I thought that I'd post on here to get the general consensus on where to go with this possible project. I recently came across a complete 1993 Cobra, Black with Grey cloth, that had been hit in the right front and was badly in need of some TLC. The car had just been in the accident a month or two before and it did drive, but it hadn't been taken care of for a long time before that. The car is bone stock and complete other than a set of headers, an off-road H-pipe, a K&N cone filter, and subframes. I was told by the previous owner that it had a "Salvage Title" that wasn't issued back from the state yet, and that it could be re-certified once repaired and issued a "Rebuilt Title." With all that said, I bought it since I've always wanted a Black '93 Cobra.
I've since pulled the nose, front fenders, and hood off of the car to be pleasantly surprised and see that it appears really straight. It needs a core support, a driver front inner fender (front of the shock tower only), a fender, a nose, and a hood... most of which I already can get my hands on. Looking down the frame rail on the side of the hit, it doesn't appear to be bent at all and the shock tower and back from there looks perfect. A frame machine might tell a little more, but it passed the initial eye ball exam.
Upon purchase, I made a bill of sale and the previous owner and I signed at time of purchase with the agreement that the salvage title was to follow when it got in from the state. After a few months and no title, I researched the VIN to find that the car basically had a certificate of destruction and couldn't ever be titled again. It can either be parted out and I can easily get my money back… or I can turn it into a race car.
Optimally, I’d like to build a road race car and do some open tracking. Realistically thinking, I already have a '94 Lighting, an '03 Lightning, and an '86 coupe that I drag race. The coupe is in need of paint and some other aesthetic stuff and I don’t need a second race car right now. I don’t have the heart to part out the poor cobra and take the shell to the crusher. For now it sits, waiting to one day maybe be a race car.
Anybody need a car to gut and turn into an open track car? I have a couple friends that want to buy it and part it out. I can do that, and I might as well make the money. I don’t want to sell it dirt cheap for someone else to do that. Where do I go from here? Looks right now like it’s going to age under a cover.
Here's some pics of when I rescued it... I can take some more of it now that the front end is apart. Yes, there's a GT rearend in it giving it the screwed up rear backspacing. Yes, I snagged the original cobra disc brake rearend when I took the car. The gears are trashed.
I've since pulled the nose, front fenders, and hood off of the car to be pleasantly surprised and see that it appears really straight. It needs a core support, a driver front inner fender (front of the shock tower only), a fender, a nose, and a hood... most of which I already can get my hands on. Looking down the frame rail on the side of the hit, it doesn't appear to be bent at all and the shock tower and back from there looks perfect. A frame machine might tell a little more, but it passed the initial eye ball exam.
Upon purchase, I made a bill of sale and the previous owner and I signed at time of purchase with the agreement that the salvage title was to follow when it got in from the state. After a few months and no title, I researched the VIN to find that the car basically had a certificate of destruction and couldn't ever be titled again. It can either be parted out and I can easily get my money back… or I can turn it into a race car.
Optimally, I’d like to build a road race car and do some open tracking. Realistically thinking, I already have a '94 Lighting, an '03 Lightning, and an '86 coupe that I drag race. The coupe is in need of paint and some other aesthetic stuff and I don’t need a second race car right now. I don’t have the heart to part out the poor cobra and take the shell to the crusher. For now it sits, waiting to one day maybe be a race car.
Anybody need a car to gut and turn into an open track car? I have a couple friends that want to buy it and part it out. I can do that, and I might as well make the money. I don’t want to sell it dirt cheap for someone else to do that. Where do I go from here? Looks right now like it’s going to age under a cover.
Here's some pics of when I rescued it... I can take some more of it now that the front end is apart. Yes, there's a GT rearend in it giving it the screwed up rear backspacing. Yes, I snagged the original cobra disc brake rearend when I took the car. The gears are trashed.
