I blew a spark plug out on cyl#1. I got a new head (revised), so i figured while the engine is out now is the time to add some cams and other things.. the guy im bringing it to wants to install inverted pistons, crank, new rods, bearings, side bolts, main bolts, and head bolts.. is this nessasary? i thought the internals were good for 1000 horepower?? the tech said that they are not........ i also have another question, is it ok to run the car with a brand new head on one side and not the other?? please if you have the information i would greatly appreciate it b/c i only have enough money to do this once.. lol :dw:
Help Needed on 03 Cobra
- Thread starter RedfireCobl2a
- Start date
Your doing all that to fix a bad spark plug thread? All you need to do is install a Helicoil insert. I would remove both heads and do all 8 and just button it up again. That way you don't have to worry about running two different heads.
BTW: Find a new tech!
If you want to get more power out of the car you need to give us more info on what your goals are and what your budget is.
BTW: Find a new tech!
If you want to get more power out of the car you need to give us more info on what your goals are and what your budget is.
SLOWSVT is right on the money. Man I had this same thing happen to me. $11k later I have a new stroker with updated heads and other mods, when i wish I would have saved the money and helicoiled the damn plug back in. Obviously if the pistons are ok, put the heads back on and enjoy the car!
Agreed... those guys are trying to make some money off of you. Cheapest route is fix the one plug hole, better is do them all and best is swap both heads for the new '05 revised heads. Under no circumstances would I touch the shortblock unless it was down on compression or something else was wrong.
^^^What these guys said.
Thanks for the help
My goal is putting a kenne bell on my cobra, i am shooting for 600-675hp. is my stock internals ok for that horsepower? my budget is 6k.. Should i just do the 05 revised heads with cams and solid axle, or should i do level 5 half shalf with kenne bell and no heads and just keep cylinder # 1 with heilcoil? thanks for your inputs.. my existing mods are diablo tune rwtd, 2.80 pully, lfp intercooler, liberty input shaft, stage 5 clutch, irs brace, aux idler pully, c&l full intake, granatelli coil packs. When you guys say 05 revised heads you mean 03-04 cobra heads that have been revised or 05 gt500 heads?? if i order my head from a ford dealership it should be updated correct??
My goal is putting a kenne bell on my cobra, i am shooting for 600-675hp. is my stock internals ok for that horsepower? my budget is 6k.. Should i just do the 05 revised heads with cams and solid axle, or should i do level 5 half shalf with kenne bell and no heads and just keep cylinder # 1 with heilcoil? thanks for your inputs.. my existing mods are diablo tune rwtd, 2.80 pully, lfp intercooler, liberty input shaft, stage 5 clutch, irs brace, aux idler pully, c&l full intake, granatelli coil packs. When you guys say 05 revised heads you mean 03-04 cobra heads that have been revised or 05 gt500 heads?? if i order my head from a ford dealership it should be updated correct??
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Redfire
Before you start throwing lots of money at your Cobra I suggest you use the "search" function here and educate yourself by what other peoples have done and what their experiences have been. Do not take any one persons word for it including mine. There are some smart people on this site but there are also some real amatures who don't think things out very well and believe because they done something to their car means it's the best idea. Some times what they end up with is a car that has poor street manners, spine chilling handling, loud and unreliable.
Here is something to go on.
A Kenne Bell supercharge is a great unit as well as a Whipple (2.3 AX140 gets my vote but that's just me.) Don't go crazy with high boost levels (15-17 lbs. max) depending on the available gas. Do not take the engine to the ragged edge with the supercharger because you will increase the likelihood of granading the motor (this is no NA engine and will show no mercy on you should something get out of tilt). Traction in 1st, 2nd and 3rd with either of those blowers will almost be "non-existent". 600 hp is a good safe limit. Anything over that it starts to get expensive and risky.
Supporting mods: this is mainly fuel system, cooling and driveline upgrades. Mistakes or "lack of" here will turn you mill into a 650 lb. paperweight.
I did not see sub-frame connectors on your mod list. That should be your very next purchase if you don’t have them already.
IRS vs. solid axle. If the car won't be driven on the street and mainly at the drag strip the solid is a good choice (a full on drag car wont handle very well so keep that in mind). Everywhere else the IRS will out perform a stick axle PERIOD! Putting a stick axle in the car will diminish the cars appeal should you plan on selling the car down the road. Get a set of AC427's Delrin upper and lower control arm bushings and your rear will be planted to the ground and won't wheel hop.
Yes, the 05 heads are the ones to get IF they need replacing. I won't bother because they won't buy you anything more then what you have today other then a revised cooling circuit and 9 plug heads (your helicoil will correct that). Porting the heads won't buy you much either nor will headers until your making stupid hp.
Plan on spending between 5-10 thousand dollars depending on what you do to the car and by all means find a good tuner. Bad tunes are the #1 killer of these engines. Any tuner you talk to should be viewed with suspicion regardless unless you can get referrals by 3 or more people who's Cobra's he or she has tuned is still in one piece.
The vendors like Lethal Performance and others are very knowledgeable and are cobra enthusiast as well (plus the help pay for our ability to post here) so that is the first place you should go) Get your OEM and Ford Racing parts from Steve at Trousley Ford (he is a rock star on this site). Maximum Motorsports for suspension parts if you wanna go somewhere other then just a straight line.
Don't rush into this of you will make the wrong decisions which will end up costing you plenty. "search" "search" "search" "read" "read" "read"! ask questions when you can't find your answer with given the amount of info on here is not likely.
I am awed by some of these guys are running around on the street making 700-800 hp and have a deep respect for them. You chose a great car and hopefully will make good decisions on how you proceed with your build. Please just don't cheapen the stature of your car by hanging silly useless trinkets on it just to draw attention. Most guys leave them stock looking. These cars need no "attention getters" and anyone who doesn't recognize it will learn the hard way soon enough
oke:
Good luck and welcome to the site :beer:
Before you start throwing lots of money at your Cobra I suggest you use the "search" function here and educate yourself by what other peoples have done and what their experiences have been. Do not take any one persons word for it including mine. There are some smart people on this site but there are also some real amatures who don't think things out very well and believe because they done something to their car means it's the best idea. Some times what they end up with is a car that has poor street manners, spine chilling handling, loud and unreliable.
Here is something to go on.
A Kenne Bell supercharge is a great unit as well as a Whipple (2.3 AX140 gets my vote but that's just me.) Don't go crazy with high boost levels (15-17 lbs. max) depending on the available gas. Do not take the engine to the ragged edge with the supercharger because you will increase the likelihood of granading the motor (this is no NA engine and will show no mercy on you should something get out of tilt). Traction in 1st, 2nd and 3rd with either of those blowers will almost be "non-existent". 600 hp is a good safe limit. Anything over that it starts to get expensive and risky.
Supporting mods: this is mainly fuel system, cooling and driveline upgrades. Mistakes or "lack of" here will turn you mill into a 650 lb. paperweight.
I did not see sub-frame connectors on your mod list. That should be your very next purchase if you don’t have them already.
IRS vs. solid axle. If the car won't be driven on the street and mainly at the drag strip the solid is a good choice (a full on drag car wont handle very well so keep that in mind). Everywhere else the IRS will out perform a stick axle PERIOD! Putting a stick axle in the car will diminish the cars appeal should you plan on selling the car down the road. Get a set of AC427's Delrin upper and lower control arm bushings and your rear will be planted to the ground and won't wheel hop.
Yes, the 05 heads are the ones to get IF they need replacing. I won't bother because they won't buy you anything more then what you have today other then a revised cooling circuit and 9 plug heads (your helicoil will correct that). Porting the heads won't buy you much either nor will headers until your making stupid hp.
Plan on spending between 5-10 thousand dollars depending on what you do to the car and by all means find a good tuner. Bad tunes are the #1 killer of these engines. Any tuner you talk to should be viewed with suspicion regardless unless you can get referrals by 3 or more people who's Cobra's he or she has tuned is still in one piece.
The vendors like Lethal Performance and others are very knowledgeable and are cobra enthusiast as well (plus the help pay for our ability to post here) so that is the first place you should go) Get your OEM and Ford Racing parts from Steve at Trousley Ford (he is a rock star on this site). Maximum Motorsports for suspension parts if you wanna go somewhere other then just a straight line.
Don't rush into this of you will make the wrong decisions which will end up costing you plenty. "search" "search" "search" "read" "read" "read"! ask questions when you can't find your answer with given the amount of info on here is not likely.
I am awed by some of these guys are running around on the street making 700-800 hp and have a deep respect for them. You chose a great car and hopefully will make good decisions on how you proceed with your build. Please just don't cheapen the stature of your car by hanging silly useless trinkets on it just to draw attention. Most guys leave them stock looking. These cars need no "attention getters" and anyone who doesn't recognize it will learn the hard way soon enough
oke:Good luck and welcome to the site :beer:
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What they said :-D
good luck
good luck
Hey SlowSVT
Hey thanks for the input, you hit the nail on the head, i had another name on here but forgot the password, all of my mods have come from this website because i want to do what eveyone else has trialed and errored. So yes i rarely go to the track. i mainly street race on the highway just for kicks. i should keep the stock irs, use the irs brace, lvl 5 halfshafts, upper and lower control arms, and subframe connectors. the helicoil i have nothing to worry about even if down the road i want to go with the kenne bell or whipple correct? And don't worry about changing the heads?? i just need to be reassured and basically told what the best way to use my money for my car, i would appreciate a list of what i need to do if you guys have some time, look at above posts to see current mods.. i do not have subframe connectors SlowSVT
Hey thanks for the input, you hit the nail on the head, i had another name on here but forgot the password, all of my mods have come from this website because i want to do what eveyone else has trialed and errored. So yes i rarely go to the track. i mainly street race on the highway just for kicks. i should keep the stock irs, use the irs brace, lvl 5 halfshafts, upper and lower control arms, and subframe connectors. the helicoil i have nothing to worry about even if down the road i want to go with the kenne bell or whipple correct? And don't worry about changing the heads?? i just need to be reassured and basically told what the best way to use my money for my car, i would appreciate a list of what i need to do if you guys have some time, look at above posts to see current mods.. i do not have subframe connectors SlowSVT
Great advice SlowSVT... it's nice when someone takes the time to hit on every concern.
OP: He's right, you need to be very careful on how you spend your money... learn as much as you can first. If you want to fix your issue and twinscrew the car, 6K will run out fast.
OP: He's right, you need to be very careful on how you spend your money... learn as much as you can first. If you want to fix your issue and twinscrew the car, 6K will run out fast.
Once in a while I try. That was a bit long but I figured I may have save Redfire AND a Terminator from going down a destructive path. I hate seeing these cars getting molested.
Thanks for the kudo's :beer:
You seem to be getting the hang of it........great more typing :dw:
Save your money and don't bother with level 5 axles. The hub design is a bit hoakey with the shaft spline does not engaging the entire length of the hub plus the inner bearing race is paper thin and will bend just by looking at it wrong. They are suppose to be stronger then stock but people have had problems with them. The stock shafts are not bad and will likely hold up as long as the car isn't wearing slicks. Not only that but the stock shafts are not very expensive and you would have to break about 1/2 a dozen before it would pay for a pair of level 5's
Billetflow diff brace defiantly. 26 spline tranny input shaft when you change the clutch you're going to burn out with the bigger huffer. Fluidyne single pass radiator and a Gords heat exchanger along with the head cooling mod.
Yes, keep your IRS and don't let anyone tell you otherwise unless it's a dedicated drag car. I strongly reccommend AC427's delrin bushings. Probably the best handling mod you can put on the car. The stock Bilstein shocks and struts for the street are about as good as it gets. Coilovers' Hmmmmmm let's just say I am not crazy about hanging the weight of the car off metal design to hold the shock in place unless you reinforce them. Many people don't have a problem with them but I would worry about metal fatigue over time.
Maximum Motorsports sub-frames will do just fine, just make sure they are welded "weight-on-the-wheels or your doors won't close. If you got the dough consider Global West which IMO are the best and will allow your car to be jacked up NASCAR style but they are a bit on the heavy side.
Replace the 13mm IRS front sub-frame mounting bolts with grade 12 14mm or better yet 9/16" grade 8+ bolts and urethane bushings and the "clunk" should go away.
The stock breaks are designed to slow the car down from 150 mph and are more then adequate for the street. Braided steel lines are a nice addition.
The helicoiled heads shouldn't give you any problems since the majority of 03 and some 04 with aftermarket blowers are still running around only 4 aluminum threads :uh oh:. Use Anti-Seize on the threads before installation.
I like the Whipple blower a little more not because it's a better blower because it isn't. It just looks like a blower and not a breadbox. Avoid a polished unit. A rough cast case has twice the surface area of a polished one and will run cooler. The stock throttle body is almost as good as a single blade power wise. The fuel system is a little more involved and should be investigated a bit before deciding what you wanna do. What you should do is overkill your fuels system so it won't break a sweat regardless of what you throw at it or you can say "nite nite" to your engine.
I'm sure I forgot a few items and others may have things they would add or change but I think I got you well on your way to going broke.
Dude I'm done and you owe me a beer.
:sleeping:
I'd be concerned with your other Head only having 4 plugs threads, Let me raise my hand as yet another victim of the blowout syndrome, Before my Heads were slapped back on they were Helicoiled! Sorry it happened to you it isn't your fault!
Thanks SlowSVT
Im going to do exactly what you said, subframe connectors, irs bolts, bushings, and what items will i need for fuel system? KB BAP? injectors? fuel pumps?. SlowSVT i will pay someone to deliver a beer still cold from Louisiana. lol where u live??!.. Hey to the gentleman that just wrote something, be worried about what head? the one i got helicoiled? or the one that is not? if i do cams and both of the heads are off should i helicoil all of them??? Man im also glad i do not have to do them lvl 5 half shafts. those batards are expensive. without those i can do alot of the things SlowSVT said to do
Im going to do exactly what you said, subframe connectors, irs bolts, bushings, and what items will i need for fuel system? KB BAP? injectors? fuel pumps?. SlowSVT i will pay someone to deliver a beer still cold from Louisiana. lol where u live??!.. Hey to the gentleman that just wrote something, be worried about what head? the one i got helicoiled? or the one that is not? if i do cams and both of the heads are off should i helicoil all of them??? Man im also glad i do not have to do them lvl 5 half shafts. those batards are expensive. without those i can do alot of the things SlowSVT said to do
Great thread...
Redfire
Take a "pass" on the cams. These cars don't need them. The stock valvetrain is more then adequate. Now correcting the cam timing is worth the effort. You will need to do that anyhow when you reinstall the heads. Since there are four of them leaves lot's of opportunity for slop and can be off as much as 7 degrees from each other. That should be good for 10-15 hp. Haven't done mine yet but that day is coming. I prefer to use offset keys rather then a slotted cam drive sprocket. I will get to that bridge when I cross it.
You should have a pretty nice set-up that will hold it’s own against 99.8% of anything wearing a license plate with the exception of Posi’s car as long as his ragtop doesn’t blow off in the process :-D
No worries on the beer. Since my last post I have progressed to scotch-on-the-rocks and all the rocks would melt before your shipment arrived. Thanks for the offer though.
Take a "pass" on the cams. These cars don't need them. The stock valvetrain is more then adequate. Now correcting the cam timing is worth the effort. You will need to do that anyhow when you reinstall the heads. Since there are four of them leaves lot's of opportunity for slop and can be off as much as 7 degrees from each other. That should be good for 10-15 hp. Haven't done mine yet but that day is coming. I prefer to use offset keys rather then a slotted cam drive sprocket. I will get to that bridge when I cross it.
You should have a pretty nice set-up that will hold it’s own against 99.8% of anything wearing a license plate with the exception of Posi’s car as long as his ragtop doesn’t blow off in the process :-D
No worries on the beer. Since my last post I have progressed to scotch-on-the-rocks and all the rocks would melt before your shipment arrived. Thanks for the offer though.
Hey SlowSVT
Thanks again....
Subframe Connectors, All irs bushings along with maximum motorsport suspension, retime cams when heads are off. what fuel mods did you say i should do?? the cool head mod is the undergarmet of the hood correct?? after all this can i do a whipple?
OH AND BY THE WAY I HELICOILED THE HEAD AND DROVE MY CAR TODAY
Thanks again....
Subframe Connectors, All irs bushings along with maximum motorsport suspension, retime cams when heads are off. what fuel mods did you say i should do?? the cool head mod is the undergarmet of the hood correct?? after all this can i do a whipple?
OH AND BY THE WAY I HELICOILED THE HEAD AND DROVE MY CAR TODAY
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Thanks again....
Subframe Connectors, All irs bushings along with maximum motorsport suspension, retime cams when heads are off. what fuel mods did you say i should do?? the cool head mod is the undergarmet of the hood correct?? after all this can i do a whipple?
OH AND BY THE WAY I HELICOILED THE HEAD AND DROVE MY CAR TODAY
That was fast. Something tells me you took the car into a garage to install a Heli-coil :uh oh: Be careful taking this route!. Some shops can do a real hacks job and do more damage then when you brough the car in.
People have done it with the heads still in the car and allow some of the aluminum chips to fall into the cylinder then stick a small tube in the spark plug hole and vacuum the chips out. They figuring the small amount of aluminum chips missed won't hurt the engine and will get vaporized then blown out the exhaust port but is something I wouldn't do. You also need to make sure the drilled hole and tap are very straight or the spark plug won't threading correctly into the head. This job is best handled by a machine shop. Sounds like you didn't have a problem since the car is up and running. Congrats!
Sounds like you are referring to the hood blanket. I would leave that on the car to minimize all the mechanical noise the engine makes. The head cooling mod allows coolant to exit from the rear of the drivers side head so #7 & 8 cylinder can cool more effectively (typically those two cylinder are the first to go in an overheated engine).
There are a number of direction you can go with regard to upgrading your fuel system. I have a "return" type system which is a but more involved and costly then the "returnless" system you currently have. I am not a good source for info on the returnless set-up which would be better answered by someone else. There is a lot of info on this site so use the search function and edjumicate yourself.
Plan in advance before you embark on your blower upgrade. Make a list of everything you need and what the costs are. To do it right is a very involved process and you don't wanna overlook something or find out you don't have enough funds. Post here what your game plan is and have people comment on it. That will save you a lot of headaches. Don't be in a hurry to get this done and you will be much happier with the results. "Reliability" & "safety" should be the top priority. Shortcuts here will get you in a world of hurt.
I would drive the car around for a while "as is" and get to know the inner working better. You may change your mind after a while exactly what you want to do. Have fun for now because you gunna have some downtime doing upgrades. I should not be the only person giving you advice but I think I got you pointed in the right direction so I am going to bail from this thread for now. You can PM me if you have a question or want to direct me to one of your threads.
Good luck on your build Redfire :beer:
you are getting some good advice on a practical build up here. . i agree with everything so far. . .good bushings, a brace, and get the tune right the way it sits. . you can have a alot of fun with the eaton.
my car is similar to what you are looking for mod wise, so i'll share what i've done that i like, and what i do not like. .
Mine makes 630 on pump gas at around 19 psi, has stock irs except for a billet flow brace (bushings are coming next winter). My motor is a 5.1 stroker, which in hindsight, i wouldn't have done casue it really didnt add anything for the cost. I have a KB 2.2 (new style), which does look like a bread box, but sounds killer and makes good power. I kep t my fuel system simple; Fore Hat with twin Ford GT pumps and 60# injectors. It works good and is fairly staright forward. I would recommend gatting a wideband and a real oil pressure and water temp gauge. If you hold the trip button down while turning the key on, it will enter a "test" mode and you can monitor actual water temp in degrees C. I mention this because my car had air in the system and was overheating and the factory gauge never moved until it was in limp mode puking everywhere. .Never crack the cooling system open without burping (search this one). I just put a chromeoly roll cage in mine because i race alot and im not sure if i like it yet. . its an ass pain to get in and out of and the rear seat is non-functional. .point being dont do it for looks. . I just welded in the UPR full length heavy duty subframe connectors and had the cage tied in and i really like them for the money. I took the blanket out of my hood and opened the vents up and not sure if it evacs heat but the blower and valvetrain is way noisier and annoying. i would get a JLT coldair kit too. you can find them used for a good price on here. . hope this helps gives you some ideas. . before you use any of mine though, keep in mind my car is a weekend toy and is driven on the streets a few hundred miles a year. . NEVER shoot from the hip when spending money on this car, and never let a tech touch it without asking/searching around on the forums. Also to answer one of your original questions. . . your stock block, crank, rods, and pistons are good to atleast 6-700 RWHP. . . but remember, its all in the tune. . keep it cool, fat, lubed, and not too much timing and it will live. .
my car is similar to what you are looking for mod wise, so i'll share what i've done that i like, and what i do not like. .
Mine makes 630 on pump gas at around 19 psi, has stock irs except for a billet flow brace (bushings are coming next winter). My motor is a 5.1 stroker, which in hindsight, i wouldn't have done casue it really didnt add anything for the cost. I have a KB 2.2 (new style), which does look like a bread box, but sounds killer and makes good power. I kep t my fuel system simple; Fore Hat with twin Ford GT pumps and 60# injectors. It works good and is fairly staright forward. I would recommend gatting a wideband and a real oil pressure and water temp gauge. If you hold the trip button down while turning the key on, it will enter a "test" mode and you can monitor actual water temp in degrees C. I mention this because my car had air in the system and was overheating and the factory gauge never moved until it was in limp mode puking everywhere. .Never crack the cooling system open without burping (search this one). I just put a chromeoly roll cage in mine because i race alot and im not sure if i like it yet. . its an ass pain to get in and out of and the rear seat is non-functional. .point being dont do it for looks. . I just welded in the UPR full length heavy duty subframe connectors and had the cage tied in and i really like them for the money. I took the blanket out of my hood and opened the vents up and not sure if it evacs heat but the blower and valvetrain is way noisier and annoying. i would get a JLT coldair kit too. you can find them used for a good price on here. . hope this helps gives you some ideas. . before you use any of mine though, keep in mind my car is a weekend toy and is driven on the streets a few hundred miles a year. . NEVER shoot from the hip when spending money on this car, and never let a tech touch it without asking/searching around on the forums. Also to answer one of your original questions. . . your stock block, crank, rods, and pistons are good to atleast 6-700 RWHP. . . but remember, its all in the tune. . keep it cool, fat, lubed, and not too much timing and it will live. .
Thanks guys
Hey Guys thanks for all the help. SlowSVT i helicoiled the head myself and yes there was alot of metal that stuck to the tap and what i did was try to start the car with the plug out of it to blow the remaining out, is that ok?? runs just like before this happened.. I got 2 brand new heads on the way.. i am getting them for a really good deal. I got friends .. Again thank you for everyone on here that helped me out and took the time to give me knowledgable threads...
Hey Guys thanks for all the help. SlowSVT i helicoiled the head myself and yes there was alot of metal that stuck to the tap and what i did was try to start the car with the plug out of it to blow the remaining out, is that ok?? runs just like before this happened.. I got 2 brand new heads on the way.. i am getting them for a really good deal. I got friends
.. Again thank you for everyone on here that helped me out and took the time to give me knowledgable threads...Users who are viewing this thread
