|
What to look for in this Cobra?
Dear Cobra Gurus:
While I consider myself a dyed in the wool motor head, my collection has consisted mostly of vintage Alfas and Ducatis and I don't know much about Cobra kits. I have a good friend who has more common sense than me and wants to spend his own money on more useful things - a Cobra as a way to get himself into American muscle. This particular one is near by and in the right price range: 1966 AC Cobra - Specialty Sales Classics I understand entirely that the value/desirability of kit Cobras has a lot to do the quality of the build, but are there specific things we should ask about the build? Are there common shortcuts builders take that should be red flags? If you were looking for one, would this be a reasonable candidate to go see/drive (given the budget of course)? Any advice would be much appreciated and thank you in advance. |
Not sure what make it is but they have the side louvers either in upside down or swapped from side to side.
|
Early Everett Morison ?
|
I don't really like the side pipes, but like others have said the build quality is what is important.
|
From what I know about that seller's pricing, you probably would not want any Cobra replica that they price at $25,000.
|
You can have a mechanic (not one of theirs) inspect it for standard problems. Might cost you $100 or a little more, but it would be worth the $$. Maybe someone close in the cobra community can go look at it for/with you.
Note that it has 4 lug wheels which is not a popular option. With their big BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BS crap that they put in their add you would think that it was a 90K car. They arer really overselling it. Of course that is just my opinion which is worth about as much space as the room it took to write it. You really need to know the manufacture. That would help a lot in the decision. You need to know it anyway if you buy it. |
Quote:
Bill S. |
Quote:
|
I have to agree with Arc Light. I looked at one of their Cobra's a few months before I bought mine. It left a lot to be desired. It looked good in their pics, sounded good in their narrative but that was about it. But still, if it's not too far away a look see won't hurt. Terry is right about having it looked at by your own mechanic but my guess that place won't allow it.
|
I suggest finding something out about the source of parts and whose kit it is. You need to know that at a bare minimum for any wear items and replacement parts. That will tell you a lot about how the car is engineered, it's reputation, resale, value.
I would guess 4 cyl Mustang with the 4 lug wheels?? Go through the systems on the car systematically. Does the steering have play, shafts are professionally made from one piece not poorly welded to make a length, good geometry on steering with parts that were designed to be used together, no bump steer or travel issues and nothing cut or welded to change track width. I could keep going with an inspection list like this but you get the idea from just a quick list on steering. Then look at brakes, suspension, exhaust, wiring, fit and finish. Those louvers being switched side to side is a big visual and the exhaust being so low are a couple of items I would look at that just throw off the look of the car right away. They might be nothing or an easy fix but it could signal a pandoras box of someone putting together a car that has no business putting together cars. It doesn't look bad for the money. Get a good local mechanic or Cobra guy to look at it with you. Don't forget to come back and tell us how it panned out............. |
Quote:
|
Also the car is in California and it never said anything about it being registered under SB-100. If it isn't then you will have another pile of money to get it registered correctly unless you are taking it out of this state which should help a lot.
All that being said, a man in Texas just bought a really well built one with a 390 motor and runs great out here for $20K. If I had the money I would have bought it. Ron |
In the photo of the right door panel, it looks like someone lost their breakfast when they saw the louvers. So what year was it built?
JD |
Quote:
|
My take on this is the Cobra looks fine but I would prefer to buy from a private party for two reasons: 1) You can talk to the person that knows something about the Cobra and 2) You won't pay the percent markup (20, 30%?). I wonder how the dealer could even sell the car in California unless it has the SB-100 registration. The 4-lug wheels just means it has a Mustang II suspension right? I don't know much about the lower end Cobra market. You don't see any of these on Cobra Country as they tend to show more high end Cobras. Couldn't there be like $5k of markup in a vehicle like this at the dealer? Notice no wiper blades. How is a dealer even selling this vehicle?
|
Quote:
|
Just wanted to thank everyone for the valuable input, this all makes sense, very useful to know that the 4 lug wheels might point to Mustang II underpinnings (I'm old enough to have seen these new), about SB-100, and which general areas to look in a kit build. I haven't dealt with this seller before but have sold cars using a consignment agency, the way it worked is they negotiated a price with me and sold the cars for whatever they could get, so yes, there could be a nice markup - or not too much if they just want to unload it.
This is not too far away, we'll probably just go take a closer look with your good advice in mind, thank you again. |
If the builder couldn't get the wheels right, couldn't get the side louvers right and the engine is being represented as a stroker 302, then you are looking at the tip of the iceberg in terms of what is not right.
This is a car to avoid and it has nothing to do with price. Ed |
I'd love to see what your all talking about, but it appears the website for that company is down. All I get is a blank page.
|
Quote:
|
| All times are GMT -7. The time now is 07:44 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.0
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Friendly URLs by vBSEO 3.6.0
The representations expressed are the representations and opinions of the clubcobra.com forum members and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and viewpoints of the site owners, moderators, Shelby American, any other replica manufacturer, Ford Motor Company. This website has been planned and developed by clubcobra.com and its forum members and should not be construed as being endorsed by Ford Motor Company, or Shelby American or any other manufacturer unless expressly noted by that entity. "Cobra" and the Cobra logo are registered trademarks for Ford Motor Co., Inc. clubcobra.com forum members agree not to post any copyrighted material unless the copyrighted material is owned by you. Although we do not and cannot review the messages posted and are not responsible for the content of any of these messages, we reserve the right to delete any message for any reason whatsoever. You remain solely responsible for the content of your messages, and you agree to indemnify and hold us harmless with respect to any claim based upon transmission of your message(s). Thank you for visiting clubcobra.com. For full policy documentation refer to the following link: