🔧 BUILD FESTER665's 1993 Foxbody Cobra build - Coyote/Tremec incoming - 22 years in the making.

General Information

Of course as with most things, it's a slow build in progress. I will usually get comments ranging from "it looks great!" to "You're ruining that car!" but since you'll never make everyone happy, I just do what I want to do to it. :headbang:

Year: 1993
Make/Model: Mustang Cobra #235
Specs: Teal/Opal Gray leather
Numbers: 310 RWHP/308 RWTQ
1/4 mile time: 13.04 @ 104.6


I bought the car in 1998 with 24k miles on it. It now has 54k on it. It's a slow work of progress that I hope to have done in the next three years. I'm hoping I'll actually get to have it out this summer with the new motor in it, but it's depending on finances at this point.

Here's the car before I had any work done on it:
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Some people hate this, but it's been on so long I just leave it on:
bumper-1.gif


Put in white faced gauges and a 5" tach.... Debating going to a white faced tach, or changing the gauges back to black though..... Also ditched the horse on the dash and put a cobra there instead....
CobraInterior.jpg


Then I slowly made my way under the hood doing a few bolt-ons here and there.... My A/C compressor locked up so instead of replacing it I just moved the P/S to where it used to be.
Cobra4.jpg

Bob Kazamakis

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Things can be ground off.


Unless a car is 100% stock numbers matching, I wouldn't hesitate to mod things. As long as it's not being completely hacked up then just go with what's better/easier/stronger.


Looks good by the way. I noticed your first post says it'll be done in 3 years....no project is ever done :rofl:
 

FESTER665

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Nice Car! :bigthumb: Love the 93 cobra's my godfather had 2, one stock black on black and a red one that's built. Those 2 along with 10 other nice collector foxes that his kid now has after he passed away. I would love to find a minty Teal with black cloth or a Black on black cloth 93 Cobra! :fy:


If it were a teal black cloth car I would have kept it 100% bone stock for sure...

It would just suck having a car with 235 HP when minivans come with more power now. :bowrofl:
 

FESTER665

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Looks good by the way. I noticed your first post says it'll be done in 3 years....no project is ever done :rofl:

Yeah, had some family crap come up, then decided I could afford the house by myself and not need roommates, then need to actually do stuff around the house, etc...

Hoping everything comes together this winter and early spring so I can at least enjoy it for a year before I need to start saving for body work.
 

FESTER665

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Also this thing will be awesome once "done" :fy:

I'm surprised there isn't a kit to put that irs in a fox, or is there?

No kit is needed really, one of the bolt holes lines up from the factory. The second bolt hole that is needed, some people move the hole in the frame, some people modify the bracket to get it to work. The top left bolt in this picture lines up with the factory mount.
1306-cobra-irs-under-fox-body-mustang-irs-bracket.jpg



The hard part is the two bolt holes that go through the frame, you need to make a plate to slide into the frame rails and catch those....
1306-cobra-irs-under-fox-body-mustang-steel-plate.jpg


Once you get that mount bolted in, the thing slides right into place. The front of the cradle just bolts in where the lower control arm normally would.

The only other issue is the brake line which used to go across the straight axle, you now need to run it along the body instead. Then you need a few 1993 cobra specific parts to hook up the parking brake which luckily are already on my car. LOL
1306-cobra-irs-under-fox-body-mustang-brake-lines.jpg
 

FESTER665

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You can see where the hole misses from the stock mount to the IRS mount:
100_19801.jpg


Most people make a new hole in the frame for that point, this guy modified his bracket instead (which I like better)
100_19821.jpg


100_19901.jpg


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In any case though, you still need to make a plate to go into the frame for the lower two mounts. Some people originally tried just putting bolts all the way through the trunk but it squished the frame and twisted upon really hard cornering.

All the articles I read on doing the swap, many people just say they wish they would have welded them in place which would've been easier and end up actually being stronger.


This guy actually put the bolts on a plate and then used nuts on the outside to hold the bracket... Just another way to mount it I suppose?
100_19931.jpg


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100_20061.jpg
 

FESTER665

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Ah, a quick $660 blown at Summit... :bowrofl:

Just emailed Full Tilt Boogie Racing as well to talk to them about their suspension modifications for the IRS before I even drop it into the car. Not sure if there's anything special they would recommend doing because it's going into a fox body of if their full delrin kit would still be their recommendation..
 

FESTER665

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:fu: Photobucket!

Just got the car back, needs a good scrubbing this weekend and then I need to figure out if I start tossing the drivetrain in to try to get it running, or while it's still apart I start the body work....

88526e7463889a1dc3f6d5c43d158731.jpg


Full Maximum Motorsports Front suspension in, along with 03/04 Cobra rack...
030a44fcfffcb88c1d75cf581b7e06f8.jpg


Front brakes are now from a 2004 Cobra:
4bb07f41f012b826af4f674b932f1a63.jpg


Rear end is a full IRS setup from 2004 Cobra now.
003b5c74a7a08423b3b7bfbbfecb1cc9.jpg


Had the IRS fully done with FTBR bushings and upgraded rear cover. Also MM coilovers with Koni shocks,
2ccc584df7cb50375cb2c0f3e7f458c1.jpg
 

FESTER665

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Thanks! I'll try to get under it and get some IRS pictures this weekend when I'm scrubbing it down. Need to get a car cover for it so it doesn't get so dirty from sitting.

Going to spend a bunch of cash at Scott's Rod Fabricators on their panels to start smoothing out the engine bay. Was going to have a shop do that but think I want to get a welder and get welding again, I haven't done it in a few years.
 

FESTER665

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This thing needs to be on the road

I'll tell you the same thing I tell all my friends when they ask when it'll be done....

"Feel free to donate some money to speed along the process..." :bowrofl:

There's always stuff that needs to get done before something else, on top of this build spiraling out of control from the get go....

Like the subframe connectors that were on the car when I bought it are rusted really bad and likely not going to last much longer, so now I have to cut those out and weld new ones in....

Actually looking at the FIT system from Stifflers. Instead of just being subframe connectors, they also have a pinch weld support, and a webbing that ties them together...

FITSYSTEM.1.jpg


DSC03826.1.JPG
 

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