with the muscle car, but what if the laws change and we are out of luck. I hope that everyone kept there stock air box, since an open element filter is highlighted of the CARB list as a illegal mod, again aftermarket catbacks are included too. If the KB is CARB certified then why didn't Ford drop one on for us. The last time that I talked to my SVT Tech he mentioned our motors are rated at 100k miles, but if we continue to mod away will it hold. I for one am ready to add the power adders......pulleys, tunes, and all, even a KB or equivilent. So in five years are we going to have get togethers were we are demodding our cars......? :shrug:
Hell, I can't wait to drop the hammer......As PMods once asked are you? All show, all go, or both?

Need to vent here, I have this beast in the garage that wants to play.......:coolman:
 
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2F2F

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The plan is to pick up an '06 Cobra within 4-5 years and turn the '03 into an full drag, or AI car. That's the plan, at least. '00R dampeners are on order. Full steam ahead with the mods :) .
 

Poisonous Mods

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Robert....ur still stock in my book :p

Not sure why ur worried about it :shrug: What u got like 3k miles on her now? Well prices are to be paid for not looking into the future far enough....but think we all know that right?

When we get our cars smogged in a few yrs......do we need to smog it every year after the 1st one we do?
 

CobraRLC

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As it goes now smog is required on the 5th year of ownership and every year there after. California is full of liberal scum, they worry about ocean marine life that they never enjoy and they screw with Hp Junkies. I just want to enjoy the full potential of our Cobras and not have to dismantel it every other year.........
 

FuShnickens

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i think it's every other year after the first smog. re: mods, i know most of us are pretty anal when it comes to our cars. we notice every little noise that seems out of place and we keep up on maintenance to keep things running well or better than stock. i fully expect to get at least 36k miles w/ the engine as is before having to do anything internally. if/when something "bad" does happen to the engine, it'll go to superior and be rebuilt stronger and w/ more precision than stock. :burnout:
 

FuShnickens

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Originally posted by CobraRLC
As it goes now smog is required on the 5th year of ownership and every year there after. California is full of liberal scum, they worry about ocean marine life that they never enjoy and they screw with Hp Junkies. I just want to enjoy the full potential of our Cobras and not have to dismantel it every other year.........

every year?!? bastards! if it gets to that i'll look into registering the car in another state.
 

Orange Poison

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Speaking of engine life expectancy......I believe I read somewhere or even through common sense that our engines run hotter and harder when chipped and pullied then over stock.

That being said, I waver everyday.....I mean literally everyday about slapping on the 'ol pulley and getting a tune.

I know life is short, and I...like Robert.....want to fully enjoy this car too. Unforturnately we are faced with paying the price of playing if something goes wrong. The question has to be raised if one can foot the bill if something does go wrong. For me, I can't.

What are people's feelings towards modifying this car? Is it going to decrease the resale value if it's been chipped and pullied? What do people think about the longevity of the engine? Will it be significantly shorter?

I know some people are not concerned with these issues as much as I am, but my goal is to keep this car prestine while at the same time enjoy it to it's full extent. Kind of caught between a rock and hard place on this one.
 
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Andorion

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Tony, I know just where you're coming from... I could probably "afford" to fix the car if something goes wrong, but that's money I don't want to spend. I floored it on the freeway in 3rd today and didn't feel a kick in the pants... yeah, I want a pulley and chip, but is it worth the risk?

:shrug:

Decisions, decision =(

~Berj
 

stang99

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The life expectancy for my bank account has decreased down to almost deceased. My car's engine seems just fine with 33000+ miles on it.
 

George Wax

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The saying goes if you plan to play (hard core modding i.e. power adder's etc..) expect to pay...Cost me about $8,000 to rebuilt my 99 Long Block basically it's a full on race engine for the street if that make's sense...With the 03 Cobra owner's, I believe if you leave it stock you will not have to worry about..however, once you start adding power adder's you alway's run the risk of breaking something..cracked ringland's..rod's, etc even though these 03 Cobra engine's are built stought..if you abuse them they will break in the long run...For anyone that mod's a vehicle they should know this going into the mod world..Not cheap to rebuild these 4-Valver's.I got about 50 rearwheel horsepower from the head porting alone..once I rebuilt my engine..and yes Superior Automotive does great work..Also remember this...a rebuilt race engine has no warranty, and a stock oem engine does....So, if I was an 03 Cobra owner...I would really pick my mod's wisely...FYI::::just my opinion and not the opinion of Superior Automotive or it's affiliates...Thank you..
 

Poisonous Mods

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Damn George, :beer: Breaking off some Knowledgie :beer:

Tony, U cant be stuck in that situation too long....ur going to kill ur self.

Since u now know whats involved when modding, its up to you to make the decision " Im like u, screwed if my motor goes ". BUT I still had to make the jump into modding & thus far, just little minor things. Cant say i regret doing so :D

Alot of safe Tuner's out there...thats what counts. My car doesnt seem to be running Hotter. Look at ur Trip/Odometer. Water Temps for me stay between 75 - 88C. I can stay at a drive thru line for ever or just go cruising around .... some times @ WOT ....still wont hit 90C. U can do a test to see what ur stock one shows in temp wise. <<for verification of course ;-)

Air Condition on & Steep Uphill climb is another story.
 

Orange Poison

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Originally posted by Poisonous Mods
Tony, U cant be stuck in that situation too long....ur going to kill ur self.



You're right Dave.....make the decision easy for me by dropping off a pulley, belt and predator at my front door. That'll do it.:p :-D
 

Poisonous Mods

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Originally posted by Blue Poison
You're right Dave.....make the decision easy for me by dropping off a pulley, belt and predator at my front door. That'll do it.:p :-D

:bored: Haha. I think John would look like a perfect Santa :D Im not the right height or size.....:burnout:
 

RDSZ

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Robert; I think a catback is legal to do, any thing else before the cat back is illegal, like for example my bassani X pipe with cats is illegal if the smog shop know what the hell they are doing. The KB is not CARB but is ARB for other states but not California. Yes any smog shop can give me a hard time because of those mods, but I still have a few years to think about that. Also I feel 100% sure that my car will pass the sniffer test with all the mods.;-)
 

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