Zinc Yellow Terminator being saved from the crusher.

_Lariat

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Remote tune it with someone.
I'll be sending my tune file back and forth with a friend I've made in the tuning world and looking it over. I trust them quite well. Seeing what they've done with mod motor cars, I'm not worried. I'd rather learn to be able to do this and my other cars rather than wait on a tuner every time I change something.
 

Hunter98SVT

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Can't believe I haven't seen this thread! Good luck on the build! Can't wait to see this thing on the road! And to be honest you don't see many ZY ones in the wild!
 

_Lariat

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Can't believe I haven't seen this thread! Good luck on the build! Can't wait to see this thing on the road! And to be honest you don't see many ZY ones in the wild!
I'm gonna have to swing up and get photos with yours once I get it going. In laws live in between you and Denison.
 

_Lariat

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Called in to get the build number. 7107 of 8394. Lines up well with the May/03 build date on the door.

Trying to determine when the split for the 9 thread heads was. I know most all of the 10th anniversary cars were, but they were late build 03s. We're they built along side the standard 03's, or at the end of the 03 model year?
 

_Lariat

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Engine builder sent me these today! Had issues with his Manley supplier not giving him a straight answer on what it would cost to have valve reliefs cut. He said f-it and we jumped to JE pistons. Not upset about this at all. Little more up front cost, but I believe it will save me plenty down the road. Also finally got the studs in as well. Hopefully after he gets the bores cut and honed it shouldn't take long. He has a torque plate too, so it's getting done right. That was one of the many things he and I went over before I loaded my parts up to take to him.

Should be a stout little engine when I'm done.
 

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03' White Snake

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Engine builder sent me these today! Had issues with his Manley supplier not giving him a straight answer on what it would cost to have valve reliefs cut. He said f-it and we jumped to JE pistons. Not upset about this at all. Little more up front cost, but I believe it will save me plenty down the road. Also finally got the studs in as well. Hopefully after he gets the bores cut and honed it shouldn't take long. He has a torque plate too, so it's getting done right. That was one of the many things he and I went over before I loaded my parts up to take to him.

Should be a stout little engine when I'm done.

What dish pistons? Go with the 0.200 tool steel wrist pins? Looking good.
 

_Lariat

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What dish pistons? Go with the 0.200 tool steel wrist pins? Looking good.
I believe 16cc. I don't know that I'm ever going to to over 700 horse on this thing, so I personally believe the pin upgrade will be an unnecessary expense. If I'm building a racing engine that's getting ripped up and down the drag strip every weekend, I'd do it, but this just isn't going to see that.
 

_Lariat

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Well, good news/bad news. Still waiting on the engine. Nothing bad on my side, unfortunately the guy that cuts the cranks has had some issues outside of work that needed tending to. That unfortunately put the builder behind schedule for me. Not a big issue, just unfortunate.

The bad news. HOLY HELL ARE LASH ADJUSTERS EXPENSIVE! I thankfully can get FOMOCO units for a discounted price of like $19.30 per lash adjuster. Otherwise I'd be paying like 24 bucks a piece! I get you gotta pay to play, but damn!

Hoping to see the engine back by the end of the month so I can start assembling and dressing the long block. We shall see.
 

01yellercobra

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I don't think I've ever seen an engine delivered "on time". I think even mine was late and that was years ago.

Did you get stock replacements or did you go with the GT adjusters? Or is that just the followers?
 

_Lariat

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I don't think I've ever seen an engine delivered "on time". I think even mine was late and that was years ago.

Did you get stock replacements or did you go with the GT adjusters? Or is that just the followers?
I never gave the builder a deadline. Told him it wasn't a rush deal, but I didn't want to be waiting until August. I dropped it off mid January. I'm fine with the timeline. Builder is also a friend of mine, but business is business.

As for the lash adjusters, just going back with OE replacements. No need to get fancy on a street engine.
 

_Lariat

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Well, after waiting since January, my engine will be done next week! Finally got the crank back to the shop. So it's balancing and assembly at this point! Getting excited!

Side note, I'm glad I picked up a "spare" terminator tank this spring for a song! Pulled the one in the car out to see what pumps it had. Lo and behold I was staring an autozone special GT pump assembly and non baffled GT tank in the face! I slapped the "new" tank I had back in its place and will be going on my merry way for awhile.

At this point the major components I need are timing related, clutch, and time.
 

CobraBob

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Trying to determine when the split for the 9 thread heads was. I know most all of the 10th anniversary cars were, but they were late build 03s. We're they built along side the standard 03's, or at the end of the 03 model year?
Here is some info in my Terminator FAQs that might help. CobraBob's Terminator FAQs

There's been much discussion over this. It was believed that all '03 and all '04 Cobras had 4 threads from the factory, and that only the latest heads (01/05) had 9 threads. The latest information suggests that all 2003 Cobra got 4 thread heads, early '2004 Cobras may have gotten 4 thread heads left over from MY2003, and '2004 Cobras built after some date in 11/2003 got 9 thread heads. It's safe to say that the vast majority of 2004 Cobras got the 9 thread heads. However, even these revised 2004 heads don't have the revised coolant passages found on the heads released in 01/2005. This is interesting information because there have been reports of spark plugs blowing out of the heads possibly in part due to the lack of sufficient threads and possibly also due in part to an improper installation of the plugs. I don't believe there is any substantial proof that 4 threads is a potential issue since the reported cases of blown out plugs is so few, but obviously having 9 threads is better than 4. I find it interesting that Ford changed the number of threads for the 2004 Cobra. The question is why they would do that if they weren't concerned about the heads only having 4 threads.
 

_Lariat

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Well. Went an picked my engine up today. :sneaky: excited is an understatement! Aside from head gaskets and timing components, it's ready to be fully assembled and sealed up ready to go!
 

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_Lariat

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Well, assembly is going well. Ordered timing chain guide wear strips for the guides i have on hand. Motor mounts, and accufab secondary timing chains.

Heads torqued on great! First time using ARP head studs on a modular. I envy the fact that the washers have a stamped "waffle" pattern to help prevent washer spin. Washer spin is a major issue I've dealt with on 6.0's 6.4's, Duramaxes, and the oddball cummins. I'm surprised ARP hasn't started doing this for those stud kits.

Installed my 3v windage tray and o-ringed 3v pump with Boundary gears. For those doing this, remember to cut the scraper off the pickup tube, and clearance the stock 2v/4v oil pan by removing or folding the forward baffles down. I chose to fold mine over to reduce the chance of knocking a hole in the pan.

I'd post photos, but I have a dirt floor garage/storage shed I work in at home, and really don't want to catch flack for that. Lol! I'm working towards a 40'x60' shop, so doing anything to this garage is out of the question.

Picking up a BMR premium K member from a friend that went a different route on his build here next week, so thats a benefit on my side! Figured anything to help myself now will go a long way in the future.

I did find my builder used 2618 alloy pistons. I'm not exactly keen on this for a long term perspective, but I understand his decision making on that matter. The car may get 5k miles a year if it's lucky, plus with me tuning it, and eventually getting cams and the 2.2 KB will put me around 550-650 horse depending on fuel, pulley, and timing. So, strength, and durability will be more of a benefit to me. Plenty of people have 50k+ miles on 2618 alloy slugs, so, I'll be fine I think.

Getting eager!
 

_Lariat

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Well. Long block is 100% buttoned up. Got my remaining timing components today and assembled everything! I will say the Accufab secondary chains are BEEFY. The Cobra Engineering flipped tensioner is a work of art as well. To top it all off, MMR didn't drop the ball on shipping, or messing up my order. So, that in it's own is a miracle. (If anyone is doing a refresh, or reseal, I highly suggest replacing the wear strips on the guides.)

I had a bit of a snag and was really worried I had a bad head. Long story short, I'm running 99 cobra cams now vs the 03-05 4v cams. The cams I had planned to use were apparently damaged and I hadn't known. So that's that.

Less bolting the headers on, and getting a clutch, this thing is ready to drop in!
 

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