v-6 to cobra swap

jimmy_beaner · **v-6 to cobra swap**

wondering how in depth this swap is....
http://www.3.8mustang.com/forum/index.php?
that's what a dude on 3.8 had to say.... I don't know how accurate that is... but we'll see.

**Brent** · 07-25-2005, 10:17 PM

umm what thread exactly?

jimmy_beaner · 07-25-2005, 10:36 PM

shoot, lol, sorry Brent
http://www.3.8mustang.com/forum/showthread.php?t=125803

tedness · 07-25-2005, 10:53 PM

after it's all said and done it might be cheaper to buy a cobra. i actually pondered this possibility a while back myself. more over the SOHC v8 than the DOHC cobra.

whipster24 · 07-25-2005, 11:08 PM

It's cool if you want to do it as a project and find a good deal on a donor car, but don't expect it to be all that much cheaper then just buying a cobra

Danger Dude · 10:25 PM

Just buy a cobra. Unless you have a donor car to rob everything off of it is not worth it.

jimmy_beaner · 07-26-2005, 09:16 AM

I would have a donor car... and I would love to get the power of the Cobra, with the insurance of a v-6.

KyleUSAF · 07-26-2005, 09:46 AM

umm...you can't just buy a v6, swap motors, and not tell your insurance company..they'd bust you for insurance fraud if im not mistaking

Danger Dude · 07-26-2005, 10:19 AM

If you ever had a wreck they could hammer you. Plus in life you never get something for nothing. One think I have found out in my 45 years YOU WILL EVENTUALLY WILL PAY THE PIPER HIS DUES. Pay him now or pay him later!!!!

If you were to do this on a project car for the track I would do it. If it is the daily driver with full coverage No

WhiteStang99 · 07-26-2005, 10:49 AM

Nope, once the insurance saw that wasn't the friendly 3.8 under the hood, you'd be fucked!

stangin99 · 07-26-2005, 08:26 PM

actually, I'd be willing to be the insurance company wouldn't give two shits about it.

Unless you insure the modifications, an insurance company will only give you the value of parts that are factory installed. Any modifications that are damaged are NOT covered unless you insure them specifically.

n8r · 07-26-2005, 08:56 PM


Quote: Originally Posted by stangin99 actually, I'd be willing to be the insurance company wouldn't give two shits about it. Unless you insure the modifications, an insurance company will only give you the value of parts that are factory installed. Any modifications that are damaged are NOT covered unless you insure them specifically.

An engine swap isn't just a modification, you are basically turning a the car into a whole new one, more powerful and such. Insurance wouldn't give you crap.

MarkuzLS1 · 07-26-2005, 09:02 PM


Quote: Originally Posted by stangin99 actually, I'd be willing to be the insurance company wouldn't give two shits about it.

I'm with you. As long as you didn't try to claim the Cobra engine if something happened to your car, they'd never no the difference.

lowflyn · 07-26-2005, 09:23 PM

That's the thing though....unless you can do an engine swap back to the 3.8 before an insurance adjustor comes by to assess your car after a wreck...don't do it without telling your insurance company about it.

**SpectorV** · 07-26-2005, 10:13 PM

if you have 10k to drop into it... then go for it (non SC cobra motor of course) for that youi can nearly buy a cobra.

jimmy_beaner · 07-26-2005, 10:33 PM

would a GT motor swap be that much easier?... I know it'd be cheaper.

**Brent** · 07-26-2005, 11:40 PM

Think about it guys....

You are cheating the insurance company out of money by paying insurance on a V6 while driving a V8... why do you think it costs mroe to insure a v8... specially for a teenager... because there is a higher risk.... and the insurance company would give you shit about lying to them and would more than likely refuse to insure your loss.

Seph · 07-27-2005, 12:20 AM

Uh yes they would give a crap!

True Story!

This guy had a V6 Stang, he swapped motors and put a beefy 5.0 Cobra engine in it. He did all these modifications and all, then one day he got into an accident. He took it to a shop and did the insurance thing. The insurance called the mechanic and said, "Yes, we are calling about the 19xx V6 Mustang you have there." The mechanic goes, "Uh, we have a 19xx Cobra Mustang here.." So they swapped information and told the driver, "You were insured for a V6 car, NOT for what you put in there. We are covering a V6 Mustang, seeing that it is no longer a V6, we won't cover it."

So boys and girls, the moral of the story is..

fix it yourself :p

whipster24 · 07-27-2005, 07:10 AM

Insurance companies will bend over backwards NOT to pay you anyway, don't give them an excuse to do so.

If you were to get into an accident with one then I'd make sure and bring it to a mechanic that you know and trust!

AlmostN8 · 07-27-2005, 08:46 AM

Just a note Jimmy. That "dude" is Tom.. you know the owner of Super Six. He is shooting you 100% straight. Weve done a couple of these swaps for clients and its no picnic. 01 to 01 GT motor isnt that big of a deal just time consuming. say 99v6 to 03 cobra. Is a TON of difference and will require rewiring most of the car not to mention all the other stuff.

Rick0636 · 07-27-2005, 09:07 AM

Any time you try to beat an insurance company, you are asking for big trouble. The one who said you could be gotten for insurance fraud is probably right. I would just settle for what I have, and save for a v8 down the road sometime when you can afford your own insurance. Better safe than sorry.

jimmy_beaner · 07-27-2005, 09:29 AM

what I'm thinking about now is just waiting until it's paid off, and then getting a 2001 GT, or 2001 Cobra... not sure yet, and then liability insurance.

**SpectorV** · 07-27-2005, 05:48 PM

sell your car and buy the cobra... it seems cheaper but IT IS NOT and then you will have a REAL cobra... and be worth much much more... if you swap a motor into a v6 you may not think so... but its sale value will go to crap. If you are ever in an accident and dont tell them they will probably give you the boot.

stangin99 · **Re: v-6 to cobra swap**


Quote: Originally Posted by Brent Think about it guys.... You are cheating the insurance company out of money by paying insurance on a V6 while driving a V8... why do you think it costs mroe to insure a v8... specially for a teenager... because there is a higher risk.... and the insurance company would give you **** about lying to them and would more than likely refuse to insure your loss.

not to bring this thread back from a partial grave...

I am still standing by what I said due to personal experience. When I had an accident with my car several years ago, the insurance adjuster came out to me at school and inspected the car, he didn't even call me until he was done and had my check ready.

When I came out to meet him, he put it down as a 1999 Mustang GT because it had dual exhaust(still stock V6 bumper at the time).

While he did not need to look under the hood, the claim was still submitted as a GT. Did I hear ANYTHING about this from my insurance company?

Nope.

Why? Because insurance companies specifically state they will not cover modifications you do not insure. Dropping in a V8 or a supercharger is no difference to them. All's they will care is, did you insure it? No? Ok, you get the value of the stock car.

You can say all you want about "cheating" the insurance company. A turbo or supercharger car is considered to be in the same exact high-price insurance bracket as a Gt/Cobra. So all you blown/turbo guys better get insurance otherwise you're gunna get screwed with an accident

stangin99 · **Re: v-6 to cobra swap**

and as for the cobra swap....It's not THAT hard to do, it's just re-wiring the whole front half of the car(ie engine, trans, dash wiring).

I'm planning to do a cobra conversion next spring for around $4-5k at MOST. Find me a 99+ cobra for that price.

01mineralgrey6 · **Re: v-6 to cobra swap**

i was under the impression that insurance was done by the VIN numbers.

stangin99 · **Re: v-6 to cobra swap**


Quote: Originally Posted by 01mineralgrey6 i was under the impression that insurance was done by the VIN numbers.

it is. And that may very well be why I never heard any greif about my claim. Same goes for any claim as well. The insurance company would run the vin and basically repair whatever is stock on the car that shows up un that vin.

Danger Dude · **Re: v-6 to cobra swap**


Quote: Originally Posted by stangin99 it is. And that may very well be why I never heard any greif about my claim. Same goes for any claim as well. The insurance company would run the vin and basically repair whatever is stock on the car that shows up un that vin.

You got away with it and that is good but let me tell you about a friend of mine who had a 81Firebird and bought a 80 Trans am that the whole back end was gone to the bottom of the rear glass but the front was perfect. He took the whole front clip and installed it on his firebird including the interior. He kept the firebird vin plate on the dash. Well about a year it was rear ended again and they totallled it when he got the check for the car it had a not canceling his insurcane do to fraud and when he looked at his check they had deducted exactly one years worth of insurance premimums from the total and were ready to go to court if he decided to fight it.

So every case is different as is insurance companies and states.

Also most people dont have the mechanical skills you do and that is the difference. Those that do well save bundles but those that dont will pay out the nose for a shop to do it.

I_luv_HP&trq · **Re: v-6 to cobra swap**

i agree with danger dude. you got lucky. my father in law is an insurance claim adjuster. he'd say the same thing.

**PureVenom** · **Re: v-6 to cobra swap**


Quote: Originally Posted by stangin99 and as for the cobra swap....It's not THAT hard to do, it's just re-wiring the whole front half of the car(ie engine, trans, dash wiring). I'm planning to do a cobra conversion next spring for around $4-5k at MOST. Find me a 99+ cobra for that price.

Does that include the cost of the cobra engine? 4-5k on top of the cost of the engine seems about right, but 4-5k total seems quite low to me, even for the non 03/04 cobra swap.

silverstangboy · **Re: v-6 to cobra swap**

what I had posted had already been covered.. guess I should read the whole thread first next time.