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427 Cobra

PAUL161

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15 years ago my son bought a 427 Cobra kit. Supposedly one of the better ones, he has never had the time to build the car. He wants me to buy it from him for what he has in it as it's taking up valuable space in his shop, which he needs to add a new lift. Everything is there including 3 engines, with the exception of no transmission yet. Kinda caught between a rock and a hard place as the wife wants me to help him out, but I'm not that keen on building a Cobra. To some, it would be a dream, to me, it's not my bag anymore. I know I'll probably wind up with it, stuff it in the back of the barn and maybe someday, hmmm, build it. Everybody he's approached to sell it to, wants to steal it. So what else is new! PJ

Not his car, but I believe the same kit. PJ

289FIA-zimmerman-fl-BIG.jpg


427.jpg
 
Wouldn't be my first choice, on the other hand I dream of my wife putting pressure on me to buy another car.
 
JPSmit said:
Wouldn't be my first choice, on the other hand I dream of my wife putting pressure on me to buy another car.

Not mine either, but unless he can get close to his money back, I'll probably have to get involved. Gotta do what's necessary to help out. He's a great kid! PJ
 
PAUL161 said:
JPSmit said:
Wouldn't be my first choice, on the other hand I dream of my wife putting pressure on me to buy another car.

Gotta do what's necessary to help out.

Toughtest part will be firguring out where to mount the other two engines. :hammer:

How much does he need?
 
There must be a cobra forum.... has he tried that avenue yet?
Don't know what they go for..
 
He's got a real 427 side oiler for it?! nice. that alone ups the value quite a bit. most of those kits get a 302, or a 351 or something out of the Ford Motorsports catalog. What kit is it? Factory 5, Unique, Custom Coachworks, there are forums for the Cobra kits. The engine is the real value in that pack. You can get the kits fairly cheap. there are a lot of them in the same state as your sons. Bought with the best intentions, then the reality hits of how much work there is to do.But very,VERY few have real 427 FEs. Your best option to sell would be to sell off the kit for whatever you can get, then sell the engines separate.
 
Banjo, I'm not sure what kit it is at the time, but I know he bought it from a dealer out of Miami Florida. If I remember correctly, you can see the building from I-95. I think he paid around $15,000.00 for the kit alone, with a few extras. He and a friend went to Miami and loaded it in a trailer to bring it home. The frame is set up for a 427. He would like me to have it, probably thinking further down the road. If that was the case, he'd probably get it back for free! :jester: PJ
 
On the one hand, it sounds like somebody needs a major reality check.

On the other hand, as kid makes poor decision/parents expected to bail his sorry butt out stories go, this one's pretty benign. It even has the potential for some fun.

At least he's only asking for money and doesn't need lawyers and guns.




pc.
 
Only real Cobra kits are SuperFormance. Everything else doesn't have much resale value and no strong clubs except the Factory Fives.
 
My B-I-L has a Contemporary and it's by far the most uncomfortable thing I've ever sat in.
 
The real thing ain't that comfy either, Billy. A pal back-when had one of the original 427CS cars. Brutal.
 
My past brother-in-law, notice I said past, had an 1962 AC original with a strange British engine in it. Aluminum bodied, it was the noisiest thing I've ever been in, beside a race car. He brought it back from England when released from active duty as an officer in the military. There was nothing fancy about it at all. The kits are much nicer in outward appearance and nicer interiors. I will say that there is a slight difference in the price of an original than a kit car. Grin. PJ
 
Distinctly remember blasting down the highway in 1970 in my 454 Vette when a 427 Cobra (the real deal) blew past me as if I were standing still.
 
A friend of mine here has a replica Cobra with a 427 side oiler in it. It is a beast. Cockpit small and hot as heck, lake pipes make it so loud that hearing protection is a must. Ride is very bumpy.

Having said all that, it is FUN and of course, fast as lightning. Explosive quickness. Can't floor the accelerator until about 3rd gear, tires will smoke.

Not exactly a "touring" car. :nonono:
 
vagt6 said:
A friend of mine here has a replica Cobra with a 427 side oiler in it. It is a beast. Cockpit small and hot as heck, lake pipes make it so loud that hearing protection is a must. Ride is very bumpy.

Having said all that, it is FUN and of course, fast as lightning. Explosive quickness. Can't floor the accelerator until about 3rd gear, tires will smoke.

Not exactly a "touring" car. :nonono:

I'm not that hep on the 427, age has a way of slowing the old body down. After surviving the flipping of a Harley at 60 MPH, surviving a helicopter crash and a shot in the leg, my luck is getting thin and don't wish to push it any more. Personally I think the 351 is plenty of power for such a light car, actually, my ex brother-in-laws AC with the British engine was wild enough. They tell me that the 289 set up wasn't a slouch either. PJ
 
Sell all three engines and use the money to pay for the kit and put a stock 5.0 H.O motor out of an Explorer it. They had the same motor as the "Cobra" Mustang w/ "GT40" heads. Mid to late 90's is what you're looking for. Hey, you can get the twin cam 4.6 out of the MK Lincoln too. B-I-L hasn't finished his yet. It's a flood car. Has it running. I'd tell him to out me in his will but onlt thing I'd want is the Cobra...which there won't be much left afterwards...

His dad bought him a 16' Checkmate w/ an Evinrude 235 on the back of it when he was 15. He'd run it up in the marsh 150 feet or so sometimes. Suprised he lived this long. Don't think he'll make it past a 428SCJ w/ dual 750's on it.
 
:eeek: You'd tell him to "out you" in his will? Wow! It's a new world, I guess. --elrey :wink:
 
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