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as much as I'd love to build a fox 5L i just want something i can get away with driving daily for a while until serious mods are underway.

what is best to build and why, doesnt have to be an all motor set up can be s/c too.

99-04 4.6 mod 2v
96-98 4.6 ( even tho the heads are crap)

cobras arent an option, possibly a 4.6 4v mod motor ( mach 1) if im lucky

opinions and build ideas are all welcome, personally i am leaning toward a 00 GT slapping on some 3.73's and just waiting to throw a vortech on it, you guys must know a better build than that, my goal is a streetable car that can get into the 12's with ease

If that's your goal and a Mustang is your only option, then here are my suggestions.
1) 96-98 Cobra will be priced about the same as an 01-03 GT with average mileage, something to consider if you're willing to spend the money on a 99-04 GT.

2)96-98 GT, either do the PI head and intake upgrade which is not an easy task but its not that hard either. You could swap in a 5.4 DOHC from a Navigator if you want to get creative. These years would be the cheapest to get into, but you have to decide just how much you want to spend and what you want out of it.

3)99-04 GT, depending on year and overall condition you could have a little more money to spend.

It's hard to really narrow it down unless you have an initial cash price in mind to get into a car. Someone got lucky and scored a mint 96 Cobra for something like $10k. Deals are always happening, too many variables to really say you cant afford something. If you're ready to buy and have X amount of dollars to spend, start looking now and make sure you consult with a Mustang and especially a 4.6 Pro to know what you should look for. Some 99+ have head problems, others have tranny problems. Different things for different years.

Aside from all the "variables" here is one suggestion based on your own idea. Grab an 00 GT, install a Cold air intake, aftermarket upper plenum (not sure which one's the best), 2.5" cat back exhaust of your choice, 2.5 X pipe with cats, subframe connectors, Steeda timing adjustor, 255lph High Flow intank pump, 3.73 gears and a set of 275-40-17 Drag Radials. That should get you very close to your goal of a 12 second street car, slap a blower kit on there and you'll be able to get past a 12 second ET with the right tune.
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i figure i'd kill 2 birds with one stone by getting a 99-04 GT because they already have PI heads. a nice 99-04 GT can be had for as low as 13K, ive seen them all voer the place. there was a ford recall on some 99-04 GT's tho, it was on the intake mani apparantly coolant would leak into the motor and cause some serious damage. but other than the crap intake mani i havent heard to many horror stories or problems, if i go 96-98 what is the advantage really, other than being a bit cheaper? i personally like the styling of the 96-98 more than the 99-04 but to each there own. another option is 94-95 GT but i heard for some reason they were , i personally love the idea of cheap easy power by way of 5L and a better looking and handling car. would alot of you guys suggest building a 94-95 GT over a 99-04 4.6 mod? i dont want to make this sound like an elementry school paper but if you prefer the 5L , why?

with all my cars, first thing i made sure to figure out was my budget, then what is the goal.
12's is easily attainable with most v8 stangs i.m.o., drag suspension, tire and nitrous... but really, post your budget. :) and dont say a million bucks :smashfrea

ya sure i can post the budget, but i've gotta still buy the car, so its not reallistic to say ok 20K so buy a 00gt for 15, and dump 5 grand in to the motor. I'm not planning on building it the day i buy it. I'd like to just throw small mods on that will later contribute to the one big mod or group of mods id like to do after i can get some cash together to throw into the car. i just want some good build ideas to get into the 12's and stay streetable enough to drive for 6 months outta the year ( not daily but u get the idea) so the budget doesnt really matter, "the avg. hourly working tradsemen joe budget" lets say that is the budget. so that leaves out a total motor build and other costly mods. all i really wanna know is which to build and why, are they all good, are any just a total POS when u start modding them, like a aftermarket, or poor response to mods, or they break all the time.

ok put it this way whats the best ford powerplant to use and abuse on the street on the track and can take it, of these 2

the 94-95 Gt 5 0's
the 99-04 Gt 4.6 2v

Since you prefer the looks of the 94-98, and since Pushrod power is still way cheaper than the mod motors I would definitely say get a 94-95 GT. You get the 5.0, and a nice clean one in good shape/low mileage with a 5 speed can be had for as little as $7000. THat leaves a lot of options open for you. The 94-98 5.0 and 4.6 cars are the black sheep of the Fox/SN generation because they use a lot of specific parts for their years. The SN95 5.0s have a stupid computer, hyperpathetic pistons (not very boost friendly but it can be done reliably), specific intake manifold, specific headers and exhaust, specific throttle body etc. Not trying to scare you off, I would personally much rather have a 95GT than a 98GT. Can't beat good ol pushrod power, and its much cheaper to go 12s with a 5.0.

Get a 94-95 GT. First off, remove the silencer and bump the timing to 14* BTDC and always run Ultra 94. Install Subframe connectors, CAI, 2.5" cat back exhaust, 2.5" off road X pipe, shorty 1 5/8" headers, 255lph intank fuel pump, 3.73 gears, adjustable fuel pressure regulator, Cobra upper and lower intake, 65mm TB, tubular front K Member, drag suspension (70/30 struts, 50/50 shocks, drag springs), a set of 26x8.5 slicks and you should be pretty damn close. That should net you about 250 RWHP and at least a 13.0 pass at about 103mph. You might get lucky and go faster, but the problem with the 94-95 lays in the computer. I would suggest getting a custom chip burnt for the N/A setup to extract the most out of it but since you're gonna supercharge it you might want to wait for that. You could always spend the money for an N/A tune and have a blower tune done later on.
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those mods u tell me seem to be pretty popular for stangs in general, is there any of them im gonna have to take out and return to OE once i supercharge? also which motor stock handles boost better? how big of a bitch is it do change the 94-95 computer, who would i have to see about changing it? I have a buddy who is pretty close with Joe Da Silva does he do computer too?

from all I have read so far i think a 96-98 cobra or 94-95 five oh might be best for me. with the cobras of these years are parts expensive do they need alot of speicialty parts? how much more for say a 96-98 cobra part over a 99-04 GT part. i like the cobra cause it has a 4v head instead of the 2v, I'm a guy coming from vw's and one big issue with most of the motors we have to play with is the stock heads dont flow well, up until the 20valve 1.8T motors came into play, I would really like to get a 4v mod motor and it would eb alot cheaper to grab an older body cobra than say a newer mach 1. Is there big gains by just using the 4v mod motor as a platform to build? or in the end does it not matter very much? the only reason i considered a 99-04 GT was it was newer i wouldnt have to focus on too much maintenance right away i could get away just driving it and modding as i went along, if i got a 94-98 odds are im gonna have to bring it back up to par before i can start adding some power.

my choice would be 96-98 cobra - but i am partial

96-98 cobra + 4.30 gear + some suspension + drag radial = 12.6 - 12.8 ET

In My opinion, I think you should start off with a 96-98 Cobra. Slap on the usual bolt ons, and later supercharge it and cruise with 450hp on tap at all times. You come outta the box with 13" brakes up front, the gorgeous looks of a Cobra, nice 17" wheels, nice leather interior and all the other Cobra specific amenities. If I had the choice, thats what I would go with.
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not all 96 - 98 cobras had leather ;)

a cobra would be nice yes if i could get my hands on one and has become my favourite of the available options. Now, a 4.30 gear sounds like alot of fun but for daily driving i think thats a bit much and especially if i go s/c later on, i was thinking 3.73 is a good balance N/A and then later on for an s/c setup. i know the 4.30 would be good for an N/A cobra cause it still makes pretty good power up top butt if i remember the gearing correctly with a 4.30 i'm gonna be getting into 5th at the track, and who wants that.

whats it gonna take for a 96-98 cobra to shillack the avg ls-1 with small bolt ons? I've got a buddy with a ws-6 intake chip exhaust and suspension he was running
mid- high 12's, daily driver too well for 6 months anyway.

Those are so rare its not even worth mentioning it. Actually, back in '96 I was down in York, Pennsylvania with my father and we saw the first of the Mystic Cobra's. Believe it or not, we were looking at a Mystic Cobra with cloth interior. Even my dad fell in love with that car, and he hated V8 Gas Guzzler Mustangs.
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