Quick Tips:

- 2003/2004 Cobra and Mach 1 models share the same cylinder heads. These heads are different than previous model DOHC Cobras from 1996-2001. These are also higher flowing heads. Note that exhaust manifolds and headers are unique to the 2003/2004 model year heads.

- 2003 Mach 1 engines used black cam covers while 2004 models used silver colored ones.

- Mach 1 models equipped with a 5-speed manual transmission received a forged crank with an 8-bolt flywheel connection. Mach 1's with an automatic transmission receive a cast crankshaft and a 6-bolt flexplate connection.

Mock Mach

Even through the engines use an aluminum block, they are still not exactly light.. and are not the most convenient for mocking up an engine where you need to install and remove and engine many times. This is even harder when the car is on a chassis jig and is 18" higher than usual. We decided why not work around this with a cheap solution that could be designed and construced in a day or so. In come the Mock Mach - a wooden duplicate of the engine that you can mount various accessories to for setup. After careful measurements of the block and tracing out various components, a CAD model was created. This was then used to make up 1:1 scale prints, which were in turn pinned to 3/4 plywood and cut out. This allows the headers, cam covers, trans, front cover, upper intake manifold, manifolds, A/C compressor and power steering pump to be installed in the car.

The engine was then modified to mate up with the transmission. Believe it or not, a std household copper pipe is the same size as a dowel pin, so this was easy to set up. The motor mounts we set up, along with the exhaust, oil filter adapter (OFA) and the intake manifold. Once all of this was in place, the engine was placed in the car. Clearly the shock towers are going to have to go away in favor of a newer slim design found on a modern Mustang - it was just interesting to see how it fits initially. The shaker will also need to slide back 6-8" to look right as well - should we decide to use it.

4/28/09: Finally time to start working on the fun part of this project - the powertrain. The engines will just get a refreshing/upgrade and make sure everything is OK inside. After all, they are only 5 years old.

One of the engines we bought came from a car that was a write-off and have some issues with the front cover being cracked as you can see. We took a risk on this (since we only have pics to go by) and hoped that there was no internal damage from the timing chain coming off. Sure enough when we pulled the head off, all was well inside. Gotta love the 4 valve heads.

10/31/08:  Finally after waiting a couple of years to find the right engine for the right price, we worked out a deal for one listed on Ebay.  This has lots of extra parts which can be sold off to pay for the engine.  Engine is an all aluminum 2004 Mach 1 4.6L 4V engine.  Only problem was it was in a front collision and will need some attention in the area of the front cover, but that will hopefully be minor.  The block and heads look fine.

6/3/10: Figued we may as well try throwing one of the engines in to see how everything fits while we are at it. Everything fits surprisingly well. Just need to establish where to drill holes in the relocated motor mounts to get the engine as far back as possible. Big thing is the supercharger clears the hood with lots of room to spare. May not end up running the hood scoop in the to keep the stealth theme going.

8/4/09: Slight change in powertrain plans here.. have had one of these engines for a while now, and recently found a second one (both used of course). Could not pass up the deal on them. They are 4.6L 2V engines that use an Eaton M90 supercharger and were designed for use in a 2001-2004 Roush Stage 3 Mustang. Both setups are missing some parts and will require some custom fab to make fit.. but nothing too major. Should be good for over 400hp/400ftlb of torque and will still get great gas mileage (when not under boost at least). The rest of the powertrain is good for 500ish hp so we should be OK there. Two main concerns with this were hood clearance and alternator clearance to framerail. After mocking things up both seem within reason, so I think we are going ahead with it. They will add a bit of weight to the car which is not overly desirable.. but what can you do. The Mach motors will go on the shelf until the next project I guess. I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story...

2/16/09: Starting to order up some of the parts required to rebuild the engine (or at least check it out) and then add part like oil pans that are spefically for road racing. We decided to get a Moroso pan that is specifically designed for use during on track events and has seprate trap doors to keep the sloshing to a minimum.

1/5/09: Once the front shock towers were removed and the stock Mustang front suspension k-member was modified, the engine was placed in the car. Surprisingly, the engine and exhaust fit quite well, and should only require a few tweaks to make it work. This is a big relief as we had thought it was going to be necessary to widen the frame rails. Things are really starting to move along now!

03/16/07:  First major break in the builds - a  2004 Mach 1 Engine - 4.6L 4V Engine.  Needs some refreshing aesthetically, but it is the perfect candidate for our cars, and the price was right.  This was out of a wrecked car and had sat for a while, hence the corroded surfaces.  As you can see, this engine is complete with wiring, computer, harnesses etc.  The Tremec 3650 5-speed that comes stock on a Mach 1 will be replaced in favor of the T56 6-speed.  Now this has us thinking about a shaker hood..