some questions

nick5437 · Post by **nick5437** » Sun May 27, 2012 10:39 am

im just wondering why the cobra had 4 cyl springs in the back and a smaller swaybar than the gt. Was the swaybar stronger than the gt?

k98dave · Post by **k98dave** » Sun May 27, 2012 2:50 pm

According to the info Ford had in the Cobra booklets they were looking for a more compliant suspension to keep the car stable on uneven/rough roads. The GT suspension is harder and the cars tend to "skip" on rough roads.

The slightly smaller front sway bar and lower rear spring rates were selected to achieve that even though we have a little more body roll as a resultFord also used different rubber suspension bushings and the wider track front & rear helps also.

The only place Ford dropped the ball IMO is not using full lengh sub frame connectors. I'm keeping my Cobra all stock, but have sub frame connectors on my other cars and they make a big improvement.

vuzikis · Post by **vuzikis** » Sun May 27, 2012 11:27 pm

Dave I agree 100%. I bot #195 last year which was pretty much stock even down to the date coded wires. Only mods were shifter (which is not a big deal) exhaust (which I do wish was still stock expensive), and sub-frames. I was not happy with the sub-frames being on the car (only reason its a cobra) but it was very clean and all the paperwork was there down to the build sheet. IMO all fox body mustangs need sub-frames as they flex like crazy. Ford made a huge mistake not putting them on Cobras.

nick5437 · Post by **nick5437** » Mon May 28, 2012 12:29 am

thanks for letting me know. I always wondered why. Should i put 4 cyl springs on my clone or stick with something else.

k98dave · Post by **k98dave** » Tue May 29, 2012 5:56 pm

If you want to make it a exact clone I would use the 4 cyl rear springs same as the Cobra. You may be able to find the smaller Cobra front sway bar & bushings.

nick5437 · Post by **nick5437** » Tue May 29, 2012 6:22 pm

i would like to have a softer ride. I used to have a 91 lx vert that i bought lowered and it rode harsh. Seemed like even a pebble on the road felt like a pothole. Its handled great but didnt have much give in the suspension. What shocks/struts should i use?

k98dave · Post by **k98dave** » Tue May 29, 2012 10:17 pm

Tokico's were the original equipment. Can't find the original Cobra unique part numbers anymore but the Tokico HP Blue seem to to be a good setup.

KYB's are also good

nick5437 · Post by **nick5437** » Tue May 29, 2012 11:46 pm

thanks for the answers. I will do some research on both brands. Will 4cyl springs out of any fox work or is there a specific model i should find? I just want a soft but not bouncy ride. Im going to run 93 replica 17s. Will 8.5 in wide look like a cobra or will they stick out? I dont know all about how the offset will look being that their 8.5 on a lx compared to 7.5 on a cobra with different brakes etc. Thanks again.

Mike S. · Post by **Mike S.** » Wed May 30, 2012 1:23 am

I heard a long time ago that the Cobra front sway bar was a mid '80s V6 convertible bar, but I never measured to confirm. The replica wheels are corrected to place correctly on standard Fox rotors and axles, and will look fine on that application.

-MJS

nick5437 · Post by **nick5437** » Wed May 30, 2012 7:22 am

thanks for the replies. I am going with 50resto on the wheels. Im just not sure of the tire size. I hear a lot of people going with 255s.

k98dave · Post by **k98dave** » Wed May 30, 2012 8:19 am

The rear springs on the 4 cylinder Mustangs were rated at 160 lb/in If you can't find new there are usually plenty of these in salvage yards the tag code on them is "HH". Don't worry about them being used, a little clean up and they will work just fine. I have never seen a Ford OEM spring not hold its rate.

The front sway bar measures 1.125" or 28.5mm. Search aftermarket for a bar and bushings this size. The rear sway bar is the same on all cars.

You can ask the guys at Late Model if the 255 tires will be ok or if they will rub on the quad shocks. I know 245's will fit ok

nick5437 · Post by **nick5437** » Wed May 30, 2012 12:50 pm

i will go to a junk yard and see if i can find a set of springs. Again, thank you to everyone for the replies. It really makes a difference in trying to find info on cobras and such that people actually own instead of other sites that people dont have a clue. Like the rumour on one site of factory using spacers on the front of 93 cobras lol

93Cobra#2771 · Post by **93Cobra#2771** » Thu May 31, 2012 3:19 pm

nick5437 wrote:i will go to a junk yard and see if i can find a set of springs. Again, thank you to everyone for the replies. It really makes a difference in trying to find info on cobras and such that people actually own instead of other sites that people dont have a clue. Like the rumour on one site of factory using spacers on the front of 93 cobras lol

I bet they were talking about the brakes. Front brakes have a 3/4" thicker hat than stock GTs so the front track would be the same width as the rear track (used from the tbird turbocoupe)...

nick5437 · Post by **nick5437** » Thu May 31, 2012 6:48 pm

is it true that some lincolns used the same brakes as the rear of the cobras also?

Post by **1993cobra** » Thu May 31, 2012 8:32 pm

i was told the lincoln LS had the same , but i have on and besides it being 5 lug its not the same set up. but the turbo coupe is the same except for the housing, where the quad shock mounts