Another Prospective KC Builder

[RedRaider58]

Hi All,

I've been lurking around on here for over 4 years off an on always mesmerized by builds that people are capable of producing. I've finally gotten to the point now where I'm able to be more serious about putting one together myself and thought I'd get some opinions.

I plan on building a roadster and my overall concept is for a street car, planning to go with a base kit and add on some upgrades through a sale. The general idea is to get an 02-04 donor car, pair it up with a Coyote, and go either IRS or Forte's 5-link. I do plan on purchasing the FF LCAs and cooling system rather than reusing the old ones.

General questions I have at this point are:
1. Anyone ever drive both the 4.6 and the Coyote? Assuming you get the 4.6 for free, are you better off spending the money on the Coyote or upgrading elsewhere? I have the 5.0 in my truck and love it, heavily leaning that way, just looking for some input.
2. Leaning more towards the IRS rather than the 5-link, mainly due to it's parts being "newer", I won't have to shorten the rear to fox length and it providing a smoother ride. What is the drawback to IRS when compared to the 5-link?
3. If I utilize the braking system that comes with the 2015 IRS, how concerned should I be with the smaller brakes that come from the 02-04 Donor? I believe they are 10.5"s on the donor vs. 13"s on the IRS.
4. I do want power steering, the wife says A/C is required. I believe 2bKing is running both with a Coyote, do you guys know of other threads I could read up on to get more information? Is his set up the only one yall have seen?
5. Anyone got a TR-3650 in their car? Do you like it? If so what rear gears did you go with? What do you like about them?

Thanks guys,
-Ryan

[FlyingCobra]

Ryan, what part of KC are you in?

I'm interested in your thoughts on AC and need to do some searches. I'm interested in potentially adding AC, and was planning on adding the optional heater.

[initiator]

I had a 2003 Mustang GT with the 4.6 for a number of years. Fun car, reasonable power, great sound with the factory loud pipes. Mustang weighed about 50% more than the Mk4, so more than adequate power-to-weight ratio for the Cobra.

I'm building my Roadster with the Coyote. It's a brand-new crate engine with a warranty, and has over 160 hp more than the 4.6. If I was going to do it again, I'd look into getting one of the pallet F150 Coyote/transmission sets off eBay, then getting the remote shifter adapter from one of the forum vendors (Formacars?). Change out a few parts on the F150 version and you're in for much less dough than a new crate Coyote, not to mention a TKO or T56.

If I was on a really tight budget, I'd stick with the 4.6. I'd make sure I had power steering, great brakes, and at least a 3-link before spending to upgrade to a Coyote. But it would be the very next thing on my list - it's really a great engine.

[gtaroger]

Welcome to the forum. Roger