Caspur1300

Hello fellow 4.6 owners,

I have some questions I searched the forums and couldn't find exactly what I was looking for so I figured I'd ask here. I have a 97 gt, I am seriously thinking of putting a cobra engine in and need as much info as possible. First, The biggest question I have, can I bolt the the cobra engine to my aod-e? I'm currently having my AOD-E rebuilt to handle 450 hp. Second, of the cobra engines which year engine should I put in? I was thinking an engine around my year but, are 03 cobra engines alot more work than this(I've read that I may need something from the steering colum of the cobra, the chip or something)? I already know I'm going to need the harness and ecu/pcm, what else would I need? Are there many options of upgrading the cobra engines, such as bolt on heads, intake, etc to upgrade it's performance or do they already have the best upgrades available? Really any information would be great. And if you have something to say about me doing the 2v to 4v swap PLEASE don't. If I had the money to buy a cobra I would have, just leave it at that. Thank you for any help mustangforums members

jrherald420

stick with a 96 -98 cobradohc. it will be an easyer swap.

Caspur1300

What are the power differences between 96 - 98 cobra engines and the 2003 without the supercharger? Are they the same or is the 03 still better?

jrherald420

im not an expert but the 96-98 dohc was rated at 305 hp and the 03-04 s/c dohc was alittle under rated at 390 hp but if you removed the s/c, the cams wouldent be right for a n/a applcation so you would have to swap cams. if that was done id say around 340ish hp with a good tune. but the price diffrence in a 03-04 cobra engine(5000.00 +with out the s/c)and a 96-98 cobra(1500.00-2000.00) you could buy a used low mileage96-98cobra engineand a s/cand more for the price of just the 03-04 cobra engine with lesstime to make it work.but the 03-04 engine is a better morecostly engine but you will not be dissapointed with it. if price is no issue go with a 03-04 engine.if it is an issue gowith the 96-98 cobra and supercharge it!!!

Caspur1300

The 96 - 98 is sounding better right now. The next thing is the aod-e, can I bolt this up to the 96 - 98 cobra engine? I read online that the only thing I will need is an eight bolt flex plate but, that's what I read not sure if it's true. Any insight. Thank you for the information.

jrherald420

well just look for an engine/auto tranny combo cobras came with a decent auto trans.

96GT226410

They were all manuals.

However, I've seen auto Cobras. I'm not sure what needs to be done to swap it, but the 4.6L DOHC engine is used in other RWD vehicles, such as some E-series vans. Google it and see what comes up... If it was me, I'd look for an engine/manual tranny combination. But since you have plans for your AOD, go for it. Good luck with the swap!

jrherald420

my bad.... like i said im not an expert

Ehmark

The engine swap is Easy but the engine will cost just under $4000for a good one. You will need to delete the IMRC's (check svt section)and you need to have the 8 bolt flywheel with a clutch you will also need the ecu or a custom tuneand last and certainly not least THE THROTTLE CABLE . The throttle cable has been discontinued and is a pain in the a$$ to find.

Caspur1300

Ehmark I see you got the swap in your 96 is it alot better than the original 2v? I'm trying to bolt the 4v to an AOD-e not to a manual and I really need help for this part of my future project. Thanks