99-01 Mustang Cobra

Anyone have one? Daily driverable? I like the price/power/IRS factor. Just kicking tires a bit.

It it was priced nicely, that would be my preferred non-5.0 liter (new or old) V8 mustang.

The 99-01 IRS is a little weaker than the 03-04 from what I know.

Hotness

My neighbor has the Terminator. It's absurdly fast. The clutch is pretty damned heavy and the driving position feels pretty awkward to me.

^That's a Terminator though, right? Not a 99-01?

I like them but the clutch is very heavy, to the point i wouldnt want one to daily drive. People say the adjustabke quadrants make them better, but even with one my buddies feels like E36 M3.

I like the hell out of them, but my first mods would be hydraulic clutch conversion (think you can do it with focus parts) and 4.10s.

I may be a big weenie, but i daily drove a t56 Z28 that had an 800ft lb capabale clutch for 4 years and it never bothered me.

rslifkin wrote: The 99-01 IRS is a little weaker than the 03-04 from what I know.

This is correct, but that's probably not a problem with the power levels they had in 99-01. Other than the IRS are there any mechanical differences with a GT from that era? They seem like a bargain compared to the 03-04 cobras, but it might still be cheaper to get a GT and a take out IRS from a Termie guy that only wants to go straight.

Wheel hop kills the IRS. I broke 2 differentials in my 99.

Mine also suffered from a cylinder head defect that was hard to track down. Shop thought it was the timing chain tensioner. Made a terrible ticking sound. I did some research after I sold it and found the head defect and found it had every symptom.

Mine was a convertible so it was really flexy.

Despite that, I loved that car. The noise the DOHC 4.6l made were glorious. I loved dropping the top and just cruising until nightfall.

z31maniac wrote: ^That's a Terminator though, right? Not a 99-01?

Yeah, but I think some of the stuff carries over, same driving position for instance.

I have a 97 cobra which is the same chassis, same motor less 15hp, and a solid rear instead of the IRS.

You would have to go pretty power crazy to risk the IRS. IIRC you will have spline failures in the diff before anything else. (think over 450hp and heavy drag use).

Expect about 20mpg with a premium requirement. You will have a 5 speed with that.

Autocross tires (street, not R) are getting to be a challenge, 275/40/17 is getting sparse, although you can go to 255/40/17 with a bit of speed change.

As far as daily driver-able, sure. You can easily do it. I did with mine for good while. Very tractable, power only really comes on over about 3k RPM and it revs out. Far more comfortable than my current daily (Miata). Factory seats are cozy, but only complaint would be for autocross you can be tossed around a good bit in them. Clutch is HEAVY, they are a cable clutch, not hydraulic. Being stuck in stop and go traffic ISNT fun. Great workout for the left leg though!

Back seat is really only useful for smaller children. I (little over 6') have to sit with my head canted in the back. Good in a pinch, but not all the time useful. Call it a "mother in law seat".

Engines have no major maintenance gotchas, timing chains last a loong time.

Unless you install an aftermarket dont brutally jam the shifter as you can bend shift forks. (but if you dont drive like an animal, dont worry about it).

If you drive with something heavy in the trunk that can thump around it can hit the fuel impact shutoff and disable your fuel pump. Its behind the drivers side taillight and you just push the red button on top. It takes a solid wack to disable it though.

The stock trac-loc LSD has a somewhat short life expectancy if you autocross it a bunch, but the clutch pack rebuild kit is like $70.

Springs, shocks, camber plates maybe a big front sway and its tons of fun.

Anything I havent covered? Would be happy to answer.

I'd try to find a 1999 as they should have the better engine block and you shouldn't have to worry about valve issues like some 2001's. Conversely, cross shop the Mach 1 mustangs as well, sure they retain a stick axle, but they are very competent drivers and deliver n/a Cobra power levels.

z31maniac wrote: ^That's a Terminator though, right? Not a 99-01?

Yeah my bad, I just searched for "1999 Cobra" and it came up.

Harvey wrote:

z31maniac wrote: ^That's a Terminator though, right? Not a 99-01?

Yeah, but I think some of the stuff carries over, same driving position for instance.

Its always been a either love it or hate it thing. I lothe the driving position in my friends 3rd and 4th gen camaros, and like the position in my mustang. The shifter has caught a few people out, I think they say its kinda truck-like with the way the arm is? the shifter is rather different than the miata, but I dont find it hateful.

Apexcarver wrote: I have a 97 cobra which is the same chassis, same motor less 15hp, and a solid rear instead of the IRS. You would have to go pretty power crazy to risk the IRS. IIRC you will have spline failures in the diff before anything else. (think over 450hp and heavy drag use). Expect about 20mpg with a premium requirement. You will have a 5 speed with that. Autocross tires (street, not R) are getting to be a challenge, 275/40/17 is getting sparse, although you can go to 255/40/17 with a bit of speed change. As far as daily driver-able, sure. You can easily do it. I did with mine for good while. Very tractable, power only really comes on over about 3k RPM and it revs out. Far more comfortable than my current daily (Miata). Factory seats are cozy, but only complaint would be for autocross you can be tossed around a good bit in them. Clutch is HEAVY, they are a cable clutch, not hydraulic. Being stuck in stop and go traffic ISNT fun. Great workout for the left leg though! Back seat is really only useful for smaller children. I (little over 6') have to sit with my head canted in the back. Good in a pinch, but not all the time useful. Call it a "mother in law seat". Engines have no major maintenance gotchas, timing chains last a loong time. Unless you install an aftermarket dont brutally jam the shifter as you can bend shift forks. (but if you dont drive like an animal, dont worry about it). If you drive with something heavy in the trunk that can thump around it can hit the fuel impact shutoff and disable your fuel pump. Its behind the drivers side taillight and you just push the red button on top. It takes a solid wack to disable it though. The stock trac-loc LSD has a somewhat short life expectancy if you autocross it a bunch, but the clutch pack rebuild kit is like $70. Springs, shocks, camber plates maybe a big front sway and its tons of fun. Anything I havent covered? Would be happy to answer.

Thanks and good to know on the older cars that they are so similar, I could probably find a nicer older example for less than a newer example. As long as two kid seats can fit in the back I could make one work. Did all older Cobras have the LSD?

WOW Really Paul? wrote: I'd try to find a 1999 as they should have the better engine block and you shouldn't have to worry about valve issues like some 2001's. Conversely, cross shop the Mach 1 mustangs as well, sure they retain a stick axle, but they are very competent drivers and deliver n/a Cobra power levels.

99's had a mild recall for not meeting power targets which were fixed for 2001, there was no 2000.

I really hadnt heard of 2001 valve problems?

the Mach1 is also the 4.6 4v, so it is pretty much the same motor with only small variances.

In reply to Storz:

Pretty much v8 = trac-loc LSD.

Remember that the "New Edge" (99-04) mustang was pretty much a sheet metal revamp of the SN-95 (94-98), which was a more in depth revamp of the Fox (79-93), which shares a chassis with a '78 Ford Fairmont.

The IRS cures some ills of the solid rear as they have poor geometry and lateral control. There are aftermarket fixes, from throw a panhard on it ($300ish) to full geometry revamp ($1300ish, steeda 5-link). I autocrossed mine without geometry changes for a long time before storing it and aside from a bit of tail-wag in slaloms it does pretty well.

One word of warning, there are some really awful parts out there for all mustangs.

Good is Maximum Motorsports, Griggs, Ford Motorsports

Bad is UPR, Granatelli, etc

Steeda has some hits and misses.

Choose wisely.

WOW Really Paul? wrote: I'd try to find a 1999 as they should have the better engine block and you shouldn't have to worry about valve issues like some 2001's. Conversely, cross shop the Mach 1 mustangs as well, sure they retain a stick axle, but they are very competent drivers and deliver n/a Cobra power levels.

Are the Bullitts comparable?

In reply to Storz:

Bullitt is a 4.6 2v engine, so it is more of an upbuilt GT with a better intake and a ton of trim pieces. Less power than the cobra/mach 1, also solid rear axle.

Apexcarver wrote: In reply to Storz: Bullitt is a 4.6 2v engine, so it is more of an upbuilt GT with a better intake and a ton of trim pieces. Less power than the cobra/mach 1, also solid rear axle.

Gotcha, thanks.

Apexcarver wrote:

WOW Really Paul? wrote: I'd try to find a 1999 as they should have the better engine block and you shouldn't have to worry about valve issues like some 2001's. Conversely, cross shop the Mach 1 mustangs as well, sure they retain a stick axle, but they are very competent drivers and deliver n/a Cobra power levels.

99's had a mild recall for not meeting power targets which were fixed for 2001, there was no 2000. I really hadnt heard of 2001 valve problems? the Mach1 is also the 4.6 4v, so it is pretty much the same motor with only small variances.

All '99s were recalled so they shouldn't be an issue, the '01(only cobra in '00 was the R) can have a head cooling issue that FUBAR's valves. The Mach is actually more of a hodgepodge of parts than it is close to the 99 & 01 SVT engine. Intech(lincoln) SUV cams, terminator heads, and a few other weird things allow it to actually make much more torque than the earlier SVT.

The Mach 1 is pretty sweet looking as well. I don't really autox anymore so that 9/10ths handling isn't as big of a deal to me as it used to be. I just want a sporty, fun street machine that can tote the kids around when needed. I still think I like the Cobra a bit more, but if a clean Mach 1 came along I would give it serious consideration.

Apexcarver wrote: In reply to Storz: Bullitt is a 4.6 2v engine, so it is more of an upbuilt GT with a better intake and a ton of trim pieces. Less power than the cobra/mach 1, also solid rear axle.

What he said, you do however get the cobra's 13" brakes with either the Bullitt or mach1

Here's a comprehensive list of differences between the 99 and 01 Cobras:

http://www.svtperformance.com/forums/showthread.php?312924-1999-2001-Cobra-Differences

The biggest difference I can see is the 99 got the 28 spline rear, whereas the 01 got the 31 spline rear.

The Bullitts were much improved over the regular GT's, with a cobra intake which improved power, 600f/250r springs to the GT's 450f/210r, Tokico shocks, different sway bars, subframe connectors, and the best seats ever put in a factory Mustang (well, till you get to the 2015 Recaros). There's more I can't remember. The down side is some of the outside trim pieces haven't been reproduced and are pretty much unobtainium. I've driven both, and the Bullitt is so much better in every way.

One thing I would suggest is whichever you go with, switch to the 03/04 Cobra front control arms for better geometry.

I always found the bulge to fit the shaker on the mach 1 a bit contrived, but can understand the attraction.

heres mine for your consideration