Fox 93 Cobra Clone Out Of 92 Lx

[keithwiggi02]

Hello all! I have a 1992 lx convertible that is in rough shape. My wife says I need to fix it or get rid of it. That being the case, my intent is to rebuild this car and turn it into a 93 cobra clone. I've researched all of the necessary parts and I believe it is completely do-able by letting the UPS/FedEx man deliver most of the parts to my front door. What do you think? Is this feasible or completely crazy?

I am new to this website so please bear with me if I have trouble posting stuff. I was going to post some pics of the car but can't seem to get them to upload...Do I need to make a few posts before I can upload pics?

Anyway, I look forward to hearing from all of you and getting input on this ambitious project.

 

[Decipha]

why not just sell it and buy a real 93 cobra?

 

[TOOLOW91]

To answer your question completely attainable. To entertain what @Decipha said. How much is it gonna cost. Do the math - you may be able to buy the real thing for that price.

 

[Mustang5L5]

For what you'll spend, you can prob buy a real 1993 Cobra now.


Also, there wasn't really a Cobra convertible, so it won't be a clone. A lot of purists may give you flak for that

 

[A5literMan]

Of course it can be done. They have complete kits. The quality of said kits is a little questionable. I personally like the LX's rear valance more and would just fix the body/paint on it without the added expense of "the Cobra conversion".

 

[Mustang5L5]

Well, lets list out what really needs to be done for a Cobra clone.

Body kit and grill
total repaint to either Teal, red or black
Rear disk brake conversion
wheels
addition of fog lamps
SVO/93 cobra taillights
spoiler
Interior swap to black to gray
removal of cruise control and install of non CC steeting wheel.
5-spd conversion if AOD

Addition of hard top roof

 

[Noobz347]

Yeah... the Cobras have a nice look and all but there are regular ole LXs out there that are even better:

Pick your poison man and make one of your own.


Edit:
You will probably need a brake booster from a 93 Cobra though.

 

[7991LXnSHO]

The good thing about a "clone" is you can get the look, install updated drivetrain and suspension parts, and not feel guilty about molesting a factory special car. Just do not try to pass it of as real when you sell it. Maybe they should have made a Cobra convertable

 

[keithwiggi02]

I guess I could just buy a 93 Cobra, but those cars are 22 years old now and it's doubtful I could get one in good condition that I wouldn't have to rebuild anyway. So if I have to rebuild it, I may as well start with what I have. Also, I want this car to be "better than factory" when finished and I doubt I could get a Cobra in that condition for the money it will take to upgrade this car.
I'm aware of things like no Cobra convertibles, no cruise control, etc. But the only person I have to satisfy is myself, and I have no intent of trying to pass it off or sell it as a true Cobra. I like the idea of having a one-off cobra convertible. I also want cruise control, and I don't like the Cobra rear spoiler. I am going to keep the existing spoiler and and trunk trim as sort of an "homage" to the LX. Basically I just like the front and rear bumper covers and side skirts better than the LX. Luckily, the wire harness is already there for the fog lights.

 

[91TwighlightGT]

Get the cervinis cobra pieces as they are the best quality with regard to aftermarket kits. You also need the door moldings as the lx ones are different.

The conversion itself is fairly straight forward, and if you aren't trying to clone down to the last detail then it can be relatively inexpensive. I think that often people hear the word clone and assume that you will try to make an exact copy, but it seems most people are just after the body kit and snake badges, but opt to keep their cruise control wheel, etc.

I'm in the never ending process of converting my own lx, and the time consuming part is in restoring all the other broken things you find along the way.

 

[Shakerhood]

For the amount of money you will spend you would be better off getting a real 93 Cobra. The good thing about a real Cobra would be that most were well taken care of and if you go to sell it that it will hold value much better than a clone convertible.

 

[keithwiggi02]

I hear ya about finding broken things along the way. I already have the convertible top off and there are many, many broken things to deal with. I know the side molding is different from the cobra/GT vs. LX. It's just something else the UPS man can bring me. The cobra/GT molding has a wider "stripe" that goes around the car. I'm wondering about that stripe. Did any factory cars have stripes different than the body color? I'm considering making it a different color. The car is white, I'm considering making the stripe metallic blue.
I am also going to rebuild the engine and upgrade it with GT40 heads and upper and lower intakes from a 96 Exploder...again it won't be a true cobra intake, but I got the heads and intakes from a local junkyard for only $150 bucks. For a deal like that I can live with the difference.

 

[Mustang5L5]

So then why not just say you are modding your car vs building a clone? Plenty of us have cobraesque mods on our cars. It's the whole "clone" phrase that tends to rile people up.

To answer your question, a lot of factory 87-89 GTs had a "tape stripe" option that was either a black, red or blue stripe in that wider stripe areas. If you look for old pics of GTs you can see this.

 

[TOOLOW91]

I hear ya about finding broken things along the way. I already have the convertible top off and there are many, many broken things to deal with. I know the side molding is different from the cobra/GT vs. LX. It's just something else the UPS man can bring me. The cobra/GT molding has a wider "stripe" that goes around the car. I'm wondering about that stripe. Did any factory cars have stripes different than the body color? I'm considering making it a different color. The car is white, I'm considering making the stripe metallic blue.
I am also going to rebuild the engine and upgrade it with GT40 heads and upper and lower intakes from a 96 Exploder...again it won't be a true cobra intake, but I got the heads and intakes from a local junkyard for only $150 bucks. For a deal like that I can live with the difference.

there were plenty of white cars with the red stripe in The moulding , black cars to / I've also seen grey gt with the blue moulding as well

 

[90lxwhite]

So then why not just say you are modding your car vs building a clone? Plenty of us have cobraesque mods on our cars. It's the whole "clone" phrase that tends to rile people up.

No reason for anyone to get their panties in a wad over the term "clone." He's putting snakes and a bodykit on an lx is all.
"Clones" of any type in my opinion are kinda cheesy. There are too many snakes running around on mustangs.

 

[91TwighlightGT]

There were no other colors than body color or titanium on gt models. The red stripe was on some early model cars. It should be noted that the stripe is molded in and not removable. I found out the hard way about that. It is a problem because it sticks out when you paint over it.

I ended up using Lrs moldings. They are okay, but they can be wavy. Mine were acceptable but I have heard that others were not. They are also fairly pricey. Just an fyi regarding those.

With the vert especially it is a good time to add subframe connectors, replace weatherstripping, door hinge pins, and check for rust behind the hinges themselves.

 

[TOOLOW91]

There were no other colors than body color or titanium on gt models. The red stripe was on some early model cars. It should be noted that the stripe is molded in and not removable. I found out the hard way about that. It is a problem because it sticks out when you paint over it.

I ended up using Lrs moldings. They are okay, but they can be wavy. Mine were acceptable but I have heard that others were not. They are also fairly pricey. Just an fyi regarding those.

With the vert especially it is a good time to add subframe connectors, replace weatherstripping, door hinge pins, and check for rust behind the hinges themselves.

i believe riverArt on here had a grey and titanium gt with the blue stripe and I have seen others the same way

 

[91TwighlightGT]

Yes you are correct there were also blue stripes. I guess I just said red because that was what was on the moldings that I bought used.

 

[Noobz347]

No reason for anyone to get their panties in a wad over the term "clone." He's putting snakes and a bodykit on an lx is all.
"Clones" of any type in my opinion are kinda cheesy. There are too many snakes running around on mustangs.

There's no chance that I'd ever put Cobra emblems on anything other than a Cobra. Just like I wouldn't put GT emblems on an LX.

I dunno, it's kinda like riding around in a Hondah with Mustang emblems all over it.

 

[TOOLOW91]

There's no chance that I'd ever put Cobra emblems on anything other than a Cobra. Just like I wouldn't put GT emblems on an LX.

I dunno, it's kinda like riding around in a Hondah with Mustang emblems all over it.

Or a LTD with a Bannana in the tail pipe ?