looking to buy a cobra (fiberglass q)

[gottachopwood]

Hi all,

I wasn't planning on buying a cobra or doing a kit for a few more years but came across a 15 yr old Everett Morrison with a 351 Windsor for $20k and it got me thinking. The car was originally set up to race but never saw much time on the track or had any impacts that I'm aware of. I'm posting looking for your advice and help, so thanks in advance.

The good: The engine is solid, no leaks, good oil pressure, just over 8k miles, IRS and very detailed build book with each part listed.

The bad: The fiberglass shell & paint isn't in the best of shape.

My questions for all of you is the following.

1) The fiberglass has lots spidercracks but what mostly worries me is the full crack under the front wheel wells that follows the bends in the shell. (Sorry hard to explain) but there is a full crack under each wheel well in an "L" shape the tracks just a few cm inside the wheel well ...originating from the center of the car to the edge of the wheel well and then it follows up the well. What i'm concerned about is that this crack will continue up the wheel well to the point it is visable or causing major issues. To give you an idea on the extent of the cracks, each leg of the "L" is about 8-10 inches. I need to talk to a fiberglass repair expert, but I'm not sure if this is common or can be easily repaired. I'm a little concerned he let the crack progress to this extent, unless i'm just over reacting. For a 15yr old car, is it common to expect a lot of spidercracking or is this a sign of too much stress on the shell?

I'm guessing it's going to cost me about $10k to fix the fiberglass and get a decent pain job on it, but then I'm very ignorant in fiberglass repair.

2) The car has manual brakes (first time I ever one with them). I don't mind getting on the brakes to stop, but is this common or do most people use power brakes? I'm assuming manual is typical for racing.


BTW, I plan on using the car for enjoyment and am not concerning with winning awards at shows or serious racing.

Thanks again, cheers!
Steve