Terminator Questions...

Calidude · Mar 29, 2009

looked at an '03 Terminator ('vert) today. A few things caught me off-guard, that I wanted to check on.

1. Was the stock/factory terminator hood fiberglass???

The hood/fender alignment was really off & the hood paint was terrible.

2. Is the rear end "clunk" a common issue when shifting into reverse/1st?

3. Clutch was stiff, moreso than I expected, but sure didn't have much "feel" to it.

Is a decent car... had a CAI kit, Bassani cat-back, pulley kit, & SCT programmer. Would've preferred a completely stock car, but the price is right... probably $4k to $6k below Blue Book. Title & CarFax are clean, tho that's no guarantee. Had more door dings & scratches than I'd like. Rear bumper got smacked, leaving two small rub marks, but the paint was spider-webbed.

Ran good... definitely a hoot to drive, compared to a GT. The blower whine had me grinnin... Would be a good driver, but too many issues for a garage queen. Hood & bumper repaint would definitely be in order.

any thoughts???

Uncle Meat · Mar 29, 2009

Calidude said:
1. Was the stock/factory terminator hood fiberglass???

It's a composite material of some type.

Calidude said:
2. Is the rear end "clunk" a common issue when shifting into reverse/1st?

Yes. In fact just taking your foot off the gas while cruising will most often result in a clunk too. There is a LOT of slack in the stock 03/04 Cobra driveline.

Calidude said:
3. Clutch was stiff, moreso than I expected, but sure didn't have much "feel" to it.

Well even the stock clutch in an 03/04 is pretty stiff... Depending on how many miles are on the one you test drove it may need adjustment or replacement.

Calidude said:
Is a decent car... had a CAI kit, Bassani cat-back, pulley kit, & SCT programmer. Would've preferred a completely stock car, but the price is right... probably $4k to $6k below Blue Book. Title & CarFax are clean, tho that's no guarantee. Had more door dings & scratches than I'd like. Rear bumper got smacked, leaving two small rub marks, but the paint was spider-webbed.

Check for drivers side head tick, 80MPH vibe, and pulling to the right. 3 common problems with this model. Most all of this is listed in the 03/04 Cobra FAQ located as a "Sticky" at the top of the SVT Tech forum.

Calidude said:
Ran good... definitely a hoot to drive, compared to a GT. The blower whine had me grinnin... Would be a good driver, but too many issues for a garage queen. Hood & bumper repaint would definitely be in order.

any thoughts???

How many miles and how much are they asking?

U.M.

Calidude · Mar 29, 2009

has 32k miles... priced to move at $16k. Knew about the driver's side head tick... didn't notice it when idling in the garage with the hood up.

Had 20" Foose rims on it. Looked sharp, but not my first choice. 20s seemed a bit much, & definitely affected ride quality. But wheels could be changed. I see you can get the 10th anniversary rims for $180 each from Tire Rack. Drove fine... tho didn't get it out of the freeway, so never got above 4th gear. Wasn't familiar with the area & didn't want to get lost.

The 10th anniversary edition red inserts were ok, but again, not my first choice.

Ideally, would prefer a stock '04 in Redfire... which would probably run me mid $20s... which I find hard to justify at this point when you can get a leftover '08 GT for less than $20k.

It's a nice car, at a great price... & looks great from 10 feet... just don't know if I can get past all the paint issues... I tend to be pretty fussy, when it comes to condition.

Thanks for the info... will remember to check the FAQs FIRST next time...

SVT32VDOHC · Mar 31, 2009

My 04 has none of the problems in the FAQ's. Prolly cause is only has 6,100 miles.

The rear end clunk is from a bad rear diff bushing. They are rubber and over time, they crack. The hoods are fiberglass. The clutch is stiffer than the Ford Motorsport in my 96 Cobra and much stiffer than all the Centerforces I have had.

Uncle Meat · Mar 31, 2009

SVT32VDOHC said:
The rear end clunk is from a bad rear diff bushing. They are rubber and over time, they crack.

Mine clunked from day one even while brand new. I even replaced the 12MM IRS bolts with the 14MM ones and it still had a lot of slop in the drive train. It's just a poor design is all.

U.M.

fromadig91 · Apr 3, 2009

I'm with U.M. on this one, when I first got my cobra I thought the clunk was an issue, especially never having owned a stick before. However everything I have come across in forums says the clunk is normal and even a slight clunk when going into 2nd or 3rd is fairly common.

LaserSVT · Apr 23, 2009

Mine has the clunk too. I am gonna replace the diff bushings when I get it back to help it some but they all seem to have it.
Mine seems the worst if I am in 6th and not tuching the gas pedal at all then go to give it some gas. I hate that sound so freakin much but not too much I can do about it. Hell, with the car in gear and the parking brake set with the car in the air you can turn the driveshaft a few degrees by hand. Ford really dropped the ball there in the cars design.

EXTRPR50 · May 9, 2009

Question, would the clunk stop if the car got a solid rear transplant?

LaserSVT · May 9, 2009

EXTRPR50 said:
Question, would the clunk stop if the car got a solid rear transplant?

Prolly. Without the diff moving on the IRS sub frame you dont have that solid thunk felt through the floor

SVT32VDOHC · May 16, 2009

Uncle Meat said:
Mine clunked from day one even while brand new. I even replaced the 12MM IRS bolts with the 14MM ones and it still had a lot of slop in the drive train. It's just a poor design is all.

U.M.

That sucks. I wonder why some have the issue and some don't.

LaserSVT · May 16, 2009

SVT32VDOHC said:
That sucks. I wonder why some have the issue and some don't.

Mine is pretty bad but my diff bushings looked pretty shot when I saw them last. If I can just getthe damn car back I can install the bushings and hopefully get rid of alot of that damn noise.

jsk1020 · May 16, 2009

What years have the "clunk"

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