Is it possible for T&J to come through again???

Aaron 4.6 said:

Well, I'm looking forward to get my 98 Cobra back from T&J this weekend. I mentioned a while back that I was looking for some help, and I wound up in Alpharetta. The excuse I needed was that I had some rear-end noise and I figured I needed a set of bearings in the rear. I don't have the tools to set the pinion depth or a good enough press to remove the bearings. None of the local shops were interested in charging a reasonable rate (try $1200 estimate for a 3-4 hour job) so I looked to the west.

Well obviously a hi-performance shop won't be interested in taking on a simple rear-end rebuild... so maybe I should at least toss some gears in there? Of course, then I need to get the speedo adjusted... and they do have an in-shop dyno. Well, I can get it tuned up as while I'm at it. Of course, if I'm going to be without the car for that long... why not order up a LT header install? It added up pretty fast.

Anyways... I won't get the car back on Saturday but Tim gave me a sneak peek at the results.

298 rwhp/300 rwtq

Combination is... WMS CAI and 95mm Pro-M MAF, Steeda pulleys, BBK LTs, Dr. Gas X-pipe, and a good tune. That's it. Stock catback even. I figure before the trip to Atlanta when the car was using only the CAI, MAF, and pulleys that it should have been around 265-270 rwhp. If my estimate is right, then the headers and tune was worth a solid 30-35 rwhp.

I will update this thread when I get the car back to comment on the workmanship, but I'm pretty sure its going to be first rate based on my experience so far.

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toke said:

I'm sure a cat back would add a significant amount of power.

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Avenger said:

Wow !



In fact, it's well known a cat back will do nothing as far as performance goes.

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Aaron 4.6 said:

Car is back. Car sounds good. Car pulls like never before.

I like it.

Andy did a great job spinning wrenches and getting this thing back together. As expected, the rearend was FUBAR and all-new bearings really got things spinning freely. The pinion races were chewed from an improper setup (before I owned the car), and I'm surprised there was not more damage. Fresh components and 3.73s were just what the doctor ordered.

The longtubes? Awesome. Great sound with the Dr. Gas X. At idle or cruising, the stock mufflers keep it nice and quiet so the wife and I can have a conversation. Put some load on the motor and the headers start to make noise and fast!

I will say that I'm glad I paid to have this done. After surveying as many bolts/studs as I could see (making sure everything was staying tight), I realized how difficult it would be to access some of these. The top bolt on the #4 cylinder looks impossible. Blocked by the headers from below, blocked by the valve covers/firewall from above. Andy earned every penny. I did find the top stud on #5 had backed out, and he headed straight for the wrenches to tighten it up (on a hot motor) before I left. It was also nice to see that Andy used as many factory studs as possible. Studs are always more reliable than bolts, and it looks like he used the bolts only when absolutely needed.

Add my voice to the chorus singing the praises of T&J, and thanks to Tim, Andy, Rhonda, and the rest of the crew at the shop. It was a pleasure to meet you and you've won my future business.

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Aaron 4.6 said:

I heard, since we talked about your car. Rhonda said that Tim was going to have you do the BAS install by yourself, but that you could only use a Swiss Army Knife and the directions that she sent you. That's a funny and good crew of people there.

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SmithAtlanta said:

I'm sure Tim appreciates your good comments. I've been a customer since day one and they continue to do great work.

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toke said:

I can see where it wouldn't add a significant amount on a n/a car but a broad statement like saying it will add "nothing"? What about the 99-01 cobras that had the power problem and were given the revised cat back, ecm reprogram, and intake modification? I know that's more than a cat back but those guys are getting gains of 25+ rwhp.

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CTGrey02 said:

Dude, 25+ HP is ricer math for a catback. Those are advertiser claims for cars that are rediculously built. A stock GT will see no more than 5 HP from a catback and I'd be surprised if they saw that. I bought mine to make it sound a little better. Did it add some power? Probably.. But I'm also supercharged.

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