For the diff cover brace, the IRS does not have to come out. You only have to take the cat-back off, which is just 2 bolts per side (Oh and use WD-40 for the rubber exhaust hangaers, it makes it a LOT easier to remove and reinstall), the lower shock bolts on both sides, and the IRS bolts on each side. The the IRS will just lower down so you can work on it.
The Nitto's should be just fine. I wouldn't buy the MT's until the Nitto's are gone.
New stuff is actually easier than the old stuff. Everything comes off much easier.
For the coolant, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND ONLY USING WHAT FORD PUT IN IT FROM THE FACTORY!!!!! I would go to Ford and buy some. I have a really easy way to flush the heat exchanger system so just PM me your phone number and I will walk you through it.
Just the catback is no big deal. The guy just had flowmaster muffs and Bassani tails put on in 2007, so it should come right off. WD40 FTW!!! I use that on all the rubber hangers and they slide right on and off. I can never get them without it. I plan on doing the Nitto's for sure. I would LOVE to buy replicas and 315's but I shouldn't do that. There is other stuff I want to buy first, and I just think spending the $700 (roughly) that that would cost me, would be silly right now. I'm gonna try the Nitto's like you are saying and go from there.
Yeah, new stuff is easier, because it actually comes apart! I just get weird about it sometimes, fearing something will happen that I can't fix.
I agree about the factory coolant. It's Fords gold stuff. I swear I've seen it at
Murrays. The jug said "FORD vehicles only". If they don't have it, I will go to the dealer for sure. I know Murrays has Ford Motorcraft oil that I couldn't find anywhere else when I had my leased 2004 F150 back in '04. I'll take you up on the PMing phone number deal. Thanks a lot. I'm on Stangnet all the time. I haven't seen you on much, until I stepped into 4.6L Talk. I'm gonna pop in here every now and then.
Crap, didnt know it took special coolant for the intercooler. I gotta call my shop and ask what they put inside. I thought these big cooler boxes we have could hold ice. Isnt that why they have that big ass cap?
Well, you might want to check and see what you have in your car. I read on the FAQ Terminator site that early 2003 Cobras had green coolant and then mid yearish, they swapped to the gold and then all 2004 Cobras had the "gold" coolant. If I were you, I would just put in there what came out. I know for a fact that people who have mixed green coolant with GM's Dexcool had problems later. The chemical reaction usually blew out there plastic tanks on the radiator.
(BTW...NEVER use GM's Dex-cool (orange coolant) GM has tons of problems with it. It says it's good for 5 year/150,000 miles. It's not. It eats away at their gasket materials. My sisters 2001 Monte Carlo which we have owned and maintained since new, needed intake gaskets at 11,000 miles, and again at 33,000 miles. The second time we did that job, the radiator was filled with gummy brown crap. We flushed the block, bought a new water pump, and new radiator and hoses and swapped it for standard green coolant. The car now has 58,000 miles on it and has never had a problem since.)