Hey folks! Let me start by saying I've been a huge Mustang fan since I was 17 years old. I started off with my brother's old '88 2.3 LX, but it did not last long at my first duty station. The cold in MindRot (a.k.a. Minot) North Dakota more or less put it out of commission. When my duty station changed to England, I bought a brand new '00 V6. She was a good looking car, but after awhile I got bored with it...no power! Well, I just got back from Iraq AND I'm going through a divorce, so what better time to upgrade?
I was holding out for an '03 Mach 1, but it was hard to find one within my acceptable price range. I turned to Ebay and found a modded '03 GT. I ended up winning the car for only $14000. Here's what I got - I have not added anything, this is all stuff the guy already had on it:
White 2003 Mustang GT - 8k miles
Cowled hood (not sure, looks like Cobra-R hood but not quite?)
Cobra-R Wing
Cobra front skirt
Cobra rear valance
Cobra tail lights
Cobra-R (chrome) wheels
Cobra markings (SVT and the little cobra symbol)
SLP Loudmouth Exhaust
4.10 gears
K&N air filter
Steeda Tri-Ax shifter w/Billet shifter knob
Billet pedals
Steeda caster/camber suspension
Steeda subframe
Steeda lowering kit (lowered approx 2 inches, might be a problem for new headers)
Everything else is stock. I'm looking for decent badges to replace the cobras and the SVT badge, but for now the cobra-marked rear valance can stay. I might have the cobra lettering filled in if it does not cost too much. I hate driving around with everyone thinking I'm driving a COBRA. I've had way too many folks ask me, "hey, is that a REAL Cobra-R?" Hardly looks like one at all! They zero in on the wing I guess. I was a little hesitant about the wing at first, but I think it actually looks pretty good.
My question is...now what? The guy I bought this thing from obviously loved Cobras but could not afford one (he himself got the stock '03 GT from a county auction). The car looks and runs fantastic, except that he never got around to reprogramming/adjusting the engine for the 4.10 gears - my speedometer is way off, which is irritating but not debilitating. I ordered a Diablo Predator - figured I might as well get a performance boost AND adjust the speedo. I don't know enough about cars to know exactly what should be done next, so I thought I'd throw it out to you guys and see what kind of advice you can give.
I'd like to see my car do well on the quarter-mile, but at the same time I'm probably going to use this car as a (more-or-less) daily driver during the summer. I'm back in North Dakota again (this time Grand Forks), so my car will be spending a lot of time in a heated garage during the winter.
Some folks have recommended getting new headers (staying with SLP parts) which would also likely require other parts, x-pipe or whatever. Steeda pulleys are a thought, too. Also trying to "guestimate" what HP I'm dishing out. 260 stock, plus, what 15 to 20 for the SLP? 3-5 for the K&N?
I'm trying to educate myself on all this stuff (i.e., what do good headers do for ya, x-pipe, etc), but it's going slowly. I'm in the military so my time for a lot of extra-curricular activities is limited. So...that's that. Any help? Also, anybody know any sites to pick up new badges? Something interesting or just different?
Yeah... uuhhmmm... I would hurry and get a blower for that thing. LOL Dont disgrace the real thing. Welcome to the boards and for a little advice try to use the search function at the bottom and see if you can find what you need. If not we are all happy to answer questions. Just put them in their respective topic and your questions will be answered in no time. Welcome aboard.
I love how most of the Cobra owners give me crap about the styling/badges, and all the GT owners all say screw it! No offense to all those Cobra owners out there, hehe. Hmmm...wouldn't mind turning this puppy into a Cobra-killer....muahahaha....
Just bought a Cobra "poser"
