1993 mustang cobra

1993 Ford Mustang Description

what exactly was available as options for the 1993 Mustang Cobra. There are a few items that may have gotten by but they would most certainly have been on the pre-production vehicles produced by Ford.

The Cobra had a very short list of options which included

13C: Flip up open air roof or most commonly known as a sunroof. Cost $355.00

585: Premium AM/FM Stereo CD player. Cost $629.00

217: 4 way power drivers seat. Cost $183.00

57Q: Electric heated rear window defroster. Cost $170.00

C: Leather seating surfaces which were only available in opal gray. Cost $523.00

41H: Engine block heater. Cost $20.00

Cobra R Competition Option. Cost $7,205.00

A super sound system was listed in the sales brochure but was not installed on any production vehicle sold to the public.

Colors/Trim

There were only 3 exterior color options available for the 93 Cobra. They include Black, Red and Teal. There is technical information to support a non clear coated version of Vibrant red only of which found their way on 9 Cobra's. Exterior color codes were:

UA: Black Clearcoat

RD: Teal Metallic Clearcoat

ES: Vibrant Red Clearcoat

EY: Vibrant Red non Clearcoat

There were 2 colors available for the 93 Cobra which were opal gray and black. Only opal gray was available in leather. Interior color codes are as follows:

C6: Opal gray leather

D6: Opal gray cloth

DJ: Black cloth

G6: Lowback Opal gray cloth seats only available with the 93 Cobra R versions.

Of the 5100 total 93 Cobra's produced, here is the breakdown of exterior and interior color combinations produced:

Total 93 Cobra's produced in Black were 1,854 in which 448 had black cloth, 327 had gray cloth and 1,079 had gray leather

Total 93 Cobra's produced in Red including the Cobra R versions were 1,891 in which 362 had black cloth, 522 had gray cloth and 1,007 had gray leather.

Total 93 Cobra's produced in Teal were 1,355 in which 185 had black cloth, 368 had gray cloth and 802 had gray leather.

The rarest color combination is the Teal Cobra with black cloth interior.

Engine Specifications

The 1993 Cobra came with a modified 5.0L engine with GT-40 heads and GT-40 cast aluminum intake manifold along with a new camshaft. Here are some specs for this engine:

Cylinder heads:

GT-40 heads previously sold by Ford Motorsports SVO with 1.84 intake and 1.54 exhaust valves. Heads were milled from 64cc down to 62.5 cc to raise the compression ratio a bit although the official compression ratio is 9.0:1 and were topped off with a set of Crane 1.7 ratio full roller rockers. Heads used a pedestal type of mounting system for the rockers. Part number for the cylinder heads is F3ZZ-6049-B up till 04/13/93 and F4ZZ-6049-B after date 04/13/93

Camshaft:

Ford designed a new camshaft grind to bring back some of the low end torque that was now lost using these higher flowing cylinder heads. Part number for the cam is F3ZE-6250-CA. Specs are as follows:

Intake/Exhaust duration in degrees of crankshaft rotation: 270/270 and at 0.050 lift 209/209

Intake/Exhaust lift at valve with 1.7 rocker ratio: 0.479/0.479"

Lobe separation is 118.3 degrees with 115 intake lobe center and a 121.5 exhaust lobe center.

Timing events at 0.050 lift are:

Intake: (BTDC):-10.5 / (ABDC): 39.5

Exhaust: (BBDC): 46.0 / (ATDC): -17.0

Intake:

Ford cast an aluminum version of the popular GT-40 intake with the staggered ports. Part number is F3ZZ-9424-C for the upper and F3ZZ-9424-D. There are 2 versions cast for the upper intake. The first version has a flat side on the plenum an apparently was causing harmonic noise at certain rpms and was revised with the more common stepped side plenum. The lower intake had a runner diameter of 1.64 inches and original lower intakes are distinguished from their Motorsport versions by having the firing order cast into the intake near the cutout for the distributor. Ford Motorsport also offered 2 different versions of the lower intake during it's production run. Sometime in the late 90's they went to a smaller cast runner where it meets the cylinder head. A side by side comparison would make the difference readily noticeable.

Fuel/Air intake:

The 93 Cobra got 24 lb/hr fuel injectors with a blue top. Early production Cobra's had unpainted injector bodies with the blue top and later versions and Motorsport versions had the injector body painted black. Fuel rails were standard as well as the fuel pump.

Air intake was identical to the production 5.0 except for the size of the mass air meter which was upgraded to 70mm vs. the 55 mm installed on the regular 5.0L. A vertical bar was added to the mass air meter to allow for more accurate metering of the incoming air. The throttle body installed on the Cobra was also upgraded to 65mm vs. the 60mm size installed on the regular 5.0L.

Exhaust:

The mufflers were retuned for less restriction and carried part number F3ZZ-5230-A (RH) and F3ZZ-5230-B (LH). Engineering numbers (numbers stamped on the mufflers) are: F3ZC-5230-CC (RH) and F3ZC-5232-DC (LH). They were 2.25" in diameter and had lengthened hangers to clear the rear bumper of the 93 Cobra. The headers and H-pipe were the same as regular 5.0L Mustangs.

Other:

The water pump and crankshaft pulleys were a different diameter than the regular 5.0L. The crankshaft pulley was reduced in size by 14% to underdrive the other accessories for more power but the drawback was a slower spinning water pump. To solve this problem, Ford also reduced the size of the water pump pulley by 14% to bring back the lost coolant flow. Part number for the crankshaft pulley is F3ZZ-6A312-A, water pump pulley is part number F3ZZ-8509-A and part number for the now shorter belt is F3ZZ-8620-A.

Drivetrain:

The Borg Warner T-5 installed on the 93 Cobra had a few upgrades to handle the extra power now made by the modified engine. Specific items include a tapered roller pocket bearing on the input shaft to output shaft. This same setup is used on the T-5Z version sold through Ford Racing. The cluster gears were also phosphate coated but this was a modification done to all V8 5.0L Mustangs in 1993. Shifters in 93 were also short throw versions and all shift knobs including those in the 93 Cobra were black plastic not covered in leather. Leather shift knobs would not show up on Cobra's until 1994.

The clutch was upgraded to provide more clamping force to reduce clutch slip and pedal effort was decreased compared to the regular 5.0L as an added bonus. Part number for the pressure plate is F3ZZ-7563-A and the clutch disc is part number F3ZZ-7550-A.

The driveshaft also included a hardened front yoke but it was an unnecessary modification for Ford as many regular 5.0L driveshaft have been through way more horsepower than the 235 offered in the Cobra.

The Differential was same as other production 5.0L except for the rear wheel disc brakes sourced from the Thunderbird Turbo coupes in the late 80's. They all came with 3.08:1 gear ratio with traction lock. No other gear ratio was available from the factory. Axle part number is F3ZZ-4234-A.

Suspension/Brakes:

Front springs used on the 1993 Cobra were progressive springs rated at 425-530 lb/in and had the tag code of "BO". General part number is E5ZZ-5310-J. Rear springs were linear and the same rate as those used on the 4 cylinder Mustangs at 160 lb/in with a tag code of "HH". General part number is D9BZ-5560-M.

The sway bar in front of the Cobra was also smaller than the one used in the regular 5.0L measuring in at 1.125" or 28.5mm. The rear sway bar is the same as other 5.0L measuring in at 0.83" or 21mm.

The 93 Cobra got specific durometer bushings in the upper control arms and in the front lower control arms. The paint mark on the control arms is yellow.

Shocks and struts were valved specifically for the 93 Cobra and were manufactured by Tokico. Part number for the struts is F3ZZ-18124-A and the shocks are part number F3ZZ-18125-A.

The front brakes were near identical to the regular 5.0L except for the front rotors which carried part number F3ZZ-1102-A. The rotor "hat" or the area where the wheel sat on the hub was 3/4" thicker if laid side by side to a regular 5.0 rotor. The wheels had a different offset because of the wider rear differential so this is how Ford solved the problem. I personally think just manufacturing axle brake brackets would have been cheaper especially since they were already being produced by Ford Motorsports but I'm not a bean counter for Ford. Not to mention rear wheel disc brake conversions for regular Mustangs would have been super easy.

Rear brakes were the same as the ones used on the Thunderbird Turbo Coupe. Axles were 3/4 longer on each side and required special offset wheels. Axle part numbers are F3ZZ-4234-A. Rotors in the rear measured 10.07" in diameter and were 0.945" thick. Part number is F3ZZ-2C026-A. Calipers in the rear were manufactured by Varga for Ford and were a single piston design. Part number is F3ZZ-2552-A (RH) and F3ZZ-2553-A (LH). Parking brake cables were changed for 1993 and the 93 Cobra also had specific parking brake cables for the rear disc. Part number is F3ZZ-2A635-A for both left and right sides.

Other specific 93 Cobra brake items were the power brake booster part number F3ZZ-2005-A and a 2 port master cylinder part number F3ZZ-2140-A. Regular 5.0L Mustangs got a smaller brake booster and a 3 port master cylinder which actually gave more brake pressure. The proportioning valve was also recalibrated as rear disc brakes require more pressure than drum brakes do.

Exterior:

The exterior of the Cobra got some cosmetic upgrades. As we start from the front, the bumper cover in front is identical to the GT except for the cutout in the grille opening with a running horse emblem where the Ford oval once was on the GT. Part number for the insert is F3ZZ-8200-A and could also be ordered from the dealer in the correct color by changing the last letter to: B for red, C for teal and D for black.

The ground effects were also changed and eliminated the air scoops in the front and rear. This gave the car a more subtle look and combined with the new rear bumper cover which was slightly shorter than the GT to allow the tips to show and the rear spoiler, gave the Cobra a unique look and most copied style by other Mustang owners. Cobra's also got snake emblems where the 5.0 would normally be and the "COBRA" emblem was also installed on the drivers rear corner of the hatch.

The wheels are a 7 spoke design and are highly sought after. They measure 17 x 7.5 and are directional meaning there is a part number for the left and right wheels. Part numbers are F3ZZ-1007-A (RH) and F3ZZ-1007-B (LH). These wheels also used a stainless steel center cap that was specific to this car under part number F3ZZ-1130-A. The wheel offset was different to allow the use of the 1.5" wider rear disc brake differential.

Other:

Other specific 93 Cobra items include the floor mats part number F3ZZ-6113086-AAG (gray) and F3ZZ-6113086-AAH (black) and the lack of cruise control for weight savings (how much though is not known). The Cobra also got a different EEC to make it work with the 24# injectors and reduced the total timing to 25 degrees and gave a limiter of sorts. At 85 mph, the computer would add more fuel to protect the motor and there was no timing retard between shifts as rumored. This began in 1994 Mustangs.

Stats:

235 hp @ 4600 rpm and 280 lb/ft @ 4000 rpm

9.0:1 compression ratio

6000 rpm redline

0-60 in 5.7 seconds

top speed 140 mph

17 mpg city/24 mpg highway

Curb weight: 3255 lbs.

Stats as reported in Feb 1993 Car and Driver:

1/4 mile: 14.3 seconds @ 98 mph

Braking 70-0 mph in 181 ft

0.85 g in 300 ft skidpad

0-60 mph in 5.6 seconds