Stock 03, looking for feedback on mods

[Tron]

hi guys!
Bone stock 03, 30k miles. I did a cold air kit, and recently bought a flowmaster catback. Would it be worth while to grab a tuner? I cant say I plan to do much more, maybe a pulley...... I was just looking for some feedback from the expert! Also, is that boost valve mod, (looks like just swap vacuum lines) worthwhile?
Thank you!!

 

[MG0h3]

My car came with the Whipple and it’s my first Terminator, but everyone says a pulley and tune is night and day from stock.


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[1wild-horse]

Pulley swap, custom tune, full stainless exhaust.
Be prepared though man. Its like a can of Pringles, once you pop, you can't stop!

Honestly if I was to do it all over, at 30k, I would keep it stock.

 

[01yellercobra]

Pulley, tune, intake, and exhaust. I wouldn't bother with headers. But for the mid pipe and cat back you'll have to find out what you like. What sounds good to you is subjective.

 

[Dimitri318]

Pulley swap, custom tune, full stainless exhaust.
Be prepared though man. Its like a can of Pringles, once you pop, you can't stop!

Honestly if I was to do it all over, at 30k, I would keep it stock.

Don’t listen to wild horse, just get the credit card out and buy a vmp, fuel system, don’t hold back, the more the better lol.

No but seriously, horse was spot on, pulley, exhaust, tune, a CAI and just enjoy the car. Oh and a MGW shifter, and maybe some lowering springs.

See how it’s like a can of Pringles lol, it really never stops. I bought my current cobra which is my 5th one and it was bone stock also and I told myself I wasn’t gonna touch it. Well 2 months later, I’m halfway through pulling the motor and piecing together a turbo kit, go figure lol. I really wish I would have stopped at just doing the pulley swap and enjoyed the car but reading the forums and seeing all the awesoeme cars on here makes you think “oh, I’ll just do one more mod and I’m done.”

 

[1wild-horse]

My hindsight solution would be to keep the cobra stock and find a roller, plenty of salvaged titled ones out there to build for a weekend thrasher.

 

[Bdubbs]

No regrets modding mine. Car currently has 30k miles with tvs blower, return fuel system, headers, and e85. Drives like stock.

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[CobraBob]

Good advice on the basics already given. I still remember my "entry" level of mods, and quite honestly those made me the happiest. 450rwhp in this car is a lot of (reliable) fun. Intake (which you've done), midpipe/catback, 2.90 upper pulley, 4-piece idler set (dump the stamped steel stock idlers!), short shifter and a tune, and you're in for fun miles on the street. Mine made 457rwhp and 480rwtq, and I was so happy with the increased power and torque on the first ride that I literally didn't want to shut it down. LOL!

Oh, and if you haven't already done so, read through my Terminator FAQs. You'll find a lot of very useful info there.

Enjoy your Cobra!

 

[Tron]

Great feedback! Thanks guys! I truly was going to leave it stock.... down to the air silencer, but I “pringled”..... and now the catback goes on today! I feel that I can hold off in the pulleys, unless thats a significant power increase, but I was ok with springing for the handheld tuner.... if its worthwhile! I took my perfect runnig chevelle apart over the 7 month long winter, and recently sold it as I was sick of working on it, so I still sensitive to wrecking my car with my big ideas!

 

[NY03SonicConv.]

You should pulley your car. A 2.76 pulley and idler kit from billet flow resulted in a significant HP/tq boost for me. The idlers replaced the failure prone stock ones and the sc pulley is bumping up your boost, which the car can easily handle. There is no downside or reliability issues with this mod. You will need to get the car tuned, I'm sure the guys one here can direct you to a competent tuner in your area.

 

[HPLouis]

My first car was bone stock. I loved it and was very happy. I was at 376rwhp. Drove well, etc. I eventually put a catted X-pipe and the Borla Touring (the quiet exhaust) on the car.

I didn't know any better. Now I have my current car and it was modded by the prior owner. This car has the basics, 2.76, idlers, shifter, exhaust and a tune. I love this car even more than the first one. Drives like stock (well, a little louder) and lots more power, I really feel the difference. No problems, issues, etc. I'm heading to the dyno on Friday to see the numbers.

 

[cj428mach]

Imho every terminator should at least have an upper pulley, idlers, cai, midpipe and catback. Itll push you to 450-470rwhp with no loss of driveability or dependability.

 

[01yellercobra]

Great feedback! Thanks guys! I truly was going to leave it stock.... down to the air silencer, but I “pringled”..... and now the catback goes on today! I feel that I can hold off in the pulleys, unless thats a significant power increase, but I was ok with springing for the handheld tuner.... if its worthwhile! I took my perfect runnig chevelle apart over the 7 month long winter, and recently sold it as I was sick of working on it, so I still sensitive to wrecking my car with my big ideas!

I know how that goes. I sold my last car because I was tired of things breaking or just not being 100% happy with it. It was a beast....when it ran. That's mostly what's keeping me at the upper only stage right now. I can jump in and drive it to work or to Vegas. I had a ported eaton in my garage, but sold it because I didn't feel like dealing with it. If I'm going to swap blowers it's going to be to something bigger. But then I don't have the interest in doing that right now.

 

[Tron]

Man, you guys are corrupting me! For the pulleys, can I get a tune via email for the handheld? It would seem the mods are pretty common, but I do understand each car is unique! Also, is the handheld a worthwhile purchase with the cai and catback?

 

[03cobra#694]

Imho every terminator should at least have an upper pulley, idlers, cai, midpipe and catback. Itll push you to 450-470rwhp with no loss of driveability or dependability.

This, change the midpipe for sure along with the other stuff mentioned.

 

[zeus201]

Pulley swap, custom tune, full stainless exhaust.
Be prepared though man. Its like a can of Pringles, once you pop, you can't stop!

Honestly if I was to do it all over, at 30k, I would keep it stock.

Hence the reason I'm staying mostly stock. I'd love another 200+hp but and louder exhaust....but oh well.

 

[Tron]

I did the cai and catback. Much better! Im thinking handheld tuner and 2.76 pulley...

 

[MBoyle1]

air kit & cat back is fine,pulley& Headers will need A tune!

 

[Tron]

Wont be doing headers, pretty happy with the sound. I was hoping to slide by without the tune... im guessing thats a good 300-400 dollars?

 

[speedoflife]

Wont be doing headers, pretty happy with the sound. I was hoping to slide by without the tune... im guessing thats a good 300-400 dollars?

Yeah the price can really vary but DON’T get a canned tuned. Get a custom tune - it can be done over the Internet. To do it right, you NEED to get a wideband air/fuel gauge. You really should get an A/F gauge NO MATTER WHAT. I can’t stress this enough. To properly install it, you’ll need a new bung for the added O2 sensor - excellent excuse to get a new midpipe...

You’ve done catback and intake. What’s left is a pulley, idlers (don’t skip this), tune, lowering springs with camber/caster plates, and maybe a head cooling mod if you’re gonna run it hard. I would absolutely recommend the midpipe with an A/F gauge too.

Beyond that, things start to snowball quickly. There are always mods like IRS bushings, solid steering rack bushings, bump steer kits, upgraded cooling, and other mods I consider “refining” the engineering of the car. Depends on what you want out of it. If you’re going to drive it and put miles on it, I’d recommend all of the above over the long term. I don’t think they hurt the value if it’s not a super-low-mileage-über-stock-garage-queen-investment and they make the driving experience totally different in a very good way. It really comes down to goals, usage, and budget!

TLDR: if you don’t plan on keeping the car stock or very, very close to it and you plan on driving it, you’re kind of shooting yourself in the foot by not doing things like pulley/tune, basic suspension mods, and other small things if you’ve got the money. There are nearly no downsides to a pulley/tune, for example - it costing money is probably the only negative aspect.