[jamesdh]

Hi,
I've been putting off building a hot rod for a few years. Lately the bug is getting to be almost an obsession.
My thoughts are a mustang setup more for handling with some serious HP but something that looks mostly stock.
I have not been that deep in Mustangs so really don't know what would be a good base car.
(I've been a Porsche tech since 1987 so am capable of doing a lot of the work myself)

If you were going to build a handling car with 500+ HP what base car would you start with?
(I would like to keep the base car below $10K as I'll be doing everything with cash)

Thanks
JamesDH[/code]

[mdvaldosta]

I'd go with an 89 - 95 GT, depending on which bodystyle you prefer. You should find yourself around $4-6K for something like that in decent condition. From there, add a blower or turbo for $3-4k and you still have some left over. That should put you around 400hp pretty easily... the next step would be forging the engine and upping the boost... fairly easy to get 600hp or more after that.

[matrixpuba]

87-93 notch. 351 with a turbo would make a nice sleeper.

[jamesdh]

I was thinking more of spending $10K on the car then spending another $8K on mods.
I'm leaning towards getting a late 90's Cobra as I prefer the later body style and am thinking the Cobra would have some nice parts already. (suspension, brakes etc..)
I know just enough to be dangerous and have a lot of questions.


I'm thinking a KB blower would be a good way to go.
What about the engine internals? Are the Cobra parts forged?
Would CNC porting benefit the 4V head in a blower setup?
Would cams help?
Will the stock injection system handle that amount of power?
What about the IRS? Can it take 500HP? What years had it?

Would a Non-Cobra be just as economical?
I mean the intial price would be lower so more could be spent on mods.

A lot of questions I know.

[GT 849]

I think only the 03-04 cobras come with forged internals, everybody says 4v are a better platfrom to build on so I would go with the cobra.

[HMUSN]

1)I'm thinking a KB blower would be a good way to go.
it is a pefrect way to go but for 600 plus i would go with a whipple.

What about the engine internals? Are the Cobra parts forged?
yes they are
Would CNC porting benefit the 4V head in a blower setup?
always

Would cams help?
only if you get blower cams

Will the stock injection system handle that amount of power?
no you'll need to upgrade your fuel pump and your injectors

What about the IRS? Can it take 500HP? What years had it?
yes it can

Would a Non-Cobra be just as economical?
no 4v>2v
I mean the intial price would be lower so more could be spent on mods.
yes true but 4v's tend to be easily modded and make more horses with aftermarket parts.

[ChrisJ]

Only the 03/04 Cobra's came with forged Internals...

The 96 - 98 used the same powdered rods that the GT's did...So they ARE NOT forged...The 93-95 were not forged either as far as I know...They did not put a forged motor in the cobra till 03...

You should be able to find a 96-98 Cobra for around 10K...

A 93 you would be lucky to find stock for 10K...

A 94-95 Cobra you should be able to find built for under 10K...

IRS did not come into the Cobra;'s till 1999...So any 93-98 is going to be a solid axle...

Cams help in any application...Be it Naturally Aspirated, Nitrous, or Blower...If your cam is matched to your poweradder (or no poweradder) then you will notice SIZEABLE power increases...

CNC or a Hand port and polish would do the heads wonders...

A 4V is going to make more power out of the box and the mods are going to give it more power...But also you ahve to think that DOHC 4V parts are quite a bit more expensive then the SOHC 2V's...

With the KB you are going to want to buy a kit...I recommend www.modularpowerhouse.com
Tim makes a mongoose kit which has everything you need to make the KB work great...But you have to go to Georgia to have him install it though...

There is all kind of info about Cobra's and GT's all over this site...If you have a question just ask...

[jamesdh]

'03-04 Cobras are out of the 10K price range from what I can find in the local car mags (Houston, TX area) and Flea Bay.
What would be a "next best" solution?
Earlier Cobra? (4v heads that important?)
What about an 01-02?
Bite the bullit and go the extra 5 to 10K and get an 03-04?
That would mean waiting until the spring to do any mods. (Mo' money)

Get an older Cobra and build it with forged parts and while it's apart get the heads ported, install some 8:1's, blower cams etc...
That would spread the cost over a couple of months and allow more $$ to be spent on mods. (I work out of the country and am gone a lot)

Thanks
James

[sonicblue]

even if you couldnt mod the 03-04 right away its already really fast. doesnt take many mods to make that car even faster. wish i had just gone that route. its a great platform to work off of.