The 1 of 23 Sonic Blue w/ Parchment Build

CJHAMIL

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I am going to try to start keeping better track and posting my car as she goes through iterations. The car is 1 of 23 (176 of 8394 overall) Sonic Blue with Parchment insert cars. Currently has 76k miles and overall the car is in really good condition. I got the car about 6 years ago from a guy past Corpus Christi if remember correctly for $17K.

The first iteration that was done in 2017 (I'll go back and upload photos of it) was a Steggy Stage V ported blower with a 2.76" upper, 4lbs lower, JLT carbon fiber RAI, Dragon throttle body and plenum (both ported), idler pulley, Walbro 465 pump, 80lbs injectors, 3:73s, Steeda short throw, Spec 2+ clutch, Bassani off road x, Bassani 2.5" catback, Lethal tanks, H&R red race springs, Maximum Motorsports caster camber plates, Steeda bumpsteer kit, Koni adjustable shocks and struts, Steeda sway bars, Brembo 00R brakes, 99/01 tail lights, AFS staggered 18" reps, and Toyo R888 tires. The car in the heat of Florida made 525 rwhp and I think right at 500 rwtq. I also had to go back and fix so many issues from the previous owner, random things here and there that made no sense or that were done wrong. That or just done in a lazy way

Dot 1 of that build came last year where I took a week of leave to compound, polish, and jewel the paint prior to ceramic coating it (even did all of the door jams as well). The coating is a layer of Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light (CSL), and two coats of Gtechniq ExoV4. I then top that with P&S Beadmaker every three to four washes. I did the same coating on my wheels, glass, lights and plastics. The glass also got treated with Wolf's Nano Glass Sealant. Then once or twice a year I use Obsessed Garage's decontamination soap and P&S iron remover to strip the topper along with any iron fall out. From there I restart my applications of Beadmaker and the Wolf's on the glass.

Fast forward to earlier this year. I got bored and wanted to start an over the top OCD dream build. I have really bad OCD and I really wanted to start setting my car apart. So the second iteration started. I ordered a VMP 2.65 Gen3R max effort kit, Kooks 1 7/8" x 3" long tubes, Kooks 3" x-pipe, Bassani 3" catback, Lethal Performance return style fuel system with twin Walbro 485lph pumps, ID 1300X injectors, Metco 5 piece idler pullies, Metco accessory pullies, Metco 2lbs lower, new Lethal tanks, 26 spline input shaft, McLeod RXT, Lethal lightened flywheel, MGW race shifter, Griptec 3.2" upper, all new brake hardware, StopTech cryo rotors, Hawk HPS pads, Russell stainless lines, Hawk 660 fluid, all Amsoil for the other fluids, Reisch 160 thermostat, CNC'd thermostat housing, MMR coolant crossover delete, new hoses, MMR head cooling mod, new IAC valve, painted the brakes VHT titanium silver blue, SVE Series II bronze wheels (bought them to just try the color out prior to ordering some BC Forged wheels and CCW wheels), Toyo R888R, RRR tensioner, J2Fab 200 amp alt, Maximum Motorsports solid steering shaft, GT500 IC pump, Mighty Mouse Wild catch can, AFCO polished heat exchanger, SW Lights custom headlights (gloss black housings with factory turn signals), SW Lights custom fog lights (gloss black housing), LED bulbs every where from GTR lighting and I paid for everything to get tucked/routed cleanly in the engine bay. The car made 670rwhp and 662rwtq on 93 octane at 20lbs of boost with 98 degree weather, and 92% humidity. The car is absolutely amazing to drive but sadly I did not get to enjoy her long because I am going on a remote assignment for a year at the end of the month. So she has been sent to my best buddy's place to get stored for the year. Besides the power obviously the biggest difference in the car is the feel from the solid steering shaft and the MGW short throw. Made the car feel completely different especially the steering shaft. Of note I am not happy with the quality of the SW lights. It took forever for them to come in. The owner routinely broke promises and timelines along with forgetting to put stuff in the box. He even forgot to send stuff out a few times and he forgot to ceramic coat my lights. The look of them is great but they already have sealing issues so moisture does get in them if I wash the car, or if the weather goes from cool to hot.

Once I get back I will be sending the car off to get a sleeved Teksid block bored and stroked to 5.3L, custom cams, ported heads, T-56 Magnum XL, all new suspension from a combination of Maximum Motorsports, Full Tilt Boogie, Kenny Brown, and possibly an air ride company (just to have the ability to not scrape every where), 6 piston Brembo brakes with 14" rotors, a custom leather and suede interior done to include period correct Recaros along with a custom steering wheel, and an audio system (nothing crazy just something modern that retrain the OEM look), all new glass, trim, seals, weather stripping and a full repaint in Sonic Blue. For the paint I want a lot of clear shot on the car so the orange peel can get removed before full PPF and ceramic coating on top of the PPF. Of course a better car can be bought for the money but this has been the dream for a long time.
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GoGreen04

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Nice build man! Going for something similar. I am interested in hearing our thoughts on what it feels like going from the ported blower to the gen3r
 

sonicx

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nice write up and gorgeous cobra!!!

Miss my SB. Wish Ford would bring it back for a next Boss / Mach / Shelby or in a special configuration.
 

CJHAMIL

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Nice build man! Going for something similar. I am interested in hearing our thoughts on what it feels like going from the ported blower to the gen3r
The difference is night and day. If you go for the VMP I 100% suggest getting the coolant cross over delete. My ported setup whined more with the 2.76 upper and 4lbs lower. It even whined at idle a bit. The VMP doesn't whine as much until you get into the higher RPMs. I also suggest getting an upgraded intercooler brick and lines. One of those while you're at it items.
 

CJHAMIL

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nice write up and gorgeous cobra!!!

Miss my SB. Wish Ford would bring it back for a next Boss / Mach / Shelby or in a special configuration.
Thank you so much! The next version of the car should be absolutely sick. I definitely think SB should come back. I'd love to see it on the GT500.
 

shurur

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That sonic blue is the best. It's blue is like the electric green is for the 99.
 

CJHAMIL

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Last week in country for a year so the updates will be non-existent for a while. Things I am looking for.

1) A good shop in Vegas because I am moving there after I get back next year. Not only for a tune but also for fabrication because I have a couple of ideas for a brake setup, custom titanium exhaust and a few other things.

2) A body shop in Vegas because the car will get a repaint with Sonic Blue. Great quality paint, and lots of clear so all of the orange peel can be removed prior to full PPF.
 

1s9v9t7

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Badass setup! In process of swapping out the Eaton to a 2.3 TVS and some parts right now.
I was planning on doing the crossover delete also, CJHAMIL what or how did you modify the bottom coolant line? Can’t find any pictures of the lower hose after someone installed the delete.


Sent from my iPhone using svtperformance.com
 

LS WUT

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God damn. Such a beautiful car. Congratulations on owning it, and building it. Awesome build sir. Been searching for a Sonic for such a long time. Seeing your photos and write up makes me want one even more. Hands down my favorite color.
 

CobraBob

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Awesome looking Cobra and really impressive mods. Great job detailing your build and mods for us.
 

CJHAMIL

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Badass setup! In process of swapping out the Eaton to a 2.3 TVS and some parts right now.
I was planning on doing the crossover delete also, CJHAMIL what or how did you modify the bottom coolant line? Can’t find any pictures of the lower hose after someone installed the delete.


Sent from my iPhone using svtperformance.com
I bought the MMR coolant cross over delete, had a custom CNC'd housing made for my thermostat, and then used a standard GT hose to replace the bottom hose.
 

CJHAMIL

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God damn. Such a beautiful car. Congratulations on owning it, and building it. Awesome build sir. Been searching for a Sonic for such a long time. Seeing your photos and write up makes me want one even more. Hands down my favorite color.
Thank you so much. I dearly miss my car. The build will continue once I get back. The only colors I would take other than Sonic Blue is Torch Red and Oxford White, but Sonic Blue in my opinion is far superior to all colors.
 

CJHAMIL

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Such a great looking car and build
Thank you so much. There is more to come. I am currently specing out some custom wheels. Naturally CCW Classics have my attention but I need something more unique. The CCw D110, CCW SP500, BC Forged TD03 and BC Forged LE05.
 

CobraBob

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Definitely continue to keep us updated. What's the biggest item on your list for the next round of parts?
 

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