2004 Cobra

[one]

Maybe you guys can answer this. I had heard that the new 2003 cobras were going to be on the LS frame and completely different looking then the body style that they are in 2002. I also heard a few months later that they were running so far behind(they being Ford design team) that they just made small changes to the 2002, ie supercharger and small body changes because they couldn't make the dead line to release then new cobra that they were talking about. I mean I am happy with the new cobra, happy with the fact that it is picking up the HP. But I was expecting to see something with a 5.4 and totally different body and the 6 speed. Not complaining glad ford findly said ok to running with the big boys on the HP numbers. But I could take my 98 cobra and put a vortec on it and be making more then the new cobras and still have spent alot less. Guess the question is, did you guys hear anything about there being a 5.4 liter motor in the cobras and them making major changes including moving to the LS frame with a 6 speed. If so when are they saying that will happen?


One

[0h n0 5.0]

hey man, i 'm not sure. but the 02 still use the ol 4.6, the '03 is been tweaked an tuned and is a supercharged factory issued street monster. it uses iron heads to better handle the 390 horses ft/lbs and has a host of dealer options an rolls on 18's stock. not a bad stump puller for under 50k.

the june issue of 5.0 mustang and fords has a guy with a 5.4 navigator engine in his cobra. it fit , but he had to custom build the upper an lower manifolds at 3k a piece an go with a bigger hood.
the big talk on the playground, is the nasty frickin re-design planned for '04. new platform, new motor, etc. supposed to be based on a variaton of the '02 thunderbird's DEWlite platfom. talks are goin on about goin back to a 5 litre cobra engine for the GT/cobra and but a slew f other things possible like a turbo charged inline 4 producin 215 stock.

[fiveohpatrol]

it uses iron heads to better handle the 390 horses ft/lbs and has a host of dealer options an rolls on 18's stock

No, it has aluminum heads, but a cast-iron BLOCK. It has forged pistons, forged crank, I believe H-beam rods and it has 17x9" wheels, NOT 18s

not a bad stump puller for under 50k

you mean under 40k?

[Unit 5302]

Personally, I'm not overly impressed with the new Cobra. It's soooo heavy. The cast iron block was completely unnecessary, and who in their right mind puts a cast alumium head/cast iron block combination together with a 390rwhp supercharged engine from the factory? All I can see is higher mileage head gasket malfunctions up the wazoo.

The engine makes a lot of power, there is no denying that. But it's super heavy. The IRS has been beefed up, and a 6spd is in it last I recall.

Still, it's a $35k base (at least) car. Weighing in at an F body dwarfing 3600lbs+. 400lbs more than a comparable GT, and 200lbs heavier than the last Cobra. You can really see how heavy the car is looking at trap speed. It barely manages to outgun a mild modded LS1 F body. 110-114mph depending on the tests of the preproduction models. If the real deal hits the streets with 450hp and traps 110mph you know with an aluminum block and some dieting it would have trapped 115, easy.

Last I checked, jmeiers was trapping about 114mph in his stock engined, bolt on Gen 1 4.6L Cobra. To argue how much cheaper a used Cobra is over a new one is a little difficult.

I've seen 2001 Cobras for $26,500 new before. Tack on $4k for the supercharger. Tack on some more bolt ons to make that S/C really work. Another grand easy with mods to the IRS. It's not a whole lot cheaper than the new Cobra, but it would kill a new Cobra in performance, everywhere.

Bottom line, it's out of my price range, and it's too heavy IMHO. I do love the new Mach 1 though.

[one]

Think that they went with the new cast iron block because of how fragile the bottom end was no the 96-02 4.6 cobras. I mean you can get away with the 450 hourse from super charging it but that thing runs such high rpms that it is in trouble as far as lasting for more then 30k miles. So the new stronger bottom end would be a fix for that. But still I am not that impress with it either. I mean if Ford is going to start putting supercharges on their cars they need to be beating the vets in the HP numbers. Crap the new zo6's are coming with 405 hp. I realize they are 15 grand more but there are no more firebirds/ camero's to compete with so the mustang's have to start looking at the next in line, vett's. Any way I am not saying it is not a great car. and I know you can't make everyone happy with what you do. But if they do come out with a cobra with a 5.4,6 speed and making 390-410 hp motor no power adders I am on it. That is kind of what I had been hearing the 03's were going to be since 2000. But I will wait for 04, hopfully that will be the year. If you look at ford history they don't seem to keep supercharges on their cars for very long once they put them on.

One

[0h n0 5.0]

Originally posted by fiveohpatrol


No, it has aluminum heads, but a cast-iron BLOCK. It has forged pistons, forged crank, I believe H-beam rods and it has 17x9" wheels, NOT 18s


you mean under 40k?

well, 40 for a convertible withall the frills thanx for the correction 5.0, i jus breezed the article an didn't remember detail for detail. i love the mustang, i want a cobra so much and i agree with everyone's comments. its nice to have intelligent conversations about cars. it jus kinda makes me sad that we're jus now reachin into a now defunct firebird territory(i say firebird jus cause the camaro jus looks cheap lookin, the firebird has some design) and it jus seems to me that the mustang has grown too large. the fox had it right, smaller = fast. thats why ya see 12's with a lil work on the '80 mustangs, the 94 redesign was slow goin at first. but the kinks seemed to be worked out by the 98, and that 4.6 helped a lot. but that redesigned 99-present body, with all the edges and bulges slows it down somehow, and the one thing the f-bodys had over the stang was sheer aerodynamics, that low slung look that cut through the air like a knife. I wish the ford designers would look at the componets of speed and go from there specifically making pony sleeker if we're gonna start takin zo6 and viper to town. hell whats the first major suspension upgrade for a stang? lower that pony. true its a lot more comfortable than the f-bodys, but it ain't built for aerodynamics: a key component of speed.

i can't wait to see the redesigned 04. its gonna be sweet.