In need of some guidance

[WhiteDevil69]

I am selling my car and have been planning on buying a supercharged cobra between 96-01. Recently I realized if I just buy a cheaper chasis, I could just have someone build me an INSANE motor that would be completely streetable.. Now I just need advice on where to start with this. I am selling my 03 gt and should get between 18-20 for it. With this money i need to buy a 94-01 chasis with low miles and use the left over $8-12k or so to build a motor. Where would you guys recommend i look for a motor first off. and second which engine would be the best building block in the long run. I can get any motor/body style, dont care if its gt or cobra. So either buy a 5.0 and build it from ground up and use a 94-95 gt/cobra body or get a 4.6 from a gt/cobra and build it using a 96-98 body. Which would be cheaper to get to about 5-600 rwhp with forged internals? Thanks and throw out any suggestions/opinions http://www.modularmustangs.net/images/smilies/bigok.gif

[cobrapace94]

In my opinion the 5.0 can make more power than than a mod motor.
A stock block will not hold up to over 500 hp for very long before it splits. A stronger sportsman block can be had from Ford or other supplies (check MM&FF or 5.0 magazines for ads on motors from DSS, CHP & others). Get the sportsman block & stroke it to 331 or 347. Get some good heads, AFR seem to be the best out of the box and are very good. If you want lots of power, go TURBO baby... Some very streetable cars with turbos pushing over 600 hp. Turbos are not cheap, but make great power, more than superchargers. Check here: http://www.proturbokits.com/ or http://www.turbochargedpower.com/ (check out the customer cars on there). Here is a good site for turbo charging Mustangs with a lot of good information: www.turbomustangs.com. (seems to be down now)
That would be a awsome motor & is my dream motor.
Remember that this is just the beginning, you will need to upgrade the tranny, rear end, suspension & roll cage which will require more funding = more money...
Might even think about a V-6 chassic to start with since you will be replacing most everything anyways.

[Aaron94]

500-600 rwhp with forged internals sounds like about 8-10k to me from a 5.0L (motor + supercharger). I paid around 5k for my forged motor rebuild, including labor in and out of the car, so i am sure you can find a better deal. AFR heads are good advice, I have heard from a couple tuners now that they are the way to go. Another way to go may be a stroked 351/302. A guy i know put together a dart small block, stroked and bored to a 427! He is putting over 450 to the ground NA running AFR heads and a crazy cam.

You are posting this in the 5.0 forum, so you are going to get guys like me and cobrapace94 in here that favor the ol pushrod motors more than the 4.6's, but I am sure the mod motor owners will have something different to say. You could probably pick up a high mileage 94-98 cobra for around 8-10k, rebuild the motor and S/C it for over 500 rwhp.

If you are talking about building from the ground up, V6 body isnt such a bad idea, but I think you need to put in a 5.0 wiring harness, which could be a pain in the ass. You could probably land a old V6 for dirt, and then do the motor/trans/brakes. You can also find a 5.0 GT 94/95 for around 5 or 6 grand if you do your hunting. My shmuck cousin just traded in his 94 GT vert for like 3500. I have seen a couple people on here selling 6 speeds and driveshafts for like 3 grand, a steal in my opinion.

My advice, find out exactly what you want, plan it out, and build from the ground up. This will prevent money double spent, especially on labor if you arent doing the work yourself. Also, dont buy a car already done up. You will find yourself correcting the previous owners mistakes, or customizing it in your own way, spending more money. I would start with a cobra for a couple reasons;

1: Holds value better, limited production, exclusivity.
2: You start with better brakes. While the cobra brakes aren't the best at stopping 500/600 HP, they will do MUCH better than GT brakes. Don't forget about brakes in a high HP car.
3: It says COBRA on the steering wheel... :thumbsup:

Just my .02, hope it helps?

[GUMBALL]

In the process of building a MONSTER, consider the chassis that you're putting it in. Unfortunately, the Mustang was never designed as a sportscar, therefore, in stock form it does not have the chassis stiffness that the Corvette-Viper-Porsche does. Suggest subframe braces, strut tower braces, IRS torque brace, urethane bushings,etc, etc, which will allow you to PUT THAT POWER DOWN ! ! :thumbsup:

[venomous]

In the process of building a MONSTER, keep consider the chassis that you're putting it in. Unfortunately, the Mustang was never designed as a sportscar, therefore it does not have the chassis stiffness that the Corvette-Viper-Porsche does. Suggest subframe braces, strut tower braces, etc, etc, which will allow you to PUT THAT POWER DOWN ! ! :thumbsup:
Well it seems as though the mustang IS a sportscar now! :D

[Mystic Cobra]

I can't give you any useful advice about building a Mustang so I won't. My Mystichrome is the first Ford I've owned so technically I'm an Blue Oval moron.

But I've built (and been involved with building) several muscle and performance cars so I can give you some general advice.

1. Find someone very knowledgeable about what you intend to build and bounce ideas off of them. This site probably has a bunch of people that can steer you in the right direction. You are already getting good advice.

2. Figure out a budget and then increase it by at least 25%. My experience is more like a 50% over budget but I tend to over build things. There will be TONS of stuff that you can't plan for that will come up.

3. When you build a monster motor it affects EVERYTHING. You will probably need to upgrade: Cooling system, clutch, transmission, axles, brakes, exhaust system, etc, etc.

Don't take these as discouraging words. I say if you want it then build it! Decide what you want to do with the car and the formulate a plan to accomplish that. Go to car shows and if you find a car that is similar to your plan then talk to the owner and take photos of anything that you like about the car. Most owners love to talk about thier car and the photos can be a good reference.

Anyway just my two cents worth. Feel free to ignore my advice since I probably don't know what I'm talking about. I just had two cups of coffee so I'm feeling smarter than I really am. :D

[GUMBALL]

Well it seems as though the mustang IS a sportscar now! :D
Not without some help !

[venomous]

Not without some help !
Tell that to the 03/04 cobra owners. They sure as heck ain't no family car. :D ;) :burnout: :flash:

[GUMBALL]

If you get the chance, drive an '03 or '04 in its stock configuration, then drive the same car AFTER the bracing upgrades that I described.......even at 25 mph, there is a vast difference.....;)

[cobrabitn]

Here is what Mr Webster has to say about it -- a low small usually 2-passenger automobile designed for quick response, easy maneuverability, and high-speed driving.

Now, if we want to be technical about it, a Cobra R is a two seater. So by definition, a Cobra R is a sports car and a Cobra is not. Of course, that is just a matter of semantics.

All that matters is who can out perform the other on the track, right? :thumbsup: