Excalibur Owners: Please Reply!

[Aloys]

Thanks for your help. (I'd be really frustrated if it weren't so much fun to drive up to 4500, I want the whole package )
Mike[/Quote

...doesn`t belong here, but RPM was the trigger:
could not get my car over 3000 for almost a day in last summer. Solution: while cleaning the dash I got the rpm set on 3000...

BLACKJACK:
good looking hardtop. Will try to post new pictures of mine soon as the snow gets lost...

[cobraduke]

Hey Aloys,
Do you have any contacts at Hella International in Germany? I only have one gray "key" or probe or what ever it is called for my system. I tried contacting the US Hella distributor in Georgia and was told the system was not sold in the US and I would have to contact Hella in Germany. I went to their web site, but it referred me back to the US distributor! I could not leave any message directly to customer service at Hella in Germany, so I left my request with their web master. That was several days ago and I have not received any answer. I could not find any mention of this system on their site as well. What do you know about getting more keys or even a complete system to replace what I have now?

Vielen Dank,
Mike

[Aloys]

Mike,
far as I know this part (No.5RD 007 611-801/HELLA Protec Immobilizer Space)
is not beeing produced anymore. ERIC tried to get a system or parts of it a few years ago. I got the phone number and will call HELLA tomorrow to be sure and to get some information.
So, take good care of your key..

[ayrwulf]

my dad bought this car in the early spring of 1995 and it is titled as a 1994 car. he bought it a ford dealership in quincy il. as i recall he was told that the car had been ordered thru the dealership by someone and a deposit was put down of 10,000. when the car arrived the man who had ordered it couldnot take delivery for some reason. my dad traded a new ford ranger and another ten grand for the car .(a total of $32,000). my dad died in jan of 1997. and the car went to my brother who still has it.he lives in Minier, illinois and i live in Bloomington just 25 miles away so i get to see and play with the car often.
i dont have any pics of the car that i can upload at this time but i will get some soon. ( just got a new cam). the car is guards red with white strips, black leather interior, has a soft top that has only been on the car 4x, chrome side pipes, bumpers, roll bar and mirriors. am/fm cassette player , classic guages, kelsy/hayes wheels(no heater though) i think the car has about 3000 miles on it at this time. it is a 5.0 F.I. engine , standard transmission. i dont think i've left anything out. my brother and i ar both car nutz and we have other muscle cars but we both agree that this one is the most fun to drive and play with. no high maintence , no break downs and a whole lot of fun! we have wondered about the excaliburs, cause we've never seen another one. we have looked at a lot of other "KIT CARS', an none of them compare to the excalibur as far as quality of the build and the lines and the stance of the car is above many of the othe cobras out there. there is a guy here in town that has an original ford cobra that his dad bought new in '6 4 and it is in top shape but is not as nice as the excalibur. i hope this helps in your quest for a registry and we would be interested in the outcome. thanx for being here.

[cobraduke]

Couldn't agree more about the Excalibur Cobra. I've had mine for only a couple of months, but it has already proven to be the most entertaining car I've ever owned. Look forward to seeing some photos. Mine is ...123149, a '96, same paint as yours, but tan soft parts, also has heat and AC. If your was delivered without a heater/defroster, it might have been a special order with that deleted, might be the same for the wheels. Thanks for joining the site and this thread. Mine is pictured in my photo gallery.

Mike

[Aloys]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Other...spagenameZWDVW

[Aloys]

Had my cars 2-year inspection done yesterday, no problems. One little problem has started and will have to be fixed at the end of the season: the bushings of the lower front A-arms will have to be replaced. Has anyone ever done this and knows which manufacturer this part comes from?

[MilwDoug]

Dous anyone know where I can get a replacement for the strap that hols the heat shield to the chrome pipes on the exhast system? The one I broke was in the forward position.

So many pedestrians, so little time.

[DavidFagan]

I'm in Glen Ellyn so I'm not far away ...
Mine is a 96 but I have around 18k on the car, I drive it to work everyday when it's warm enough and isn't raining. So yes it's got rock chips in the front and everything.
My driver side seat is just disintegrating so I've pulled it and put in a RCI until I can figure out how to have it redone without a home equity loan. P.S. replacing a seat is real work
I've also just discovered a exhaust gasket that ACTUALLY FITS PERFECTLY. All but I think the last 8 have the 2 bolt to the exhaust vs the retro 3 they put on the last ones. I put new BEEFY replacement headers on and redid the exhaust so I don't think anything is going to crack anymore. Anyhow from the factory I pretty sure they put that two layer gasket on that has the internal mesh on it. (it sucks and doesn't !@#&ing fit the holes) Anyhow I went through the whole cabnet at autozone and found part

Engine Seal (brand) gaskets.

85084
exhause flange
NISSAN 1974-87

SKU REF
23609 future No
12-2507 (actually that might a 8 not a 0) I'll check another to see if it's more readable

Also interchanges to
Detroit 13166, 131161
Mc Cord N A
Victor F 20188

Oh by the way I don't remember that computer chip mod I'm sure it's discussed in here someplace, WONDERFUL, I don't give a hoot about power but the running temp is SO much better and I don't die in hot weather. 215 is smokin, 170-175 even in the hotest of weather now.

Originally Posted by ayrwulf

my dad bought this car in the early spring of 1995 and it is titled as a 1994 car. he bought it a ford dealership in quincy il. as i recall he was told that the car had been ordered thru the dealership by someone and a deposit was put down of 10,000. when the car arrived the man who had ordered it couldnot take delivery for some reason. my dad traded a new ford ranger and another ten grand for the car .(a total of $32,000). my dad died in jan of 1997. and the car went to my brother who still has it.he lives in Minier, illinois and i live in Bloomington just 25 miles away so i get to see and play with the car often.
i dont have any pics of the car that i can upload at this time but i will get some soon. ( just got a new cam). the car is guards red with white strips, black leather interior, has a soft top that has only been on the car 4x, chrome side pipes, bumpers, roll bar and mirriors. am/fm cassette player , classic guages, kelsy/hayes wheels(no heater though) i think the car has about 3000 miles on it at this time. it is a 5.0 F.I. engine , standard transmission. i dont think i've left anything out. my brother and i ar both car nutz and we have other muscle cars but we both agree that this one is the most fun to drive and play with. no high maintence , no break downs and a whole lot of fun! we have wondered about the excaliburs, cause we've never seen another one. we have looked at a lot of other "KIT CARS', an none of them compare to the excalibur as far as quality of the build and the lines and the stance of the car is above many of the othe cobras out there. there is a guy here in town that has an original ford cobra that his dad bought new in '6 4 and it is in top shape but is not as nice as the excalibur. i hope this helps in your quest for a registry and we would be interested in the outcome. thanx for being here.

[MilwDoug]

Quote
I put new BEEFY replacement headers on and redid the exhaust so I don't think anything is going to crack anymore.

David,

Can you tell us more about the exhast system you put on? Where did you get the headers? Did you do anything to the mufflers? the originals are are really restrictive. What about the cats? Did you dump them or replace them?

Thanks,

Doug

[DavidFagan]

Originally Posted by MilwDoug

Quote
I put new BEEFY replacement headers on and redid the exhaust so I don't think anything is going to crack anymore.

David,

Can you tell us more about the exhast system you put on? Where did you get the headers? Did you do anything to the mufflers? the originals are are really restrictive. What about the cats? Did you dump them or replace them?

Thanks,

Doug

I got the headers from a regular on this list, I don't even remember hist name but I know this string has his response to me somewhere. It must have been just for an older model but they are significantly heavier and much better made then what I had. Unfortunately I can't dump the cats since we have emission testing where I live as well. I just modified the pipework for them and put in supports so that the sidepipes didn't just hang all the weight off of them as well. It's been several years now and I see no signs of stress and since I actually found a gasket that fits I hope that I won't even have to replace them every year. It's only been a couple months but I see no signs that it's leaking like it always did.

[MilwDoug]

Thanks Mike. Do you have their e-mail address or phone number?

Doug

[cobraduke]

Doug,
Go to www.classicroadsters.com and take a look there. I don't have the specific info with me today. You want to talk or email Pete or Don. Let me know if they can supply what you are looking for (I might need the same part someday)

Mike

[BLACKJACK]

A Mechanic Who Has Been Working On My Cars Has Been "busting My Chops" Wanting To Buy My Excalibur.

The Only Reason I Would Consider Selling It Is That We Have A Three Car Garage - Now Holding The Era Cobra, Era Gt-40 And The Excalibur. We Are Just About To Get Our Track Car Back From The Shop And I Really Don't Want To Have A 40k Plus Track Car Parked In The Driveway.

I Have Absolutely No Idea What The Car Is Worth. Any Suggestions Would Be Greatly Appreciated.

It's A 1995 EXcalibur With The Following Features:

** 302 H.o. Engine. Stock Except For A Hypertech Chip And Msd Ingition Box.

** 4aode Automatic Transmission Modified By Dana Briscoe. (very Quick & Very Firm).

** Air Conditioning (i Know - A Real Sissie Car).

** Custom Hard Top - Fitted & Installed By Ed Combs. (double Venom).

** 20,000 Easy (and Very Comfortable Miles On It)

** Brand New Headers And Side Pipes - Silver Ceramic Coated. All The Weird Cat Converters And Convoluted Exhaust Stuff Is Gone.

** Four Point Simpson Race Type Seat Belts & Shoulder Harness.

** Big - Super Bright - Hella Diving Lights. (i Mean - You Stand In Front Of These Suckers When Lit And You Won't Have Any More Kids).

** Two Talbot 4 Inch Mirrors And Cobra Hood Latches Installed.

** Original Haartz Cloth Soft Top And Haartz Cloth Tonneau Cover As Well.

** Ford 9 Inch Limited Slip Rear End.

** Registered As A 1966 Cobra Replica In Virginia.

PHOTOS IN MY GALLERY.


Like I Said - I Love The Car - And I'm Not Sure That I Even Want To Sell It. If He Keeps Pushing Me I May Have A Weak Moment And Would Like To Be Able To Give Him A Price.

Thanks Very Much - - And - -

Y'all Have A Really Great Day.

Blackjack

[cobraduke]

Blackjack,

1. Sell the others and keep the one you love to DRIVE. They still make the others, but not any more Excaliburs.

2. That said, if mental instability takes a firm hold and you give him a price, the six I've seen sell in the last six months or so have been in the $33-$40 K range. In my opinion, yours is in the top part of that range. The last one that I know of, xxx177 VIN, was sold by Harry Kaufmann (dealer in vintage cars) and my guess is that it went for over $40 K with 16 K miles. Nice car with a late (probably the last) regular VIN. Your car is comparable in condition and some of its features are very rare (built 4AODE, awsome hardtop, sorted exhaust, 9 inch, BLACK). Call Harry and see what he thinks they are worth and where they are going. I read in Kit Car the new Excalibur effort is not happening, more reason to prize your Excalibur.

3. Take some deep breaths, sell one of your garage queens that you don't drive often and keep the black beauty- seriously!

Mike

[Excaliber]

The 9" is nice, many of the later ones came with the smaller 8.8. The smaller unit is certainly fine and more than strong enough, just accentuating the positive aspects of the car. The hardtop and the AC are also really nice options. I'd say your Excal would be near the top of the food chain. I got $35K for mine, some time back, with less options AND 'needed some work'. I'd say yours is worth more than that today!

Of course the 'new' Excalibur is yet another 'replica' (add your own engine\trans) competing against a fairly large market supply of similar cars.

The 'real' original Excals are unique in that they were "Federally Approved". There actually listed in a special edition of "Kelly Blue Book" as to their value. When I sold mine the buyers Credit Union looked the car up in the 'Blue Book' to determine value to loan ratio. They can be insured and bank financed like any 'used car'. It's MUCH tougher to get bank financing\insurance for any other replica! I doubt we will EVER see a 'Federally approved' replica Cobra in the future by ANYBODY!

Assuming the 'smog' gear is in place you could register it in Calif just like any other 1995 car. In my opinion, that FACT alone increases the 'sale ability' of an Excal to a higher level. It would be worth it, for a Calif buyer, to return the car to original specs. The fact it COULD be Calif legal 'adds value' to ANY owner\seller\buyer because the Calif market potential is a HUGE factor come resale time. Something I would impress on a potential buyer regardless of what State he lived in.

[MilwDoug]

Hi Jack,

The one that Harry Kaufman just sold, I believe went for $41,000. Probably in the high range, but with your car I would accept nothing less. My vote is to keep it, but it's your car and your garage. Hell, just buy a lift. You know, it's only money, they give it to you where you work (or used to work).

Doug

[bigiron]

I bought the Cobra Harry K had for sale #177 for $41,000 there is another Excalibur for sale in Milwaukee for $45,000 Green with white stripes. With the hardtop i'd say upper $40,000's. Sounds like its a keeper to me

[cobraduke]

bigiron,
I think you've got the keeper x 2: last production run car, original, history, pristine. Hope someone picks up on the green/white one and comes on board with Club Cobra. There is an orange/black one on ebay with 4500 miles. Not my colors, but it looks like it is really sweet. It does have the hoop type bumpers front and rear. Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't those standard for the first year or so?

Blackjack,
Are you getting better? You've had us worried with that talk about selling the black beauty. Don't give in. Take a nice drive in it with the AC on and it will be better in the morning.

Aloys, Excaliber,
You guys got it good, at least they know the good fairy doesn't pick up the tab.

Aloys did you find the bushings you were needing? If so where?

Mike

[Aloys]

Mike:
I did not really try yet.