Progress Thread Cobra Rack In...Still Have Steering Slop

I have an extra set of super clean OEM LX tails in my garage as back up. Never getting rid of them. They do make a ton of difference in regards to having a good looking rear end on your Fox. :D
 
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It looks so much better, couldn't be happier, what a difference they make.

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I decided to wash the engine bay yesterday, and used purple power as you guys suggested. It worked so well that it stripped the paint off the intake manifold and crank pulley. The manifold was painted by me after my poor attempt at polishing so I'm not really too concerned. Learned a lesson about the proper prep work, though. The intake will be coming out next week and swapped with the systemax II that's on the way from summit.
 
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Brown truck came today, :banana::banana::banana:I cant wait for tomorrow for all of this stuff to go in. I decided to go with the 75 MM PRO M bullet style MAF that would work with my existing CAI instead of buying the power pipe, as I believe mikestang63 suggested. I couldn't justify the power pipe for the cost and due to the fact that I probably would not see any gains on my mild combo. I was having some drivability issues with the C&L and wanted to update for piece of mind. I did get to swap in the PRO M tonight and it would not idle at first. I took it for a ride and afterward it idled fine. Acceleration was noticeably smoother and I am quite pleased.

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Well it's done and here are the results, cobra vs systemax on same engine. With cobra it made 271/311 with systemax 286/307. Not often you get a real side by side comparison. I think there was a little more on the table as the temperatures were near 100* yesterday. I haven't looked at the graph yet to see how the curves compare, but I guess the real test will be when I pick it up Monday and drive it. Sorry for the crappy pic btw.


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I love me a clean white GT

awesome.

Thanks. I think it's the only car that actually looks good with the red interior. Just looks right for whatever reason. I have been debating on changing it to black with some Mach 1 style seats but the interior is really clean. Only thing I need to fix inside is the gangster lean on the drivers seat. Other than that just needs a new stereo.
 
Well it's done and here are the results, cobra vs systemax on same engine. With cobra it made 271/311 with systemax 286/307. Not often you get a real side by side comparison. I think there was a little more on the table as the temperatures were near 100* yesterday. I haven't looked at the graph yet to see how the curves compare, but I guess the real test will be when I pick it up Monday and drive it. Sorry for the crappy pic btw.


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Thanks for that comparison which is a decent improvement. What did you do with the Cobra intake? Besides dyno numbers how is the overall before & after engne build seat of the pants results?
 
Thanks. I think it's the only car that actually looks good with the red interior. Just looks right for whatever reason. I have been debating on changing it to black with some Mach 1 style seats but the interior is really clean. Only thing I need to fix inside is the gangster lean on the drivers seat. Other than that just needs a new stereo.

Black or charcoal Mach One style seats with a red stripe, and leave everything else as is. It would update the interior, be more comfortable, but still have a stock feel.
 
I got it back yesterday and there were a few kinks that they also fixed (non Motorcraft iac and bad tps) which greatly improved drivability. Acceleration is much smoother and no more low rpm bucking. As far as the butt dyno I don't really notice the loss of tq, but that maybe because of how much smoother it is. Up top I don't feel like like it pulls any harder it just doesn't fall on its face at 5500 like it used to. I pulled it to about 6300 with no loss of power. When the weather gets cooler I am going back to get it tuned and we will try to squeeze as much as we can out of it. Overall I'm satisfied with the result and I have room to grow. Next step will be suspension, so I will have some questions shortly.
 
Thanks for that comparison which is a decent improvement. What did you do with the Cobra intake? Besides dyno numbers how is the overall before & after engne build seat of the pants results?

Cleaning the Cobra up and selling it on Craigslist. I sold the CL meter already. People aren't too interested in the cheese graters I posted for some reason :rolleyes:
 
Ok, thanks to @mikestang63 I resisted the urge to buy the powerdyne, and fortunately didn't get drunk enough to impulse buy the A trim. I can't buy something I want when I know the suspension and braking needs to be addressed. I need some help sorting out some quality upgrades for a street car. Here is my list so far.

Strange 10 ways all around.
Stock rear UCA's with rubber bushings
MM rear LCAs (not sure which model)
MM front sway bar kit
Replace all suspension bushings
MM brake upgrade

Ok here are my thoughts/questions about this list. The car will never be 5 lug. I know the brake and wheel options are better, but all of the wheel options I like are available in 4 lug. I think the majority of 5 lug wheel options just look better on an LX and not a GT. I have even considered cleaning up and widening a set of turbines, I just like the stock look much better these days. I didn't list springs because I don't mind the stock ride height and I think it looks just right on a GT. I would consider B springs as I have heard that they are good match with the 10 ways. If I stay with stock springs is there a better option for shocks that will work with the stock springs? This is a street car, I drive it daily when the weather permits from April to early November, should I replace with rubber bushings all around or just go poly? Finally just let me know what else I have missed. Thanks guys
 
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That's great with engine all set!
Your list of suspension is a good list,

Rubber on stock UCA, Recommended by MM
Poly works good on the front pieces like swaybar etc

For MM LCA I Got their HD fixed
  • MMRLCA-1
For shocks I like KYB adx shocks coupled with eibach pros or Ford B springs basically the same thing. It will give you a stiff but well handling ride for a reasonable price
 
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If it were me. I'd replace the ball joints with moog or steeda ones. You can do that in the stock A arms one time. If you get the MM control arms. you may not need the quad shocks at all. Take them off and see if you get wheel hop. If you do, then get a new set. For CC plates, go with the MM pieces. Do it right the first time and dont use cheap chinese knockoffs.

I am not saying I have the best setup by far, but this has worked for me on a few cars

Steeda springs
MM CC plates
MM control arms
Tokico shocks
MM subframe connectors
Poly sway bar and end link bushings

Simple, basic and works well. The car drives firm but not harsh, handles far better than stock, doesnt rattle or shake over ever bump, and is about 1" lowered than stock. Yes I could have done coil overs but it's personal preference.
 
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If it were me. I'd replace the ball joints with moog or steeda ones. You can do that in the stock A arms one time. If you get the MM control arms. you may not need the quad shocks at all. Take them off and see if you get wheel hop. If you do, then get a new set. For CC plates, go with the MM pieces. Do it right the first time and dont use cheap chinese knockoffs.

I am not saying I have the best setup by far, but this has worked for me on a few cars

Steeda springs
MM CC plates
MM control arms
Tokico shocks
MM subframe connectors
Poly sway bar and end link bushings

Simple, basic and works well. The car drives firm but not harsh, handles far better than stock, doesnt rattle or shake over ever bump, and is about 1" lowered than stock. Yes I could have done coil overs but it's personal preference.
Quick question (emphasis mine), do you mean that you should not press old ball joints out of/press new ones into the stock control arms?

I only ask because I replaced my ball joints when the driver's side started making noise. I used moog ball joints at the time because I couldn't afford the Steeda ones. I was planning to upgrade to the Steeda ball joints, but this might give me pause.
 
Quick question (emphasis mine), do you mean that you should not press old ball joints out of/press new ones into the stock control arms?

I only ask because I replaced my ball joints when the driver's side started making noise. I used moog ball joints at the time because I couldn't afford the Steeda ones. I was planning to upgrade to the Steeda ball joints, but this might give me pause.

Sorry. Ford actually recommends replacing the entire control arm, however you can get away with replacing the balljoint with a Moog or Steeda unit. What I have found over the years is the replacement units are larger in diameter than stock, and have the knurls on it and when you press fit them in, it stays in place by the tightness of fitting into the smaller hole of the stock balljoint. When you press them out and install the same replacement,may or may not be as tight.
 
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Sorry. Ford actually recommends replacing the entire control arm, however you can get away with replacing the balljoint with a Moog or Steeda unit. What I have found over the years is the replacement units are larger in diameter than stock, and have the knurls on it and when you press fit them in, it stays in place by the tightness of fitting into the smaller hole of the stock balljoint. When you press them out and install the same replacement,may or may not be as tight.
It's better and easier to replace the whole control arm. The control arm bushings get soft over time.

One thing to look out for is that the stock control arms have a plate welded to them ( v8 ). Ford did it to keep the wheel from catching the edge of the control arm on full lock out or an accident ( bad juju ). It also serves as a good jacking point.

The aftermarket arms don't have them. I didn't have any v8 control arm guard plates to weld on my replacements. Now, I grit my teeth every time I jack the front on the arms.
 
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