Would you buy a cobra with a Chevy 350?

[trixter]

Oddly enough, no. But I'm much more worried about the cracks, and their origin.
For me (cobra daydreamer) I would prefer the Ford motor over the chevy 350. But that being said, I would much prefer the LS7 motor over the ford. Why? Weight, power, $$$. (although a crate LS7 is gonna set you back about 20k by the time you get it running)
As a previous poster pointed out, I think it's something about the magic number... 427. But also the other magic number. (505hp) In stock configuration my 08 Z06 will lay down somewhere between 460 and 485 at the back wheels. I say somewhere between, because I've not had mine on the dyno, but attended a dyno day at Corvettes of Dallas where 13 cars did exactly that during the day. (in stock configuration) At the same time, my car does register consistant mid-high 20's in the mpg category, when I can keep my foot out of it. And that car is roughly a thousand pounds heavier than the cobra.
All that being said... no way in hell would I put a Chevy motor in my F350.

[ItBites]

Rodknock,

From your handle, it sounds like you are an experienced Ford guy... HAHAHA

Anyhow, not necessarliy faster, but rather a disproportionate percent in the 10s and below.

I can add Collin Mullaney's BBC powered Cobra in the 7s? I only know of a few sub 10 sec Cobras and at least two are chevy powered. I know there are many more Cobras in the 10s, and a bunch of those are FFRs, but...

Given the chevy powered crowd is probably like 1% or less of all Cobras (how many thousand FFRs and SPFs are out there?), the chevy powered percent that are in the 10s and below is very disproportionate from what I can see.

Your Kirkham is very high-dollar and appears to be well equipped in the engine category (you did mention budget as a primary discriminating factor). I'll bet you have well over twice the budget in your engine that I have in my BBC. What does yours turn in the quarter?

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by ItBites

From your handle, it sounds like you are an experienced Ford guy... HAHAHA

What does yours turn in the quarter?

Actually, my nickname came from an L72 Chevy engine in my 1966 convertible big block Corvette.

I ultimately replaced it with a 540ci engine.

As for what I do in a quarter mile, I don't know yet and may never know. I'm lucky to get the car cover off and drive it around the neighborhood at this point. I suspect, if I tried really hard, I might break into the 14's.

As for Chevy's being faster than Fords, notwithstanding generalizations based upon a limited sample size and/or your experience, it's all about money. You pay to play.

[lovehamr]

Originally Posted by jwd

Putting a Chev. motor into a REPLICA COBRA may lessen the value to some or raise the value to others. Regardless, it's not an original car and NEVER will be so who really cares??????

With all the yapping that you've done in this thread and these are the reasons that you have a small block Ford in yours?

All you guys with your various rodent powered "Cobras" can yap/type all you want but you know the bottom line is that if it had a Ford motor in it, it would be "worth" more money because the potential buying audience IS so much larger.

Now I do have to leave our Aussie brothers out of that statement because most of their socialist gubmints run their lives so completely that they haven't a hope for a propper Cobra power plant.

[ItBites]

Hammer,

Ohhhh... I do a lot more than yap/type. My rodent goes to real tracks on a regular basis. I have real times on road and drag courses to back it up. Thats how I know which of the Cobras around here are actually fast and which are just fast in bench racing. Check my sig line.

As far as your claim about the "bottom line", I think how you do at the track IS the bottom line for cars like these. Track runs ARE what these cars are for. If you came up next to me at a light and I embarrased you in front of your entourage/posse, would you just state that yours is worth more and would that soothe your ego? I think we both know what the real bottom line is.

Frankly I dont care what it is worth. I didnt build it as an investment. In fact, going to the track is what these cars are supposed to do, but I could wad it up in a corner and have a total loss. Oh well... I'd just have to build something else to have fun with.

Anyone who cares so much about what these kit cars are worth should not buy one. Your money will maintain more stable value under your freekin mattress. All these kits decrease in value. They are not investments. Mine has been in my family for 20 years and may never be sold.

[CobraEd]

If you had a Chevy 350 in the car, just get adapters to mount Ford valve covers, and paint the block and heads (if not aluminum) blue. Glue a fake distributer in the front and cover the real one in the back and (90% of the population would never know!


.

[67JET]

I think it's like this---
If you don't like what you got - Change it.
If you don't like what someone else has - Hate it for you , it's not yours.
If you care about what someone thinks about what you have - Git rid of it you don't deserve it.

I like them all. In my opinion they all have there good and bad points.

GET IN - SHUT UP - HOLD ON

[tmareina]

Anything is wourth buying if the price is right. You can always fix the body damage and sell the motor to someone that wants to put the motor in a Chevy. I would NEVER own a Cobra with a Chevy motor in it. I'm a purist...if you want to run a Chevy Motor put it in a Chevy!!!!

Tom

[jwd]

Originally Posted by tmareina

I'm a purist...
Tom

Yet you own a FAKE Cobra

[Excaliber]

Purist,,, as in the very soul of the car, which demands a Ford motor. I'm a "purist" too.

I like Hammers first response, which pretty much mirrored mine,,,

No




Well, how "cheap?"

[CobraEd]

Originally Posted by jwd

Yet you own a FAKE Cobra

The folks in Australia don't seen to care much about the engine being a traditional Ford from what I have read here over the years.


.

[xb-60]

Originally Posted by CobraEd

The folks in Australia don't seen to care much about the engine being a traditional Ford from what I have read here over the years.

I must be one of the few that do then. But that's OK.

Back to the original post - would you buy a cobra with a Chevy 350 and fiberglass cracks that need repair if it was cheap?

I don’t care about the cracks – root cause analysis and corrective action will nail that.
Chevy engine? That’s the fun part of the question! Didn’t CS approach the Chevy boys when he was looking for ‘motivation’ for what became the Cobra, and didn’t they just laugh at him? And then what happened? Isn’t that little bit of history good enough reason even now to avoid a cheapie with an SBC?

[Aedds]

Didn't know I was opening such a can of worms here! Everyone has great opinions about this topic....

[Thor maine]

I guess I am all dark side, I would not buy it if it had a ford motor !! When you breakdown with a '67 sideoiler in east BF,try and get parts to fix it.HA HA HA. Now if you breakdown with a BBC (and I said if) you can get parts everywhere, they still make basically the same moter as the 65 mkV block. And you make more hp per cubic inch, Shelby new it he went to GM first, he wanted to use GM but they did not want the cobra to cut in on the sales of the vette. So if you are a ford guy ,thats cool. But if you are a chevy guy that's cool too. just get out and enjoy!!

[vector1]

summers coming on, it's cheap, girls love'm.....

[crASH]

Would I buy one with a Chevy engine? I'll first offer this disclaimer: I don't own a Cobra, YET... but by way of example I did use to own a Harley. And what made that Harley a HOG was that 80 cubed slammin' V-Twin thunder-maker between your legs (the engine, that is). Even when it was a new 1985 American-made monster, the entire front end was (purportedly) made by Mitsubishi.... GASP

So that big H-D engine is what made that scooter a HOG.

But a Cobra...did it not have it's humble beginnings as an AC Ace in the mid 50's with it's equally British six-banger engine under the "bonnet"? Do I have my Cobra lore correct?? So, is it the engine that makes a Cobra a Cobra or...what...? How is this car truly defined?

[jwd]

Originally Posted by xb-60

Chevy engine? That’s the fun part of the question! Didn’t CS approach the Chevy boys when he was looking for ‘motivation’ for what became the Cobra, and didn’t they just laugh at him? And then what happened? Isn’t that little bit of history good enough reason even now to avoid a cheapie with an SBC?

Yup. Chevrolet just laughed because they already had the Corvette. What a bunch of azzholes. Shelby made approx. 1000 Ford powered Cobras and Chevrolet ONLY made 1.5 MILLION Corvettes and still going strong. That sure was a stupid decision. Oh, and by the way, over 90% of pre-1950 Fords are now powered by Chevy. Go to any Good-Guys event and Ford powered Fords are very rare. I wonder why?

[lovehamr]

Originally Posted by ItBites

Hammer,

Ohhhh... I do a lot more than yap/type. My rodent goes to real tracks on a regular basis. I have real times on road and drag courses to back it up. Thats how I know which of the Cobras around here are actually fast and which are just fast in bench racing. Check my sig line.

As far as your claim about the "bottom line", I think how you do at the track IS the bottom line for cars like these. Track runs ARE what these cars are for. If you came up next to me at a light and I embarrased you in front of your entourage/posse, would you just state that yours is worth more and would that soothe your ego? I think we both know what the real bottom line is.

OK, now this is toooo rich. This your car?



So you're a member of the "10 Sec Club" and have times from road courses to back it up as well? All this with a single roll bar that is 3" lower than your helmeted head? Hope you don't wind up on your lid. No track that I've ever been to would let you run that quick with that bar. Oh, and "track runs are what these cars are for" and your car has (is that genuine velour) head rests? That for reduced drag or something? "Check my sig line" You goober, check mine!

Now all kidding aside, I love the paint on that puppy including the non-traditional ghost stripes. But I hate the vet wheels which I guess are necessitated by the vet suspension? Dude, you have so much vet stuff in that car and you're obviously a chebby guy, which beggs the question; why not just build a chebby? Is a replica GS vet or something like that not cool enough? I mean you have to admit that all your mechs would be more suited to that end. And that would be a badazz car in its own right.

[lovehamr]

Originally Posted by jwd

Oh, and by the way, over 90% of pre-1950 Fords are now powered by Chevy. Go to any Good-Guys event and Ford powered Fords are very rare. I wonder why?

And 90% of statistics quoted on line are made up on the spot by chebby lovers with Ford motors in THEIR cars. Oh forgot, they live in glass houses to!

[Dimis]

Originally Posted by CobraEd

The folks in Australia don't seen to care much about the engine being a traditional Ford from what I have read here over the years.


.

I think 'we' care... (NB: I am speaking on behalf off all )
But not much we could do about it... the ford 5.4 cast block is no match for an alloy LS series Chevy... So it made sense to go to the darkside.

Now with the Ford 5.0L Coyote I think we will see more Aussie Cobras return from the darkside, back to ford power.

Personally, Im still thinking LS7 in a Kirkham...
Small light and **** loads more power than I'd ever need.

...and I could answer YES! - It is a real 427 Kirkham Cobra!!!