Anyone build a 'replica' Cobra?

ctfjr

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We (my 3 sons n daughter) are thinking of building a Cobra replica. One of my sons has a 40x60 garage at his house, pretty much totally equipped, so it is a natural place to do it.

I did help a friend do the wiring in his 1st ERA Cobra kit but its there are a staggering number of choices to be made.

We are looking to build a fun street car - 400hp to the wheels, nothing crazy.

Anyone here with experience doing one? Suggestions?
 
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mike0000

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I built my Factory Five in 1999, started as a basic build, w/parts from a wrecked Fox body Mustang. I converted to carb. 302, 5sp. Ford B303 cam, lots of fun. I really enjoyed building it, I did everything including body and single stage paint.
Since original build it’s been though numerous upgrades, I built a 351w aluminum heads, big cam, Engine, T5Z trans, upgraded pin drive (look) rims. Power steering, power breaks, 5 lug big disk rotors.
I was 29 at the time and a bit rushed on the build with our second child on the way. They obviously don’t make great family cars, after our third Daughter was born, the Cobra sat quite a bit, now that we’re closer to empty nesters (still one at home going to college) I find more time to get it out.
If I had it to do over again, I would probably go with mostly new parts instead of the donor route, i‘ve replaced or upgraded so many parts over the year that that’s, how it pretty much is now. Here’s a poor shot of it, crammed away for winter
Mike
3CD85F3E-5DD9-4E0C-A9E3-AB3CAADC23FD.jpeg
 
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Roadworthy

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I wish!!! Being less financially flush I will be entertaining myself by putting a 1986 Fox body Thunderbird into a 1966 Ranchero. That should create enough problems for me to solve on the cheap.
 

GreensvilleJay

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Late mason friend had a Cobra 'kitcar', pretty sure it used a Jag Etype rear end unit....
Ain't got nowhere here ,legally, to use 400HP and at nearly 70 gave away all my 'toy cars'.
I would like a Willys FC-150 as a project though. Or a #10 MECCANO set.
 

Geezer3d

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For most of my adult life I talked about and dreamed about building a Cobra replica. The closest I ever got is the Miata I bought for myself when I retired. I really enjoy driving the Miata, but it is not really a substitute for a high powered Cobra. My kids, now adults, still tease me about that Cobra that we were going to build 'some day'.
 

ctfjr

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For most of my adult life I talked about and dreamed about building a Cobra replica. The closest I ever got is the Miata I bought for myself when I retired. I really enjoy driving the Miata, but it is not really a substitute for a high powered Cobra. My kids, now adults, still tease me about that Cobra that we were going to build 'some day'.
lol, I know the feeling. At 76 there may not be a lot of time left for me to do it with the kids. . . This is what I drive now except the license plate is OMG-FAST:
sti_track.jpg

It's like I told my wife about 14 years ago. I always wanted to take a solo mc ride to Alaska and I don't know how many more years I'll be able to do it. So I did it :)
 
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lugbolt

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Some of my friends have built their cobra kit cars. They're fun. Friend of mine was in the business, built many an FE engine for the cobra kit car purists, and a few cars. Craft Racing (formerly Keith Craft Racing). now out of business, unfortunately.

My friend who lives the closest, started on his in 1999. Retired in 2001 figured he had all the time in the world to finish it up. Yep sure. Finally in the finishing stages as we speak, it IS driveable but needs to come apart for finish work. Makes about 750hp, procharged BBF. it is a rocket. Scary on the streets to be honest and coming from me, that's saying something.

Fox body? They are addicted to me. I have had about 25 or 26 I lost count. They follow me around like a plague. I have ONE now, and they still find me. Current one is a 92, GT, 427" SBF, makes about 600hp. 6 speed manual. That power is utterly useless on street tires in that car, but I don't use it anyway. It was a mistake. Was supposed to be a mild 408". I don't make much money so I have to buy a part, wait til the account builds up, repeat. Well I ordered Crankshaft. Then rods. A few months later I ordered pistons. Had Craft machine the block. Bought it home in the trunk of a 93 Mustang (notchback) that I owned at the time, and started the mockup to find that the pistons were out of the cylinder some .080". That's not gonna work. What in the world? Did some digging and found that they sent me the wrong crankshaft, they sent me a 4.170" stroke and not a 4.000" stroke. I couldn't send the crank back without a huge hit in the pocketbook. The pistons would work but would require different rods. Lots of phone calls and emails and a place called "RPM" took the rods back and I got a set of custom length rods to work with what I had, and I stuffed it all together. Then hauled the rotating/reciprocating assembly down to Craft in the hatch of a '91 Mustang (5.0). Picked it up a few days later in the 93 which I still had, that 93 was originally a 4 cylinder and when I bought it I told myself it was gonna be a 4 cylinder for as long as I owned it. I got tired of 112 squirrel-power and screwed together an SVO 2.3L engine, turbocharged, 24 psi/intercooled, made about 300-ish HP. Fun car to drive. Anyway I had Ed Curtis do up the cam for the 427, with emphasis placed on driveability rather than all out power. Hydraulic roller. Ed said "you're gonna like this". Put it all together, and loaded it into the truck (03 Lightning) and headed to dyno at Craft. With a 950 carb it made 608hp at 6400 and 590 lb-ft at 5100. Surprised was not the word. It is EFI in the car now, I drive it pretty often. But it's too noisy and gets too much attention, even with a full 3" exhaust system to the bumper it's still loud. Kinda rough running but it's driveable, but frankly I'd rather drive the 4 cylinder since it's a lot smoother. And more fun. It makes maybe 50hp from idle to around 2200. Then the boost gauge starts going to the high side of zero, power starts to increase. By 2500, it goes from 3 psi to 24 psi and the "hit" of power is like getting hit in the back side, it's like the other 4 cylinders come online. The instant torque increase results in tire spin every time in first and second gear. It's done by 6000 RPM, and 6000 in 4th is 135mph.

Sold the 93 earlier this year (turbo 2.3) and ordered a 2022 ecoboost Mustang. Got it a month ago. I like it so far. Sold the 91 2 months ago. Won't sell the 92 GT until I just have to have the money. I've been offered $22k for it, though, and it was tempting. The one thing about the Ecoboost, is that you really can't tell it's turbocharged. Very little lag. That lag was kinda fun in the 93. Only time I notice it on the eco is when I smack the throttle from slow idle (standing still) and even then most people wouldn't notice it.

Dewayne's cobra (the 750hp one), he's turned down 50k for it, but I know he will get more for it once the paint and interior are all done. I just don't know if he'll drive it that much. I mean, it really is, utterly useless with that much power and only 2400 lb weight-on the street.

but yes that's my hobby and I'm thinking about picking up a 63 Falcon 2 door. Guy up the road has it and while not officially for sale, he's offered it to me for a decent (not great) price. Always liked the Falcons. Maybe I can step away from the Fox body stuff for a while.

also own a 1975 Ford Maverick, drag car only. 440" SBF, methanol, natural aspiration. Owned it over 30 years, footbrake bracket racing only. Runs 8.90's at 150+ with good air, typical 9.0's in the summer. STarted off as a father-son project in the early 1990's, and progressed from a running-on-7 cylinders 302 which I thought was sweet, to a 302 that ran on all 8, which was "way too fast" (at maybe 300hp), now is about 500lb lighter and probably makes close to 800hp on a good day. What's an 8.90 car? 0-60 in just over 1.25 second which it achieves from a standing start in roughly 55 feet. I've been a lot faster but not in that car, not mine for that matter but that's enough for now.
 
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Dave Ogren

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I was going to build one some 35 years ago but found out that I was too tall 6'2" to fit. Been enjoying my 68 Corvette ever since.
 

bronc71

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We (my 3 sons n daughter) are thinking of building a Cobra replica. One of my sons has a 40x60 garage at his house, pretty much totally equipped, so it is a natural place to do it.

I did help a friend do the wiring in his 1st ERA Cobra kit but its there are a staggering number of choices to be made.

We are looking to build a fun street car - 400hp to the wheels, nothing crazy.

Anyone here with experience doing one? Suggestions?
[/
Built mine in 2 years. Factory 5 fe ford. Been driving it in the summertime for 10 years. Still not a scratch on it. It’s time to put the car cover back on it
 

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thebicman

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Same story here. Built a factory five about 15 years ago. Fun to drive and had a blast building it.
 

Orangeglow

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I looked for years, to either build one, or buy one, already done. I ended up going a bit different route, kinda achieving the same kind of result. Way back in 2001,my nephew and I put a balanced 347 ford stroker motor, a T5Z 5 speed mustang tranny, and a T-bird IRS into a 1990 miata.
 
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Fordtech86

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I looked for years, to either build one, or buy one, already done. I ended up going a bit different route, kinda achieving the same kind of result. Way back in 2001,my nephew and I put a balanced 347 ford stroker motor, a T5Z 5 speed mustang tranny, and a T-bird IRS into a 1990 miata.
We need pics!!!
 
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Orangeglow

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Sorry for the poor quality pictures, and extras. I,m not very good with this computer stuff. They were actual pictures I had taken, and had to scan them into the computer. The car weighs 2596 lbs, full of gas, and has a 52/48 front/back weight balance. It is suppose to be around 425 HP.
 

Fordtech86

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Sorry for the poor quality pictures, and extras. I,m not very good with this computer stuff. They were actual pictures I had taken, and had to scan them into the computer. The car weighs 2596 lbs, full of gas, and has a 52/48 front/back weight balance. It is suppose to be around 425 HP.
Love it!!! Very nicely done.
 
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bronc71

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Built mine in 2 years. Factory 5 fe ford. Been driving it in the summertime for 10 years. Still not a scratch on it. It’s time to put the car cover back on it
An interesting story during my build in 2013. I researched a shop that would do all body and paint, which turned out beautifully BTW. I only had to deliver the fiberglass to the shop that actually builds and sells complete Cobras (5 hours away) and they would put it on one of their same chassis’s to do that work for me. I could pick up the painted body in 12 weeks. It was a perfect option for me. That time period turned into 7 months, but I still had plenty to finish up on the chassis in my garage. When I finally was able to pick up the painted body it was perfect. The shop had at the time a couple of young guys in early twenties doing the work. As I was admiring their work, I noticed something odd. I was starting to feel a change of my happy excitement looking at this beautiful paint job. This WAS NOT the fiberglass body that I had delivered to their shop 7 months earlier. All of the excuses I had been told along the way all started to make sense now. He used my body on another build. The body that was painted for me is no different and fits perfectly, but that’s flat out wrong. That’s a nice way to put how I felt. I proved it to him on the spot, he says “ yeah that’s your body that you brought me” I got no truthful answer or apology for lying to me for 7 months. He was busted and he knew it, I paid him, loaded the body on my car trailer in a plywood box and took it home. My body had been drilled at the factory for 2 roll bars. That’s 6 holes. This body had never been drilled for the passenger side. Not patched from underneath never cut holes. That’s how I knew.
 
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GreensvilleJay

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Odds are pretty good kitcar Cobra owners don't drive them coast to coast, all winter long or to HD to get studs and plywood... so distance isn't a real issue ;)

EV Cobra ??

OLD news...

drop Tesla EV parts into a Cobra kit....
 
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