La Serpiente
Verde
A DOHC Mustang Project
Here it is -- the Green Snake (the
car, not the guy!) A 1997 Mustang Cobra Coupe, #5359 of 6961. One of 1055
Pacific Green coupes built -- this color was offered on the Cobra in 1997
only.
Why a Cobra?
I've always been partial to Fords over other American makes. My previous
car was a 1995
Contour SE 5-speed, a fun little sedan that I liked a lot. When Ford's SVT
(Special Vehicle Team) came out with a souped-up Contour in '97, I
had to go check it out. Nice machine -- smooth, free-revving
engine, great handling, rich interior. I'd have bought it if it weren't for
the beautiful Pacific Green Cobra next to it in the dealer's showroom -- it
was calling me, saying "Mark, Mark, check out my gorgeous bodywork, my
hand-assembled dual-overhead-cam V8, my massive brakes ... I'm Ford's
highest-performance automobile, an American icon -- a Mustang!" I couldn't
resist. Oh, my rational side told me it was a better value than the
Contour, anyway. ;-)
I'd been bitten by the muscle-car bug, and took delivery of the
Serpiente Verde on June 30, 1997. It's given me many thousands of fun and
trouble-free miles since then. It gets a consistent 22 mpg in mixed
driving, and has never
consumed oil. I'll probably keep LSV for a good long time.
Modifications (the "Project")
The Cobra is pretty cool
in its factory trim, but it has its shortcomings when compared with more
expensive machines. Fortunately, bolting on a few well-chosen aftermarket
items can make it competitive with just about anything on the road. There's
a huge selection
of custom parts available for Mustangs -- you can transform one into
anything from the ultimate boulevard cruiser to an all-out race car.
In my case, the
objective is to make the car more enjoyable to drive without hurting
long-term durability and while keeping NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness)
to a minimum. I don't want to get too radical and introduce potential
reliability or safety issues, and I don't need to optimize the car for
racetracks -- not that I
wouldn't consider taking it to a track on occasion. ;-)
After months of research, I began
upgrading the Serpiente in April 1998. To date, my mods are:
Each mod has a Satisfaction Rating: 10
= Perfectly Happy, No Reservations Whatsoever; 1 = Sorry I Ever Heard
About This Mod; plus an Ease of Installation Rating: 10 = Child's Play;
1 = Pro's Challenge
Of course, if you decide to modify your car in
a similar fashion, Your Mileage May Vary.
I'm only relating my own experiences -- you do this at your own risk, my friend!
News Updates
December
2007 - With the addition of Steeda's X2 Ball Joints and Bumpsteer
Kit, plus Maximum Motorsports' upgrade kit for their aluminum steering
rack bushings, it's as if I have a new car. If your Mustang has been lowered, I consider the Steeda parts a must --
the suspension feels truly finished now. See full review in the
suspension page.
June 2007 - The Auto-Rx treatment is finished, resulting in a
smoother-running engine and perhaps a bit of a performance boost -- seems to
rev quicker than before. Plus, the
minor seepage I noticed at the oil pan gasket seems to have stopped. I'm happy with the results!
Oh, and I'm now using Valvoline
MaxLife Synthetic Oil (I got a good deal on it) after using conventional
Havoline with the Auto-Rx.
January 2007 - I'm sorry, but the Firestone Wide
Ovals have, after a year of driving, become very rough and noisy. Not at all
what they were like when new. Unfortunately, they still have lots of tread left
so I can't really justify buying new tires just now. I'll just live with them
until I can spring for some nice Goodyears or Pirellis.
November 2006 - I replaced the notorious IAC
(Idle Air Control) valve when it started acting up. It was getting hard to keep
the engine running when idling in cold weather, but the new valve cured the
problem.
October 2006 - I've begun an Auto-Rx treatment,
both for engine cleaning and to address a minor oil seepage issue I've noticed
around the oil pan gasket area. Should take a few months for the full
"double-dose" regimen. I'm also rethinking my usual routine with Mobil 1 oil --
conventional oils have come a long way in recent years, and something like the
Motorcraft Synthetic Blend or Valvoline MaxLife should perform just as well as
most full synthetics, particularly when changing it every 5,000
miles.
August 2006 - With nearly 80,000 miles on the
odometer, La Serpiente Verde won its class at the
2006 Mustang Owners of Austin Round-Up car show. Still no problems to speak of
-- the car still looks and drives like new (I even had a guy ask me recently if
that was a brand-new Mustang I was driving!).
February 2006 - The new Firestone Wide Ovals have
really smoothed out the ride and are much quieter than the old Bridgestones.
And, the car handles great! Not that I was unhappy with what I had, but after
several years and over 35,000 miles the Potenzas were just worn out.
In the future, I plan on making these upgrades:
- Exhaust System - probably to include the
Bassani X-pipe or equivalent. The stock
system meets my needs for now; this will be something to do when replacement is required.
- Cobra R 11-inch Clutch or the McLeod Stage I Clutch --
the stock clutch setup is not the greatest, particularly the
throwout bearing, and will need replacing at some point. The McLeod supposedly
reduces pedal effort substantially -- sounds good to me (my left leg gets tired when
crawling along in traffic).
- Interior upgrades -- Seats from the 2001 Cobra (or a pair of Recaros), the
FR500 Steering Wheel, and maybe a Roll Bar along the lines of the
Kenny Brown Street Cage would make
the car much more fun on the street and track (and safer, too).
Check back here periodically for updates --
I'll tell you all about my future mods.
Hope you enjoyed
reading about La Serpiente Verde ... happy motoring!
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