Quick addition....there are some stroker kits and big bore kits out there. However, none that I know of have been proven reliable over the long run. Not saying they aren't or won't be, but I haven't seen any go a lot of street miles yet.
There are a few reasons, among them the block. 03/04s use iron blocks that are almost 100 lbs heavier than aluminum. Unless your going stupid, stupid power, its just extra dead weight.
Sure. There is no reason a stock, aluminum 4.6 Cobra block cannot reliably make 800+ RWHP without failure. NOTE: I'm talking about the block, not the pistons or rods that one might use. The extra ~100 lbs that the iron block adds is simply dead weight. When have you ever heard of a street Cobra destroying a block? Very, very rare.
Motors are a lot like PC's.. if you know what your doing you can build your own component system that is just as good as an IBM for half the price.
The Ford motors are safe choices but will cost a ****load.
If the Mustangs are anything like Trans Am's.. (which I'm sure they are).. you should be able to find LOADS of info on the net about people with your car that have dropped in strokers/big blocks/blowers, etc. If you contact these people they will even send you templates for new motor mounts if you need to mod. Point is that your car is dead so the best thing to do is either get a new car or have some fun with it...
What are your long term goals for the car? A rebuild sounds like a good idea to me. While I do like the 03 motor I would not choose it for my car, I'd choose to build up the motor that came with my car. Twin turbos is my long term goal, that is many years away though unless I win the lottery
99cobraNix said:
My 99 cobra is dead. My oil pan was damaged, and it deprived the engine of oil. So now I am left with the decision of what to do. I was thinking, of getting a new stroker motor, or maybe an 03 motor. I was told that an 03 motor could bolt up to my car, as long as I had the 03's ecu. Has anyone done this? I would like to know some info on this swap, or if I should even do this. Maybe I should just try to rebuild my current engine. Another factor is money, I am doing this through insurance and the engine will be appraised this Tues, so I am not exactly sure about the amount I will recieve from the Insurance company. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
I hope all of you get to see a newer ( 01 up) engine when its taken apart! EVERYONE I have taken apart the main bearings are pitted and look like they have 100K miles on them. I see this with carrier bearings on 01 up rearends. Ford has changed something or suppliers because when compared to a 96 or even a 93 mark 8 their bearings look brand new!
Al, Modular performance, Us at Hensler would build an engine for you and you would very happy and faster than you were.
As far as tolerances go! How much tighter than .00134 can you go??? LMAO!
with a 99 you get some new parts and some old. We have had 99's with 1 piece cam gears and some 2 piece. I cant remember how the bearings looked so I wont commit on them. The reason I say 01 up is because thats what we see the most often. I have had several in here with less than 10k mikes on them. We had a 02 gt and the motor had extremely good power Na for a stocker and the customer wanted a ported head and cam swap done. The cylender walls on that motor looked like crap and I showed the customer. This motor is still running great and I think the car has been in the 11's at full weight. Just some stories!
We pulled my stock 99 Cobra motor this past winter when it had ~74k miles on it. Lots of highway miles, lots of city miles, probably over 150 1/4 mile passes, a few missed shift leading to 8000 rpm over-revs, and one 3rd gear to 2nd gear powershift (oops), letting the motor go who-knows how high.
I always used synthetic oil (Mobil 1 5@30), and never let it or the filter go beyond 5000 miles (much sooner during racing season).
After we pulled the motor, we turned it over, took the pan off, removed a couple of rod and main caps, and looked at the bearings. You could tell they were used, but they looked awesome for the mileage. No issues at all.