How to: Tell the difference between a 99 and 01 Cobra

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Boss75

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Here is a thread which I'm hoping will encompass everything that is different between the 99 and 01 model years. These questions get asked frequently so I'll try to cover everything. For what I miss, just post up and I'll add it.

Exterior

The exterior of the 99 and 01 models are very similar. The 99 rear bumper reads "Mustang" while the 01 rear bumper reads "Cobra". Both cars come from the factory with a pony in the grill but many choose to remove it and replace it with a snake.

The wheels for the 99 are silver powdercoated 17x8. The 01 also had the powdercoated wheel but you had the option of rolling on polished wheels. Same style wheel just different finishes.

The headlights between the two are a little different. The 99 sports chrome/clear headlights and the 01 has smoked headlights.

There is also a tiny difference in the badging of the Cobras. The 99 rear SVT badge also says "Cobra" underneath it while the 01 badge is slightly smaller and reads only "SVT".

Different color options were also available for both years. In 99 you could only get the Cobra in Black, White, Rio Rally Red, and Electric Green. For 01 they removed Rio Rally Red and Electric Green and added Laser Red, Satin Silver, True Blue, Mineral Grey, Performance Red, and Zinc Yellow.

Both Cobras also had different wings on the decklid. Here's some pics...
99:
99wingEdit.jpg
01:
01wingEdit.jpg


Interior

The interiors are quite different between the two years. The 99 came decked out in all leather, essentially the same as the same year GT. The 01 Cobra got upgraded seats with better support and a synthetic microsuede strip down the center of the seats. The 01 also got a rearanged console moving the fog light switch from behind the cup holders where they are in the 99 to next to the traction control infront of the shifter. This allowed the cup holders to be shifted back and used easier. The 01 also had an interior trunk release pull and child safety seat anchors in the rear and the 99 did not.

Both 99 and 01 Cobras had traction control.

The 01 also got an Emergency brake boot and the 99 did not.

In 01 Ford decided the Cobra would get a 6 CD in dash changer. The 99 only had single CD capability.

Both model year Cobras had white faced guages with the 99 having a blue backlighting and the 01 having a green backlighting.

Engine

The engines in both these cobras are essentially the same with a few very minor differences. Here's probably where I'm going to start leaving things out so post up if you spot something.

The 99 has an issue often called "The Fix". The problem was that the 99 Cobras weren't producing the numbers they should have been on the dyno so Ford recalled a lot of them. The intakes were either acid dipped or extrude honed and the catback was replaced with a more free flowing one. They also reflashed the PCM. If "The Fix" was performed on your 99 you will have a dot on the driver side front corner of your intake manifold with a green dot representing acid dipped and a blue dot if your intake was extrude honed.

Another difference was the block used. All 99 Cobras recieved the Teksid block while only some 01's did. Other 01's that did not get the Teksid instead recieved a WAP (Windsor Aluminum Plant) block. For more on that see quadcammers post in the 99/01 FAQ.

The pulley arrangement is different from the 99 to the 01. The 01 has a different timing cover and an extra idler giving it a different belt route. It also had a one bolt tensioner vs a three bolt on the 99. I've also heard that the 01s had a little more timing to combat the recall the 99's had. *See diagram at bottom.

The 99 intake tube included rubber ribs but were deleted for the 01.

Drivetrain

The 99 Cobra uses the T-45 5 speed transmission. The 01 uses the TR3650 5 speed transmission. Also in 99 the Cobra had 28 spline axles in the rear while the 01 got 31 spline axles.

Belt Route Diagrams
99beltEdit.jpg
01beltEdit.jpg
 
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