CSX3051 History

[A-Snake]

Originally Posted by richsd

I guess it depends what you mean by "available". Almost anything is available for the right price but this is not likely. Some other original parts that will be cool are two original seats from CSX cars that I have and will be restoring. These came from two separate CSX cars and were removed when racing seats were put in instead of the originals. I don't think those will be finding their way back to those cars either. At least not without a struggle or a big check.

That’s a shame.

I’m sure there are and were owners of original Cobras that may have cared less whether their cars have the correct original parts. I’m also sure there are owners that would like to correct perhaps errors in judgment by prior owners.

Finding original parts to restore or maintain an original Cobra can be very difficult whereas finding a suitable new part to create a replica is much easier. I believe any rare original part should be used first to maintain or restore original Cobras. Just my $.02

[richsd]

Originally Posted by A-Snake

That’s a shame.

I’m sure there are and were owners of original Cobras that may have cared less whether their cars have the correct original parts. I’m also sure there are owners that would like to correct perhaps errors in judgment by prior owners.

Finding original parts to restore or maintain an original Cobra can be very difficult whereas finding a suitable new part to create a replica is much easier. I believe any rare original part should be used first to maintain or restore original Cobras. Just my $.02

Like I said, anything is available for the right price. I would certainly entertain a discussion with an owner of one of the original cars that I have parts from. However, it would not be cheap for the parts to exchange hands to that owner or anyone else. I paid big bucks for these parts and just because the parts were on a particular car 30 years ago does not make me feel charitable toward the current owner. Also, although I would entertain a discussion with an owner of a car that orignally had my parts I don't plan on spending my time hunting for the car that originally had the parts just to see if they would like to buy them back. If they wanted them, they could have traced the ownership/restoration path backwards with a little research and had a chance to buy them before I did. I do actually agree with you that it is very good to bring the original parts back home to their original car but it is a little more complex to resolve when you follow the multiple threads of parts, cars, and owners over the years. Also, why limit this to Cobras. What about all the many car parts for sale for example on Ebay. Should these parts be returned to the car that they originally came from or should they go to the highest bidder? I think that if the owner of the original car would like to be the highest bidder then that would work just fine. Also, it can be more complex depending on the part. In the case of my sidepipes, sure we could just remove them and I have a replica set made. But what about my toploader? Should I take apart my car to sell the transmission to the owner of the original comp car that it was in back in 1965? A pretty complex subject actually. Again, I do agree with the premise of getting the original parts back to the original car but it is a bit more complex and not a problem I am interested in taking on. As you originally asked, "If the owner of 3051 can be located, would that cars original parts be available to them?". Again, sure for a price but I am not going to be the one hunting to locate them. If they end up finding me through research then we will talk.

[A-Snake]

Originally Posted by richsd

Also, why limit this to Cobras. What about all the many car parts for sale for example on Ebay. Should these parts be returned to the car that they originally came from or should they go to the highest bidder?

I agree that the market sets the price on parts. This isn't limited to Cobras at all. The main difference is that with most other rare collectable cars the primary market for the parts is someone that is restoring or maintaining one of those cars. Duesenberg or Cord transmissions are going to be sought by someone with a Duesenberg or Cord, not by someone trying to produce a recreation. This is not the case with Cobras. There were only 998 recognized serial numbers for all the original Cobras. I have no idea how many replica/continuation car have been produced in 30 + years with most of them trying to replicate one of 50 some original comp or SC Cobras. As you see it doesn’t take too many replica owners to absorb the few remaining original parts on the market.
Many new reproduction parts have been produced to feed the replica market. Many of these parts will not fit an original Cobra correctly. They are at best a ‘will work’ (maybe).

Again, you’re correct it is an open market. I can only suggest that when there is an option of a good newer part to use on a replica rather than perhaps a more expensive and perhaps not as good a part from an original Cobra, why not use the newer part?

[richsd]

Originally Posted by A-Snake

...
Again, you’re correct it is an open market. I can only suggest that when there is an option of a good newer part to use on a replica rather than perhaps a more expensive and perhaps not as good a part from an original Cobra, why not use the newer part?

I think we agree on the spirit of this topic. To answer your question of why not use a newer part than an original part. My answer is because my quest has been to build a re-creation that comes as close as possible to the original and if that can include actual original parts I certainly will do so. If it is the case that the original part is not in good shape I have it restored just as would be done on a restoration of an original car. Again, if the the owner of an original car would like to find me and have a discussion about taking a part off my hands we will talk and figure out what makes sense for both of us. Until such a time, the parts I have will enjoy themselves on my car. Although I would welcome a conversation with an owner of one of these original cars I do not see it as my duty to hunt them down for this conversation.

By the way, I am also able to look at this subject from the other side. I own a 1968 Dodge Charger R/T that my father bought new in 1968. At some point along the line the original Magnum 500 wheels were removed and the shop that had them ended up "losing track of them". I now have a nice replica set of mag wheels on the car. I have looked for original wheels to put on the car. I have found some but chosen not to buy them since I am happy with the repops but some day may decide to go the original route. If I was to somehow find the actual wheels from my car I would certainly pay over market value to return them to the car. This is a little different because it would not just be to bring the car back to original but a car that has been in the family since new. The bottom line is that if I choose to buy an original set of wheels I would have no expectation to receive preferencial treatment from the seller just because I was planning on putting them on an original Charger. Yes this is a bit different than the Cobra since there were less Cobras but I still do not see it as my duty to search out the original car's owner. The reason I have the parts in the first place is because I did the searching. They could have easily beat me to the parts if they searched half as hard as I did.