Another member asked me about the swap. I am going to post what I wrote to him here in case it can help anyone else, and someone actually does a search on something for a change before asking.
Here it is
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Hey ******,
First, about the leak. When I got mine (through ebay) one of the cv joint boots was torn badly. After much searching for a new one, I got a local axel shop to find a boot that fit (its actually from a chevy). The problem is Ford does not sell just the boot, nor does any auto parts store I found. It's too new.
Having said that Randy Stinchcomb (sp?) (a SN member) can get parts, so maybe he can get that too. Mine is still throwing grease. I think I may need to tighten the band more. It is a known problem with the IRSs. Some leak, and appearently a lot of the boots were damaged when the cars were strapped down for shipping. Ford of course only sells the complete half shaft for $385, no individual parts.
For the swap:
The IRS subframe is only held in by four bolts. After it is taken out there are two brackets that are bolted to the chassis that need to be removed from the Cobra. Your car already has threaded receptacles to accept the brackets.
Things you need to swap.
E-brake cables.
Brake lines. (I didn't get any with mine so I upgraded to stainless lines. I recommend it)
Anti-lock sensor cables.
Shocks.
Springs.
Cat-back.
Either the drive-shaft mounting flange from the diff, or the yoke one the end of the drive shaft. I did not get the drive shaft yoke with mine so I took the flange off my diff and put it on the new one.
Other stuff:
To take the e-brake cable off, I put a pair of vice-grips on the cable termination at the caliper and pulled like a mother. Installation is the same in reverse.
Putting the springs in the IRS is a total pain, and I don't have any great suggestions on how to make it easier. I used a spring compressor.
Take careful note of the postion of the end of the spring coil on the Cobra. I had to guess at the position.
Change the e-brake cables while both rear ends are out
Here is a tip that will save you hours when trying to remove the brake cables from the chasis.
The cables are held into a bracket that is welded to the body by spring loaded clips. I jacked with them for a long time before I found an easy way to do it.
Slip a 13mm ( I believe) box wrench over the end of the cable and it will compress the tabs so you can pull the cable right out.
Another gotcha:
You have a bump-stop mounted over your diff. Take it out and put it in the Cobra. He needs it to protect his body, and the IRS will not fit if it is in the way. (don't ask me how I know that
The Cobra has larger brakes on the rear. I already had the Cobra brakes on the front, so adding the big rears was just icing on the cake. I'm not sure how it would work if you put the Cobra brakes on the rear with the stock GT brakes on the front.
I think you could change over brackets and rotors an you would have an IRS with with small rotors, and he would have a solid axel with big brakes in the rear. The calipers are the same.
I'm not sure how your cars will work as far as struts and shocks go. The cobra has bilstiens and you don't. I went ahead and upgraded my struts to bilstiens.
Springs are another concern. Both of your spring sets were picked to work together. If you don't switch front springs, you may not have an ideal balance. I just went ahead and bought a set of HR race springs for a Cobra to put on my car.
It may sound like a big deal, but the swap was really easy. I am fairly new to the modding game, and I did it all myself on a Saturday, with a few finishing touches on Sunday.
Remember to have jacks under the axels at all times. The springs are storing a lot of energy, and you could get hurt or destroy something.
Let me know if you have more questions, I'm sure I left something out. I have some pics in case you forget where something goes. I am going to post this in tech too, in case it may help someone else.
Enjoy the sweet handling, it's like a different car.
Here it is
=======================================================================
Hey ******,
First, about the leak. When I got mine (through ebay) one of the cv joint boots was torn badly. After much searching for a new one, I got a local axel shop to find a boot that fit (its actually from a chevy). The problem is Ford does not sell just the boot, nor does any auto parts store I found. It's too new.
Having said that Randy Stinchcomb (sp?) (a SN member) can get parts, so maybe he can get that too. Mine is still throwing grease. I think I may need to tighten the band more. It is a known problem with the IRSs. Some leak, and appearently a lot of the boots were damaged when the cars were strapped down for shipping. Ford of course only sells the complete half shaft for $385, no individual parts.
For the swap:
The IRS subframe is only held in by four bolts. After it is taken out there are two brackets that are bolted to the chassis that need to be removed from the Cobra. Your car already has threaded receptacles to accept the brackets.
Things you need to swap.
E-brake cables.
Brake lines. (I didn't get any with mine so I upgraded to stainless lines. I recommend it)
Anti-lock sensor cables.
Shocks.
Springs.
Cat-back.
Either the drive-shaft mounting flange from the diff, or the yoke one the end of the drive shaft. I did not get the drive shaft yoke with mine so I took the flange off my diff and put it on the new one.
Other stuff:
To take the e-brake cable off, I put a pair of vice-grips on the cable termination at the caliper and pulled like a mother. Installation is the same in reverse.
Putting the springs in the IRS is a total pain, and I don't have any great suggestions on how to make it easier. I used a spring compressor.
Take careful note of the postion of the end of the spring coil on the Cobra. I had to guess at the position.
Change the e-brake cables while both rear ends are out
Here is a tip that will save you hours when trying to remove the brake cables from the chasis.
The cables are held into a bracket that is welded to the body by spring loaded clips. I jacked with them for a long time before I found an easy way to do it.
Slip a 13mm ( I believe) box wrench over the end of the cable and it will compress the tabs so you can pull the cable right out.
Another gotcha:
You have a bump-stop mounted over your diff. Take it out and put it in the Cobra. He needs it to protect his body, and the IRS will not fit if it is in the way. (don't ask me how I know that
The Cobra has larger brakes on the rear. I already had the Cobra brakes on the front, so adding the big rears was just icing on the cake. I'm not sure how it would work if you put the Cobra brakes on the rear with the stock GT brakes on the front.
I think you could change over brackets and rotors an you would have an IRS with with small rotors, and he would have a solid axel with big brakes in the rear. The calipers are the same.
I'm not sure how your cars will work as far as struts and shocks go. The cobra has bilstiens and you don't. I went ahead and upgraded my struts to bilstiens.
Springs are another concern. Both of your spring sets were picked to work together. If you don't switch front springs, you may not have an ideal balance. I just went ahead and bought a set of HR race springs for a Cobra to put on my car.
It may sound like a big deal, but the swap was really easy. I am fairly new to the modding game, and I did it all myself on a Saturday, with a few finishing touches on Sunday.
Remember to have jacks under the axels at all times. The springs are storing a lot of energy, and you could get hurt or destroy something.
Let me know if you have more questions, I'm sure I left something out. I have some pics in case you forget where something goes. I am going to post this in tech too, in case it may help someone else.
Enjoy the sweet handling, it's like a different car.