I'm back... With 76 Cobra II

[HaveII]

It's been a few years, but I am back! Don't know if anyone remembers me, but I used to have a pretty sweet 75' Ghia that I had to sell. I have finally gotten myself a place with a garage and found a great restoration candidate. It's a 76' Cobra II, originally a 302 4 speed car and now a rolling body with no motor or transmission and missing more parts than would fit in this post. The good news is that it is as solid as one could hope to find a 33 year old car.

It was last inspected and on the street in 1984 and the original owner sold it in 1986 with a whopping 32k on it. It then was used strictly as a drag car for a short time after and many of those hard to find peices were stripped off. Still bearing it's original paint and strip kit this car was put away in a garage for over two decades before I was able to purchase the car through an estate sale. It's nothing pretty to look at and it will likely be years before it is back on the street. Certianly not the find of the year and perhaps not even for this week, but to me finding this little time capsule really made my day.

 

[dmoody]

Hey HaveII, I remember you.. congrats on the find! You had a beautiful Ghia, no doubt this one will look even better! Let us know if we can help.

d

 

[Wart]

Damn, still has the chalk on the slicks.

 

[78CobraII]

Looks like a great starting place!

A little "Goo-gone" to remove the stickers, something a little more stock-ish for the hood scoop and wheels, and a new 302 and you are on your way!

At least you have good bumpers, paint, and sheetmetal!

Keep us posted.

 

[alan101]

nice

nice find! i found two like a month or so ago i love them nice to see someones as big of fan as i am good luck!

 

[HaveII]

Hey HaveII, I remember you.. congrats on the find! You had a beautiful Ghia, no doubt this one will look even better! Let us know if we can help.

d

Glad to see you are still here! Not much left to take apart so figuring out what is missing and how to put things back right is going to be a real puzzle. I will be needing a lot of help with this one! Hope all is going well for you!

Wart: What is that chalk for any how? So a person can visually see if the car is hooking up or spinning when it launches? Heard from Glenn lately?

78CobraII: You should see the size of the hole under that scoop! The stock one would fall right through it. No worries, the scoop will be parting company with the car in the very near future. You are right about the bumpers. The best I have seen in orginal paint in many years.

Alan101: Two! Did you get them both I hope? Congrats to you!

As it turns out this is a 1977 mustang Cobra II and not a 76' as I had originally thought. Doing some research I found that the white with red stripe was not offered until 77. Checked the vin and sure enough, it's a 77'. I was given the wrong title! Fortunately this was from a living estate sale and the company handling the estate assures me that they will get this resolved with the owner.

Spent last Sunday stipping a parts car collecting a nice array of donor parts. Still need a bunch more, but a off to a great start already on the parts search. Will try post updates as I make progress.

 

[78CobraII]

So what's the plan...factory restoration, mostly factory with mods, or an all out modified?

If you want to keep that hood, you could always go with the '67 GT 500 hood scoop or a Boss 429 scoop. Both of those are pretty wide.

I always thought that a '67 GT 500 scoop would look pretty good on a MII...

 

[HaveII]

So what's the plan...factory restoration, mostly factory with mods, or an all out modified?

If you want to keep that hood, you could always go with the '67 GT 500 hood scoop or a Boss 429 scoop. Both of those are pretty wide.

I always thought that a '67 GT 500 scoop would look pretty good on a MII...

After doing some research and coming to realize just how few of the cobra II's are left I have decided that I will keep the exterior mostly original keeping the factory white with red strips. Painted strips instead of decals. Interior will be close to factory although I have always wanted to take 65-66 pony interior to do a two color combo on the original seats.

Considering a bumper delete although I will keep and paint the original bumpers and make something that bolts on to the original mounting points. Maybe a little like what was done on "Lil-Eleanor". Think for the rear a fiberglass bumper cut down a little more than half on the thickness along with the ends tightned up to the body. For the front a King Cobra style spoiler with a fiber glass bumper again with over half the thickness removed and tightned up to the body.

Heavy modification on the drive train. Thinking a 331, solid roller, aluminum heads matched with either a T-5 or if budget permits a T-56. Has anyone put a T-56 in a II yet? Always wanted to be the first, but it has to be too late now. The rear end is up in the air. The 8" that is in the car is spooled and that is about all I know about it at this point. I hear spooled and street do not mix well? 5 lug conversion is also on the to-do's so this will weigh in on rear end decision. Of coarse Stumpy's frame connectors and bars.

I like your idea on the 67' GT 500 scoop. Thought about doing a shaker, but it's been done alot now. I saw a sweet black 78' on ebay with a well done cowl hood which I am considing. Anybody done a 67' GT 500 scoop?