Just bought a 98 Stang GT 5spd

Great choice of mustang.

Yes, you would give a 97 cobra a run but he would end up taking you. However, the difference (if the drivers are the same) is minimal. I dunno what they did wrong with those year 4v's but I had no trouble with them even when my stang was stock. a 01-03 cobra will spank you pretty good, though. You'll need alot more to keep up with them.

They boys here are right on the gears you have.

The Grinding into reverse is expected... Best thing to do is put it in 1st and then go into reverse, should get rid of it. I personally don't put too much faith in the t45. I rebuilt my t45 a year after i got mine. I'm a hard shifter, though, so maybe it's just me.

Your Car Cuts @ 6 grand becuase (like everyone else said) it, well, just doesn't get any better after 5500. In fact, for best performance you should shift below the redline. I used to shift my car @ 5-5500 b4 the headswap.

A great place to look for mustang parts are what people have already said and EBAY. I've gotten 90% of the parts on my stang from there... However, if you've never used ebay before keep in mind that people have been ripped off on there. Best thing to do is only to buy from people that have a high number of transactions (in the thousands). I've never been taken advantage of using this method.

What do you want out of your stang? If you give us a Horsepower, et, or "i wanna outrun ____" goal then we can give you a number of good formula's and price tag's that'll get you right there.

Congrats on the purchase!

Hit me up on AIM if you wanna know anything or chat fords

Congrads and welcome dude!

I would cruise these boards for lots of info. These folks (I don't think I've been around long enough to say WE) know a heck of a lot. Use the search function and you would be suprised what you can find.

I think it was in '99 when Ford came out with the Performance Improved (PI) heads. Factory rated hp increased from 215 to 260. Unlike the 5.0, there is a dearth of aftermarket heads. I think changing the heads will require a new intake also.

I would guess that the lighters are on a common fuse, so I would check 'em and find out.

I wouldn't be too concerned about the "tiny" grind to reverse. I don't know much about these spec. trannies, but most trannies have straight cut gears for reverse. Straight cut gears are stronger, but are a little harder to find w/o grinding, and they tend to whine. 'course I could be wrong.

There was quite a flame war re. Cold Air Intakes (CAI) a week or so ago. General consensus was that most were not worth their money from a performance stand point. Tight bends in the CAI right before the meter can cause problems.

These little engine's rods are 3.5" and made of powdered metal. Not like the 3" forged rods of the 5.0. So they are not as forgiving at high rpms. If I am not mistaken, the fuel shut-off revlimiter could lean things out and may be detrimental to her health. 'sides, the power is dropping at 6k anyway.

Folks here tend to love lower gears in the rear. 3.73 to 4.10 (Yes, 4.10!) are the most popular. If I were you I would not "fear the gear" as they say, and go with lower gears. I would also go with a Pro 5.0 or Steed Tri-Ax shifter, and put in subframe connectors. IMHO, it would be the best bang for the buck, might make the t-45 last a little longer, and tighten up your ride a little.

Hope this helps