Toyota Chassis Cobra Thoughts

[snakesaway]

Hi all,

This is my first post. I am on the hunt for a Cobra but not sure my budget will stretch to build one. I have had my eye on one that is on car sales for $25k. It is apparently based on a full MS90 Toyota crown chassis. My thinking was use this as a base and slowly build from there as my uncle would say cobra on a drip feed. I guess I am after some opinions on these kits from people who have owned them in the past or have had experience with them. I am also wondering if these have bump steer issues or not.

I look forward to your opinions good and bad.

Thanks in advance

Andrew.

[Rick Parker]

Andrew:
I have never heard of using anything other than a chassis that is fabricated specifically for use as a Cobra (90 inch wheelbase). Generally made of either Mild steel box tubing or
3"-4" round tube comprising the longitudinal frame rails. Attempting to adapt a V8 to a Toyota chassis may be overkill, and questionable with regards to safety & strength.

[skullandbones]

Hi Andrew,

I built my MKIII from FFR gradually as you are suggesting in your plan. But I started out with the basic kit which was 12.9K. The difference is the dedicated racing chassis very much like the originals but stiffer and better geometry. It took me off and on about six years to get to registration but that was a blessing in disguise. It allowed me to build cash out of pocket over time. So almost 30K now, it's still not "finished" but I'm driving and working on the body work toward a killer paint job sometime in 2014. IMO, you would be wasting money to invest in the example you gave. Get a good foundation or buy a car that is completed. There are still very good deals out there if you look on all the forums. Good luck on whatever you do, WEK.

Note: the reason I feel the way I do about the kits that use an entire chassis or parts of the chassis, is the "Frankenstein" nature of the projects. It's like something cool sitting on top of an OEM chassis. I've seen some that are quick to build but I don't think you would get the driving feel of a real Cobra like you will with the right chassis.

[dhs.buckley]

There is one running around albury, that was built in the early 90s, it was built with a 302 on gas, it has now got a stroker engine pushing out about 500hp, but it needed extensive chassis and suspension work for that and is a massive handfull so i hear.

[petrolhead]

Mate I know the sound of the word Toyota may not sit right but not only is it a quick option but the chassis meets all ADR regulations and may not have to incur any enginers inspections, I'd say go for it you can't see it driving down the street plus you will be on the road a lot quicker

[David Hodgson]

Hi Andrew and welcome.

There is a lot of stigma around Crown chassied cobra's and rightfully so, there are/were some pretty ordinary ones out there, but there are some fairly good ones as well. Early one had bad bodies and ordinary chassis mods where later ones where much more thought out and better bodies, eg G-Force and a few others from WA that copied their bodies. You just have to make sure it is one of the better ones.

Depends on a lot of things as to whether this is right for you. What do you want out of it? A balls and all terror or just a street cruiser that will be fun on a the odd track day?

If your after something that you can build up to a to a high end, street/track performer and want a good return for it when time to sell, then probably not. If you’re after something that you can get into reasonably priced, work on to personalise and have a good weekend toy, then maybe. But like I said, only if it is a reasonable one to start with.

Is this the car?



It looks like a good starting point. A few things to be aware of;
First and foremost, is it registered and has all the engineers paperwork? If not, run away.

If so is it registered in you’re state? This will make life soooo much easier.

This car is Vic but you haven’t put you’re location in you’re profile.

Check out how the chassis was shortened. You say it is a full chassis but 14” has to come out of them to get them the right length. If you need to know what to look for I can send you pics.

Check out for extra chassis members for strengthening.

Check what rear end is used, original Crown or upgraded.

If you’re on a really tight budget, it could be worth looking at if it is well built. If you do a good job on it, someone will buy it if you get bitten and ever want to upgrade.

I have one that I built, and being in the cobra scene since ’89 I have seen many. Mine is the only one I know of with independent rear end. The chassis has extra members and looks similar to G-force MKI, RMC MKI and Wooley/Evans chassis.

As the front suspension is installed as it was in the Crown, there are no bump steer issues unless you put big camber and caster angles into it.

[deano59]

this car here is a Toyota chassis car I have copies of the engineering reports somewhere I enquired about this car a month or so ago but been Toyota based it put me off . very well finished car tho and low ks its been a display in a showroom for many yrs I was told .

2002 AC Cobra Cars For Sale in VIC - CarPoint Australia 1246 1247 1252 1282 4294953257 4294967251&silo=1011

[snakesaway]

Originally Posted by Rick Parker

Andrew:
I have never heard of using anything other than a chassis that is fabricated specifically for use as a Cobra (90 inch wheelbase). Generally made of either Mild steel box tubing or
3"-4" round tube comprising the longitudinal frame rails. Attempting to adapt a V8 to a Toyota chassis may be overkill, and questionable with regards to safety & strength.

Hi Rick,

Back in the early days of the kits in Australia it was reasonably common to use a donor chassis and build the kit from there. Now days all the kits here have the sort of chassis you describe.

Andrew

[snakesaway]

Hi David,

That is exactly the one I am looking at. Yes I am in Victoria so the fact that this is registered in Victoria is an advantage. I basically want a street cruiser and the occasional club track day use. I want to change it a manual box and maybe upgrade the motor at some point but other than that the rest would be simply cosmetic stuff. I did note however that in the ad it didn't have the engineers paperwork anymore. What problems does this create? If you could send me the photos of the chassis mods that would be a great help thanks. I am hoping to go for a drive this weekend.

[jcraigau]

I think for the money and registration jump at it.
I wouldn't think you'd ever loose money on it.
If it was me I'd buy that as the daily cobra and invest in a new chassis/body and spend a couple of years building up the exact cobra you want. You'll learn a lot driving a cobra about what you like and don't like and want to change.
In 5 years or so when the dream cobra is on the road you could sell this one and get your money back!

[leroy17]

For whats its worth, here are my thoughts.

Go have a look and a drive first. You can check out pics over and over again, however go and have a look. Whilst I understand the motivation of a well priced car (its been for sale for a long time) if its a turd of a car... then its a waste of your money. Not all cobras are created equal.

I remember looking at the pics of one for sale many years ago for weeks and weeks.... when I went and checked it out.... was very disapointing.... then the drive was even worse. I walked away and never gave it a second thought....... but I then opened my budget up. Dont let the price be the motivator, a compromise can be a costly exercise.

I understand the cobra 'thing'... I really do...... you either have it and cant get rid of it.... or you dont really have it at all.

$25K is good coin for a car, whilst not cobras, here is just a few things that this much coin can get you. I am not comparing these to cobras, just throwing things in the mix.

M3
2002 BMW M3 Sequential Manual Gearbox

Tommi Mak EVO
2000 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI Tommi Makinen

911
1977 Porsche 911 SC

Camaro
1970 Chevrolet Camaro

Corvette
1988 Chevrolet Corvette MY1988

[guye]

That's actually a really good point you make Leroy. I do that all the time. Compare what else you could buy for the same money to test your resolve! If you're even a bit tempted, then you don't really need a cobra :-)

[LoBelly]

It is a long time since I read up on this but afaik....

The main advantage of using the early crown chassis is (something like) you can rebody pre-'72 cars and they maintain that build date.

However, the rego is usually something like >1971 Jaguar Rebody<
i.e the car it was.
not the car it has been made into.

Consequently, there are some things in the ad that may be problematic.

Fortunately the Cobra Car Club of Victoria is having its Monthly meeting this Wednesday, you can get many opinions - some of value
www.cobracarclubvic.org.au


LoBelly

[David Hodgson]

Originally Posted by LoBelly

The main advantage of using the early crown chassis is (something like) you can rebody pre-'72 cars and they maintain that build date.

However, the rego is usually something like >1971 Jaguar Rebody<
i.e the car it was.
not the car it has been made into.

Exactly that and budget constraints for me when I built mine Lobelly. WA, NT and ACT rego considered them rebodies and allowed them through with running gear only need complying with the year of the chassis. I have a carburettored 302 running Jag rear, no pollution gear and live side pipes at 97? dba - all legal. A big deal for me in 1990 when I ordered it. I certainly would like a new generation like the CR, Harrison or AP, but a raw Cobra is what I wanted and that's what I got.

I certainly agree with everyone, as with any purchase, particularly a component car no matter what brand, check it out thoroughly and make sure its right for you.

I'm just answering the OP's question on Crown chassis, if it's done right their okay, no worse than a Healy or other 60's/70's cars as a cruiser.

[boxhead]

If you are wanting a car that "Looks like a Cobra" and are not fussed about racing and performance handling, then I say go for it if thats what the budget allows.

Not everyone wants a race car.

[petrolhead]

I am a fan of independent front and rear suspension so if you are going to fab a chassis I would highly recomend using XJ6 Jaguar front and rear suspension I was building a Rod and not only did I use the front & rear suspension but I also used the brake booster & master cylinder(which can be seperated only leaving the master cylinder on the firewall, I also used the brake pedal and powersteering the engineer was all for this idea as it has passed ADR's allready so no brake testing was required buying these parts individually can add up so look into purchasing a whole car and wrecking it, I did and ratted everything I need and sold off the rest, the funny part is I made more on the parts than I paid for the car, bonus