Love my SLP’s. Loud and deep growl.
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97 Cobra build/rebuild
- Thread starter 88stang88
- Start date
OP
OP
88stang88
Professional Lurker
After driving the car the past several days back and forth to work to figure out some of the quirks I have discovered a couple small things.
-Suspension is worn and tired. Haven't dug into it much to figure out what type of springs are on the car. Wouldn't surprise me if the previous owner just cut the stock springs as it feels a little floaty and not very stiff. Definitely needs an alignment.
-Transmission shifts nice and smooth. On downshifts it does feel a little rough (little shutter feeling not clunky) perhaps some new motor mounts and a transmission mount would fix this.
-Need to purchase a new lower boot for the shifter. Has a few rips and doesn't seat very well. Feel some hot air getting thru and some extra exterior noise.
-A/C Doesn't work atm. Haven't had much time to dig into this yet either. I fixed the common vacuum line that breaks near the firewall that causes the loss of vent control. Will have to look and see if I still have a test kit for the A/C system or just take it to a shop to look into.
Some positives-
After replacing the wires and coil packs it fixed the hesitation issue but replacing the x pipe really let it breathe a bit and I can really tell a difference.
Replacing the unknown short throw shifter with the steeda tri-ax really made driving the car a better experience. I really can't say anything bad about the shifter. The placement is perfect for me.
I will have to snap some better pictures and post them next time.
-Suspension is worn and tired. Haven't dug into it much to figure out what type of springs are on the car. Wouldn't surprise me if the previous owner just cut the stock springs as it feels a little floaty and not very stiff. Definitely needs an alignment.
-Transmission shifts nice and smooth. On downshifts it does feel a little rough (little shutter feeling not clunky) perhaps some new motor mounts and a transmission mount would fix this.
-Need to purchase a new lower boot for the shifter. Has a few rips and doesn't seat very well. Feel some hot air getting thru and some extra exterior noise.
-A/C Doesn't work atm. Haven't had much time to dig into this yet either. I fixed the common vacuum line that breaks near the firewall that causes the loss of vent control. Will have to look and see if I still have a test kit for the A/C system or just take it to a shop to look into.
Some positives-
After replacing the wires and coil packs it fixed the hesitation issue but replacing the x pipe really let it breathe a bit and I can really tell a difference.
Replacing the unknown short throw shifter with the steeda tri-ax really made driving the car a better experience. I really can't say anything bad about the shifter. The placement is perfect for me.
I will have to snap some better pictures and post them next time.
OP
OP
88stang88
Professional Lurker
Overdue update-
A/C works just needed to be recharged believe it or not. Blows nice and cold.
Radio seem's to have developed a intermittent issue where it completely cuts out. It had a aftermarket pioneer head unit with factory speakers and amps still. Will have to further evaluate at a later date.
Now the bad news -
I have been putting this post off for some time. Wasn't "in the mood" to talk about it for a while but I think it's time to move forward now.
August 12th, 2019
03:45 AM - I wake up to a alert on my phone warning of a flash flood warning for the county to the south of where I live. It was raining outside but not very hard at the time.
04:15 AM - I decide since I am already awake I will just head into work a little early. (normally leave at 04:40 AM) So I get my things together and head out to the garage. I had to take the Cobra to work on this day due to my wife needing my truck for various reasons while I was at work. Her car was at the dealer getting some work done so I had no choice.
04:30 AM - I depart my neighborhood and the roads were wet from raining and it was still raining but not excessively hard. I get about 2-3 blocks away and this changes really quickly. It's raining so hard I can no longer see beyond the hood of my car. I slow down and pull to the side of the road to access the situation and determine the best course of action.
04:35 AM - The rain begins to let up to what I would call a normal down pour and I continue to proceed towards my work. I get another block up and it picks up again. At this point I have had enough and stopped and decided I am pulling into the parking lot to my left and going to either wait out the storm or limp home and have my wife take me in the truck. As I wait to pull into the parking lot I see headlights coming towards me but cant really determine distance or speed due to rain. As I am waiting I look outside the drivers window and realize the road is beginning to flood. I am now sitting in 3-4 inches of water. Luckily for me the parking lot is elevated.
Back to the headlights coming towards me...Those headlights happened to be a County bus traveling about 40 MPH coming down the ramp of the viaduct and smashed into 2ish feet of standing water and carried a wave of water that topped my car. Instantly pushing water inside the car via window. Motor instantly shuts down. I begin to feel my car float. Once the water started to run down the windows I realize I am now being sucked into standing water thanks to the bus' wave of water. Water that I had no intended on driving towards. Once I stopped floating I ended up crawling out of the window and was in 2-3 feet of standing water. I pushed the car out of the water and called a tow truck.
09:15 AM - Tow truck finally comes to the rescue. Tow's me home and I have my wife and son help push the car into the garage. Jack it up and place on stands. Remove plugs and use a shop vac and a hose creation I made to get the water out of the heads. Ended up recovering about a half gallon of water per head. Once I got the water out I tried to turn the motor over and had no luck. Motor is locked up. Tried manually turning it over still no luck. Current status.... sitting with the hood off waiting to have the motor pulled whenever I get a few days off.
I let it sit for a couple of months mostly due to the fact I have not had time to deal with it but also because I was to angry to mess with it.
I filed a claim with the bus company. They are denying the entire event. It rained 9+inches in 3 hours that day. Haven't had any luck locating a replacement motor. Just hasn't been a fun couple months.
In the photos my car ended up where the tow truck was at whenever I stopped floating. Some extra photos of the entrance to my neighborhood also after the rain started really coming down.
A/C works just needed to be recharged believe it or not. Blows nice and cold.
Radio seem's to have developed a intermittent issue where it completely cuts out. It had a aftermarket pioneer head unit with factory speakers and amps still. Will have to further evaluate at a later date.
Now the bad news -
I have been putting this post off for some time. Wasn't "in the mood" to talk about it for a while but I think it's time to move forward now.
August 12th, 2019
03:45 AM - I wake up to a alert on my phone warning of a flash flood warning for the county to the south of where I live. It was raining outside but not very hard at the time.
04:15 AM - I decide since I am already awake I will just head into work a little early. (normally leave at 04:40 AM) So I get my things together and head out to the garage. I had to take the Cobra to work on this day due to my wife needing my truck for various reasons while I was at work. Her car was at the dealer getting some work done so I had no choice.
04:30 AM - I depart my neighborhood and the roads were wet from raining and it was still raining but not excessively hard. I get about 2-3 blocks away and this changes really quickly. It's raining so hard I can no longer see beyond the hood of my car. I slow down and pull to the side of the road to access the situation and determine the best course of action.
04:35 AM - The rain begins to let up to what I would call a normal down pour and I continue to proceed towards my work. I get another block up and it picks up again. At this point I have had enough and stopped and decided I am pulling into the parking lot to my left and going to either wait out the storm or limp home and have my wife take me in the truck. As I wait to pull into the parking lot I see headlights coming towards me but cant really determine distance or speed due to rain. As I am waiting I look outside the drivers window and realize the road is beginning to flood. I am now sitting in 3-4 inches of water. Luckily for me the parking lot is elevated.
Back to the headlights coming towards me...Those headlights happened to be a County bus traveling about 40 MPH coming down the ramp of the viaduct and smashed into 2ish feet of standing water and carried a wave of water that topped my car. Instantly pushing water inside the car via window. Motor instantly shuts down. I begin to feel my car float. Once the water started to run down the windows I realize I am now being sucked into standing water thanks to the bus' wave of water. Water that I had no intended on driving towards. Once I stopped floating I ended up crawling out of the window and was in 2-3 feet of standing water. I pushed the car out of the water and called a tow truck.
09:15 AM - Tow truck finally comes to the rescue. Tow's me home and I have my wife and son help push the car into the garage. Jack it up and place on stands. Remove plugs and use a shop vac and a hose creation I made to get the water out of the heads. Ended up recovering about a half gallon of water per head. Once I got the water out I tried to turn the motor over and had no luck. Motor is locked up. Tried manually turning it over still no luck. Current status.... sitting with the hood off waiting to have the motor pulled whenever I get a few days off.
I let it sit for a couple of months mostly due to the fact I have not had time to deal with it but also because I was to angry to mess with it.
I filed a claim with the bus company. They are denying the entire event. It rained 9+inches in 3 hours that day. Haven't had any luck locating a replacement motor. Just hasn't been a fun couple months.
In the photos my car ended up where the tow truck was at whenever I stopped floating. Some extra photos of the entrance to my neighborhood also after the rain started really coming down.
OP
OP
88stang88
Professional Lurker
Early this morning browsing the interwebs while at work I found a brand new post on the FB marketplace of a guy selling a 4.6 4V out of a Mark VIII with 88,000 miles. Had it listed for $500 obo I offered $400 and he agreed. So after work tonight I am going to make the trip to see the motor tomorrow and as long as it turns over I will be bringing home the replacement. It does have the auto trans that comes with it. I will sell that and recoup some of that money even. Seems like I found a decent little deal here.
Now the question is what all needs to be swapped or upgraded to the Mark VIII block to get it up to snuff?
Now the question is what all needs to be swapped or upgraded to the Mark VIII block to get it up to snuff?
Tillerman77
Member
That is fucked up - good luck!Overdue update-
A/C works just needed to be recharged believe it or not. Blows nice and cold.
Radio seem's to have developed a intermittent issue where it completely cuts out. It had a aftermarket pioneer head unit with factory speakers and amps still. Will have to further evaluate at a later date.
Now the bad news -
I have been putting this post off for some time. Wasn't "in the mood" to talk about it for a while but I think it's time to move forward now.
August 12th, 2019
03:45 AM - I wake up to a alert on my phone warning of a flash flood warning for the county to the south of where I live. It was raining outside but not very hard at the time.
04:15 AM - I decide since I am already awake I will just head into work a little early. (normally leave at 04:40 AM) So I get my things together and head out to the garage. I had to take the Cobra to work on this day due to my wife needing my truck for various reasons while I was at work. Her car was at the dealer getting some work done so I had no choice.
04:30 AM - I depart my neighborhood and the roads were wet from raining and it was still raining but not excessively hard. I get about 2-3 blocks away and this changes really quickly. It's raining so hard I can no longer see beyond the hood of my car. I slow down and pull to the side of the road to access the situation and determine the best course of action.
04:35 AM - The rain begins to let up to what I would call a normal down pour and I continue to proceed towards my work. I get another block up and it picks up again. At this point I have had enough and stopped and decided I am pulling into the parking lot to my left and going to either wait out the storm or limp home and have my wife take me in the truck. As I wait to pull into the parking lot I see headlights coming towards me but cant really determine distance or speed due to rain. As I am waiting I look outside the drivers window and realize the road is beginning to flood. I am now sitting in 3-4 inches of water. Luckily for me the parking lot is elevated.
Back to the headlights coming towards me...Those headlights happened to be a County bus traveling about 40 MPH coming down the ramp of the viaduct and smashed into 2ish feet of standing water and carried a wave of water that topped my car. Instantly pushing water inside the car via window. Motor instantly shuts down. I begin to feel my car float. Once the water started to run down the windows I realize I am now being sucked into standing water thanks to the bus' wave of water. Water that I had no intended on driving towards. Once I stopped floating I ended up crawling out of the window and was in 2-3 feet of standing water. I pushed the car out of the water and called a tow truck.
09:15 AM - Tow truck finally comes to the rescue. Tow's me home and I have my wife and son help push the car into the garage. Jack it up and place on stands. Remove plugs and use a shop vac and a hose creation I made to get the water out of the heads. Ended up recovering about a half gallon of water per head. Once I got the water out I tried to turn the motor over and had no luck. Motor is locked up. Tried manually turning it over still no luck. Current status.... sitting with the hood off waiting to have the motor pulled whenever I get a few days off.
I let it sit for a couple of months mostly due to the fact I have not had time to deal with it but also because I was to angry to mess with it.
I filed a claim with the bus company. They are denying the entire event. It rained 9+inches in 3 hours that day. Haven't had any luck locating a replacement motor. Just hasn't been a fun couple months.
In the photos my car ended up where the tow truck was at whenever I stopped floating. Some extra photos of the entrance to my neighborhood also after the rain started really coming down.
OP
OP
88stang88
Professional Lurker
It’s been a long fall/winter and I hate to admit it but I pushed the cobra to the side for other projects and hobbies for the family. Just started to get nicer around here for a good stretch which has me thinking it’s time to undo the damage and get the car moving again.
Have a lead on a new to me setup. Waiting for a little more info before making a decision but will be starting to rearrange and create a good working space to prep for the new heart beat.
Have a lead on a new to me setup. Waiting for a little more info before making a decision but will be starting to rearrange and create a good working space to prep for the new heart beat.
joe65
Well-Known Member
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new projects seem to get more attention. good luck with it.
OP
OP
88stang88
Professional Lurker
Made some good progress the last week.
Last week I started to unhook everything in the engine bay and anything that could possibly get in the way of removing the engine.
Today I prepped the garage and put the car up on stands and ramps to tackle the bottom side work. Enlisted my neighbor and removed the exhaust, driveshaft, transmission cross member, and motor mounts.
We even got around to doing the fun stuff.
Now I get to break the engine down and find out how much damage was done and what the solution is going to be.
Last week I started to unhook everything in the engine bay and anything that could possibly get in the way of removing the engine.
Today I prepped the garage and put the car up on stands and ramps to tackle the bottom side work. Enlisted my neighbor and removed the exhaust, driveshaft, transmission cross member, and motor mounts.
We even got around to doing the fun stuff.
Now I get to break the engine down and find out how much damage was done and what the solution is going to be.
Attachments
Man, I love your wheels!
OP
OP
88stang88
Professional Lurker
They don’t make them anymore.
Dang, you dont play around!
If using a mark8 engine, its a 6bolt crank. Your cobra is 8 bolt. Youll need a 6bolt flywheel.
If using a mark8 engine, its a 6bolt crank. Your cobra is 8 bolt. Youll need a 6bolt flywheel.
OP
OP
88stang88
Professional Lurker
I sold the mark 8 block. I’m just going to rebuild the one from the car.
OP
OP
88stang88
Professional Lurker
Didn't have a ton of time today but did a few things in the garage this morning.
Separated the Transmission from the Engine and took the clutch and pressure plate off. Put it on the temp Engine stand. Have a new one on the way since I am not a fan of the tri-pod stand. Going to stay this way until Thursday now whenever I am off again. Plan is to tear down the Engine Thursday and potentially take it to the machine shop Friday Morning. Now to look for a place to rebuild the trans.
Separated the Transmission from the Engine and took the clutch and pressure plate off. Put it on the temp Engine stand. Have a new one on the way since I am not a fan of the tri-pod stand. Going to stay this way until Thursday now whenever I am off again. Plan is to tear down the Engine Thursday and potentially take it to the machine shop Friday Morning. Now to look for a place to rebuild the trans.
Moving right along!
OP
OP
88stang88
Professional Lurker
I wasn’t lying whenever I told you I was going to get it done this weekend.
Hey brother, I noticed in another post you was asking about a t-56 swap, but I was wondering if you've ever thought about getting a 26 spline input shaft for your t45? Ive looked into it, put haven't spoke with anyone who has done it so far, I'm very interested in doing this because I need a new input shaft bearing, and might as well upgrade the shaft as well.
OP
OP
88stang88
Professional Lurker
I have not done much research *yet* into that. Always open for suggestions and different options. I was searching for the info on a t56 swap bc there was a guy locally selling one and I was trying to gauge if it would be worth picking up. What is the thought process behind swapping the spline?
The 26 spline is what the t56 comes with also, and it holds alot more power. It's a good option when going for higher horsepower builds over 450-500 RWHP.
Of course there's all kinds of people running factory t45's behind their behemoth power makers, but the factory 10-spline has been know to twist, which makes a clutch install impossible. Also, they've even snapped before under spirited driving.
Kinda like why people upgrade from a 28-spline axle to the 31-spline. I want to keep my T-45 because I rwally like how its shifts at higher rpm compared to other transmissions. I have the Cobra spec 45 like yours. It has a better trans mounting point at the rear of the output shaft case, which is better than the GT mounting point. Of course the speedo gear is diff than the GT. I'm planning to boost the car in a little while, but the trans needs the bearing now, so im making upgrades now instead of waiting until something goes wrong afterwards.
Of course there's all kinds of people running factory t45's behind their behemoth power makers, but the factory 10-spline has been know to twist, which makes a clutch install impossible. Also, they've even snapped before under spirited driving.
Kinda like why people upgrade from a 28-spline axle to the 31-spline. I want to keep my T-45 because I rwally like how its shifts at higher rpm compared to other transmissions. I have the Cobra spec 45 like yours. It has a better trans mounting point at the rear of the output shaft case, which is better than the GT mounting point. Of course the speedo gear is diff than the GT. I'm planning to boost the car in a little while, but the trans needs the bearing now, so im making upgrades now instead of waiting until something goes wrong afterwards.
OP
OP
88stang88
Professional Lurker
Definitely worth considering...I am still very much in the planning mode while tearing this down because I truthfully don't know the extent of the damage. I do know the transmission technically worked fine under normal driving but had some weird noises and feel under spirited driving. Figured it is time for some freshening up while its out and probably some fortifying as well. I need to probably get myself a white board like White95 and start making a list.
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