Quote:
Originally Posted by Buzz
the aesthetics of that high riding chunky Contemporary bodywork are a complete deal breaker for me. The rear bodywork sits so high it swallows up the roll bar.
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I don't see that. I see a roll bar that is at least 6-8 inches too low (compared to the windshield frame.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Buzz
These things are no more accurate in appearance than early FFR's, yet people continue to laud them as the holy grail.
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I won't touch that comment with a 10-foot pole. Everyone is entitled to their opinion... But I've seen enough Contemporary Classics, and enough early Factory Fives, to say that I don't understand your point of view, at all...
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrmustang
there is enough rust (surface and otherwise) in and out to suggest a tough life
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I don't see that, either. I see the normal rust and road grime of a properly driven car- One that has probably been out on some wet roads/rainy days.
I don't see anything in the pictures to suggest that it has been improperly maintained. Every greasable fitting has grease film around it (which is good- dry, crusty zerks are bad)
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrmustang
rear end that has been ridden hard, really hard
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Impossible to deduce from pictures; Unless you are magical enough to look at a picture of a bellhousing, and tell us that the throwout bearing is bad...
A leaky rear end cover gasket shouldn't be a deal breaker.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrmustang
an engine that has not been rebuilt in the last ten years, and most certainly puts out less than half what the seller purports.
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The ad says it was rebuilt 5 years ago, and you say 10... Whoever has the engine-builder's invoice is right, and the other one is wrong.
HP and torque ratings are, again, impossible to deduce from pictures.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrmustang
Besides the nice body, I see everything having to be torn down and gone through, transmission, engine, cooling system, wiring and especially the rear end. If you can do it all yourself, under $10,000, if not, more than double that
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And it is here that we come to the krux of the discussion.... for 27 grand, the buyer got a Cobra kit that is roughly equivalent in cost to a Unique Deluxe Pallet Kit, Or a Hurricane kit with an IRS upgrade, or an equivalent ERA 427 kit... (actually, this car was a little bit less than those- I'm rounding off to a solid 30k baseline)...
True, this car is still a few grand above what a new, non-doner FF mkIV kit with IRS upgrade would cost, but it's still pretty close.
So...:
-The paint job and the bodywork were free
-The running FE was free
-The clutch and the toploader were free
-The wheels and tires were free ( although I do admit that they are a zero-value adder, and offer nothing more than the utility function of being able to roll the car around)
The cost of assembly is a wash, because I do agree that this car should be properly gone through from one end to the other, by someone who knows what they are doing. However, for a solidly-skilled DIY-er, this car could be out doing donuts, and reliably driving down the highway, for WAAAAAAAY less than 10 grand, and when it's done, the owner would have a nice, correct appearing 427 replica, for about the same total money that someone is going to shell out by building a base Factory Five/5.0 Foxbody donor kit...
(I'm not dissin' any of you Factory Five donor guys- I think you're all cool.
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So, I guess I agree (somewhat)- Maybe it's not a "smokin deal" for 90% of the dudes who post on this forum, and have to shell out $80 an hour every time their car develops a misfire, or their fuel gauge sender quits working...
But, for a guy like me, who sees a well designed (and well engineered) Cobra kit car, which also includes a free powertrain and paint job, this car is a smokin deal...