need help with 1998 cobra
 

I am thinking about buying a 98 or so cobra but for what I have noticed they come with a 4.6 dohc 32v motor..how good are those motors and are there alot of parts for them..but i want a 5.4 but the newer cobras are to much money cuz i already have a 2002 gt(going to be show car) and i don't want more payments and pay full coverage on another car...for the 98 bodystyle is it cheap to drop a 5.4 into it..if so i would just buy one without an engine..thanks for any help...ohh yea...i am looking to push about 500-600 to the wheels...

The 32v's are great motors. The newer Cobras have 32V motors too. They arent 5.4's. However, if you're looking to drop in a 5.4 then just get a V6 or something.

why don't you go check out my sticky in the 4.6 Modular tech section. It's dedicated to 5.4L swaps. We have at least one guy with a 5.4 in his 98.

You're welcome.

4.6 32v is a great motor. Slap those heads on a 5.4L block and it gets really interesting. Buy a car without a motor or a V6 and convert it from there.

thanks for all the help...forgot about the sticky...

If you buy it I guarantee you won't be dissapointed. :poke:

the 98 cobras ahave an aluminum block, so i would stick with that block if i was you, if not you couyld probably get a lot of money for it

a lot of money being a few hundred bucks. In any case, if you have a shot at one you can afford, I'd grab it and slap a 5.4L block under those heads. Gawd that would be a lot of fun.

Just get a Cobra add a couple of bolts on and youll be happy. If you plan on adding forced induction you will need to get new pistons and rods as thats the weak link on 4v cobras 96-02. Get a 98 GT and do a swap or a Cobra with bolts ons , later on you could SC the original motor.

keep in mind that i want 5-600 to the wheels...what would be the better bang for the buck...i read some of the sticky for the 5.4..i am just learning but it would seem that its hard to find 5.4...and to swap it for that matter

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HP = $$$$$ and if someone tells you otherwise then I have a bridge I want to sell you at a good price. There is no cheap way to make HP unless you are doing all the labor. Just make a list of parts youll need and start window shopping. Many have dreams of HP heaven but if you dont plan and realize what you financially and physically can do you are setting yourself for a let down. 600hp at the wheels requires alot of upgrading to components to avoid you breaking down. If you ask how I know its because I did the research and I am half way there.

Another thing. You have to ask yourself if you are REALLY going to like having a 600 hp car. Sure, its great to tell people, but what you dont realize is how much bullcrap you have to deal with when you go from say, a 450 hp car, to a 600+ hp car. They are completely different, and if you go hang out at Modular Powerhouse for a while, youll notice a trend. People will spend MONTHS building a 600+ hp car, and a month or two after its finished, they sell it because it turns out to be nothing but a hassle or problems/money pit. You pay to play in this sport, and you WILL pay when you start talking about high horsepower. I think the old rule is, take your budget, double it, and add 10 percent, and thats what you are going to really end up spending...


Oh, and Ill take a couple of those worthless 98 cobras myself.

hehe, yeah, go ahead, gank the engines right out of as many worthless Cobra's as u can. ;) That way in 15-20 years, even heavily moddified, my 4.6L Cobra will be worth a ton. :poke:

600hp is obscene. I've driven more 600hp mustangs than I care to discuss and they're all a beyotch to drive and even more of a beyotch to own. A 5.4 will make 600 easier than a 4.6 but not enough to make a difference in the price... in fact a 5.4 will be WAY more expensive to yank 600 out of since the parts are less common and more expensive. For a basic short-block swap though it's great.

5.4's are easy to find if you actually look for them. They're cheap to buy and not super expensive to integrate.

My car is way more rare than a 94-2004 Cobras and i really don't care that i slapped a 5.4 in it, even if it's not worth what NADA tells me. It's my toy and that's how i wanted to roll with it. Who else do you know that has a 5.4 Saleen?? not me. Who all do you know that has a 5.4 Cobra, besides Cobra R?? i don't either. Be different and play hard, do a 5.4 swap and slap cobra heads on it, you won't regret it.

PS. The untrained eye thinks that they see a 4.6 2v under my hood, it's what they don't know that gets their a$$ beat at the track.......

Saleen and I agree on this as you might be able to tell. Now Travis, tell them how hard the swap was. This ought to make em' trip.

The hardest part was getting the adapter plates, now that they are made, might be in stock, it's cake!!! Almost like pulling out your 4.6 and putting a little bit fatter 4.6 back in. Also i did it by myself with a cherry picker and jack stands, and it still wasn't hard. My wife and friends here can vouch for me.

its a good block for 600rwhp...that teksid aluminum is strong.

Forge that block out and you'll get pretty damn far. Im planning on taking my 1996 and Forging the whole thing out. It's a killer engine. If you wanna drop the cash, you can get that 600 easy. Forge the whole thing, and then put a nice turbo on there.

A 5.4L swap is nice, but expensive. I <3 my car and whats in it, so im pretty happy.

Now now Chris all you need is this and with this technology plus this thread imagine how fast it will go.

If you swap in a 5.4 you can use pretty much all of your 4.6 hardware, just need the intake adapter plates or when they come out with an intake for the 5.4. with my motor, intake adapter plates, and maybe a few things, your looking at under 2K to have a 5.4. mine costed alot more due to the tubular K memeber, all new parts and hoses under the hood, new tranny and such.

okay here we go....
5.4's are in the 2000 cobra r and the new shelby as far as mustangs go...
for a 32v 5.4 your cheapest route will be a navagator motor........
the block in a 96-98 are teskid blocks and are one of the strongest blocks ford produced. alot of 03-04 owners are switchin to these blocks to save weight.....
the heads on a 96-98 cobra are called the b-series head and flow the most air i know of for a small block.....
these heads love centerfugial (spelling?) superchargers....
to make it 600 plus hp you would have to for super charger (with out new heads)
a. replace rods and pistons with forged parts (crank is forged from factory)
b. Step up to a novi 2000 pushing around 18-22 lbs boost and intercooler
c. replace injectors to 42 lbs or over
d. remove imrcs to increase flow
e. replace cams with blower cams or regrinds
f. stainless steel or titanium valves
g. new vavle springs
h. throtle body up grade
i. plugs
and thats just the motor next is the tranny
tko 600....... might as well get an alum. fly wheel too as you will need a clutch and drive shaft (pref. alum also) and drive shaft loop
after that you won't hook at the track so you'll buy slicks or dr's but they probally won't help so you'll be redoing the rear suspenion completely.... new adj. uppers, lowers, springs, shocks.......
the next time to the track you'll hook..... then you won't have a rear end.... so
31 or 33 spline axles on list new gears say 3.73 to 4.30's and differental......
that is how to own a 600 hp mustang.....
or buy an 03
buy kb 2.2 up boost to 22
add 175 shot and your well over 600 horse
then repeat tranny down section......

NOTE: Don't use a spec stage 3 plus clutch or plan on that tranny lasting right around the same amount of passes as 3 15 lbs bottles of nitrous.....

i said besides cobra R, and of course the GT500. everything you mentioned is a great set up if you have that kind of money.

Even if you just get a cobra and mod the crap out of it you will have a fun car. I'm doing the 5.4 swap and i can't wait to have it finished.

Cost isn't really much more than building a forged 4.6l. You can have a forged 5.4 for the same price or maybe a little more, but that's more cubic inches too. The heads are the same and all the other stuff is the same. The only thing you will need to use the mustang intake instead of the truck version are the adapter plates for now.

so what i am reading and hopefully understanding right..i can buy the 5.4, drop right in my car..well the 98 when i get it..searching for one, also have a 2002 gt..which would be easier to do?....and all i'll need for the start is the intake adapter....and are we talking about the 32v 5.4...where i get lost at is about swapping heads and all that crap...if i put the 5.4 in the 2002gt i use the same heads from the 4.6 or does it have to be 4.6 dohc heads...thanks for everyones help....if its really that easy to put it in the car i am going to be findin a 5.4 real quick...

If you get a 5.4 2v without heads, you can put your 4.6 heads on it, the 5.4 2v and 4.6 2v heads are identical Pi heads.
You'll be able to swap over intake with the adapter plates, reuse your current alternator, ps steering, a/c, etc. you'll have to modifty your mid pipe since the 5.4 is wider.
Depends on which car you want to have a 5.4. a Cobra 5.4 would be sweet. Though having a 4.6 GT with a 5.4 2v and people thinking it's a 4.6 is great. Also the ones that have done a 5.4 or almost done doing there swap is here to answer all your questions with the 5.4 swap or you can readup on R3DN3CKS 5.4 thread.

four 4 vales the heads are way diff...... you tumble port, imrc.....the best na are the 99-01 and the mach 1 heads
and a top mount (screw type) will be 03-04 heads
and a turbo/centrifugal blower are the 96-98 minus the imrcs

so what does your 5.4 run ?

if you do the 5.4 swap and want to get rid of the heads pm me.....

my 5.4 doesn't run at all yet.. it's still being built with forged goodies and awaiting the port job on the heads to complete. When done it'll be a 10.75:1 motor with xe262AH cams and an aftermarket intake of one sort or another.

I'm hoping for 325hp/425tq and 6500rpm capabilities but that depends on too many factors out of my control to make any guarantees. PI heads are a dime a dozen anymore in unported form. You can get them on ebay for 2-300 bucks pretty regularly. I have a spare set of NPI heads which you can have ported if you want, they'll deliver lower compression for say a blower or turbo without having to go to a deeper dish piston. You can have my NPI heads for 100 bucks plus shipping from the west coast.

Naw was talking bout the 98 4v heads... need a set to do all the head work.... the 98 b series heads flow way more than pi heads......

B heads flow more than just about any other modular heads from what I can tell (in stock trim). Check the craigslist for San Francisco.. there's a guy with a 98 cobra motor for sale ... he was going to do a swap in a fox but ditched the car. I think he wants 950 for the motor.

I decided on 2V heads to keep things simple but 4V will make more hp by a fair amount all else being equal.