🔧 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:
3810_1134151203210_2003795_n.jpg


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

FESTER665

TCG Elite Member
TCG Premium
Apr 13, 2008
39,952
66,070
Streamwood
So it was probably a month or so ago I was so excited to be going in a new direction I brought it out and washed it up.....
IMG_8635.jpg


Pic of the IRS setup with the full slew of FTBR bushings and MM suspension pieces:
IMG_8609.jpg


After the 427 sold I ran down to Peoria to pick up a coyote motor, 2015 Gen 2 from a Mustang GT. The hard part was finding just a motor, everyone is selling them as complete pallets with 6R80's or MT82 manuals, neither of which I need so it took some searching but I eventually got the motor:
IMG_8673.jpg
 

FESTER665

TCG Elite Member
TCG Premium
Apr 13, 2008
39,952
66,070
Streamwood
Last weekend I made a move that I cant come back from.....
fender cut out.jpg


Going to need to get the rest of the parts stripped out of the engine bay next weekend, then I have to decide if I go nuts with some paint stripping discs and shit I have, or if I mask it all off and maybe have someoen come out and blast it so I can see all the metal? Im not sure how much something like that will cost?

How did you handle all that cap42 cap42 ???
 
  • Like
Reactions: greasy

FESTER665

TCG Elite Member
TCG Premium
Apr 13, 2008
39,952
66,070
Streamwood
So I got the new to me motor out of the work truck, stripped some of the parts off it:
IMG_8869.jpg


Got it up onto the engine stand to continue the work:
IMG_8922.jpg


Started cleaning the motor with Simple Green Aluminum Aviation cleaner and nylon bristle brushes in the drill and its just taking FOREVER. Lower left corner of the block took almost 2 hours.:
IMG_8925.jpg



Definitely going to have to think of another way to clean it all up and make it pretty. Someone mentioned walnut blasting it in the other thread, so I may look to something from Harbor Freight maybe and give it a cheap attempt.
 

cap42

Restoration Hell
Mar 22, 2005
2,763
2,429
Bolingbrook IL
Last weekend I made a move that I cant come back from.....
View attachment 60991

Going to need to get the rest of the parts stripped out of the engine bay next weekend, then I have to decide if I go nuts with some paint stripping discs and shit I have, or if I mask it all off and maybe have someoen come out and blast it so I can see all the metal? Im not sure how much something like that will cost?

How did you handle all that cap42 cap42 ???

If your car isn't a rusty turd like mine, just sand what areas your going to weld so there is no contamination. I would assume with such a beautiful car you will be blocking the engine bay and using mud to fill in the imperfections. If that is the case just scuff whatever paint is left as it will be leveled later during the bodywork/paint phase.
 
  • Like
Reactions: FESTER665

FESTER665

TCG Elite Member
TCG Premium
Apr 13, 2008
39,952
66,070
Streamwood
Degrease it, scuff it up and shoot some paint on it. Those stains in the aluminum aren't going to come out.

Everything Ive been reading is to not paint an aluminum block because it slows the heat transfer capabilities? :dunno:

I think Ill try to blast it with some walnut media, see if that makes a dent. If not maybe I'll look into painting or just saying fuck it and dealing with it.
 

FESTER665

TCG Elite Member
TCG Premium
Apr 13, 2008
39,952
66,070
Streamwood
Over the weekend, I took some time to get the new Boundary parts I got from Mook Mook and TCG direct and got them installed, and got the timing chains timed correctly.

Everything pulled off the front of the engine:
IMG_9001.jpg


New Boundary blueprinted oil pump with billet gears installed:
IMG_9003.jpg


New billet crank sprocket installed:
IMG_9006.jpg


Everything back together after timing the chains:
IMG_9007.jpg



Who are our resident coyote members? Trying to decide if theres anything else I should be changing on here while everything is out.

I have a new timing cover that I'm modifying for the PBH setup, and I have a new oil pan and pickup tube on the way (old one was dented a little and I figure it is $100 worth of insurance), and I have a new rear main seal coming as well since it's opened up I figure I should change that too.
 

FESTER665

TCG Elite Member
TCG Premium
Apr 13, 2008
39,952
66,070
Streamwood
So one of the worst things about my car, was whoever owned it before I did (I bought it in 1997) had subframe connectors installed, and they never were protected and they look like a blind man welded the fucking things in.....
1592853105154.png


So I grabbed a set of MM full length connectors to have put in their place after having them cut out.... I cleaned them up and coated them with Chassis Black from Eastwood to protect them before they go in:
1592853182227.png


Now the question is since Detroit Speed just came out with their new Fox Body subframe connectors that also will replace the torque box, that maybe I will go this route instead....
1592853267179.png


The only catch with them is they are through the floor models and I definitely think a chassis shop should handle something like this? :dunno:
 

greasy

TCG Elite Member
TCG Premium
Jun 25, 2007
36,909
28,931
So one of the worst things about my car, was whoever owned it before I did (I bought it in 1997) had subframe connectors installed, and they never were protected and they look like a blind man welded the fucking things in.....
View attachment 61025

So I grabbed a set of MM full length connectors to have put in their place after having them cut out.... I cleaned them up and coated them with Chassis Black from Eastwood to protect them before they go in:
View attachment 61026

Now the question is since Detroit Speed just came out with their new Fox Body subframe connectors that also will replace the torque box, that maybe I will go this route instead....
View attachment 61027

The only catch with them is they are through the floor models and I definitely think a chassis shop should handle something like this? :dunno:

The previous welds look AWFUL!

I would be curious to know this as well, I would think so if the car is at all weakened when the existing floor is cutout.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: FESTER665

FESTER665

TCG Elite Member
TCG Premium
Apr 13, 2008
39,952
66,070
Streamwood
The previous welds look AWFUL!

I would be curious to know this as well, I would think so if the car is at all weakened when the existing floor is cutout.

Right? I havent welded in years and assume I would have better welds than that. I'm guessing the guy who had them put in likely went to some cheap ass muffler shop and had them welded in there.

I contacted Detroit Speed and they sent a few recommendations for places to have them done at, Im just thinking since the one they do the most work with is all the way up in Waukegan it would cost an arm and a leg just to have the car brought there let alone all the work to have it done.

Ill likely message them just to get an idea of the cost though. That will determine if I just replace the old ones with the full length MM ones I have no or go all in on the through the floor ones.
 

Chet Donnelly

TCG Elite Member
TCG Premium
Aug 19, 2004
18,378
38,846
So one of the worst things about my car, was whoever owned it before I did (I bought it in 1997) had subframe connectors installed, and they never were protected and they look like a blind man welded the fucking things in.....
View attachment 61025

So I grabbed a set of MM full length connectors to have put in their place after having them cut out.... I cleaned them up and coated them with Chassis Black from Eastwood to protect them before they go in:
View attachment 61026

Now the question is since Detroit Speed just came out with their new Fox Body subframe connectors that also will replace the torque box, that maybe I will go this route instead....
View attachment 61027

The only catch with them is they are through the floor models and I definitely think a chassis shop should handle something like this? :dunno:
How did you remove the old ones?

Me and some buddies welded mine on in college and mine look almost as bad as yours! I just ordered some new ones to have professionally installed, but am curious on how to safely remove the old ones.
 

FESTER665

TCG Elite Member
TCG Premium
Apr 13, 2008
39,952
66,070
Streamwood
How did you remove the old ones?

Me and some buddies welded mine on in college and mine look almost as bad as yours! I just ordered some new ones to have professionally installed, but am curious on how to safely remove the old ones.

Theyre still welded in, I would leave that to the shop installing the new ones. I would assume just a grinder with a cutoff wheel and just make sure you dont dig into the original frame?

This is also part of the reason I really like the detroit speed ones, they will fit on the inside of the original frame and likely be much less affected by anything removed underneath I would assume.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Chet Donnelly

Thread Info