I'm going to be the odd man out on this.
with a 4k budget on a 180k car, you're really playing with fire putting any boost on it. Finding a good long block is getting harder for these cars, and when you do, you're paying for them. (if you have to have the 8 bolt crank.)
my 97 cobra came to me as a basic bolt on car with gears and suspension. Since then, it has gotten 05 aviator heads with my cobra cams, 4.30 gears, mach lower intake, (should be the same as your 01,) and a t56. DO NOT put an 03 cobra in an N/A 4v. I cannot wait until I find a good mach 1, or 03/04 GT tr3650 to shove back in it. Other than the poor gearing of the t56, I've loved it. Racing my buddies 6.1 SRT8 charger has been a back and forth between us depending on the air that day.
I've been seriously looking at bumping compression to 10:1 or 11:1, adding cams. headers, and fuel to make it work. a high 300 wheel N/A 4.6 with the appropriate gearing wont be the fastest car on the road, but defiantly faster than you may realize.
If you're drag racing it, get rid of that IRS. I enjoy IRS cars, but they get expensive to make work on a drag strip. That can add nearly 1k to your budget if you do the deal right.
with a 4k budget on a 180k car, you're really playing with fire putting any boost on it. Finding a good long block is getting harder for these cars, and when you do, you're paying for them. (if you have to have the 8 bolt crank.)
my 97 cobra came to me as a basic bolt on car with gears and suspension. Since then, it has gotten 05 aviator heads with my cobra cams, 4.30 gears, mach lower intake, (should be the same as your 01,) and a t56. DO NOT put an 03 cobra in an N/A 4v. I cannot wait until I find a good mach 1, or 03/04 GT tr3650 to shove back in it. Other than the poor gearing of the t56, I've loved it. Racing my buddies 6.1 SRT8 charger has been a back and forth between us depending on the air that day.
I've been seriously looking at bumping compression to 10:1 or 11:1, adding cams. headers, and fuel to make it work. a high 300 wheel N/A 4.6 with the appropriate gearing wont be the fastest car on the road, but defiantly faster than you may realize.
If you're drag racing it, get rid of that IRS. I enjoy IRS cars, but they get expensive to make work on a drag strip. That can add nearly 1k to your budget if you do the deal right.