in the market for an sn95 cobra, have a few questions

[sn95allmotor]

im in the market for my second mustang, which will preferably be a 96-98 cobra, though i wont pass up a smokin deal on a new edge cobra or mach 1. as my name would imply, im trying to find one that has not had any forced induction run through it. ive been doing a lot of searching but its tough work sifting through all the topics on here so im hoping an experienced sn95 cobra owner can help me out.


1.) what is the foolproof way to distinguish a teksid block from the others? if not all 96-98 cobras had the teksid block please let me know which ones did/did not. did all 96-98 cobras come with a t5? i found the topic on doing a vin id and found that helpful.

2. for a relatively lightly modded cobra (heads + cams + bolt-ons) what sort of supporting mods must be done to handle around 350rwhp? all ive seen is that headstuds are a must-do. the reason i ask is because i don't want to buy a ticking time-bomb waiting to happen because a simple mod was overlooked

3.) is there an easy way to tell if nitrous lines have been previously run in the car? what places would people most likely poke holes in the firewall?

4.) ive read to run away from any car that overheats, tick/knock from the motor, or any noise or irregular feeling coming from the transmission (common knowledge for any vehicle purchase). is there anything else i should be looking for?


if i missed something let me know what i should search these forums for.

and for those wondering, my first mustang was an auto s197 v6 with bolt-ons.. 207/218.4... 9.2 1/8mi..... im ready for my first real mustang :banana:

 

[hurricane630]

Regarding question 1 I found this for ya http://www.svtperformance.com/forums/sn95-cobras-24/753524-how-identify-teksid-block.html

The 7th post states what your lookin for.

 

[1BD9D7]

All 96-98 cobras had teksid blocks, also 99s and some 01s. The teksid will have a different pattern in the valley, tiny rectangles, where the WAP block has diamond shapes. All 96-98 cobras use the T45, some are Borg-Warner, some are tremec- no advantage to either.

If you want to stay n/a, it will take a lot of money/changes to make 350rwhp, certainly is possible though. When you use a power adder and want something 450-500+hp, thats when changes are needed pretty much everywhere. My car has been stock with a vortech V2 (stock 6lb pulley, maybe 400rwhp) for around 12 years/ 20k miles and I have no complaints. I have a work order from '98 for "excessive valve train noise" which was 'fixed' at the time but it still has a periodic tick on the drivers side that comes and goes. I suppose most of these cars have been fitted with exhaust so loud it's hard to notice a little tick lol.

Be sure and set criteria that the car must have, for me I hate the tan interior, so a tan interior car is probably not an option for me. I would also be picky about the paint, it won't be cheap to fix something like that, also make sure the drivetrain seems strong/ smooth.

 

[R.D.P.]

Seems lots of people run the V2 on low boost with great reliability and power through the older 4.6 Cobras. I wouldn't be afraid of it if you want to get to some decent power.

 

[sn95allmotor]

the only reason i want one that has never had f/i is because this is going to be my dd while i finish college (about the next 3 years or so). don't want to have to deal with any motor problems as i know there will be other things that will need to be periodically replaced on a car this old. i guess id be okay with something being run on low boost as long as the supercharger hasn't been on there for too long and its got a big stack of maintenance records.

also thanks for the replies about the teksid blocks. so im assuming the terminators and machs dont have the teksid?

 

[iamtheshaner]

I think you will find good technical advice on here....but I would personally be remiss if I failed to remind you that a college student buying an almost 20 year old mustang is a bad idea. It was a bad idea when I did it and I was getting a degree in automotive. I had skill and resources.

You want a fun toy
But you need reliablity
Which you don't have the best odds with in a mid-90's mustang
You want N/A so it isn't costly to maintain
But you want something with mods so that it isn't slow
And you want this "fast" "toy" to be your DD
In Denver


Anyone remotely intelligent wouldn't suggest this is a wise way for you to use your thinly spread time and money, bud

 

[svtcobralover]

I think you will find good technical advice on here....but I would personally be remiss if I failed to remind you that a college student buying an almost 20 year old mustang is a bad idea. It was a bad idea when I did it and I was getting a degree in automotive. I had skill and resources.

You want a fun toy
But you need reliablity
Which you don't have the best odds with in a mid-90's mustang
You want N/A so it isn't costly to maintain
But you want something with mods so that it isn't slow
And you want this "fast" "toy" to be your DD
In Denver


Anyone remotely intelligent wouldn't suggest this is a wise way for you to use your thinly spread time and money, bud

I second this!!! I did the same thing in my junior year of college. I drove my 96 cobra as my daily at UF. Right before my senior year, the engine blew. I ended up selling the car for $2,800 with 03 cobra seats and a built rearend and trans. I needed the money asap for a new car and school tuition.

 

[1BD9D7]

My car has been reliable, but it just sits in the shed 98% of the time. I don't wanna have to count on the reliability (although I probably could). I would look elsewhere for a dd.

 

[encasedmetal]

all 96-98 cobras had teksid blocks, the 99s and 01s did not have the same designed aluminum tekid the 93-98 blocks had. the teksid will have a different pattern in the valley, tiny rectangles, where the wap block has diamond shapes. All 96-98 cobras use the t45, some are borg-warner, some are tremec- no advantage to either.

If you want to stay n/a, it will take a lot of money/changes to make 350rwhp, certainly is possible though. When you use a power adder and want something 450-500+hp, thats when changes are needed pretty much everywhere. My car has been stock with a vortech v2 (stock 6lb pulley, maybe 400rwhp) for around 12 years/ 20k miles and i have no complaints. I have a work order from '98 for "excessive valve train noise" which was 'fixed' at the time but it still has a periodic tick on the drivers side that comes and goes. I suppose most of these cars have been fitted with exhaust so loud it's hard to notice a little tick lol.

Be sure and set criteria that the car must have, for me i hate the tan interior, so a tan interior car is probably not an option for me. I would also be picky about the paint, it won't be cheap to fix something like that, also make sure the drivetrain seems strong/ smooth.

fixed

 

[1BD9D7]

I was aware there was a difference in the 99+ teksid blocks, I think op was concerned with when the drastically different WAP block started being used in cobras.

I see the 99+ teksid has a unique part number and there were changes that removed the jack screws that preload the main caps and they also changed the diameter of the hole for knock sensors. The older block is slightly more desirable, but since they are equal to one another performance wise, there was no need to differentiate...

Is there a point in building a cobra engine that its important to have one block over the other?

 

[sn95allmotor]

I appreciate the concern. my current car that I dont owe anything on will sell for 10k. would I be better off with a 5.0 that I build myself, loaning a couple grand on a new edge cobra/mach, or just sticking with a 96-98 cobra I know the 5.0s are a lot cheaper to build and rebuild. there are quite a few 96-98 cobras to choose from for 6k-7k so I just figured I should be okay if I pick a good one. I could also get a third party warranty to cover the motor/tranny for 3 or 4 years which I would like a lot better than an uninsured new edge that I owe money on. I have a bit more disposable income than most college students so throw some ideas at me. if you scare me away from mustangs ill probably go buy an svt focus, turbo it, and hope for the best.

 

[sn95allmotor]

I was aware there was a difference in the 99+ teksid blocks, I think op was concerned with when the drastically different WAP block started being used in cobras.

I see the 99+ teksid has a unique part number and there were changes that removed the jack screws that preload the main caps and they also changed the diameter of the hole for knock sensors. The older block is slightly more desirable, but since they are equal to one another performance wise, there was no need to differentiate...

Is there a point in building a cobra engine that its important to have one block over the other?

I was told by a forum regular, who is a real life buddy, to make sure I get the teksid block because they are stronger. its important to me because if someone blew the motor and didnt replace it with the same block, chances are they neglected the car in other areas as well.

 

[iamtheshaner]

I appreciate the concern. my current car that I dont owe anything on will sell for 10k. would I be better off with a 5.0 that I build myself, loaning a couple grand on a new edge cobra/mach, or just sticking with a 96-98 cobra I know the 5.0s are a lot cheaper to build and rebuild. there are quite a few 96-98 cobras to choose from for 6k-7k so I just figured I should be okay if I pick a good one. I could also get a third party warranty to cover the motor/tranny for 3 or 4 years which I would like a lot better than an uninsured new edge that I owe money on. I have a bit more disposable income than most college students so throw some ideas at me. if you scare me away from mustangs ill probably go buy an svt focus, turbo it, and hope for the best.

Now THAT'S a threat! Convince me to get underwater on a rustang or you'll buy a SVTF and turbo it?

I've owned all the above and if I'm forced to choose between a slap in the face or a kick in the balls I'll pick slap in the face all day.

Buy the cleanest, cheapest 94/95 5.0 from the oldest most anal cleanliness and maintenance person you can find as far south and west as you can find it. Drive it as seldom and as slow as you possibly can until you graduate; saving as much $ as you can along the way (you will need it).

The SVTFs were good cars but they don't age well. Bought mine at 70,000 miles about 4 years ago. It had been supercharged and beat to crap. New motor, new clutch and new brakes when I got it so it was basically perfect and I STOLE IT from the guy. It nickle and dimed me to death until I bough the S60R. The clutches are junk, the trans is weak and crazy expensive to fix/rebuild (getrag didn't even let Ford rebuild them -they were remove and replace ONLY). The brakes are fantastic and the interior is cool. Other than that - it's a focus. An engine mount and suspension component destroyer. It's gutless for a 170hp econobox. Averaged 22mpg mix. My volvo with twice the weight, twice the power to twice the wheels and three times the bells and whistles averages 22mpg.

I still can't fathom why you feel the need to dump a presumably paid for and well running 10K $ daily driver for a 20 year old SN, a FWD turbo nightmare or a loan on a 10 year old new edge.

 

[R.D.P.]

I personally much prefer the New Edge body over the original SN95. Some feel the same, some prefer the older body. I think you need to decide that first. If you prefer the New Edge, try to get a '99 Cobra.