With the mad rush to make Mustang Week behind him, it was time for the mad rush to get the car back home so Boosted Performance's Donnie Salem could work his magic on the car. Robby's comfortable with doing most mechanical work, but building an engine is a little outside his realm of expertise, so he had Donnie go through a MMR 900 short-block he purchased online. Donnie also added Stage 3 ported '96-'98 B-series heads with Crower Stage 3 cams. A ProCharger P-1SC supercharger added needed boost, and the combination was tuned by Amazon Tuning Solutions' Rick Erdman.
"To say I'm pleased with the new engine combination is an understatement. It definitely puts a smile on my face every time I drive it, and with the new cams it's hard to mistake its arrival at the local cruise-ins," Robby said.
In all, it took Robby a year to build the car. "I tell people I built the car in a year, but it took four years off my life," Robby says. He makes that statement with a smile because it's been a dream of Robby's to take a car, and with a vision in mind, watch it come together like a fine piece of art. This vision, along with Robby's intrinsic motivation, is what drove him to level up from his Mystichrome to his custom '81 coupe. 5.0
Horse Sense: The night Robby got the car back after having the engine compartment painted, he installed the engine and transmission in the car and had it back on all fours...in his basement. He didn't get done until 4 a.m. and slept on the basement couch.
Engine and Drivetrain
Block '03 Cobra
Crankshaft '03 Cobra w/Innovators West 10-percent over- driven harmonic balancer
Rods Manley H-beam w/ARP rod bolts
Pistons Manley w/18cc dish
Camshafts Crower Stage 3 blower
Cylinder heads Stage 3-Ported '96-'98 Cobra B series w/ARP head studs, Comp Cams Beehive valvesprings, and Comp Cams titanium retainers
Intake manifold '98 Cobra w/stock throttle body, and VMP Tuning/HPX blow-through mass air
Power Adder ProCharger P-1SC w/ 3.90-in blower pulley, 14 pounds of boost, ProCharger intercooler, and Boosted Performance custom piping
Fuel system 255-lph in-tank fuel pump w/Vortech T-Rex inline fuel pump; -8 feed and -6 return fuel lines; and Seimens 60-lb/hr fuel injectors
Exhaust MAC long-tube headers w/Pro Chamber, Flowmaster one-chamber mufflers, and LX tailpipes
Transmission Tremec T-56 w/SPEC Stage 2 clutch, MGW shifter, and Hurst Pistol Grip knob
Rearend 8.8-in w/4.10 gears, welded axle tubes, and FRPP 28-spline axles
Electronics
Engine management '98 Cobra PCM w/SCT tuning by Amazon Tuning Solutions
Ignition Stock w/MSD coils, and FRPP 9mm spark plug wires
Gauges Auto Meter Phantom, Aeroforce dual scan gauge, and Innovate Motorsports wideband
Suspension and Chassis
Front suspension
K-member Anthony Jones Engineering tubular
A-arms Anthony Jones Engineering tubular
Struts Strange Engineering 10-way adjustable w/ Maximum Motorsports caster/camber plates
Springs QA1 coilover
Brakes '03 Cobra w/cross-drilled rotors
Wheels 18x8-in True Forged Mach 5 three-piece
Tires BFGoodrich g-Force 265/35-18
Rear suspension
Shocks Strange Engineering 10-way adjustable
Springs H&R Race
Control Arms Maximum Motorsports Weight Jacker lowers, and HP Motorsport adjustable uppers
Brakes '03 Cobra w/cross-drilled rotors
Wheels 18x10-in True Forged Mach 5 three-piece
Tires BFGoodrich g-Force 295/35-18