Maximum cobra, coming soon

r3dn3ck

Active Member
Joined
Mar 3, 2007
Messages
480
Reaction score
299
Found someone selling some MM kit locally so I picked it up for the 01 snake. Forward offset A-arms with delrin bushings, a fat eibach front swaybar with endlinks, full length subframe connectors, a k-member brace, CC plates, aluminum rack bushings and and a steering shaft. I'll pick up the front and rear coil-over kits and bilsteins for all 4 corners next month. We'll see about the k-member. I don't really want to have the front wheels pushed that far forward again but I'm running 245's now so it probably won't rub so much if I do it. I'll probably have to wait to have it installed until I go to Africa in July just because it's a DD for now and I have some farm equipment to buy but never can tell. Aye. There's the rub, for in this sleep... what dreams may come.
 

cobrajeff96

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 1, 2022
Messages
1,607
Reaction score
1,479
Location
Germany
Nice score, it'll surely change the car for the better. But I think you'll have to trim the front of the wheel well and front bumper area because mine has the regular arms (neutral offset) but the K-frame geometry pushed the tires within a few hair's width from that boundary of the front bumper.
 

weendoggy

Active Member
Joined
May 31, 2019
Messages
619
Reaction score
702
If it's all MM stuff, don't worry. I did a complete setup with my '02 and have the forward offset/delrin/doodah/arms/coil-overs etc and don't have any bind or rub with tires. I run 275/40-17 (4) street on 9" and track are 255/40-17 without issues. You will have to trim the inner liner for coil-over clearance. Get a PB in the rear and really make it feel better!
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
R

r3dn3ck

Active Member
Joined
Mar 3, 2007
Messages
480
Reaction score
299
Did the math on the whole thing. What I picked up would have been ~$2001 ordered from anyone at retail even with taking advantage of grip box and package savings. I spent $1400. There's ~$1870 left to spend on coil over kits and new shocks/struts. The k-member and IRS bushings, we'll see about. My last pair of new edge body mustangs, both of which had an IRS for a while, were both full Maximum cars. The first one went landing gear up after a major braking system failure. The 2nd one eventually went from a coil-over converted IRS to a 98 cobra solid axle with a MM PHB/TA setup. The PHB/TA was better for standing starts and I was sick of breaking center sections and diff covers but the IRS simply can't be beaten in terms of cornering, at least once everything is properly set up.
 

cobrajeff96

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 1, 2022
Messages
1,607
Reaction score
1,479
Location
Germany
Did you only use OEM diff covers. The FRPP cover I ran for a while and I abused it like it should be. Never dragged it on slicks or anything but I put it to use for sure.
 

lwarrior1016

Mr. Secondary Timing Chain
Staff
Joined
Sep 22, 2014
Messages
8,481
Reaction score
4,227
Location
South Mississippi
Now I’m curious how much power you were making and what you were doing to blow a diff cover.

My coyote made 450rwhp/410ft lbs and I used to drop the clutch at 6k rpm on slicks. My irs is holding up fine. I do have the ford racing cover and a bunch of ftbr parts though.
 

badass98svt

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 11, 2006
Messages
4,114
Reaction score
1,798
Pretty sure you will need a MM K to work with the front arms. Or you need new arms to go with a different K
 
Last edited:

white95

Apex Junky
Admin
Joined
Dec 30, 2007
Messages
20,539
Reaction score
8,574
Location
Prairieville, LA
Pretty sure you will need a MM K to work with the from arms. Or you m ed new arms to go with a different K

The delrin bushings are the reason they won’t work. Had they been urethane, it wouldn’t be a concern. @r3dn3ck you need to consider that fact. The MM k-member alone will push the front wheels .75” forward and then the offset arms another .75” for a total of 1.5”


6D2D5799-3CDE-4E7E-A845-914E9DBE8D33.jpeg

This will give you an idea of what you’re up against.

2B975A9A-B257-4BB4-AF02-3E5527E47D45.jpeg

E9E18EFA-401D-47C4-917F-1AA2A834B3AF.jpeg
 
OP
OP
R

r3dn3ck

Active Member
Joined
Mar 3, 2007
Messages
480
Reaction score
299
That's weird. I'd used delrin bushed MM arms before on a stock k-member. Oh well. I guess the K-member is going to get done too. Thanks lads!

I have no idea why it was fragging diff covers. I was using stock covers at the time. I think it had to do with the bushing setup that the prior owner of the IRS put on it. The front diff bushings were all metal, either aluminum or steel, but not the rear mount and the rest of the bushing set was in not great shape. The flex in the rear would have been incompatible with the zero flex in the front causing binding and eventually breakage. I didn't know that at the time. My assumption that it was the bushing mismatches is based on the fact that it would blow the ears off of aluminum center sections which I wouldn't know about immediately followed soon by fragging the rear cover which I usually found out about right after parking and seeing the trail of gear oil. I was poor then and prone to getting work done by homies and what must have been the worst mustang tuner in existence at the time. This time around I'm not poor and I take it to a shop staffed by guys with 40 years of race car and fabrication experience and I'm a lot more experienced so I run the ideas I think are questionable past you guys. If you barf at it then I reassess and modify plans accordingly. The new shop I use does perfect work every time and they charge appropriately for it. Everyone else charges the same amount but few can seemingly be trusted to actually do the work up to a useful standard of quality. Hard lessons to learn in life #1: buy once, cry once is a law of nature.
 
OP
OP
R

r3dn3ck

Active Member
Joined
Mar 3, 2007
Messages
480
Reaction score
299
Thanks to y'all for your information. I was able to connect with another local Cobra driver who had ordered A-arms with poly bushings and he also got himself a k-member so after a bit of discussion we swapped bushings. This converts my induced need to buy a K-member into an option. I'll probably still get a K-member but I like having options.
 
OP
OP
R

r3dn3ck

Active Member
Joined
Mar 3, 2007
Messages
480
Reaction score
299
Bought new 03 Cobra spec Bilstein shocks about a week ago. Those just came in this morning and have now been sent off to MM for grooving. Since it's so close to being done I said the heck with it and pulled the trigger on the Bilstein struts and coil over kits with springs today along with a couple bits and bobs I need for the install. I should be able to drop the monster off at the shop by end of month and they'll likely have it back to me a day and a half later. Looking over the car a little closer, it looks like someone might have put a couple mods in it. I found a curious little dealie under the dash that looks like it was part of an alarm or an immobilizer, one little red led that never lights up is all the clue it gives to what it actually is. I'm also starting to think that someone may have lowered it but if they did it wasn't much.


Other continuing developments:
After I got it back from the shop during the radiator fiasco the slightly disheartening noises that seemed to emanate from the area have stopped and there's now a very distinctive burble to the exhaust note, particularly right after a cold start. With my hearing loss sitting around 80% such things are not always detectible for me. I'm wondering if they didn't set up the mid-pipe so it was in contact with the bell housing the first time around and they fixed it during the radiator replacement. They would have needed to put it on a lift to inspect the clutch as I'd asked and would have noticed the sound test driving it.

What about this clutch inspection? During some spirited driving a hood rat in a clapped out hood hellcat decided it was race the mustang time. I wound out to 6500rpm in 2nd gear and when I went to rip 3rd the tranny shifted just fine but the clutch pedal stayed on the floor when I lifted my foot and then a few days later I went to leave from a stoplight and the clutch seemed like it didn't engage all the way as the car didn't go anywhere but the revs went up and I could smell clutch burning. Since then though it's been 100% reliable even doing 6500 rpm shifts and it grabs really firmly. Don't know what it was but it seems fine now.
 

cobrajeff96

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 1, 2022
Messages
1,607
Reaction score
1,479
Location
Germany
It's the design of the OEM style pressure plate. They stay engaged for a longer period because of the centrifugal forces on it. A set of twins with those spring steel straps around their circumference eliminates throwout bearing float entirely.
 
OP
OP
R

r3dn3ck

Active Member
Joined
Mar 3, 2007
Messages
480
Reaction score
299
MM confirmed everything is ready to ship. 325's going in front, 600's in the rear.
 
OP
OP
R

r3dn3ck

Active Member
Joined
Mar 3, 2007
Messages
480
Reaction score
299
One tired OP. It was 100F and no shade. My hair was matted and tangled after writhing around on the ground for 10 hours. We did the CC plate install, 4-wheel coilover conversion, replaced the A-arms, replaced front sway bar, added a 4-point k-member brace, steering rack bushings, and subframe connectors. We left the steering shaft for another day. I was too whooped after day 1.

Ride height after install and 500 miles.
img_6728.jpg

Day one halfway through.
img_6726.jpg

Magnaflow exhaust doesn't seem to fit really awesomely. I'd not been aware of this until I started the suspension work. Will be speaking with Magnaflow about this. The cat-back isn't much of an issue but the mid-pipe is hitting the passenger side frame rail and hangs really low. You can see a subframe connector in the background.
img_6725.jpg
Rear IRS coil over with bilstein shock
img_6723.jpg
CC plates. After 350 miles I popped the hood to inspect and found the strut shaft wasn't snugged to the spacer. It'd settled about 1.5mm. Saw a guy in the parking lot of the gas station with an electric impact working on the front end of a car behind a trailer. Asked him if I could borrow a 22mm socket and his impact for a second. Zipped the strut shaft bolts down and back on the road.
img_6722.jpg

EBC Yellow pads on new rotors with the CO and sway bar.
img_6721.jpg

Those that have done CO conversions know what kind of a difference it makes. Steering is precise, oversteer is able to be induced and predicted and controlled instead of a total surprise. Wheel hop in the rear is much reduced and the rear is a lot easier to push loose in a corner. Brakes are absolute tooth chippers. Chassis rigidity is something I notice especially around driveways. One wheel or the other of the rear get unloaded and spin a bit particularly on dirt. I need to mess with the ride height a bit to make it the same on both sides, it's out about 5mm on the passenger side.

One Maximum Cobra, delivered as ordered.
 
OP
OP
R

r3dn3ck

Active Member
Joined
Mar 3, 2007
Messages
480
Reaction score
299
UPDATE: Took the beastie for a road trip, 500 miles each way running up and down I-5. I haven't had it out for more than the 3-4 mile morning/afternoon drive since August. Pace of traffic was 90-100mph for nearly the entire trip (seriously... WTF?). It seems like cops in Kommiefornia stopped issuing traffic citations. Guess that's both good and bad.

Anyway, rocking down the horrible roads in my Honda over TG weekend was distinctly unpleasant. Soft seats made my back scream and the soft suspension seems to have magnified the terribleness of the road surface. Rocking down the same freeway with a freshly injured back and a suspension setup that's totally at home on a race track made me nervous. No worries. It was the most pleasant ride I've had. For as rigid as the suspension is, it's not abrupt as it could be. I had just tooled a Tesla around a bit over the prior weekend and I noticed when driving the Cobra that the Tesla's suspension was considerably more harsh over potholes/bumps. See what happens when you put 1700lbs of batteries in the body? You have to have suspension fit for a semi.

So, while I'm down in SoCal I decide to go ahead and finish up the work and replace the steering shaft which I still had in my trunk. Well, it's still in my trunk because I found a MM steering shaft in place already. Sigh. I don't know what would cause someone to need to do that, and the car was 99% bone stock when I got it so I didn't expect a steering ninja'd in shaft replacement, but they definitely did it. So now I have this steering shaft... see below for what sort of war crime I'm going to commit with that wonderful bit of spare parts-y-ness.

The driver rear O2 is still tossing low voltage unless I goose the throttle so I figured that there's no better time to return to a stock tune than while on a road trip and see if maybe there's something in that that's doing it. Nope. The stock tune helped exactly zero percent and the car is so much less entertaining. People be capping on SCT's CARB compliant tunes but as far as I can see, it's better than the tunes I got back in 2001-2010. I'll be returning the SCT tune to it soon enough. I'm still trying to get the OBD2 drive cycle to complete and I have to use more throttle with the stock tune and more throttle helps the O2 sensor not show low voltage. Probably 2 weeks before I can attend to that.

I did find (finally) find a transmission harness with all the connectors intact and from a known TR3650 car that wasn't idiotically priced and bought it. ETA 1 week. We'll see if that helps or if I'm going to have to dig deeper and pull out the ECU harness.

And last update, fark Magnaflow. Fark them in their unhelpful, dishonest poop chutes. If you're not up to speed on that, they sent me a $5000 exhaust setup that was out of spec so far I had to have it cut completely to pieces and re-welded. When I reported that, they blamed the suspension and then insisted that I send them over a dozen logged ECU data points or they wouldn't issue an RMA. For a part being physically out of spec.

Now to pay forward some of what Father has given me (this will not get its own thread so people have to engage a bit more... a sop to my fellow old timers): If you have a Mustang which still has the factory steering shaft (pic reqd) and you have 100 bucks you can spare and you have already modified your suspension with at least lowering springs and you post a picture of your nasty, disgusting bare feet next to your nasty, disgusting socks and the shoes you wear at work as a reply to this post then you've entered for a chance to receive, as my gift, my still unused Maximum Motorsports steering shaft (99-04 definitely work, check MM's site for full compatibility).

The Deal:
Shipping is included in the steering shaft deal. You pay for it with the picture of your gross feet next to your gross socks and your (possibly gross) shoes. NOTE: I'm not into feet if that's what you're thinking. I like messing with people and this seems like a harmless way to do so while actually doing some good. This isn't a sale. This is a giveaway. You're going to take that 100 dollars and go find someone that you don't know out in the publicly accessible spaces of your nearest town who looks like they could really use a hand up and a kind heart and you're going to give them three things:

1. You're going to give them that hand up. You're going to buy them what they need the most urgently. If it's 20 bucks or 100 bucks. If you have money left over from the $100 then repeat this step until you've used the full $100. You can buy them whatever they need but not necessarily whatever they ask for. You decide about what "need" means. I'm not playing dictionary today. You're a grownup anyway so I trust you to make a grownup judgement call.
2. You're going to take a little time out of your day and (at their option) pray with them or just be there to hang out and chat about the weather and how funny Ren & Stimpy is. You will make sure that they will know by your actions that they matter (especially important... they will not see you look at a clock or phone at any point unless calling for emergency services).
3. You're going to tell them that the Father provided their gift and then arranged for his servants to deliver it. You will specify prior to making any spend that the source was not you and it was not I, so they mustn't thank either of us. If they wish to thank someone, they may thank Elohim.

What about multiple entrants?
Assuming multiple people who all qualify for the giveaway enter then I will select, based solely on my personal judgement, the one who's feet tell me that they work hard and don't know how else to be. Men that work really hard & don't know how else to be know what the feet of such men look like. Men that don't work or do know how else to be won't know what it looks like. Think of it as my version of a secret handshake. I think that brings a great balance to the whole thing while preserving a little mystery and allowing me to eschew my normal bureaucratic, officious and callous nature for one of capricious though humorous whimsy.

In the event of a tie, whatever I decide. None of you are homies of mine so there's no worries about "fairness". I don't believe in fairness anyway. Life isn't fair.
 
Last edited:

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
77,435
Messages
1,502,106
Members
14,917
Latest member
virocanah

Members online

Top