Hey everybody,
My name is David and I'm (hopefully) a soon to be cobra owner/builder. I have my "cobra fund" at approx. $24K and really need to pull the trigger on starting this project soon. If not, life will chew up my fund and I'll have to start again. It's already done so once. I'm not looking for a completed drive-able car for $24K. I just need to get at least the kit purchased so the project can go into full swing. I have researched it enough that my head hurts.
First, a little about my family and the project. We are very close, and this project will be for all of us, not just me. Both my wife and I love the cobra, and as such, both will be drivers.
My mechanical skill is medium. I can install and engine, but not rebuild one. Body work is NOT one of my strong points. Therefore, rather than a huge crate of loose parts, I would be looking for somewhat of a "roller".
Like I said before, I've read this site and many others until my head hurts. I have begun building a spreadsheet of my narrowed down manufacturers offerings. When I finish it, I would be happy to post it if anybody thinks it would help other beginners like myself. After all this grueling research, I have narrowed down my choices to four companies: Shell Valley, Factory Five, Hurricane, and Unique Motorcars. I know there are many other that are well loved on this site like Backdraft, Superformance, and ERA. But after really digging, they are all kind of out of my budget (unless I'm missing something).
As for the car and it's use, we wish to build a performance street car. I do not race. Well, the closest I will come is somebody perhaps wishing to prove something with his/her Mustang, Camero, or Vette at a stoplight. That's not to say that I won't take it on the track at all. It just will be driving around for fun rather than any kind of competition (ie. track time with a local club).
When we first started "really" researching, we got caught up in all of the manufacturer's claims of "authenticity". I was then telling myself that this and that would "never do" because it's not authentic. Until I came to the realization that no matter how much money I throw at this car, it will NEVER, EVER be authentic. It will ALWAYS be a replica, no matter what. That being said, I will let the cat out of the bag and probably get more than a few sneers and grumbles for it. Just remember that my wife is half of this project.
As stated, I want a performance street car. We love the look of the Cobra, but we also want a few modern conveniences and luxuries built in:
- Automatic
- Power steering
- Power brakes
- Radio (if possible)
- Fuel injection (Coyote 5.0 if possible)
- Air conditioning (just kidding)
I have owned three fox-bodied Mustangs ('87 GT, '89 LX 5.0, and a '93 GT), none of which I have any longer. After looking into the Factory Five "donor" theory, I assume that I would be building another fox-body Mustang in Cobra skin while simply removing a good amount of weight. Tearing apart a Mustang, then building a cobra with the remains is NOT what I'm looking for. At the same time, though, I know that you don't "have" to use a donor car with Factory Five kits any more. The one thing that I wasn't sure of with Factory Five is that even their "complete" kit is still a kit. There is really no factory assembly. It's all my responsibility.
All of the manufacturers seem to use their version of a tubular form of the Mustang II front end, while the rear suspension are offered as a standard four-link setup utilizing a Ford 8.8 or 9-inch rear end or a Jaguar IRS upgrade. My first questions would be is this IRS really the way to go? I know it looks cool, but am I going to notice enough of an improvement in ride quality on the street to justify it's price? Although all of the manufacturers seem very proud of it.
Above I mentioned an automatic trans. Does anybody have any advice on a shifter that doesn't look like it belongs in a Pinto?
Next is powerplant. I watched the video posted here of the Coyote 5.0 installed in a Backdraft. I'm sorry if any of you find that offending. I thought that was about the most awesome sounding cobra EVER. And with the size, it completely fills the entire engine compartment and just looks SO BAD ASS. If I can work one into our budget, that would be ideal. I have been finding take-outs from 2012 Mustangs on Craigslist for $8500.00 complete with trans and everything. Does this seem like a good price?
The more I work on the above mentioned spreadsheet, Shell Valley seems to be the real leader in cost savings. Their complete package even includes a Ford rear end (8.8 or 9 inch). The thing is, I've never actually seen a Shell Valley replica up close. It would be great to hear from some Shell Valley owners on the quality and ease of assembly of their Cobras.
Earlier I mentioned my former Mustangs. While I really liked them (obviously, I owned three of them) and they were fun to drive, I never really won anything with them. I pretty much always got owned by Cameros and Vettes. These are simply sporadic stoplight challenges, not actual races. Not knowing a lot about horsepower/torque vs. weight ratios, what kind of power would this car need to be pushing to make sure I chewed up the occasional punk on the street?
Another thing I really don't know enough about to figure out is wheel sizes. Everybody offers 15 inch, 17 inch, and some 18 inch original style wheels. Is there any real benefit with going with a larger wheel and shorter tire? Or is it mainly for looks? Probably a silly question to most of you.
Any more advice would be appreciated like rear end gear ratio, tires, etc. would be wonderful, like a Tylenol for my aching head.
This site is the best, and the best to all of you.
David