Pullied/Chiped 03 Cobra or Built 94/95

Jman142 · Feb 15, 2004

Hey guys,
Havent been on here in a while, ive been over at the svtperf forums. Primarily because I defently thought I was going to get an 03. But now that I could only buy the 03 with no mod money left over, I was thinking if it would be better to buy a semi-built 94/95 and then dump 10-15 into it. I have about 26k. I was thinking of trying to fing a 94/95 with a nice rear end and fuel system in it already. Kinda like someone starting a project but never getting to the motor cause expensenses were way above what was orignally planned. So I could focus on using the 10-15k on the motor and tranny/ ignition system. Im looking to go big(331 with a turbo), and use a manual tranny(V1/2.0)! You think it could be done with 10-15k, with some stuff already done. Im a little rusty with my 5.0 knowledge and the growing aftermarket.Any help is greatly appreciated, or better yet if you know someone that is selling that type of car!

BTW: My friend is running his procharged 03 at the track today, stock clutch tranny irs and what not. The procharger kit and exhaust hes putting down 650+RWHP. I will give you guys results b4 most find out.

KingDiamond · Feb 15, 2004

I would get the 2003 Cobra. You will have a warranty on it, and you don't need that much mod money to make it faster. A pulley isn't that expensive. Plus you'll probably have better reliability with the 2003 Cobra than a built 94/95. With the 94/95 you'll have to swap in a stronger tranny and other parts will have to be replaced with stronger ones. The 2003 Cobra comes with parts that are already made to handle the 400 hp it produces.

Fast94Cobra · Feb 15, 2004

2003 cobra all the way. They seem to be the easiest car on the market to mod, no one has one making less than 440 rwhp or so. It only takes a few parts to get there too.

Jman142 · Feb 15, 2004

Well with the pulley the warantee is gone. Im looking at more then 500 HP, thats why im thinking about the 94/95. Because id need another 3/4 grand if I wanted to step up to 600-650 RWHP in the 03.

Jman142 · Feb 15, 2004

Sorry if I made this unclear. Im thinking along the lines of RBlock, V2.0, 331 with a turbo, Built 8.8....650+ RWHP
No fooling around this time
Course if I had the money id twin turbo the 03 Cobra and be the test mule for that kit. But Induction Concetps kit is like 8 grand+

randomjoker · Feb 15, 2004

Uhh what part of CT do you live in? Well I'm trying to decide wether thats a good idea or what because that 03' Cobra will get stolen the first night you get it.

Jman142 · Feb 15, 2004

haha I doubt it. Im not close to the northern end of hartford or anything, you live in oklahoma, wow thats a haul just to steal a POS ford.

Numbles · Feb 15, 2004

Hel, if your gonna do a stroker, why not do a 351 to start out with and then add a turbo. It would faster then any of us could imagine. (Just a thought)

Joes95GT · Feb 15, 2004

A stroker 351 can make some serious power, but that is when you run into $$$ problems. Race heads for a 351 are very expensive, and it only gets more expensive when you go to mod the engine. Actually, if you are looking for less than 800 horsepower, that can be found in a built 306 or 308. If you get an all forged bottom end, and have a motor that can rev to 7000 or 8000 RPM, 700 horsepower is very achieveable. It's all in the combination of parts and the tune. The tune is key to making the car reach it's true potential. You would need to upgrade to either a built C4 or a G-Force T5. The automatic in your case would be most ideal because the G-Force utilizes straight cut gears in high horsepower situations which are not meant to be used on a car driven on the street.

I however, would choose the Cobra. The DOHC motor with forced induction is showing the potential of the DOHC 4.6 platform. The modular engine design is the wave of the future, and I do think that within the next 10 years, the modular aftermarket is going to get HUGE.

Don't you have anything else to dump 25k into besides a car? I love my car just as much as the next guy, but for a car that I bought for $7500, it's not worth one lump sum of 25k no matter which way I split it.

Joe

NEEDA5.0 · Feb 15, 2004

Go with the 03 Cobra. If you add the pulley and something goes wrong take it off, put the stock one on and take it back to Ford with the "I have no clue what happened" story.

95GTS · Feb 15, 2004

I went from what I think was a well modified 95 GTS to an 03 Cobra. My 95 had your basic h/c/i (Cobra/GT-40Y) with a Powerdyne XB-1 pushing 11-13lbs of boost. I had some major tuning issues with the car which was one of the reasons I sold it but the new owner apparently fixed it and dynoed 470rwhp with it. With better heads or a good port/polish job, better tune, I think even more power will be available to him.

The Cobra however was the overall better car. The 95's engine probably was on borrowed life while the Cobra comes with the forged internals, 6-speed, gears, etc. The supercharger isn't the greatest but it goes well with the package. My mods are in my sig, were just under $1500 (most of that was the expensive Steeda exhaust) and I've got mid 400rwhp, without a custom chip. I'm happy with the current power and have no plans to swap out the supercharger. The best part is the Cobra starts, idles and drives the same everyday with no issues. My 95, though at times could be great, gave me tuning fits that just drove me crazy. The only downside is the new car payment. Of course it costs money for any mods or projects so regardless you have to pay to play.

Ryan Paterick · Feb 15, 2004

95GTS said:
My 95, though at times could be great, gave me tuning fits that just drove me crazy.

Exactly!

If you could do the air intake/chip&pulley/full exhaust on the 03', I would think that it would be good to go?

Now, will Ford void the warranty on the engine if something goes wrong with that extra modifications?

95GTS · Feb 15, 2004

punestang said:
Exactly!

If you could do the air intake/chip&pulley/full exhaust on the 03', I would think that it would be good to go?

Now, will Ford void the warranty on the engine if something goes wrong with that extra modifications?

I've done the air intake, pulley and exhaust on the Cobra. The car drives and idles great. Not one tuning issue. I didn't go for a chip but used the Afterburner Electronic Fuel Pressure Controller to fine tune my air-fuel to keep it safe under the extra boost offered by my pulley.

I pretty much gaurantee Ford will void the warranty for the pulley mod and any any mod done to the computer. I would never take the car to Ford unless I absolutely had to and then I would swap the stock pulley back on. The Afterburner is connected to wires leading to the ECU so they are somewhat hidden.

yellow1995Cobra · Feb 15, 2004

Jman142 said:
Hey guys,
Havent been on here in a while, ive been over at the svtperf forums. Primarily because I defently thought I was going to get an 03. But now that I could only buy the 03 with no mod money left over, I was thinking if it would be better to buy a semi-built 94/95 and then dump 10-15 into it. I have about 26k. I was thinking of trying to fing a 94/95 with a nice rear end and fuel system in it already. Kinda like someone starting a project but never getting to the motor cause expensenses were way above what was orignally planned. So I could focus on using the 10-15k on the motor and tranny/ ignition system. Im looking to go big(331 with a turbo), and use a manual tranny(V1/2.0)! You think it could be done with 10-15k, with some stuff already done. Im a little rusty with my 5.0 knowledge and the growing aftermarket.Any help is greatly appreciated, or better yet if you know someone that is selling that type of car!

BTW: My friend is running his procharged 03 at the track today, stock clutch tranny irs and what not. The procharger kit and exhaust hes putting down 650+RWHP. I will give you guys results b4 most find out.

Sounds like your looking for a serious track car with all that power? Or do you just want an insane street car?

If street car is what you want, i would do the 03/04 cobra. 650 rwhp is a TON of power though. If it was me, i would shoot for 500 rwhp and just enjoy the car. Looks like you already have a nice 10 second car.

Then again, a turbo 331 would be fun. I still say 03 though. Theres nothing like a brand new car, and they look so damn good.

94whitesnake · Feb 16, 2004

While I'll be one of the first people to say "go for the 03!", it might be a question of what you want from your "toy" car. Kind of like a model car, more than half the fun is in building it. If you like to tinker, polish, and tune, then get an older car (but that also means many days in the shop or up on jackstands). If you want a car that will be relatively (maybe completely) hassle free, get the new one.

I think a stroked 351 with a big*** turbo is the coolest thing on earth. But that's only when you have 30000 of disposible income. Sounds like you must choose between these two options. My opinion = the only way you should buy a 94-95 and dump that kind of money into it is if you can have BOTH the 03 and 94-95.

Fast94Cobra · Feb 16, 2004

i guess im confused, if you want a track car then obviously go with the sn95, if you want a street car then '03 all the way. Much more than 450-500 rwhp on a street car would really buy you that much anyway, except for replacing the tires very month. Track = 331 turbo, Street = reliable, fast cobra

Green 94 5.0 · Feb 16, 2004

NEEDA5.0 said:
Go with the 03 Cobra. If you add the pulley and something goes wrong take it off, put the stock one on and take it back to Ford with the "I have no clue what happened" story.

that doesnt work when the overboost codes are stored. with any engine failure, svt is sending out a tech to examine the car. go with the 03 if you want something fast and reliable. go with the 94/95 if you are in the mood to drop 3 times what the car is worth into it and still have driveability issues.

Jman142 · Feb 22, 2004

Thanks for all the input. Yes its a hard descision and I am still thinking about it. Bascially I want an insane street car. My 88 was quick but I didnt enjoy driving it on the street as much as I would of like to. Im leaning towards an 03 with a ported eaton have it around 500RWHP and call it a summer, but I know the first time I loose im gonna look into a N20 kit or another blower. haha guess you can never be satisfied!

Quick95GT · Feb 22, 2004

Jman142 said:
Sorry if I made this unclear. Im thinking along the lines of RBlock, V2.0, 331 with a turbo, Built 8.8....650+ RWHP
No fooling around this time
Course if I had the money id twin turbo the 03 Cobra and be the test mule for that kit. But Induction Concetps kit is like 8 grand+

i got a buddy who has an 03 cobra making around 750 hp detuned from the x2c turbo kit. hes looking to be making along the lines of 850hp to a thousand.

Pullied/Chiped 03 Cobra or Built 94/95

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