Blew my 750i tranny and stole a Cobra

Shocker6

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Enough said and thanks for the opportunity to vent, learn and make new friends.

So, short story, a work buddy of mine was hard on cash and I needed a new “work car”..1998 Black Cobra Convertible…this thing is FAST.

It’s been garaged the last 5 years. Rebuilt motor and tranny. New cams(illegal here in the Communist state of California)…all installed 5 years ago. A chip that I researched and apparently is garbage……he can’t find the paperwork so I can see exactly what/who installed everything to research/plan this build.

Anyways, here’s a few pics and thanks in advance for an avalanche of questions I have. For now, lowering her is number 1. It keeps me up at night how terrible this stance is. Lowering springs? Coil Over? Full on suspension kit? Griggs….mini tub while I’m at it….
 
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Shocker6

Shocker6

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Maximum95

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Nice ride, and welcome!

When it comes to suspension, there are so many options. Here is the link to a thread with pictures of all types of lowering springs.


There are also many options for coilover suspension, and even as @ttocs mentioned, bags!

I suppose the first question would be... what do you intend to use the car for?

Looking forward to seeing progress!
 
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Shocker6

Shocker6

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Nice ride, and welcome!

When it comes to suspension, there are so many options. Here is the link to a thread with pictures of all types of lowering springs.


There are also many options for coilover suspension, and even as @ttocs mentioned, bags!

I suppose the first question would be... what do you intend to use the car for?

Looking forward to seeing progress!
Thanks for having me! I appreciate the warm welcomes

So, basically, I figured on using her as a daily driving work car….lots of power….stick shift so I can maneuver as I please (asshole) through traffic. Throw some lipstick and candy on her and call it a day….then I started to push her through the twisties and wanted more…don’t trust the rear, feels too light to really throw the hammer down coming out of turns at the sweet spot….then, just burning rice at stop lights always makes me smile so more HP….and lastly, romantic nights driving down the coast with my girl with the top down at sunset listening to the Top Gun soundtrack….

And thanks for the suspension link. I really appreciate you spending the time to send that!

However. I need to get back to that…
 
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Shocker6

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did ya do something cool to blow the trans?
Yes, I actually took that car to its limits in the twisties. I never witnessed that car being used/abused with all that HP and tech on the streets. I don’t get why you would spend so much money for all those horses and keep ‘em in the stable. But ya, no story to tell. Except it happened right after my warranty ended
 
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Shocker6

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DO IT.....
View attachment 20627
It hurts a little to write that check but it is all smiles after that point/
That is sick as fuck! Link to more pics and the build?

But, like I said, I have to go back to it…..

Maybe I should start another thread about what happened last night and today but I think being a new member I’ll let the admins decide or post me a similar link I can research? Probably a thousand similar threads..

Anyways, coming home from work last night, I couldn’t engage 2nd gear…felt blocked(blipped it to 3rd)…this morning and afternoon 2nd all good but getting into 4th was super crunchy and kept getting that “you fucked up” stunned feeling on the hand…still got into 4th tho….

Finally found a shop that would look at it and had them look into the differential…..so to keep my post longer, I need to replace or rebuild the tranny(I was lied to or it just sat too long?) driver side motor mount is broke…differential needs to be replaced. They found a ton of bits of metal in there…so that’s why I have to get back to the other projects. I have pics I took while she was up in the air…..then! To make things even worse, the owner went on to lecture me about how noons wants these cars, no one wants manual trannys, etc etc….felt like I was being laughed at….I’m not that guy…now I’m REALLY motivated to get this done. Suggestions on a brand new tranny?

Thanks for reading me vent

Rich
 

ttocs

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I would start by checking the clutch cable and see if it needs adjustment.

It is not uncommon at all for a shop to start telling you a laundry list of problems and thatn no one wants them because of bla bla bla but he will offer you $500 if you don't want to deal with it. They know that they can spend a couple of hours and flip it for a few thousand more.
 
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Shocker6

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I would start by checking the clutch cable and see if it needs adjustment.

It is not uncommon at all for a shop to start telling you a laundry list of problems and thatn no one wants them because of bla bla bla but he will offer you $500 if you don't want to deal with it. They know that they can spend a couple of hours and flip it for a few thousand more.
Yup, I felt that as well. He knew…looking to get a second opinion when my work schedule allows it. In the meantime I’m covering my ass and shopping for a new tranny and everything that I can do while in the shop. Previous owner spray painted the calipers Here’s some pics I took while she was up 1DEEC852-8194-4008-8BDC-944E6B40D89D.jpeg
 

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Maximum95

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I think some lowering springs, nice dampers and aftermarket sway bars would be a good start for your project. Also you can't be without subframe connectors. The car will feel much more controlled in the twisties. Sway bars and subframe connectors were two of the best upgrades I ever did to my car. Knowing what I know now, those would have been the first mods on my list!

I took a quick look at your pics, you'll want to get the pinion seal replaced on the rear end.
 
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Shocker6

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I think some lowering springs, nice dampers and aftermarket sway bars would be a good start for your project. Also you can't be without subframe connectors. The car will feel much more controlled in the twisties. Sway bars and subframe connectors were two of the best upgrades I ever did to my car. Knowing what I know now, those would have been the first mods on my list!

I took a quick look at your pics, you'll want to get the pinion seal replaced on the rear end.
I’ll look into that in depth. Right up my alley and thanks for the tip!
I’ve been working long hours lately so it’s tough to research everything.
Right now it’s this viper tranny conversion kit I’m looking into being it’s such a priority. Doing searches on the forum to figure out which fuckin tranny is “the one”….DD? Tremec? Magnum? Etc, etc….
 
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Shocker6

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bag it :) trust me it is great.
Ok, time to revisit this buddy lol. Your build is the closest I’ve seen towards my top 2. What bags you rollin? What about teacups or hiccups whatever that does the same thing over the coil overs? Cheaper….
 

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