Well i am getting a job this week and every penny i earn will go to mods for my car. I am trying to decide on what i want to do with my 96 Cobra. I am looking to runs 12s on all motor. Just wondering what ur thoughts were on the following combo. And how much do you think it will run me. P&P my heads, N/a Cams, a chip/tune, BBK LT's, Dr. Gas 3'' X pipe, Dynomax Bullet mufflers, and gears(3.73's or 4.10's). Currently my only mods are a Tri-AX and a King Cobra Clutch
Engine Plans for my 96
- Thread starter myblk32v
- Start date
You gotta drive hard to run 12's. High rpm launches and good traction will propel you to 12 second status. Your mod list will get you there, traction is the key! There are blower guys still stuck in the 13's cause all they do is blow the tires away.
"There are blower guys still stuck in the 13's cause all they do is blow the tires away."
SNK BITN is right. Make sure you get good tires. You can have all the HP you want, but without good tires, it's useless.
SNK BITN is right. Make sure you get good tires. You can have all the HP you want, but without good tires, it's useless.
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sounds like it'll be a stout ride. I definitly think 12's are in your future with a set of ET STreets:thumbsup:
Ive got a pair of 275 Nitto DR's sitting in my garage.
And the highest gear i wanna run is 410, cause i drive about 50-75 miles a day and alot of that is highway driving.
And the highest gear i wanna run is 410, cause i drive about 50-75 miles a day and alot of that is highway driving.I have the 96 Cobra and just got it back from porting and polishing the heads... my oh my ... what a WONDERFUL DAY! I can say this... it used to pull like a truck in first and second gear... felt like the rear tires were gonna end up in the back seat. Now it pulls like a frieght train... I could swear that redline should be optional now, it will run right into the cut off if you let it. (I haven't done that yet but that's what they tell me.) Before the heads were done, mild shifting (read no speed shifting but quick shifts) would get tire chirps into 2nd. Now same shift gets the read end a little sideways. I haven't put on a new exhaust yet, it has to be a part of the Griggs Suspension setup for the headers and KFrame to mesh properly so that's next so you will see even more gain if you already have a better exhaust. I would recommend one thing, make sure you change out the timing chain tensioners on your car while you have the motor out, it's about 300 bucks for the updated ones. They had some problems with the tensioners loosing tension and allowing the chains to hop teath. That's bad... I know cause one tooth hop cost me $4200 in head repairs... but they are ported and polished now... my oh my what a wonderful day! :burnout: /darin
:burnout: /darinOriginally posted by 96CynRnr
I have the 96 Cobra and just got it back from porting and polishing the heads... my oh my ... what a WONDERFUL DAY! I can say this... it used to pull like a truck in first and second gear... felt like the rear tires were gonna end up in the back seat. Now it pulls like a frieght train... I could swear that redline should be optional now, it will run right into the cut off if you let it. (I haven't done that yet but that's what they tell me.) Before the heads were done, mild shifting (read no speed shifting but quick shifts) would get tire chirps into 2nd. Now same shift gets the read end a little sideways. I haven't put on a new exhaust yet, it has to be a part of the Griggs Suspension setup for the headers and KFrame to mesh properly so that's next so you will see even more gain if you already have a better exhaust. I would recommend one thing, make sure you change out the timing chain tensioners on your car while you have the motor out, it's about 300 bucks for the updated ones. They had some problems with the tensioners loosing tension and allowing the chains to hop teath. That's bad... I know cause one tooth hop cost me $4200 in head repairs... but they are ported and polished now... my oh my what a wonderful day!
Oh man i cant wait to get my heads P&P'd. And thanks for the info man, most of the people on here and on stangnet were giving me bad respnses how i shouldnt expect n e thing great. Little do they know.
My,
The only other word of advice I can give you is to make sure you get the heads machined by a reputable company. There are several companies in So Cal that only do heads, it's this type of shop you want to redo the heads... specialization is key... and don't forget the chain tensioners... it would suck to do the heads skimp on the $300 for the chain tensioners and throw a chain on your brand new valves... /darin
The only other word of advice I can give you is to make sure you get the heads machined by a reputable company. There are several companies in So Cal that only do heads, it's this type of shop you want to redo the heads... specialization is key... and don't forget the chain tensioners... it would suck to do the heads skimp on the $300 for the chain tensioners and throw a chain on your brand new valves... /darin
What kind of job did you get? If you are going to get your heads P&P I hope its a good one. Fox Lake give me a qoute to have my heads P&P for around $2500 with a new valve train. Do the little bolt on mods first. I'd put those DRs on and get a set of 4.30's and go to Speedworld (not Firebird) and I bet you'd run atleast a mid 13.
You know before I answer that with an absolute... let me ask to make sure I understand what they are explaining to me. I'll respond when I know for sure... 2 angle sounds right but I am not sure...
/darin
/darin
Ok so let me get this strait, all you guys are saying that i should not do it. And just do the bolt ons. Heres my problem, i don't wanna have to use slicks to run 12's and also i dont wanna do pullies cause my car gets hot already and well idk. I would really like to do the Heads but not many of you seem to think its a good idea. And BTW the gear im going with is 410, thats final. No 430s for me.
You tell em My Blk... I think people are afraid or hesitant to do major motor work on these cars. Just porting and polishing the heads cost me over $3700, about $1500 to port and polish the heads and $2200 to pull the motor and stuff it back it. It's not a weekend project to do the heads on these cars. Most shops will remove the motor, it's the only way I would recomend. So it's not a cheap event by any means... also consider that you could run a blower on your motor for about $2500 installed if you shopped around and ran a low boost number. It's all a matter of choice, I do a great deal of road racing (un sanctioned caynon blasts) and felt that a blower would stress the motor more than I wished. I also at some point may pull the motor again and stroke it, my belief is that if 261 cubic inches is good, than 292 would better! You may want to put the bolts on on first and then see where you are.
I also am not sure I agree with USMCracing, I do not know if you need to redo the valve train. The shop that did my valves said that Cobra heads, especially the 96 heads (first gen's are the best) are about the best factory head on the market. I had the option to replace the valves, springs, keepers etc and was told basically that I would be spending money on something that I wouldn't need. I was told that well over 400 hp could be delievered from the stock parts once the airflow was cleaned up.
I will say this, I have an 02 Lighting, it's blown and now it's OVER BLOWN, the pulleys, the computer, new fuel curve etc. It's very nice... whines alot but that's common with the trucks. I like the blown motor concept it's alot of fun but EVERYONE has a blown Cobra... it's not a bad choice by any means... most of the time it's REALLY REALLY hard to beat them for horsepower. Now all you blown Cobra fans I am NOT knocking the blowers... I think their great. However this time I want to do something different, I think with a the right exhaust and intake setup on my car with the heads ported and polished, I can get 370 HP 350 LBS of torque out of it, and it's natuarally aspirated and that's at a minimum. I could probably get over 400 if I got serious about spark and fuel curves, but I wonder if my reliability might suffer. My seals will last longer, my rings wont crack or blow, the crank shaft should be safe well over 150k.
I guess it comes down to an old adage... to make it go fast you have two choices... cubic inches or cubic dollars. I've done the cubic inched route... now I want to try the cubic dollars route.
/darin
PS. I agree with the pulley's comment, I like my AC to run cold even at idle.
PPS Avoid the aftermarket cams... a friend with a 97 Cobra is in a lawsuit with the "a" cam manufacturer and the installer when his motor self destructed on the initial fire up after the new cams were installed. It ran 0 miles and about 2 seconds on the new cams.
I also am not sure I agree with USMCracing, I do not know if you need to redo the valve train. The shop that did my valves said that Cobra heads, especially the 96 heads (first gen's are the best) are about the best factory head on the market. I had the option to replace the valves, springs, keepers etc and was told basically that I would be spending money on something that I wouldn't need. I was told that well over 400 hp could be delievered from the stock parts once the airflow was cleaned up.
I will say this, I have an 02 Lighting, it's blown and now it's OVER BLOWN, the pulleys, the computer, new fuel curve etc. It's very nice... whines alot but that's common with the trucks. I like the blown motor concept it's alot of fun but EVERYONE has a blown Cobra... it's not a bad choice by any means... most of the time it's REALLY REALLY hard to beat them for horsepower. Now all you blown Cobra fans I am NOT knocking the blowers... I think their great. However this time I want to do something different, I think with a the right exhaust and intake setup on my car with the heads ported and polished, I can get 370 HP 350 LBS of torque out of it, and it's natuarally aspirated and that's at a minimum. I could probably get over 400 if I got serious about spark and fuel curves, but I wonder if my reliability might suffer. My seals will last longer, my rings wont crack or blow, the crank shaft should be safe well over 150k.
I guess it comes down to an old adage... to make it go fast you have two choices... cubic inches or cubic dollars. I've done the cubic inched route... now I want to try the cubic dollars route.
/darin
PS. I agree with the pulley's comment, I like my AC to run cold even at idle.
PPS Avoid the aftermarket cams... a friend with a 97 Cobra is in a lawsuit with the "a" cam manufacturer and the installer when his motor self destructed on the initial fire up after the new cams were installed. It ran 0 miles and about 2 seconds on the new cams.
THis is exactly why i wanted to do the P&P route, i want something different. There are lots of blown cobras out there but not many N/A ones out there. I have already decided against the cams, many people said they wiill really do nothing. I just hope that with the P&p heads, full exhaust and 4.10s that i can run 12s, along with my Dr's and Shifter. I posted this to see what you guys thought about the idea and now i know that this is something taht not many people do. But when i do it in the next 3 months im sure that i will be happy with it. And i hope i can find it for a little cheaper than $3700, i was thinking more along the lines of 2500-3k. I will have about 4500 to spend but thats along with the Full exhaust and Chip/Dyno tune. Also, 96CynRnr, did u get a chip burnt when u did this or not, i need to know if im gonna be wasting money by having one burnt.
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I am undecided on the chip issue yet, the horror stories of motors that won't start on the third Wednesday of the month (ok that's reaching but it's illustrates the point of total oddities) to the people that claim a burned chip or reprogrammed computer got them 50+ horsepower... I am not sure of the proof yet. I would like to drive a car that has a chip in it to see if it's something that I would notice. I've owned my Cobra for 5 years now, I know what days when I back it out of the garage that I should just put it right back... cause I know it's cranky that day. So alot of my judgements about bolt on parts are based on that seat of the pants "feeling". Dyno testing on the car as it sits is coming up real soon. I have had the BBK Cold Air Induction kit, I thought it was crap... didn't notice a change one except for a stutter at about 1700 RPM. Took it out back to the stock way ... stutter gone. I am going to try the Densecharger setup next, another poster Alex_96 Cobra (or something like that) has one and I respect his opionion.
As to the full exhaust... figure you'll blow at least $1000 on good headers and cat backs... no installs no cats. Depending on your state and Smog regulations exhaust setups can be tricky and spendy. Personally I would do it in stages if I were you... change out the exhaust first... tell the people who are doing the exhaust that your going to P&P the heads and make sure they spec piping that is big enough for the extra flow. Then wait until you have about $5000 in the bank and go after the heads... cause at that time... a new clutch is good (the motor trannie are already apart) and an 11inch King Cobra clutch is about $350, the CAI setup could set you back about $250-$400, change out the throttle body for a slightly bigger one @ $300? (not sure about this cost haven't looked at them yet) and without head work your already into it for $1000 min! For the heads without the cost of the actual head work itself, it's over $600 for gaskets and the updated timing chain setup. ($218 head gasket, $75 intake manifold gasket, $290 for the updated timing chain setup) plus figure you'll spend at least $1000-$1500 on the head work for labor and if your lucky only another $100-$300 for any work that needs to be done to get the valves 100% true. So far we've spent ...
Clutch -- $350
CAI -- $250
Trottle Body -- $300
Exhaust (Middle) -- $1200
Gaskets and Chains -- $600
Head Work -- $1250 (middle of the road)
Total $3950 WITHOUT LABOR!
Figure at least $2500 for a reputable shop ... and your well over $6000. It adds up quick ... and that's if nothing else pops up at the time... if your Cobra has cooling issues a Griffon Radiator is about $500... etc etc etc.
You get the drift... ask alot of questions up front set your budget and then add 25% of the total budget you set to cover emergencies of changes once the motor is out of the car.
Good luck... if your Los Angeles come out to the Fullerton event in early Sept alot of the board members will be there.
/darin
As to the full exhaust... figure you'll blow at least $1000 on good headers and cat backs... no installs no cats. Depending on your state and Smog regulations exhaust setups can be tricky and spendy. Personally I would do it in stages if I were you... change out the exhaust first... tell the people who are doing the exhaust that your going to P&P the heads and make sure they spec piping that is big enough for the extra flow. Then wait until you have about $5000 in the bank and go after the heads... cause at that time... a new clutch is good (the motor trannie are already apart) and an 11inch King Cobra clutch is about $350, the CAI setup could set you back about $250-$400, change out the throttle body for a slightly bigger one @ $300? (not sure about this cost haven't looked at them yet) and without head work your already into it for $1000 min! For the heads without the cost of the actual head work itself, it's over $600 for gaskets and the updated timing chain setup. ($218 head gasket, $75 intake manifold gasket, $290 for the updated timing chain setup) plus figure you'll spend at least $1000-$1500 on the head work for labor and if your lucky only another $100-$300 for any work that needs to be done to get the valves 100% true. So far we've spent ...
Clutch -- $350
CAI -- $250
Trottle Body -- $300
Exhaust (Middle) -- $1200
Gaskets and Chains -- $600
Head Work -- $1250 (middle of the road)
Total $3950 WITHOUT LABOR!
Figure at least $2500 for a reputable shop ... and your well over $6000. It adds up quick ... and that's if nothing else pops up at the time... if your Cobra has cooling issues a Griffon Radiator is about $500... etc etc etc.
You get the drift... ask alot of questions up front set your budget and then add 25% of the total budget you set to cover emergencies of changes once the motor is out of the car.
Good luck... if your Los Angeles come out to the Fullerton event in early Sept alot of the board members will be there.
/darin
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IT's the same Alex that's listed above in this same thread, just saw that.
As i posted in the beginning i already have a king cobra clutch. And for exhaust i put that i will be doing BBK LT's-$400, Dr Gas 3'' X-PIPE(one of the freest flowing pipes out there)-$300, and Dynomax Catback- Appx $500. Also i can do the install of all the exhaust myself. As for the intake i have a home made CAI with an 87 MM Pro M MAF. So really all i need is the Heads and the Exhaust. But yeah i am doin the exhaust first in the next month then i will save up for another 2 then do the heads.
You say that you Cobra runs on warm side. Well all 96 Cobras do, I went with the Fluidyne Rad. and even in the Yuma heat when I get on it the temps stay down. As for the gears, 4.10s are good if you are going to go Super Charged/No2. All the N/A Cobra guys that are running low 12s are running 4.56/4.30s. As said before don't fear the gear. The only reason I said do the little stuff frist is cause you are just starting the job and I bet you young. Head work on these engine cost a arm and leg. But if you are useing moms/dads money go for it. Good Luck with either route you take. I'd get my heads worked if I had the cash.
Get the radiator first...Then some gears.You might also have to change the thermostat when changing radiators..What thermostat ya using Steven?A 180 or 160?
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