Newbie with Cobra questions

[Jowlz]

I just bought my first Cobra. It's a green 1997 with 40,000 documented miles. It has always been a weekend driver and will continue to be. From the outside it appears totally stock. Wheels etc are stock. I've been reading some of this forum and have some questions. Bear in mind, I am a little older and most of my toy car are or were old muscle. Names like Steeda and BBK really didnt mean anything to me when I bought the car.

My last stang was an 86 GT that I bought new. It's amazing how much faster the Cobra is compared to the old stang.

The PO did alot of work to the car. Here is what I was told was done or what I have seen:

K&N Intake
BBK fuel pressure regulators
BBK fuel pressre gauge
Steeda Shifter and shift knob
Adjustable strut braces
5 way gas shocks (I think the brand is illuminati) I can't read the lettering to well.
Steeda subframe connectors
Steeda upper and lower rear arms
Adjustable sway bars
3:73 gears
BBK aluminum shift quadrant
BBK long headers
BBK X pipe
Flowmaster exhaust
Urethane bushings everywhere I can see

The car also came with all the original parts in boxes.

Now for my questions:

Did the PO use decent parts or did he take the cheaper route?

I noticed the front brakes have Cobra on them but the back does not. Have these been replaced? Did the originals have Cobra on them?

The car needs Mil Eliminators. I have seen plug and play ones at Summit and the solder in type at other places. I like the idea of plug and play but have read some negative things about the connectors etc. Any input?

I noticed no front grille on the car. There is just the Cobra emblem. In some pictures I have seen honeycomb inserts. Which is correct for the year?

Thanks in advance for the replies.

 

[Cookieman00x]

The PO didnt go the cheap route, BBK and Steeda are good names in aftermarket parts....BBK stuff is usually on the expensive side.....MILS can be found on ebay new for around $40-$50 that you can just plug in, no need for soldering....I just orderend a set of MILS but havent read any negative things about them...I believe that the 97's had the honeycomb inserts....if you were looking to put them in I have an extra that I'll sell cheap.... Good luck with the new ride, sounds nice. Now its time to get some pictures up.....

 

[Jowlz]

The car is in background. I will take some better pictures in the spring when I take it out of storage.

 

[epracmetcon]

Yes, more pictures, Pacific green cobras are where its at!! :thumbsup:

 

[Redtop1980]

i thought they were open just a Cobra in the grille. Brake calipers on the rear do not say COBRA just the fronts

 

[sLOWDOHC]

sounds like a sweet ride. be sure to post up them pics, and welcome to our home.

 

[JETSOLVER]

The SN 95 COBRA's all came with the standard running horse in the front grill opening and nothing else. Looks like the other fellow put in the good stuff. Enjoy!! Apparently the 96's did not but the two I've seen did so :shrug: As for the rear brakes; Mine did(does) not have anything written on them. They are the standard GT calipers with a different mount.

 

[STAMPEDE3]

96s had the honeycomb grill.

 

[97cobraheaven]

welcome buddy!

 

[Shake&Bake]

Welcome :beer:

 

[blackfang]

Well the Longtube headers are gonna **** ya on a clutch install as the passenger side must come off to do the clutch. That is the downfall of BBK LT's.

I would swap out the 3.73's for a 4.10 gear or if you really plan on drag racing, a 4.30 gear for a street/strip car. A 4.56 gear isn't too bad, but it can affect your mpg if it is a daily driver.

I would also get a good tune via SCT.

 

[Jowlz]

Thanks for the info. The car may see the track 1 time just out of curiosity. My family is into drag racing and when I want to run something at the track I have a couple of other options that are quite a bit faster than the 13's I expect this car to run. The car is really just going to be a sunny day driver, so I hope the clutch will last a while, but great info about the headers.

Whats SCT?

Thanks

 

[97NA_Cobra]

SCT = Superchips Custom Tuning (Link)

Great for tuning the PCM. I would recommend the Xcalibrator 2. I purchased mine from JMS (Link) It's a hand held tuner that'll come with 3 tunes that you'll be able to flash the computer with through the OBDII port under the dash.

 

[blackfang]

I would not recommend JMS as I have had issues getting my tunes from them(after 4-5 weeks of continious contact) and i know of a few others on MW that have had issues with them and getting a decent timely response out of them for items they ordered. The only real tuner they had was Tyler Cobb and he left them after he left Missippi Motorsports.

Modular Depot and Modular Powerhouse, along with Steen Racing and others are better and faster.

 

[SKMCOBRA]

Steeda stuff is top of the line and expensive but I have not heard too many good things about BBK. The mods seem to be mostly done for ya already, but personally I'd get rid of the CrapMasters and put a Borla or Magnaflow catback on there.

 

[CY98Cobra]

BBK are good quality parts, not top of the line but good.

Steeda is a big name manufacturer in the mustang aftermarket. Alot of people don't like them for one reason or another but they have very nice parts that work well.

The calipers are exaclty how they should be. Cobra written on the front, nothing on the rear.

Only the 96's had the honeycombs grill.

Nice car and welcome to the board:thumbsup:

Plug and play mils are a good choice. Steeda (www.Steeda.com) and Dallas Mustang (www.dallasmustang.com) both carry them.

 

[doubletrouble]

Definitely ditch the flowdumpsters which only sound good on 5.0s and older muscle cars with pushrod motors. Especially ditch the flows if you have an X pipe. That has to be one of the worst combos out there. The only time I heard flows on a 4.6 Cobra that I liked was when it had a Mac O/R H and the flows were dumped. Bassani, Borla, Magnaflow are real good quality catbacks. The 3.73s aren't going to be enough gear if you stay naturally aspirated, since the motors need to stay high up in the revs to be really going(due to the 4V design they make nothing for low end tq. like a 5.0 or pushrods). Also be on the lookout down the road for failing IMRC (Intake Manifold Runner Control) which opens the secondary intake ports @ approx. 3,000 rpms. A lot of these malfunction, but can be deleted in a chip&tune if you go to a reputable speed shop. Any tune is good whether it be the tuner uses SCT, Diablo, etc. as long as the tuner is reputable and trustworthy and honest.

 

[STAMPEDE3]

I love the sound of my flowcrapsters. :shrug:

 

[slabgod]

yeah me to

 

[Jowlz]

You guys are right about the exhaust. It is louder than shit inside the car. It also has some drone to it. For the amount I am going to drive the car I will probably leave it.

I'll talk to my engine builder about tuning it. I know much more about motorcycle tuning etc than new cars. Do the good tuners tune the car on a dyno like a motorcycle and adjust the fuel settings accordingly.

Thanks again for all the info. I will also check with the PO to make sure the car hasnt already been tuned. It is a strong possibility. When I drove it, I didnt notice any stumbling, etc. The power seemed strong and stable across the entire RPM range.