Mods for Shows

[nikki1970]

I have done some cosmetic mods (interior chrome kit, rocker stripes, styling bar) on my Silver '03 Cobra Convertible. I and am looking to step it up even more for car shows. I have received 3rd place in both shows I've entered in South Texas before the mods. I'm looking for good sources for under the hood mods to include a radiator cover, a new hood lining, and painting (i see lots of paint in shows). I also can't decide which racing stripes to go with. I'm kind of afraid!

I am also looking for a good place in the San Antonio area to do a BAMA tune. I am considering mid-level exhaust and cold air intake.

Would appreciate some thoughts!

 

[Goose17]

This is the 93 Cobra forum (Fox Body).

You are looking for the Terminator (03-04) forum.

 

[03cobra#694]

Moved

 

[weaselp1]

OP - I cant speak to mods for shows because I keep my cobra in great shape, but dont show it; but I would suggest a custom tune over a BAMA tune. It might be a little more pricey, but a custom tune will give you piece of mind knowing that the tune is custom for your car and your mods and that the A/F ratio is correct. Good luck !

 

[fr03cobra]

http://www.svtperformance.com/forums/showthread.php?1010555-new-toys-(mods)&highlight=



The trunk lid email address is in this thread and ideas for a tonneau cover. A polished whipple would help ur engine shine.lol

 

[04RedfireVert]

A really clean car goes a long way as far as car shows IMO. I'd suggest looking your car over really well for things/areas you can spend some time cleaning and detailing. To me that's more impressive than stripes and bling. What's wrong with your hood liner that you want a new one?

 

[tt335ci03cobra]

Style wise I'm not a huge fan of stripes, decals or chrome but some cars pull it off great.

Main reason I'm chiming in is to second the idea of a custom dyno tune vs mailed bama file. Their file offers good power gains but it's a little risky to run a box tune IMO because every environment and engine is slightly different.

I'd go custom, and I'd work up a
nice 8x12" display to stand on your radiator cover (in a counter display like you'd see at a business or office counter with a paper in it) that shows the dyno graph up top for about 1/3rd of the page then a nicely spaced/fronted mod list below.

Tastefull touches and details go a long way in car shows. Make your car unique with some innovative one off modifications. I'd look into a custom in dash like an iPod mini (very cleanly done) or have the cars build number (of silver cobras so it's 3 digits) embroidered in the headrests or detailed onto the front driver bumper like saleens.

 

[tt335ci03cobra]

A great option is to polish or powdercoat major engine components like the eaton supercharger (or swap to a twin screw or tvs if budget allows), head and timing covers, buy a nice radiator cover, get a brake reservoir cover, etc. A cool idea is to have an aftermarket blower pulley accented to match a pop color elsewhere on the car. Say you have red or yellow or blue etc brake calipers, I'd have the visible face of the pulley partially colored or outlined in that color to tie it together. I'd get all black non amber cornered but otherwise completely stock looking smoked head lights too then do a decent led or hid conversion. Not the cheesy built in dual hid lights that look odd, but a stock housing that you use the led components to freshen up. On silver the smoked all black headlights look great. (not 1% tinted and darth vadar-black, but a classy 20-10% smoked black where you can still tell it's a headlight) (search "led headlight conversion" in the interior exterior section of the terminator forum for how to's and what to buy, it's an easy mod)

 

[KEVINS]

Polishing, powder coating or hydro dipping parts when not overdone can look nice and it's fairly inexpensive. I'm not really a fan of polished aluminum so I prefer to go the extra step and have it chromed.

ks

 

[masterjr33]

look at true forged tanks and get them in chrome.

 

[Aubz]

In my opinion, seeing an 03-04 cobra at a show, with a clean mostly stock exterior and a hell of a performance setup would make me like the car a lot more than someone that has a stock setup with a bunch of trim mods and stripes and such. Fwiw, it's just my opinion. I would remove the hood liner as it makes for a much cleaner look and it's free haha.

 

[Snake Plissken]

Your first post...

Welcome!

and congrats on third place. I'm not one to advise on car shows. I'm not picky enough. I hate vacuum cleaners, you should see my house!

 

[Givens]

If you in San Antonio why not take it to Mike Murillo for a tune?

As far as dressing up everyone has there own opinion, I agree with a lot of the above statements, chrome or powder coating, maybe some CCW's

 

[Tractionless1]

Whatever you do make sure the judges can see it! I have so many subtle details that should give me an edge and I have to point them out when the judges roll though. IMO car show judges aren't what they used to be, it's more of a popularity ass kiss contest.

 

[wvmystichrome]

I keep mine very simple. I set my big Cobra out along with the book Mustangs that shows the Mystichrome in it. Then in the trunk I display all my documentation and other neat stuff I have for the car. Most of the shows I have gone to, if you do to much stuff underneath the hood, you won't win the top awards. They like it as factory as possible and as clean as possible. Oh, sometimes I set my Maisto Mystichrome Cobra diecast in front of the Cobra on the blower. Here's a couple of pics along with my trophy collection. I won quite a few more last year and I believe these photos are from 2 years ago.

Last count close to 100 trophies in 9 years. Not to shabby.

 

[03' White Snake]

Whatever you do make sure the judges can see it! I have so many subtle details that should give me an edge and I have to point them out when the judges roll though. IMO car show judges aren't what they used to be, it's more of a popularity ass kiss contest.

I am the same way. I prefer little subtle changes that you need to know the car to tell its different. Thats what sets a car apart from the rest.

For example, I stripped and polished the PS lines from the hydro boost on my car. They come a dirty copper color and mine are polished. Its just a little something but a normal person would not notice.

 

[getTwisted]

Car shows aren't much fun anymore. I go to one a year and doubt I'll go to any this year. Its to much about belonging to clubs and crap like that. It should be about the car and how clean it is or how tastefully modded it is.

Be in a club and put a bunch of blingy stuff on your car and you will win a trophy.

 

[01yellercobra]

I was going to say that it's hard to judge what's going to win. Taste is very subjective. I've won a couple times, but usually it's someone with a ton of friends in the show that wins. I only go to a couple shows a year and they're usually voted on by the participants. I was at a show a couple weeks ago and had a ton of questions asked about my car. People were always looking at it. The person that ended up winning my class had a late model Corvette converted to look like a 63 Stingray. But since that show was mostly older vehicles I wasn't surprised. Anymore I just go to a show to hang out with my friends and get a decent parking spot.

 

[FromGTtoSVT]

this feels like a post on the "SHOW US YOUR MUSTANG" page on FB.....facepalm

 

[03' White Snake]

You want a good car show with the best Mustangs in the country, go to Mustang Week in Myrtle Beach South Carolina in July.

Over 1200 mustangs show up, over 5000 people that all breathe mustangs. They appreciate all the little and large custom touches done to you car. You can walk around and look at cars for 8 hours a day and still will not see all the cars there. I go every year and it is a blast.