LaserSVT 2003 Cobra Progress thread

LaserSVT · Mar 31, 2009

SVT32VDOHC said:
140 for plates? Isn't that the whole CC plate? IF not, how much were those?

The whole plate is $200 + shipping. AM dosent have the 03/03 Cobra versions, only the GTs
It sux but I gave the dude permission to notch it so I cant complain. Just gotta bend over and grab my ankles and hope one day I at least get a reach around.

SVT32VDOHC · Mar 31, 2009

That sucks.

What exactly are you going for with your alignment? My 04 handles beautiful with stock cc/cc plates and cut stock coil springs. I wouldn't dare change a thing.

LaserSVT · Mar 31, 2009

SVT32VDOHC said:
That sucks.

What exactly are you going for with your alignment? My 04 handles beautiful with stock cc/cc plates and cut stock coil springs. I wouldn't dare change a thing.

Ok, here is how it works. When you lower a car the a-arm is higher in its swing so naturally you will have more negative camber (the upper part of wheel is in further then the bottom).
The stock setting is -.8* camber per side. With a lowered car you want it around -1.0* because it wont get much more negative on its travel since the travel is now shorter.
I cant get mine less then -4.2* negative which is WAY too much negative camber and would wear the inside of the tires very quickly.

Castor is how much tilt the strut has in relation to the front or rear of the car. More castor reduces wheelbase and negative increases your wheelbase. It should be 3.8* stock and I want mine at 3.5-3.6 to help with tracking. We cant move it lower then 4.8 so again that is way too much.

I can make the car track straight with no pull at all but the settings would cause the front tires to wear fast. The reason its off so much and cant be set correctly is because the K-member is tweaked and the passenger side a-arm is slightly angled because of that. You cant see it with your eye cause its so small but its there.

You should have your car aligned and I would bet your front camber is -1.4 to -1.8 because the stock plates dont have enough adjustment. What that will cause is your front tires to wear the inner edge quicker then the rest. -1.4 is great for a track car but a hair too much for a street car.

SVT32VDOHC · Mar 31, 2009

LaserSVT said:
Ok, here is how it works. When you lower a car the a-arm is higher in its swing so naturally you will have more negative camber (the upper part of wheel is in further then the bottom).
The stock setting is -.8* camber per side. With a lowered car you want it around -1.0* because it wont get much more negative on its travel since the travel is now shorter.
I cant get mine less then -4.2* negative which is WAY too much negative camber and would wear the inside of the tires very quickly.

Castor is how much tilt the strut has in relation to the front or rear of the car. More castor reduces wheelbase and negative increases your wheelbase. It should be 3.8* stock and I want mine at 3.5-3.6 to help with tracking. We cant move it lower then 4.8 so again that is way too much.

I can make the car track straight with no pull at all but the settings would cause the front tires to wear fast. The reason its off so much and cant be set correctly is because the K-member is tweaked and the passenger side a-arm is slightly angled because of that. You cant see it with your eye cause its so small but its there.

You should have your car aligned and I would bet your front camber is -1.4 to -1.8 because the stock plates dont have enough adjustment. What that will cause is your front tires to wear the inner edge quicker then the rest. -1.4 is great for a track car but a hair too much for a street car.

I understand it to a point. All I care about is that the car drives straight. When I go to my algnment shop, I just hand the the keys and tell them to call me. They ask if I want a print out, but I just tell them no. The tires on my 96 have worn well since I put them on in 2004. They are pretty even. My car was wrecked in the RH side too back in 2001.

QUESTION???....Why won't the body shop just replace your K-frame if you know it's bent. I'm sure insurance will pay.

tag4car · Mar 31, 2009

my guys are stangers, i know i'm getting good stuff done from them. Might be cause i hang out in the bay with them while it's happening lol.
Bill, do you have any price figures on what the current total after all repairs/ re-repairs are?

LaserSVT · Mar 31, 2009

SVT32VDOHC said:
QUESTION???....Why won't the body shop just replace your K-frame if you know it's bent. I'm sure insurance will pay.

The insurance company said to get the car aligned and see if it will hit specs first. Came back from the Ford dealer and he said it was done. Car pulled to the left and got worse fast. Brought the car back.
They send it to Ford again and it comes back with them saying its fine. I pick up the car and get the cracked hood so I bring it back.
Get the car back again and this time the Ford place gives up and tells me to bring it somewhere else. Fine, I do. I see with my own eyes that its of by a BUNCH. I report this to the body shop and he tells me that he last time the car sat there for three weeks when it was supposed to get a new spindle and he told me it was getting one that the insurance company said "no, go try and align it" So the spindle is prolly bent so in addition to the K-memeber the spindle needs replacment.
Body shop said I need to call the adjuster and reinforce that one dealer CANT do it, another WONT do it and they both agree something is tweaked. I have been saying it for months now too. So I called the adjuster and he has to see the car AGAIN at the dealer to inspect it

We are real close to totaling it out See next post.

tag4car said:
Bill, do you have any price figures on what the current total after all repairs/ re-repairs are?

$9989.26 so far. $3000 more and they will total it. Hope they do. I will buy it back and still fix it and pocket $15,000 Stock K-memeber is $1245, spindel is another $600 and labor is around $500 so its real close.
I will be getting an AJE tubular k-memeber and control arms though

Now on to other things. Here are some pictures of how they screwed up my brand new 3-day old CC plats

But I did get the gauge problem figured out. The gauge holder was too tight and squeezing on the gauge housing enough to mess up the screen. It was a high point of a lousy day.

mijo_latino · Mar 31, 2009

Hey laser!

This might be your problem with the plates... I don't have the Cobra ones so maybe im wrong but:

take a look at how you have the bearing plates. Im looking at the instructions(who does that?) and it looks like you have the plates in the negative orientation. the setting range are -2 1/2 deg to -1 3/8 deg for stock height and -3 1/4 deg to -1 5/8 deg for 2" lowered. Could it be that you need to switch them around?

Just trying to be helpful, what ya think?

SVT32VDOHC · Mar 31, 2009

Damn bro, that sucks. Those Mustang K-frames don't bend too easy. I have pulled some out of Mustangs that were hit HARD and they were fine. They are very hard to tell it they are bent too. They are the same from 96-04. I have used ones at work, and I also have some used good spindles. Let me know, I'll ship them down on a freight truck much cheaper than the dealer wants for new stuff. You don't want the car totalled man, it looks really good, sometimes **** just doesn't go easy.

LaserSVT · Mar 31, 2009

mijo_latino said:
Hey laser!

This might be your problem with the plates... I don't have the Cobra ones so maybe im wrong but:

take a look at how you have the bearing plates. Im looking at the instructions(who does that?) and it looks like you have the plates in the negative orientation. the setting range are -2 1/2 deg to -1 3/8 deg for stock height and -3 1/4 deg to -1 5/8 deg for 2" lowered. Could it be that you need to switch them around?

Just trying to be helpful, what ya think?

I had them the other way when I dropped the car off. When the tech notched them I guess he put them on the wrong sides 5 minutes after that picture I swapped them around noticing the same thing (real good eye by the way ) and while it does gain me almost 2* more camber its still not enough and there is the castor problem still too.
Also if you look at the nose of the car (in person) you can see the drivers side tire sticks out a bit more then the passenger side. I couldnt say exactly how much because the excessive negative camber makes it look worse then it is. It may only need a new spindel for all I know

tag4car · Apr 1, 2009

somehow i still can't visualize how the wreck actually happened...

LaserSVT · Apr 1, 2009

tag4car said:
somehow i still can't visualize how the wreck actually happened...

Like this:

JK. Car hit a 6" high curb at a 80* angle doing 30 mph with its front passenger wheel.

'13_ImpactBlue_GT · Apr 1, 2009

Have you tried imbimbing a case or 2 of your favorite alcoholic malt beverage to make your this experience a bit easier?

Everything will be ok Mr. Bill, you could perform an exorcisim to see if that helps.

5.0Droptop · Apr 1, 2009

It will never be OK....NEVER I SAY...................... NEVER!!!!!

LaserSVT · Apr 1, 2009

Toms_2003_Stang said:
Have you tried imbimbing a case or 2 of your favorite alcoholic malt beverage to make your this experience a bit easier?

Everything will be ok Mr. Bill, you could perform an exorcisim to see if that helps.

Your avatar worries me.

5.0Droptop said:
It will never be OK....NEVER I SAY...................... NEVER!!!!!

Your avatar excites me.

5.0Droptop · Apr 1, 2009

Thats nice Bill, Real nice.

LaserSVT · Apr 1, 2009

5.0Droptop said:
Thats nice Bill, Real nice.

How did you get out? Did Lynn leave the door open again? Get back in 5.0talk! Bad boy!
*smacks on nose with newspaper*

Dude, I hope you are wrong but fear you are right
The cars body pannels line up perfectly and everything opens and closes perfectly so I dont think the chasis is tweaked at all. Its eaither that spindle or the K-memeber and it will get fixed this time.

I know the car wont ever be the same though. The rad support and the headlight pannel used to have clear coat on it and now its only colored Also there is orange peel where the battery used to sit, it was perfect before.
Oh well

5.0Droptop · Apr 1, 2009

*tucks tail and bites bill on hand......grrrrrrrrrrr*

LaserSVT · Apr 1, 2009

Damnit, now I have teh aids

5.0Droptop · Apr 1, 2009

That would just coincide with your rash of bad luck.

LaserSVT · Apr 1, 2009

Now I have a rash!? Where?
*looks a balls*

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