Novak Conversions Jeep Wrangler TJ engine mounts

Car pics too cool not to share

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If I didn't have the other toys and projects I'd go find another '03/04 Cobra. Maybe if I can get some of the projects done I can "reward" myself in a few years. :sneaky:

I couldn’t see spending that kind of money on one considering what you can buy off the showroom floor now.
 
I couldn’t see spending that kind of money on one considering what you can buy off the showroom floor now.

Ultra low mileage car = collector. I find ultra low mileage vehicles interesting in a museum/preservation kind of way, but I wouldn't want one, you really can't drive them. I've taken a look here and there at those Cobras and with reasonable miles (50-60K) they've been selling in the $20K range, which is what mine sold for 15 years ago, but with about 1/2 the miles.
 
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11.16.25

F-150 Raptor, Bronco Raptor Score Double-Class Wins at 2025 Baja 1000​



In a punishing Baja 1000 marked by relentless course features and unpredictable weather, Ford Racing proved again why the Raptor nameplate stands at the pinnacle of factory-built off-road capability. The 3.5L F-150 Raptor captured the Stock Full-Size class win, while the Bronco Raptor secured victory in the Stock Mid-Size class, giving Ford a dominant performance in one of the most challenging editions of Baja in recent years.


These victories serve as a defining moment in the 15th year of the Ford Raptor, bringing full circle the nameplate’s evolution from bold experiment in desert-inspired engineering to proven family of class-leading off-road vehicles battle-tested in the harshest environments on Earth.


Despite severe weather causing course changes, pacing challenges, and mechanical strain on teams across the field, both Raptors delivered stable performances throughout all 700 miles.


“Winning both stock classes at the Baja 1000 during the 15th year of Raptor is the ultimate validation of what these vehicles stand for,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Racing. “Raptor was born in the desert, and every year we engineer, test, and race with that legacy in mind. These results are a testament not just to our trucks, but to the teams, drivers, and partners who push them to their fullest.”

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F-150 Raptor is the Stock Full-Size Champion​


Team 8135 and the 3.5L F-150 Raptor conquered miles of rutted terrain and storm-soaked washes. Behind the wheel of the brand-new build were Brad Lovell and Adam Lovell, Austin Robison and Byam Lovell, and Jason Scherer and Jason Berger, with each pairing contributing to a composed, consistent push through the peninsula. While previous generations of the F-150 Raptor have conquered Baja, this was the first time in competition for the 3.5L.


“We can come out here and prerun, we can understand Baja, but there is a whole other thing about understanding Baja on race day,” Brad Lovell said. “That course comes alive — you can’t understate it. We build these trucks that are amazingly tough, we played it smooth, we were patient, we worked through our game plan, and the F-150 Raptor killed it.”

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“It was an amazing day… Baja is the adventure of a lifetime every time,” Scherer said on the SCORE podium. “This truck made every single inch of that track with no issues, and made this three class wins in a row for us down here.”


Bronco Raptor is the Stock Mid-Size Champion​


Ford Racing’s momentum continued in the Stock Mid-Size class, where the Bronco Raptor fought through the Baja night and Saturday storm to secure a decisive victory. The driver lineup of Loren Healy and Eric Davis, Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Jeremy Dickinson, and Bailey Campbell and Bryan Croftsshowcasedthe strength and durability of Bronco’s desert-bred platform 56 years after Rod Hall’s Baja 1000 victory in the Bronco.

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“What an unbelievable experience and achievement getting the win at this year’s Baja 1000. Baja threw us everything it had, and our Bronco Raptor endured every mile and is still ready to hit the highway and drive back to the USA,” Gittin Jr. said. “Ford Racing being here and running four production Raptors — and winning both classes they entered — is a huge testament to what is being engineered by the very passionate Raptor engineering teams, and it is an absolute honor to be a part of this effort.


"We had a really special team of men and women that made this happen, and I am just so incredibly proud of what we all endured and accomplished.”


15 Years of the Ford Raptor​


This dual victory underscores Ford’s commitment to applying real-world racing insight to its production Raptor lineup, which has grown from the pioneering 2010 F-150 SVT Raptor to a global family including the Bronco Raptor, Ranger Raptor, F-150 Raptor and F-150 Raptor R. Baja continues to serve as the proving ground that shapes the evolution of each generation.


This year’s Baja program stood as the largest coordinated Ford desert effort to date. Four Raptor race trucks represented every production Raptor nameplate, joining a unified team of more than 70 engineers, drivers, navigators, and support members working across the peninsula. The group logged more than 20,000 miles of pre-running, testing, development, and racing, creating a continuous pipeline of data and insight drawn directly from desert conditions.


Fifteen years ago, Raptor was introduced to bring race-proven capability to everyday drivers. In the 2025 Baja 1000, the course returned the favor — proving those very vehicles in the environment where they were born with two victories in one unforgiving desert.
 
Can't remember what state I saw this in, but I had to swing back around to take a look. It's a generally pretty clean '59 Rambler Classic. If'n I recall correctly, he was asking $6,200 for it. The front late-model bucket seats were a turn-off for me, as was the missing Continental kit. Still, just a sweet old girl.

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Just a nice road heading out of Heppner, Oregon...
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Camping in the desert of Quartzsite, Arizona.
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So, all in all, the trip was great. 3,500 miles, roundtrip. The little Mazda camper did give me fits most of the trip, however. It developed a "lean condition at idle" (what the code read as) that was so bad that I could barely keep it running at stop signs and intersections. Had to slip it into Neutral and bring the revs up over 1,500 rpm. I had already cleaned the MAF sensor, cleaned the throttle body, and installed new plugs, coils, and injectors just a few months ago, so I was convinced that wasn't the problem. Checked for vacuum leaks at my Dad's in Tucson. No evidence of such. Going to install a new upstream (Bank 1) O2 sensor, which was literally delivered to my door as I was typing this out. Hope that does the trick.

Had a bad vibration between 13 and 21 mph that I couldn't nail down (been looking into it for a while, now). In Tucson, I figured out that the bearing that the CV axle intermediate shaft passes through is toast. Fortunately, I was able to milk the car home without it obliterating itself enroute. Have to order the part from Mazda.

Developed a massive oil leak at the oil cooler. Already have an aftermarket spin-on filter conversion kit in the garage, so that will take care of that.

Did pay a shop in Tucson to install a new NAPA-brand starter for me. I had the tools to do it, but not the ambition. It was worth it to me to pay for the convenience of having someone else get dirty...this time. ;)

Helluva good time. Glad to be back, though!
 
Just a nice road heading out of Heppner, Oregon...
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Camping in the desert of Quartzsite, Arizona.
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So, all in all, the trip was great. 3,500 miles, roundtrip. The little Mazda camper did give me fits most of the trip, however. It developed a "lean condition at idle" (what the code read as) that was so bad that I could barely keep it running at stop signs and intersections. Had to slip it into Neutral and bring the revs up over 1,500 rpm. I had already cleaned the MAF sensor, cleaned the throttle body, and installed new plugs, coils, and injectors just a few months ago, so I was convinced that wasn't the problem. Checked for vacuum leaks at my Dad's in Tucson. No evidence of such. Going to install a new upstream (Bank 1) O2 sensor, which was literally delivered to my door as I was typing this out. Hope that does the trick.

Had a bad vibration between 13 and 21 mph that I couldn't nail down (been looking into it for a while, now). In Tucson, I figured out that the bearing that the CV axle intermediate shaft passes through is toast. Fortunately, I was able to milk the car home without it obliterating itself enroute. Have to order the part from Mazda.

Developed a massive oil leak at the oil cooler. Already have an aftermarket spin-on filter conversion kit in the garage, so that will take care of that.

Did pay a shop in Tucson to install a new NAPA-brand starter for me. I had the tools to do it, but not the ambition. It was worth it to me to pay for the convenience of having someone else get dirty...this time. ;)

Helluva good time. Glad to be back, though!

Glad you had fun and are back home ! Isn't it wild that a car guy diagnoses and drives a car to accommodate issues most people wouldn't notice until the car was dead in the water . Once you take the red pill you can never go back . No shame in the farming out the starter job , remember you were on vacation !
 
Novak Conversions Jeep Wrangler TJ engine mounts