What do you look for when purchasing a 96-98 Cobra?

[Sn8kebitten]

Reading this, I guess we got a good one. We bought our 96 from a guy who really took care of it. It was a garage queen, only used Royal Purple fluids and Shell 93 fuel. Never beat. It has some sort of Ford factory upgrade sticker on the radiator shroud. We bought it in 2011 with 37,900 on the clock. We put almost 10K on it since then with no (knock on wood) issues.

What is the overheating issue with the 96. What's the cause and fix? I've driven her in several parades on hot days without an overheating issue, even with the AC on.

Read my post. Also, I think if a 96 model has had the fix in the past, it won't have the honeycomb grill behind the mustang emblem like they came with from the factory

 

[Spiney]

Read my post. Also, I think if a 96 model has had the fix in the past, it won't have the honeycomb grill behind the mustang emblem like they came with from the factory

I'll look for the honeycomb grill. Mine must have been fixed because we had some days this summer where it was 106 and it was ok. Plus it definitely would have overheated in the parades or at the dragstrip. One night it was in the 90's and humid. I shut her down between rounds but seemed ok while other guys Mustangs were overheating.

Are you saying the whole grill was changed? Or some other piece I should be looking for? Tnx, Spiney

 

[Apicia]

1996 Cobra A/C condensors have many more blades per inch than 97-98 condensers. So air doesn't flow through as well and they overheat if you sit in traffic long enough. Ford had a TSB for the problem but never a recall. A simple aftermarket radiator will solve the problem. My 96 got crazy hot in August heat if I sat at lights long enough. It got so bad to where I was scared to drive it in the summer. The needle would always be on the "L" of normal and the car would get super sluggish. So I bought a Mishimoto 3 core radiator that me and a friend installed. That was almost 4 years ago and I've never had a single overheating problem again.

Therefore, the 96's aren't bad if you
1. Live in a cooler climate
2. Have had the TSB done in the past or swap to a 97-98 Condensor
3. Drop a better radiator in it and call it a day lol

Edit: also remembered another problem these have but probably isn't limited to just sn95 Cobras, the oil filter housing has a gasket that can go bad or the piece that the filter threads onto can come loose and cause a huge mess all over the back of the block. Now that I think about it, nearly 90% of the common problems these cars have had, mine has had them at one time or another lol. Still trucking with 140,000 miles though

Thanks. So basically, the 96 started overheating because of the AC condenser being a brick. Lack of airflow to non-efficient radiator? Solution is the buy a nice radiator? Additionally, you can remove the honeycomb grill and radiator shroud piece?

 

[bumsoil]

Ticking. Like everyone else said. I have dumped tons into my car. Word ball joints, shot bushings etc. all because the car was lowered. Check for tranny grinding when cold and hot.

 

[98 Saleen Cobra]

Mainley the fuel systems on the 98's.. But like someone pointed out if you're doing a full return it won't really matter.. There are small things like 98's didn't have clocks on the dash and stuff. With some of the SC kits you have to move more shit out of the way infront of the engines because I guess they relocated a few things on the 98's for smog and such.

There are a few pluses to the 98's though.
The stock wheels are awesome!! and much nicer than the 96/97's imo
NO clock on the dash for a clean look

 

[Bad03gt]

I have a 97 with 200k runs like a top

 

[SID297]

What do you guys think about installing an IRS in an SN95?

 

[Blown_By_You]

What do you guys think about installing an IRS in an SN95?

My next suspension mod without a doubt :beer:

 

[98 Saleen Cobra]

You will get mixed reviews on the IRS vs SRA..

Some like the IRS, I love my SRA with a tq arm and panhard/watts link.. I've had both and I love the watts.. But it's pricey..

To get the IRS where you want it to be you'll spend thousands... PLUS the cost of the IRS... Vise just the cost of upgrades to a SRA.. My advise is build what the car has..

 

[Blown_By_You]

You will get mixed reviews on the IRS vs SRA..

Some like the IRS, I love my SRA with a tq arm and panhard/watts link.. I've had both and I love the watts.. But it's pricey..

To get the IRS where you want it to be you'll spend thousands... PLUS the cost of the IRS... Vise just the cost of upgrades to a SRA.. My advise is build what the car has..

Looking about $2k total.. Not bad.. Not alot more than a solid axle ta/ph with coilovers and control arms..

 

[98 Saleen Cobra]

Yea you don't need rear coilovers.. It's not really needed unless you're doing serious open tracking.. Either way it's up to the owner and their preference

 

[97PacificGreen]

I think I've come across a few issues. I have a 97. If I had to do it all over again I'd listen to these guys and pay extra attention to tick. Maybe even to go as for to take a mechanics sthelescope for tick. A lot I've seen have some electrical bugs so trying all things electrical and see if the volt gauge drops off. Make sure they did great up keep for the oil. Speaking to mps they say they have a lot of guys that buy sn95s and spin rod bearings frequently. And if it doesn't come with short shift that'll be a must as a first mod!

 

[xblitzkriegx]

heh, and here i am, mad at my car cause the IMRCs randomly open and close at times, worn steering wheel and seat, and lumbar dislodged [still works, just need to reposition] and 43k miles.

i did replace the very top recently but i deem that OK considering its 16 years old and tops dont really understand what a mile is. they sure understand sun/rain/sleet/ect though. i cant fault the top for failing. rest of the car is 100% stock down to the date coded plug wires.

 

[smashedheadcat]

What do you guys think about installing an IRS in an SN95?

I did this mod. I put the IRS from my 03 cobra into my 97, and put the 97 cobras built solid in my 03. The result, the 03 cobra's wheel hopping issue was cured, and the 97 cobra started wheel hopping.

It did look pretty cool though. The only hiccup I ran into was the 97 did not have those small mounting brackets that hold the exhaust tips in place.

 

[brucesvt]

What do you guys think about installing an IRS in an SN95?

Best suspension mod Hands down you can do to these cars. Just be sure to get it with bushings and put a IRS brace. If its a 99/01 get a 03/04 torque brace.

Good luck in your search

 

[SID297]

Thanks for all the advice guys. I'm liking the idea of a high compression stroker engine with ported heads as well. Anyone have any experience with those?

 

[98 Saleen Cobra]

With the engine I would really talk to Todd (NASVT).. But basically you can run high compression but you'd want to switch to a C-head.. 99-04 Cobra/Mach 1 and the manifold, and get some decent cams.. I think Todd said you get around 350rwhp on the stock shortblock..

Another thing to look at is the weight of the IRS. What is the car going to be used for?

 

[SID297]

With the engine I would really talk to Todd (NASVT).. But basically you can run high compression but you'd want to switch to a C-head.. 99-04 Cobra/Mach 1 and the manifold, and get some decent cams.. I think Todd said you get around 350rwhp on the stock shortblock..

Another thing to look at is the weight of the IRS. What is the car going to be used for?

I don't really want to spill the beans on the project yet (for editorial purposes), but it will be something cool and unique.

I was thinking that going to a 5.0 would help the B-heads shine up high and the extra stroke would help the bottom end power. Am I mistaken about that?

I heard NASVT is the man to talk about porting the stock intake.

 

[98 Saleen Cobra]

The B-heads shine up high regardless with a Ported short runner, it's actually the low/midrange tq that suffers a good bit with the B-heads. The stroke will help a little but not as much as you're thinking I don't think.

NASVT is the man with these cars regardless.. Here is what I would do

11.1 compression either 281 or 302 stroker your choice
03/04 Cobra heads (ported or not)
NASVT ported 01/mach1 intake
NASVT spec'd custom cams..

The car will fly with that combo and I don't think that 400rwhp would be to hard to reach with that.

 

[SVTPete83]

I don't really want to spill the beans on the project yet (for editorial purposes), but it will be something cool and unique.

I was thinking that going to a 5.0 would help the B-heads shine up high and the extra stroke would help the bottom end power. Am I mistaken about that?

I heard NASVT is the man to talk about porting the stock intake.

I happen to have a stroker, ported b Intake, and b heads. Switching to the stroker crank yielded me pretty big gains from 3500 on up compared to my stock motor. Imo, my power band hits really perfect for a street car.