Mustang_KWT

Hey all,

Well I own a 2002 Trailbazer at the moment, I've done many mods to her like rims, lowering, custom exhaust and headers, chip and intake. With all these mods, I'm pushing 260whp. Soon as I dynoed my car, I was WELL pissed off!!! I've crashed her once, the chassis is kinda bet but still driveable...I've overhauled the suspension, overhauled the transmission, and soon I'm thinking I'm gonna have to overhaul the engine..so for that reason, I'm bored of it, and worried I'm gonna end up with another FAT reciept to pay. So I'm about to sell her soon. I've looked at a 2003 Manual Black Mustang GT. Looks good, and the price is reasonable and something I can afford.

Here's what I need some advice on. Since you guys own a 4.6L, what are your views on it?? How's stock performance?? HP/TQ?
How's the transmission, is the clutch strong, reliable, other parts??
Engine components, how much HP can you squeeze into them without anything dieing out on you, and are they inexpensive???
Suspension, what are the most commons mishaps on these cars?? The Blazer was the sway bar links. (cheap and easy to fix)
Is this car an easy car to mod??

I'm looking for a daily driver, but also something I can take to an empty mile long road. Sorry to ask sooo many questions, but i like to know what it is i'm spending my money on.

Anything you can offer would be appreciated greatly. Thanks in advance!!

Bader

stangman2354

I love my GT. I think they are very fast for the price of them. They have a huge aftermarket world very easy to find parts for. The stock hp rating is 260 at the flywheel and im pretty sure 300 ft/lb torque. Expensive to make faster though.

96mod289

I never regret buying my GT. I guess the olny problem is that there are so many artermarket parts you can put on to make your car haul @$$ you cant decide which ones to put on. on average the GT's can handle 400 hp safely but if you get a newer cobra(03-04)you can push 600hp.

Dan04COBRA

They can push well over 600hp and upwards of 850+ RWTQ.


Anyways, Mustang_LWT:

What do you have for a budget? If you are willing to spend over $20,000 - you can find yourself a low mileage used Mach 1 or if you are willing to go upwards of $24,000 you can get yourself a low mileage 03/04 Cobra. Since 'Tis The Season for cars to sit on lots for excessive amounts of time, now is the time to buy and save a couple bucks.

The 2v GT: Can be purchased for cheap, leaving room for extensive upgrades. FULL BOLT-ONS along with head work and cam swaps will get you slightly over the 300RWHP mark. Not worth your money unless you get a forged rotating assembly and plan to Supercharge/Turbo or Nitrous. Nitrous being the cheapest, but needs more attention than Turbo and Superchargers. The weak link is the 3650 transmission. Excessive throw out bearing issues and 1-2 grind issues, which is addressed by a TSB issued from Ford. Even with the replacements it does not increase the HP/TQ capabilities of this transmission. The stock 4.6 engine has a limit of about 450RWHP (which is pushing it).

The 4v Mach1/Cobra: Can be purchased for 4-5 grand more than a low mileage used 03/04 GT in most instances, sometimes only 2-3 grand more. The weak link is the 3650 transmission. The 03/04 Mach 1 has an aluminum block & heads, saves a little weight and is a complete redesign of the Cobra 4v from 96/01. The Mach 1 engine can see upwards of 470RWHP.

The 4v 03/04 Cobra: Can be purchased for $23-32,000 depending on mileage, options and color. All cars come with a T-56 transmission. Low and behold, the transmission is finally NOT the weaklink. The IRS is the weaklink for the weekend warrior at the drag strip. The IRS is difficult to get to hook up, all the wheel hop is extremely damaging to the rear. Kenny Brown offers a IRS kit to help cut down on the wheel hop and make it an acceptable setup for the track. The 03/04 Cobra internals are forged and can handle well over 600HP. The Cobra handles much better and ride quality is much better than the GT & Mach 1.

72MachOne99GT

ive answered a few others with the same questions you have.

it all depends on what you expect out of your car

if it is JUST a daily driver with the occasional fun trip down the road or in town street races,, then you'll be more than pleased with a GT with minor mods
i spent 9500 on my 99GT with under 50K and im running 13.6's for around 12K

if youre looking for some more power out of your car with more long term power goals, then you are MUCH MUCH better going with a 4V 4.6 from either the Mach 1 or 03-04 Cobra

but like i said, if you just want the car to look nice, sound nice, and have some ***** for the fun you run across on the weekend or what not, you'll be more than satisfied with a GT with some mods such as gears and exhaust....

good luck

axs377

I'd say go with the gt if you don't or can't put alot out of pocket at the moment. It can be upgraded with forged internals and run in the 600+ rwhp range with a sc, or even higher with a twin turbo setup. but with these upgrades you're looking at an additional 10k. Plus you'll need to upgrade brakes, transmission, clutch, etc. to safely run hp like that. The cobra on the other hand will need alot less invested in it to get those kind of numbers. In my OPINION if you are sc or going to tubro, go with the gt, you could have a running 700+rwhp car for $30,000 if you do alot of the labor yourself. On the other hand if your not going the FI route, or have the cash for the cobra definately cobra. I'd only drop the $$$ for the mach if you like it looks, as it does not perform much better than a gt. JMO

Crystal

All the others told you the technical stuff. Just drive it and then make your decision. LOL!!! I love my mother's.

Mustang_KWT

nice one guys, thanks for the info....toook a look at a few today and still trying to find a good trade in for my Trailblazer...im thinking of selling it privately then buying the stang...i will keep you guys informed and see what happens in the future...thanks again for the advice and info! hope it goes through