94 Cobra, Best bolt ons? Bone stock car- Interior ? to

U

UrbanKnight

New Member
Feb 3, 2004
51
0
0
Daytona Beach, FL
#1
Guys I apologize if this is a repeat question, I am a total Mustang newbie. I was looking originally at a vette, and couldn;t resist the cheap, nice, cherry 1994 Rio Red Cobra wth 37k, one Female owner...
Car is bone arse stock, not a single mod ( ahh a clean canvas to start my work). Overall, I am happy with the car, but my question is this, I have searched, and found some answers, but I am not Mustang literate yet... I will get there though..please help me.

I love to tinker, but I like to drive even more. I am looking for the most noticeable/best bolt on mods for this car. Someday I am thinking of supercharging, but that is off until the wife and I quit fighting, so for now, what will I notice the most gain/benefit from?

Some things I saw, but not sure of order to purchase..

Pulleys- Not sure make/manufacture or size

Exhaust- I want something with a low, deep rumble, but not sound like a rediculous 4 mile away harley at WOT. Nice and mellow, but strong to let me know there is a v8 in there.. the stock is ok, just needs to be deeper and somewhat louder. SO who is the best...

Headers- Guess that ties to exhaust? Best brand?

X/H pipe? Which do I need if this is a good mod- I have to pass emmisions here.

Also- I want to replace the stereo ( Mach 460) with potentially a Flip up DVD type unit. Do I need special adapters and such?

The interior- The ashtray needs to go. Is there something else I can put there (cupholders would be nice) I thought I remembered something that used to drop in there.. By the same token, could I swap a newer style console in there and just replace it? The 03 has cupholders there, woudl it bolt in?

I guess that is it to start.

If you guys could post links or recommend some vendors to these products, I would appreciate it. I am not worried about cost if it is the best, but of course, that is generally determined by the wife if she catches wind of what I am doing..

Many thanks in advance.
If you by chance have a 94-95 5.0 FAQ, please point me to it..
UK
 

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#4
I'm no expert on mustangs, but thanks to this site i've learned a lot. So hear I go....

Read the FAQ at the top for sure.
ASP, March, and Mac make underdrive pullyes. But the cobra already has slightly underdriven pulleys. I'm not sure if aftermarket ones are better or not. As long as you get the pulleys for a 5.0, u should be fine tho. There aren't any "sizes" that I know of. They usually come as a set. And I believe they work with the stock belt too.

As for exhaust, there is always the classic flowmaster sound. I have a magnaflow cat-back. It is pretty deep, not too loud, but really sweet at WOT (wide open throttle). If you have emissions, u'll need an H or X-pipe with high-flow catalytic converters, NOT an offroad (O/R) H or X-pipe. H pipe will give a more classic mustang sound, and a lot of ppl prefer it with flowmasters because flows are chambered mufflers. An X pipe tends to be more popular for Magnaflows or other straight-thru mufflers. There's also Bassani, Dynomax, Mac, Borla, and many others. www.mustangexhaust.com (think that's the url) will help you with exhaust ???'s.

If you really want a good bang-for-buck, get new rear gears. You might as well rebuild the traction-lok rear end while ur at it. I'd say 3.73's for mostly street use, 4.10's if you go to the track a lot and don't drive as much on the highway.

Another way to get some hp is to make a cold-air-intake and slap a bigger air filter on. Search the forums for them. Lots of ppl here have made their own with PVC pipe.

Also u could port your intake manifold. tmoss has a great reputation for that, and it's not too expensive. Or just get a new one. Can't go wrong with an Edelbrock Performer for street/strip use - just about everyone on here has one.

I'm sure other ppl will fill in some more ideas and such. Good luck with the 'stang. You got the best color IMO.
 
#8
i will help ya out budd. but these are my opinions so nobody flame me. :rolleyes:
1. First mod you should do that car is 3.73. I swear its the best thing you can ever do. Set your timing to 14 too. You will be amazed.Its not to hard, go buy a timing light and play around...u said u liked to.

2. Dont get pullies, cobras come stock with them. Plus its a waist if you ever get a blower.

3. your exhaust...get mac headers. They are cheap and good quality. So is bbk. kooks are probably the best as well as hooker, but mac and bbk bolt right up with no mods. I put them in myself, its gay, but you get to brag and said you put them in yourself. Next, get a catted mac Hpipe. I say h pipe because they are badass sounding and make a mustang sound like it should. I personaly dont like the prochamber, it sounds like an xpipe. Umm magnaflow is probably the most popluar catback but i hate the tips on it. If i could do it, i would buy a mac catback, then weld in some spintech sportsman streets. (mac mufflers are really loud)
Lastley, the 94-95 cobras are really pretty sweet with a dyno tune so i hear. They are tuned down from the factory and for a couple hundred bucks ppl on this site have got them up to like 275 rrhp. not bad if u ask me. Just get a CUSTOM dyno tune. none of that mail order crap. I guess you dont really need to do this till you get ALL your mods, but you can have it reburnt when you get a blower or something major.

Im not an interior stereo guy so keep asking. hehe. but these 3 mods, plus the timing will really make your car sweet. goodluck
 
#9
If you are in California, you might not be able to get that H or X pipe. It's illegal to replace the catalityic converters before you reach 100,000 miles.

I have a BBK Xpipe and flowmaster mufflers. I'm not sure if the cat back is made by flowmaster, or custom, I have not looked at it lately. It's pretty loud and will scare small children. If it were a bit less loud I would'n change it.

If you want to add some real power that you can feel, you need new cylinder heads, a custom cam and a chip or tweecer. That can get you close to 300 rear wheel horsepower instead of the 220 or so stock. That is an investment of about $2,000. A supercharger or n2o can do the same thing, but superchargers are more expensive and you can run out of n2o.

If you want more than that, build up a new short block with appropriate parts for the power adder of your choice, or a nice stroker kit.

I'm partial to a stroker with heads, a custom cam and a tweecer. That combination is good for around 330 rear wheel horsepower if you build it right. With a little diet and some sticky tires, you will hang with '03 cobra's for a whole lot less cash.
 
#10
Thats kinda jumping the gun a bit...i personally think he should do the little things like gears/exhaust/tb/maf first.
But if you decide to do the h/c/i, Check out all the combos on the faq sheet. There is a guy killercanary who has a really popular combo. Get the AFR 185's, a FTI cam. and an edlebrock intake. An FTI cam is from a guy named ED curtis, check out flowtechinduction.com.
 
#12
94GTLaserRC said:
UrbanKnight:
<marquee>WELCOME TO STANGNET 94/95 FORUMS</marquee>

Good luck and hope you find what you need!
RC
Click to expand...

Thank you, and thanks to everyone thus far. Although I plan to potentially get more wild in the future, I am looking at strictly bolt on right now. I am in Pgh, PA. I have to find a dyno shop here, and I will have it custom dyno'd when I add the bolt ons, even the Ford dealership said to change the computer/dyno to make it scream.

As for headers- what is the difference in length (other than the obvious) I see shorty, equal and unequal- Is the difference the ease of install?

Yes I read the FAQ that you guys linked, but since I was mainly looking at bolt ons right now, the Cam/valves and such were a bit much.

Thanks guys.. And every future responder.

UK
 
#13
Well on my Cobra...

Pullies: Couldn't really feel it since they were already slightly underdriven
Aftercat: Couldn't feel the difference
O/R X: Nah, couldn't feel it
Headers: No noticable difference
3:73's: Much better but I'd say go 4:10 on a car that's gonna be kept mild
 
#14
Urban Knight. Welcome to the site. I'm new here as well, though not new to Mustangs at all.

Cobras have different pulleys than the GT, but still not the same as an aftermarket set per se. You would benefit from them just as if you had a GT (which is debatable power anyway). Plus, they're a cheap mod.

As far as your exhaust goes, I hope this helps:
Shorties (unequal) are tubular manifolds made to replace the factory manifolds as a true bolt-on replacement. The primary tubes are typically 1 5/8" and are free of the famous Ford kinks in the tubes, opening up the path for smoother exhaust flow. There may be a slight increase in power with these and the sound typically changes as well when used in conjunction with the rest of your aftermarket exhaust system.

Equal length Shorties are similar to the "unequal" shorties in that they will bolt up to the factory intermediate pipe. The primaries on this type are all equal in length, or tuned, providing equal scavenging of exhaust gases through each tube and for each cylinder. The power gain would be increased over non-equal headers but installation takes a bit longer and plug changes are increasingly difficult.

Long tube headers are a "true" header of full-length design. They will generate the most power with more modifications done to your engine, but require the use of an aftermarket intermediate pipe (H or X, catalytic convertors or off-road). Installation is also relatively more difficult than the former two designs.

While each mod might not make much power in and of itself, they work together to give a nice boost in numbers. A throttle body, MAF, exhaust system, pulleys, and minimum of 3.73 gears would make you very happy until you decide how far you are going to go with the car.
 
#15
Oh yes, an the newer center console with cup holders will bolt right into any 94+ Mustang.

As far as the stereo goes, call Crutchfield (www.crutchfield.com). Their prices aren't the greatest, so shop around for the head unit you want (www.etronics.com has some great prices on SOME stuff) and use their services to get you the right harnesses and such to make your install smooth and painless. They sent me a diagram and schematic for my year Mustang along with the harnesses.
 
#16
I'm relatively new to the site too, but I have a few ideas. Get an off road h-pipe, when doing the exhaust!! Sure when the sniffer test comes around (if you have it), you'll have to swap it for the original, but the sound, power increase, and even gas mileage increase (not that we think one sec. about gas mileage while buying a Stang) all make it really worth it... I got mine for just over $100, so its a great deal too. Pair that with some 2 chamber flowies, and you'll have one loud stang....but not too loud that you'll get pulled over.

Also, I would reccomend getting a short throw shifter. I went with the Steeda tri-axe. It really speeds up the shifting time, and also has bolt stops to protect from shifting too hard. It simple to upgrade and takes no skills or time whatsoever.

These are just two of my cheap and easy favs....i have a lot more of em.

O yeah BTW, can anybody tell me about dyno tuning a Cobra??? Is it true that they come very mild from the factory and can be tuned for a pretty nice gain?? (i would think so, with everything it comes with)

thanks and i hope this helps.
 
#17
Fordchip.com for you guys who dont know about dyno tunes.. :nice: . They travel all around the country specializing in mustangs. they just have shops in the cities that let them use their dyno and they can make your car sweet. just look on the site for the schedual of where they are going next.
 
#19
Don't "waste" your money on a new intake as the one you have now is pretty good. This is what I would do if I were in your position:
-3.73 or 4.10 gears and alum. driveshaft (it's cheap, might as well)
-Pro-5.0 shifter. It makes the car more fun to drive and makes your shifts more positive.
-Make your own CAI or buy a cheap one. I got mine at www.procarparts.com and it is a nice unit for only $50.00. I would have built my own but I can barely put Legos together so I thought I'd better not. Besides the cheapy is probably made in China at the same plant as the K&N's or MAC's!
-FRPP (Ford Racing Performance Parts) 65mm throttle body. Not really necessary yet.
-New mass air sensor. Might want to hold off though in case you get different injectors.

As for exhaust, take your pick. I personally have BBK longtube headers with the matching offroad H-pipe with Flowmasters. I think it sounds great. The problem was the longtubes were a mother to get in. I know Bassani has good stuff but it is a little pricer than the others. You get what you pay for though generally speaking.

Bump the timing and change out the plugs and wires and you should be good to go.
 
#20
Do your exhaust yes and gears are a good choice also. But whatever you do when you get headers make sure you get good gaskets. It will save you alot of messing around in the long run. I put the gaskets that came with the kit and they sealed for a while then I copper gaskets and couldn't get them to seal. So the I went with fel pro and there sealed and I have been driving it for a couple of months and nothing has happend.
 
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