R.I.P 99 Cobra

[PotatoC570]

Well, guys. Today it happened, the tiny little head tick I had on the passenger side that I am getting heads machined for blew today. I was heading into work, just cruising, enjoying the weather and my 99 cobra with 90k on it developed a knock. A BAAADDDDD knock. I am hoping I bent a valve, but I have a feeling I am not that lucky and spun a rod bearing. I am off Thursday and Friday, so I will start tearing into it. May just end up going with an upgraded crate 302 instead of another modular motor. Anyone have any inputs, anything is welcome.


UPDATE!!!

I have the car torn apart, the passenger cylinder closest to the firewall is lodge in the cylinder and the rod is broken off so, now I have to rip out the motor for sure and price everything out. A coyote swap isn't a bad looking choice at this point.

 

[99COBRA2881]

Rip whatever. It's a blown motor, bfd. Happens all the time, build it better.

Two words "coyote swap." If I find hidden damage on my mod motor from hitting the wall at Kansas speedway, the new car is getting a coyote swap. I'm not interested in building another 'c' head mod motor.

 

[PotatoC570]

Rip whatever. It's a blown motor, bfd. Happens all the time, build it better.

Two words "coyote swap." If I find hidden damage on my mod motor from hitting the wall at Kansas speedway, the new car is getting a coyote swap. I'm not interested in building another 'c' head mod motor.

I wish:/ I do not have the money to coyote swap it or I will. I'll have a hard enough time rebuilding it within my price range. I grew up as a kid always wanting a new edge cobra, now that I have one I love it, just sucks that it happened as soon as it did. I only had the car for a touch over a year.

 

[Mrpancho95]

Part out the engine and you'll get the money you need for that 302

 

[99COBRA2881]

Yeah 'cause everybody wants a 99 cobra with a pushrod 302. Atleast do something cool and put a 351w in it if you must. Sorry I have a soft spot for s351 cars specifically red sn95 verts.

I still say tear it down and see what happened. I doubt you had a valve kiss a piston. My 11:1 pistons have valve reliefs, when the motor went the first time after the driver side secondary chain broke it never kissed a piston. Lucky maybe?

*Edit* I will say what will make or break this engine rebuild before you even start is whether or not you have a clean work area. I mean a very well swept floor, keep garage doors closed at all times especially while you're working on the engine, when you're not working on it cover it with a piece of plastic sheeting.

Lucky for me my garage is detached from the rest of the house so no one ever goes in there except me. I don't have an engine torn down right now but when I do everything is kept closed and I bag everything, large trash bags for the heads intake everything, clean everything.

It seems repetitive but I can't stress enough how keeping everything clean is very important. There's more than enough knowledge here on this board to get you through any problem that you may encounter. The more work you can do yourself the cheaper this will be.

Now you have to ask yourself though what are your plans for this car? Do you want to just do a stock rebuild or do you want to add some better rods and some forged pistons?

Start putting together a list of what you want to do with the car and buy parts accordingly.

 

[Mrpancho95]

I'd go with a 427 that be crazy cool

 

[PotatoC570]

Well, it is my dream car, always was since a kid, and not to many people can say that they owned one car they have always wanted. I would like to put something larger in it or even do a coyote swap, but my pocket book does not allow that. I still live at home with my parents. I am 21, work fulltime and I have been trying to get out of my house. But, if I start to do a crazy build, I'll never be able to get out. So something like a stock build will be more the sufficient until I can get another wicked motor and build something off the wall and different like a 427 or a 400 modified if I wanted to. I owe 5k on the car and 4k on my 00 f250 so I am paying 400$ a month give or take and 220$ on insurance a month as well.

 

[99COBRA2881]

Visa is your friend. Find a 0% interest for a year card.

Put the cobra on removed from use status on your insurance. That'll save you some money.

What do you have for tools?

Have you done anything like this before?

 

[olgreydog7]

Sell the truck. Duh. Mod motors aren't cheap, even for a stock rebuild. You might not be that far off of a coyote swap if you pull a junkyard motor and not a brand new from Ford crate. A stock build will nickel and dime you to death, be sure to count EVERY penny that goes into it and you'll see, it's not much cheaper. Either way, I still say sell the truck, pay off the Cobra, and move out.

 

[CammyTheCobra]

Sorry to hear about your motor blowing, horrible position to be in. I hope you get it figured out. However, you work me, mine has a slight head tick, centrally located and was going to just let it go as I intended on buying the Cobra revised 9 thread heads. But this head tick can pop a motor?

 

[PotatoC570]

Sell the truck. Duh. Mod motors aren't cheap, even for a stock rebuild. You might not be that far off of a coyote swap if you pull a junkyard motor and not a brand new from Ford crate. A stock build will nickel and dime you to death, be sure to count EVERY penny that goes into it and you'll see, it's not much cheaper. Either way, I still say sell the truck, pay off the Cobra, and move out.

I live in PA, I can't get rid the truck at all because of the snow.

 

[murse]

Sorry to hear Potato, a coyote swap might not be a bad idea. I'm in the same boat and as mentioned earlier "these mod motors are not cheap"

 

[PotatoC570]

Sorry to hear Potato, a coyote swap might not be a bad idea. I'm in the same boat and as mentioned earlier "these mod motors are not cheap"

Mine look identical to yours same color same lights and all

It'll be a process thank you.

 

[PotatoC570]

Well, the motor will be out next thurday on my day off. Spent all day Thursday and Friday taking connections off and all the line and radiator.

The passenger rear cylinder came off the rod and is lodged into the block. So it is still situational. if the cylinder is not destroyed I may just rebuild it and build a better motor on the side. But, if the motor needs a lot of machining and blitz, we will coyote swap for sure.

 

[99COBRA2881]

Sounds like you have a good plan!!!!

 

[PotatoC570]

Sounds like you have a good plan!!!!

Gotta do what is best. I still owe around 6k on the car so I am not selling it anytime soon. So while I have the motor out, I am going to replace everything I can while I can get to it. This is the best chance on getting what I want done.

Wednesday I was pissed off at the car and wanted not part of it. Now that I am cooled off and have it torn apart. I am not so angry and have a good attitude toward it. I didn't seize it, I didn't wreck it or burn it to the ground. It's just a motor and shit happens.

 

[murse]

Keep us updated... I'm looking at around $3800 (forged Manley rods/pistons/rings, arp hardware, high vol oilpump, rear main, gaskets, machine work) and I'm hoping my heads are good... now I can turn up the boost (after the blower gets fixed) not cheap...

 

[R.D.P.]

OP - please don't do a pushrod 302. You could try to find a complete used motor from an Aviator or something in a yard or even a complete used 3v would be better IMO.

 

[99COBRA2881]

Gotta do what is best. I still owe around 6k on the car so I am not selling it anytime soon. So while I have the motor out, I am going to replace everything I can while I can get to it. This is the best chance on getting what I want done.

Wednesday I was pissed off at the car and wanted not part of it. Now that I am cooled off and have it torn apart. I am not so angry and have a good attitude toward it. I didn't seize it, I didn't wreck it or burn it to the ground. It's just a motor and shit happens.

Good! That's exactly why I posted up bfd "big fu##ing deal" in my first post. Like you said it's just a motor.

Talking about being pissed off I haven't done anything with my race car since I bounced it off the wall in sept of '14. Just recently decided I had stayed out of the garage long enough.

The new race car v6 manual trans completely stock.

 

[PotatoC570]

Good! That's exactly why I posted up bfd "big fu##ing deal" in my first post. Like you said it's just a motor.

Talking about being pissed off I haven't done anything with my race car since I bounced it off the wall in sept of '14. Just recently decided I had stayed out of the garage long enough.

If I wanted a full blown track car. That is what I would like for sure, looks mean, looks fast. And it is different. You don't see a lot of new edge mustangs that are track driven other than a drag.