New guy

[powerbyford]

Hello all!

Just discovered this forum.

I'm Jason, work at Ford ATNPC in Livonia, MI. I'm a prototype transmission technician, and at the moment I'm in the valve body group.

I have an '87 Mustang LX converted to a 5 liter/T5. We've owned it since 2007, but it hasn't run since 2012. Carb issues. Hopefully, that will be fixed this spring, now that finances and time permit. (Private school for 2 kids is expensive! )

That being said, I joined the forum to learn about Cobras, right? My dream car has been a Cobra since I was 8 or 9- I was born in 1975.

I'm getting to the point in my life where it may be able to actually happen, so I'd like to follow the group's posts about makers, building, etc. to get an idea of what I'm getting into. I've modded several cars in the past, but never 'built' one. The Mustang was an original 4 cylinder auto car, my neighbor had a 302 lying around and we bought a 5 speed from D&D. Thankfully, the previous owner had already had a V8 in at one time, and it had the 8.8 in it already.

The current plan, which is always subject to change, is to get a FactoryFive base kit, and mod it for a 428CJ powered "DragonSnake" replica. It would probably not be street driven much (I have the Mustang for that), so I'd like especially to get input from those who race them on the quarter mile. I know, they are built for twisties, but at this time that's just not my bag. Besides, I can always build ANOTHER one for that, right?

Well, if you've read this far, I've bored you enough. Thanks for letting me in and see you around the group!

jk

Jason
a resident of "stately" Wayne, MI.
Hopefully soon to be Cobra kit builder!

[1795]

Welcome aboard! Plenty of people with Factory Fives on this forum to give you help and suggestions. Good luck with your potential project.

[Trubble]

Welcome Jason!
As another new guy, I can tell you that you'll find plenty of good info here.
Good luck with the project.
Bill

[DanEC]

Welcome Jason. It sounds like you should be a pretty fair mechanic so a Factory Five car build should not be any problem for you. If a 427 Dragon Snake recreation is your goal, the live rear axle is probably even a good choice and saves you a bit of money over an IRS. You might have to look around if you want to include a hardtop for it to further the recreation, but there are several on the market. Good luck.

[Ron61]

Jason,

Welcome to the site and it sounds as if you have a very good idea of what you want to do. I hope that you will keep us informed as you go along with your hopefully soon upcoming project.

Ron

[twobjshelbys]

I'd encourage you to buy a used already done car to be sure you are ready for what a Cobra really is before you start building a kit and find out the car is not suited to your tastes. Honestly - the fact that a reasonably easy Mustang task has sat idle for 5 years doesn't make me feel good about the commitment to a thousand hour Cobra project.

If you are committed to a home build then keep your eyes open here for abandoned projects. There are many.

In any case, good luck!

[66gtk]

427 Dragon snake build sounds really cool! It also sounds expensive, so what is your budget? Are you set on the FE under the hood?

[cycleguy55]

Originally Posted by powerbyford

Hello all!

Just discovered this forum.

I'm Jason, work at Ford ATNPC in Livonia, MI. I'm a prototype transmission technician, and at the moment I'm in the valve body group.

I have an '87 Mustang LX converted to a 5 liter/T5. We've owned it since 2007, but it hasn't run since 2012. Carb issues. Hopefully, that will be fixed this spring, now that finances and time permit. (Private school for 2 kids is expensive! )

That being said, I joined the forum to learn about Cobras, right? My dream car has been a Cobra since I was 8 or 9- I was born in 1975.

I'm getting to the point in my life where it may be able to actually happen, so I'd like to follow the group's posts about makers, building, etc. to get an idea of what I'm getting into. I've modded several cars in the past, but never 'built' one. The Mustang was an original 4 cylinder auto car, my neighbor had a 302 lying around and we bought a 5 speed from D&D. Thankfully, the previous owner had already had a V8 in at one time, and it had the 8.8 in it already.

The current plan, which is always subject to change, is to get a FactoryFive base kit, and mod it for a 428CJ powered "DragonSnake" replica. It would probably not be street driven much (I have the Mustang for that), so I'd like especially to get input from those who race them on the quarter mile. I know, they are built for twisties, but at this time that's just not my bag. Besides, I can always build ANOTHER one for that, right?

Well, if you've read this far, I've bored you enough. Thanks for letting me in and see you around the group!

jk

Jason
a resident of "stately" Wayne, MI.
Hopefully soon to be Cobra kit builder!

Welcome to the forum - and the insanity!

Looks like you've got a plan there, and the skills to make it happen. It's my understanding, though, that with the exception of one car all DragonSnakes were SBF. That exception was CSX 3198 - a 427 powered car. Looks like you're going to copy that one, rather than the earlier, small-block cars. Or you could build one of each!

Good luck and best wishes!

1966 Shelby Cobra 427 DRAGONSNAKE CSX3198

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC_Cobra

[mptech]

I was going to ask the same thing. Weren't most of the DragonSnake cars 289 Slabsides? FFR makes a 289, but I thought it was an FIA.

were you planning to use the Mustang as a donor, with the 302? Converting from a 302 to a 427 will be more work & money. Remember, your '87 donor parts are now 30 years old and many are worn out or deteriorated: radiator, fuel tank, brake parts, steering, and wiring.
If you're interested in Drag racing it, I'd look at a FFR 289 body with a Coyote. A supercharger would take it into serious drag racing status, but you're going to need a significant roll cage and safety equipment for it.

Nothing as fun as tearing up the twisties for a couple hours.

[powerbyford]

Thank you for all the comments!

The used project idea is a good one- I'll have to keep my eyes open for that.

As far as the Mustang- I had two kids in private school, and a wife in college. Both the kids have moved on to public high school, and the wife is on track to graduate in June. Therefore, funds have been freed up that had been allocated to other, more important things.

Up to this point, my life story is either money and no time, or laid off and no money. LOL Hooefully, by this summer, I'll finally have both.


Oh, and I'm not dead set on a 427. I was actually thinking of getting the car going with a 390 (easy to find, relatively cheap) and then upgrade over time. I've had cars with big blocks before (Chrysler and Lincoln) and you just cant beat that earth rotating torque! As fun as they were in the big boats, I'd imagine it would be stunning in a small, light car.

[1795]

There is a recent thread here on this site in which a member is selling some 390 bocks real cheap; basically looking for the salvage cost to get them out of his garage. You might want to check that thread out, not sure what the shipping charge would be.

Lots of time to think and plan....

[powerbyford]

Originally Posted by mptech

I was going to ask the same thing. Weren't most of the DragonSnake cars 289 Slabsides? FFR makes a 289, but I thought it was an FIA.

were you planning to use the Mustang as a donor, with the 302? Converting from a 302 to a 427 will be more work & money. Remember, your '87 donor parts are now 30 years old and many are worn out or deteriorated: radiator, fuel tank, brake parts, steering, and wiring.
If you're interested in Drag racing it, I'd look at a FFR 289 body with a Coyote. A supercharger would take it into serious drag racing status, but you're going to need a significant roll cage and safety equipment for it.

Nothing as fun as tearing up the twisties for a couple hours.

The Coyote idea has crossed my mind... even the Ecoboost 4 is rated at 325 HP now! And a bit lighter... wonder how that would handle in a Cobra?

A couple summers ago I was in one of the front wheel drive groups as a technologist. I had to do some updates on a trans in a dyno cell. The cell next to where I was had WOT tests on a Coyote for the Mustang GT. I can tell you, it's hard to find something that sounds as good as a Coyote doing WOT testing. And I'm a HEMI guy at heart. lol

The brother of a coworker has a Coyote/Tremec in his Mark VII, with a Magnapower blower too, if I remember right. It's quite a beast, even in that big car.

[40k Later]

You sound like a builder and not a buyer. The staff at Factory Five are all outstanding and their product is outstanding and well supported. I would definitely recommend them. Buying someone else's project could be a heart ache waiting to happen. As far as Cobras are concerned, BUILDING your own is incredibly rewarding. Be cautious taking advice from someone that has purchased their Cobra and gives you their opinion whether or not you are ready to build one. One thing they'll NEVER hear is Holy Sh_t you built that? Update us on your direction, whether you are looking for originality (spend a fortune and it's still a fake) or taking your own path. Either way good luck and be prepared to take a lot of stare's away from Corvette's at stop lights!!

[powerbyford]

Thanks for the advice.

I'm not really concerned about originality- one of the mods is going to have to be to radius the wheelwells anyway- I wonder if any of the producers do that from the factory? It's always painful taking a sawzall to something new...

If it were a CSX numbered car, well, that's a different story. Then I'd be looking for tires aired up in 1963 to 'borrow' the air from.

Truth be told, until I joined here, I wasn't aware there were so many different companies reproducing them! I never heard of ERA (Wow! Nice stuff!). I'd pretty much only seen Superformance and FFR. And for what I want to do, the FFR seems to be the right choice anyway, since there will be a lot of 'modification' anyway. I'm still in the learning and research stage, so keep the advice coming.

Maybe one day I'll go for one that looks 'authentic'... depending on how much fun I have.

[RB60]

Originally Posted by powerbyford

Thanks for the advice.

I'm not really concerned about originality- one of the mods is going to have to be to radius the wheelwells anyway- I wonder if any of the producers do that from the factory? It's always painful taking a sawzall to something new...

If it were a CSX numbered car, well, that's a different story. Then I'd be looking for tires aired up in 1963 to 'borrow' the air from.

Truth be told, until I joined here, I wasn't aware there were so many different companies reproducing them! I never heard of ERA (Wow! Nice stuff!). I'd pretty much only seen Superformance and FFR. And for what I want to do, the FFR seems to be the right choice anyway, since there will be a lot of 'modification' anyway. I'm still in the learning and research stage, so keep the advice coming.

Maybe one day I'll go for one that looks 'authentic'... depending on how much fun I have.

Another manufacturer you might consider is Unique Motorcars. Granted, I bought mine completed, but it seems very solid and of good quality. They have kits in various stages (along with turn keys) and the Weavers are very helpful and polite, even with simple questions.
Just my 2 cents.

[powerbyford]

Well, there's another manufacturer I didn't know existed!

I'll check them out. Thanks for the tip!

[PNJSNAK]

Take a good look at ACAUTOS.com.
They are in Buffalo and provide gelcoat bodies in your choice of colors.
I built one in 2001 so that is why the suggestion.
you can look at the Antique and Collectible Forum on this site.
There are many manufacturers that can supply kits in various stages.
this way you can spend money in bits or all at once.
click the camera under my call name upper left to see some pics from when I just completed it and I added a couple later.
Good luck with your decision
Jim

[powerbyford]

Very nice ride! Thanks for the tip on AC Cars too!

Here is pretty much the approximation of what I'm going for.

Since I also didn't know there were different variations between the 289 cars (slabside vs FIA, etc), can someone advise the closest body style to this picture?

Less than a week in and I've learned a bunch already!

We even had Shelby's chili for dinner last night.

Thanks for the info so far, and please keep it coming!

[1795]

Looks to be a combo to me. Front is slab side and rear is more like an FIA, but not quite there. Looks like fender flares were added to change a slab side to accept larger rear wheels. Take a look at the picture of my car, mine is an FIA.

Jim

[PNJSNAK]

Okay, straight line stuff, no road course.
Straight rear axle, 289 slab side body, rectangular steel tube frame, 9
Ford 9” rear end.
A & C only supplies the 427 body style.
If the “Dragon Snake” look is what you want, you will need to search only those manufacturers.
Good luck.
Jim