H0SS302

im in the market for a car to turn into the beast iv always wanted. termies are nice, but they are in the 20,000s and i feel a similar car can be built for WAY less.

im looking at either a 96-98 cobra or a 99 snake. so, do the rundown, pros cons of each and let me know. a good sn-95 snake goes for under 10k around here, and the new edge cobras are around 12-14k

i dont care about things like interior, exterior(i LOVE the sn95s tho they are way sexy) im looking for technical differences(block power limit, things like that)

the car will be used for general *** kicking purposes, im planning on a centri powered car, about 450-500hp.

bigmoose15

well, depends on which model you like better for looks. Motor cabability is about the same, 450-500 is pushing it, but 400 would be fine. I personally like the 99-04 model better myself. Another big difference between the two are the rear ends. The 96-98 are Solid axle, while the 99-04 are IRS.

if it were up to me i would go for the '01. here are the changes from 99 to 01.

While the 2001 Cobra shares almost all the same components of the 1999, some changes were made. The changes included:
[ul][*]The engine block was changed from the Teksid block to the Windsor Aluminum Plant or WAP block. The WAP block is regarded to be weaker than the previous Teksid block. Some 2001s received the Teksid, either from the factory or as a replacement motor[*]Newer revision cylinder heads.[*]Cobra-specific seats with a combination of leather and alcantara [suede-like microfiber] inserts - 1999 Cobras had normal Mustang seats.[*]A rear bumper that reads "COBRA", instead of "MUSTANG", as the 1999 Cobra had.[*]A rear badge on the trunklid was changed to say "SVT" instead of "SVT Cobra" as the 1999 Cobra had.[*]The wheels for the 1999 and 2001 are 17x8. The '99 & '01 were sold with silver powdercoated aluminum wheels. The 2001 had the option of polished wheels in the same style.[*]The T-45 transmission in the 1999 model was replaced by the 3650 in the 2001 model.[*]The IRS halfshafts and differential were changed from 28 splines in 1999 to 31 splines in 2001.[*]The spoiler was redesigned.[*]The CD player was upgraded to a 6 disc unit.[*]The center console and trim were redesigned.[*]The emergency brake was fitted with a 'boot' of leather to cover the hole in the console where it protrudes.[*]The headlights were changed from a chrome background to a black background. The newer headlights are sometimes referred a "smoked" or "tinted" but this only refers to the black background. The actual lenses are clear and identical to that of the 1999.[*]The color of the odometer digits was slightly changed, and the color of the instrument cluster lighting was slightly changed as well.[/ul]

H0SS302

wow thats all? nobody else has any insight

xxkazp3rxx

Yes, you're right. Other cars can be made faster then a Terminator without spending as much - but not the cars you're looking at.

The only way you're going to build a car (the right way) that can run with a Terminator for the same amt or less money then one is if you buy a roller, or get cheap parts and do everything yourself. To get over 450rwhp and do it safely you will need to build the motor (4-5k), Tranny (2k), clutch setup (1k), suspension (2k) and the power adder (5-10k) depending on what you're buying, plus the cost of the car. so if you buy a 97-98 Cobra for 10k you're looking at mid 20's (in the least) still and it's not going to be a daily car... You're better off just getting a V6 shell and building everything yourself anyway...

If you're going to want to get up to 450-500rwhp safely - you need to build the motor, or it's a ticking timebomb. You could also do something like built rear, plus bolt ons on a SN95 Cobra or Mach 1 and run low 12's.. Unless you want a dyno queen.


Bottom line: you have to pay to play - don't cheap out, or you'll be sorry.

H0SS302

who said i was cheaping out? it doesnt take a rocket scientist to add some forged pistons and rods... u can do that for under 1500... then a centri with bolt on bam im there. and it will be bno less reliable than any other car, and be pushing around 400... thats a termie for cheaper haha

limp1969

dude see the thread gt or cobra you are not building no wore out sn 95 motor into a termie bottom end for $1500 thats just the parts 22k for a car that has a bottom end installed in the car that can handle the power a termie can is cheap. Sell that want to be vert red gt and buy the real thing. Why does everyone on here want to save a nickel to have a car worth 10k less than they have in it

just like I told the other guys your dreaming!

Build your sn 95 for $30k then road race me in my $22k termie. Sell it one year later and lets see who wins and who looses the most $$

you to the tune of $20k

H0SS302

ill bet u a million dollars u can beat the hell out of a termie for =/less money. they are not THAT amazing in stock form... and i like how u say "road race" whats the matter afraid you will snap your irs in the 1/4?

yes the termies can be upgraded to a tremendous level stock... but i could ad a blower on my vert and spank a stock one for... 4gs

and stay on topic, i dont care to hear ney sayers opinions. either answer the question or GTFO

xxkazp3rxx

Hoss - if you think you're going to build a superior car to the Termintor for cheaper then the Terminator by buying a 8-10k car you're on drugs. A fully built motor when all is said and done is around 3-5k depending on what you put into it. You really think the T45 tranny is going to hold up under that much stress? How about the stock 8.8? Or the clutch? You're nuts man. I will stop posting on your thread, because idiots don't deserve help.

I mean yeah, you can build a car that has the horsepower for a low 12 cheaper then the Terminator, but you're not going to run it.. and if you do - you're going to screw yourself in the end once things start breaking... one at a time.

Yes, you're trying to build a race car the cheap way... And ask anyone that's tried to do it - it never works out.

jlg32281

I agree and disagree with kazp3r. I agree you will need to upgrade other things than your engine to handle a power increase in a non-termie cobra. Especially the tranny, the T-45 can't handle the power of a stock cobra much less a built one. Now where I do disagree is the price it can be done for. I think you can have the power to run circles around a stock termie for under 10k if you do most of the work yourself. All you needis pistons, rods, and ARP hardware, you can reuse the stock crank.MMR sells a rotating assemble for under2k and the machine work shouldn't be more than1kincluding a head job. That leaves you 7k to build a turbo system or supercharge it.You can make your own turbosetup for under 4k or go with a kit for around 5-6k. If you goSC, even cheaper. Andeven cheaper if you buyused parts. The tranny and clutch can be done for around 2k if you buy used parts, and high mileage cobras go for around 5k here and sometimes lower if it's really high mileage, but mileage doesn't really matter if you're just going to yank out the engine and tranny. A good differential is cheap, you can stick an Auburn, Eaton, etc, for under $500 and those will handle almost anything you throw at it. If you stay with a solid axle, suspension upgrades are cheap as well starting around $500. I say buy what you like. You'll learn a lot about it building it. Now this recipe is for performance only, you will not be able to match the fit and finish of a termie for the same price. Termies are just built better and are more comfortable. But for speed, you can beat them for the money.

chevyman95

yeah if I had the money I would just buy a terminator and be done with it.