Just bought a 2001 SVT Cobra and put 120 miles on it. Hit 2nd gear and heard some real nasty noise. Gear oil and chunks of aluminum all over the road, not a pretty sight. The center section was almost straight down and the driveshaft is wiped out. Now I find out that this is one of the weak links on the car. Just ordered a new cover from LPW but still not sure where to get a aluminum driveshaft from.
Haven't seen that before. They spit half shafts when they get over 500hp on dragstrips when wearing sticky tires. If you haven't owned it since new, there is no telling what it's seen. Aluminum driveshafts are found in the Ford motorsports catalog. Nice avatar!
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Your typical Terminator with all the usual mods Ford meant for you to do right after you left the showroom.
When you said you "Just hit 2nd and Boom!" what kind of rpms were you spinning? And I'm thinking you weren't going straight when this happened? Your Differ Cover flexed under load and split open, it's a pretty common problem when hammering through the gears. There is No Way your gonna get that carnage shifting into 2nd at 3K rpms.. Now is a good time to invest in a Billetflow IRS Brace!
Normal take off in first, straight line shifted around 4500. Let clutch out in 2nd and buried the throttle. The bang was around 4,000-5,000. I wasn't on it hard. Must have been ready to go. The crack has shiny and dull spots on it so it looks like is was flexing along the cracks for awhile. I was just the lucky one to finish it off. The car has 39k on it and is show quality, but who know how it was driven. The 4:30 gears probably helped.
Normal take off in first, straight line shifted around 4500. Let clutch out in 2nd and buried the throttle. The bang was around 4,000-5,000. I wasn't on it hard. Must have been ready to go. The crack has shiny and dull spots on it so it looks like is was flexing along the cracks for awhile. I was just the lucky one to finish it off. The car has 39k on it and is show quality, but who know how it was driven. The 4:30 gears probably helped.
That would explain it then, the previous owner with 4.30's and NO IRS Brace was the person that started the hairline crack then you were the unlucky one to suffer! Get yourself a Billetflow Brace and differential failure will be virtually eliminated!!
No sarcasm, putting higher gears on adds stress. Those are REALLY high gears. . . That IRS brace brutal metal linked you is exactly what you need. Worked wonders in my 03 along with a bushing kit.
Thanks for the advice, I ordered a billet cover and just need to figure out what to do with the driveshaft. The 4:30 gears are great, they really wake up the bottom end on the 4.6
Yeah if you do mostly city driving 4.30's RIP, it keeps you in that high rpm powerband , just a little too steep for my taste though..
And let me help you out with the Aluminum Driveshaft, here's some Top Secret info not many peeps know about...
The stock 99-01 Cobra driveshaft and the FRPP M-4602-J Aluminum are the exact same length AND have the same Yoke, it's a direct bolt in!
Yeah if you do mostly city driving 4.30's RIP, it keeps you in that high rpm powerband , just a little too steep for my taste though..
And let me help you out with the Aluminum Driveshaft, here's some Top Secret info not many peeps know about...
The stock 99-01 Cobra driveshaft and the FRPP M-4602-J Aluminum are the exact same length AND have the same Yoke, it's a direct bolt in!
????????? Motorsport catalog says it doesn't fit what's up with that?
Thanks for the advice, still a rookie on the modern Mustangs. I've always owned the old ones.
Check out craigslist man. There are almost always parts on their. I bought my IRS brace and bushing kit from a guy on their for $130.00. He sold me the intercooler and resevoir I have sitting in my garage for a good price as well. (He sold his 03 Cobra, and never even put them on)
SVT IRS Carnage 
. I wasn't on it hard. Must have been ready to go. The crack has shiny and dull spots on it so it looks like is was flexing along the cracks for awhile. I was just the lucky one to finish it off. The car has 39k on it and is show quality, but who know how it was driven. The 4:30 gears probably helped.
