1978 Mustang II/King Cobra
9/27/05, 09:11 PM
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I have a 1978 King Cobra. I've had it since about 1989 or so. I am looking to sell the car or something.
It is sitting over my fathers house and has been there for at least 13 years.
About 13 years ago I had a job where I got a company car and parked the King Cobra for some time.
Every weekend I would start it up and run it for awhile. Then one time it just wouldn't start or turn over. I never tried to start it again.
I always planned to rebuild the car but the time and money never came about. Now I'm 42 years old and I have a little money but with kids definantly no time and most importly the place to rebuild it.
The car is in poor shape sitting for 13 years, but it may be an excellent parts car or project car for the truely ambitious. Nothing been striped off the car.
A little about the car:
Red w/ red and white interior, no air conditioning
It has a 302ci, 4 speed manual tranny
The engine was rebuilt about 2 years after I bought it.
I spent $3600.00 in engine modifications
I had the orininal engine completely rebuilt and modified.
Bored .30 over, high compression pistons, chrome valves, barrings rings, ported heads.
Edelbrock manifold with Holley 750 double pumper carb, headers with glass packed mufflers.
Tranny was rebuilt once about 9 months after the engine.
The car has about 120,000 miles but the engine had about 20,000 miles when it stopped.
The car was very fast.
When I took the car to have the engine rebuilt by Percision Pervormance in Bristol PA, they just asked me how fast do you want the car to be, so I told them about a 13 second 1/4 mile would be nice.
Well the question I have is what should I do with the car?
I am not really interested in rebuilding it any more. I just ordered a 2006 Mustang GT.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Mike
It is sitting over my fathers house and has been there for at least 13 years.
About 13 years ago I had a job where I got a company car and parked the King Cobra for some time.
Every weekend I would start it up and run it for awhile. Then one time it just wouldn't start or turn over. I never tried to start it again.
I always planned to rebuild the car but the time and money never came about. Now I'm 42 years old and I have a little money but with kids definantly no time and most importly the place to rebuild it.
The car is in poor shape sitting for 13 years, but it may be an excellent parts car or project car for the truely ambitious. Nothing been striped off the car.
A little about the car:
Red w/ red and white interior, no air conditioning
It has a 302ci, 4 speed manual tranny
The engine was rebuilt about 2 years after I bought it.
I spent $3600.00 in engine modifications
I had the orininal engine completely rebuilt and modified.
Bored .30 over, high compression pistons, chrome valves, barrings rings, ported heads.
Edelbrock manifold with Holley 750 double pumper carb, headers with glass packed mufflers.
Tranny was rebuilt once about 9 months after the engine.
The car has about 120,000 miles but the engine had about 20,000 miles when it stopped.
The car was very fast.
When I took the car to have the engine rebuilt by Percision Pervormance in Bristol PA, they just asked me how fast do you want the car to be, so I told them about a 13 second 1/4 mile would be nice.
Well the question I have is what should I do with the car?
I am not really interested in rebuilding it any more. I just ordered a 2006 Mustang GT.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Mike
9/27/05, 09:52 PM
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not really interested in buying one (i gots one to rebuild of my own..)
but i'd love to see some pics!
and welcome to the site!!
always good to have another II lover around.
edit: btw, try posting some stuff in the for sale section and maybe on www.mustangii.net
you'll probabaly get more hits there anyhow, just b/c its a more focused group. glad to be able to help (if only a little)
but i'd love to see some pics!
and welcome to the site!!
always good to have another II lover around.edit: btw, try posting some stuff in the for sale section and maybe on www.mustangii.net
you'll probabaly get more hits there anyhow, just b/c its a more focused group. glad to be able to help (if only a little)
9/27/05, 09:58 PM
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Thanks Future9er24
I still love the car but I have come to realize that rebuilding it is beyond me now.
I'll never lose the memories, some great times being 26 and having a fast hot car.
I still love the car but I have come to realize that rebuilding it is beyond me now.
I'll never lose the memories, some great times being 26 and having a fast hot car.
9/27/05, 10:05 PM
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yeah rebuilding a II is some tough work. lol, took me near half a year to simply find V8 motor mounts that i could afford for my motor swap. and with all the things that 'go wrong' on an almost 3 decade old car... its pretty rough.
too bad you have to sell it. they're awesome litlle cars, especially with the rarity of your KC. dont hink i've seen a red KC with a red/white interior i suppose you could milk that a bit when you sell...
and for the record, im out to make some memories of my own with this car. aside from meeting the girl of my dreams, its been the best thing that ever happened to me.
man i talk too much. good luck finding a buyer Mike
too bad you have to sell it. they're awesome litlle cars, especially with the rarity of your KC. dont hink i've seen a red KC with a red/white interior
i suppose you could milk that a bit when you sell...and for the record, im out to make some memories of my own with this car. aside from meeting the girl of my dreams, its been the best thing that ever happened to me.
man i talk too much. good luck finding a buyer Mike
10/2/05, 09:45 AM
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Hello Mike,
Ifyou go through my '77 thread I also had to get rid of a II that just sat.
There was no way I was ever going to have a chance to restore it.
Fortunately I replaced it with one that didn't need much.
The tangerine '78 spends its life enclosed and travels by closed trailer.
Always nice to have another II fan on the boards.
Ifyou go through my '77 thread I also had to get rid of a II that just sat.
There was no way I was ever going to have a chance to restore it.
Fortunately I replaced it with one that didn't need much.
The tangerine '78 spends its life enclosed and travels by closed trailer.
Always nice to have another II fan on the boards.
10/4/05, 05:01 PM
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Hi Ron,
I love the II's as well. I just ordered a 2006 Mustang GT last month. I will miss the car but never the memories.
I use to have people tell me all the time, "hey I saw you driving down 95 yesterday." or some other place. People new that car was me and that was pretty cool.
But I don't have the time or place to rebuild cars now. So I guess I just have to replace it with a new GT.
It was kinda cool my last name is King with the King Cobra.
I guess I could add modifications to the new GT and call it a King Cobra and it wouldn't be a lie, kinda like a Shelby's name becoming the name of the car he designed.
I see you are a Flyers fan, I am from Philly also.
Lets Go Flyers.
I love the II's as well. I just ordered a 2006 Mustang GT last month. I will miss the car but never the memories.
I use to have people tell me all the time, "hey I saw you driving down 95 yesterday." or some other place. People new that car was me and that was pretty cool.
But I don't have the time or place to rebuild cars now. So I guess I just have to replace it with a new GT.
It was kinda cool my last name is King with the King Cobra.
I guess I could add modifications to the new GT and call it a King Cobra and it wouldn't be a lie, kinda like a Shelby's name becoming the name of the car he designed.
I see you are a Flyers fan, I am from Philly also.
Lets Go Flyers.
10/7/05, 04:07 PM
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If you want to build a "King Cobra" out of your '06 GT, check this out:
http://www.stangnet.com/2005-Mustang/2005-...tang-Cobra.html
The guy that built it is a regular on the Stangnet MII Forum. He has incorporated some CobraII styling elements like the hood scoop, rocker panel and tail spoiler name decals, and the CBII racing stripes.
Your KC was sure a great looking car back in its prime. I'm afraid that its value today will have a lot to do with the amount of rust in the body. About the only sheetmetal panels reproduced for the MII are the floorpans, rear quarters, and rocker panels. And the rear quarters aren't that great in quality. Everything else has to be sourced from good used parts or super-rare NOS parts.
http://www.stangnet.com/2005-Mustang/2005-...tang-Cobra.html
The guy that built it is a regular on the Stangnet MII Forum. He has incorporated some CobraII styling elements like the hood scoop, rocker panel and tail spoiler name decals, and the CBII racing stripes.
Your KC was sure a great looking car back in its prime. I'm afraid that its value today will have a lot to do with the amount of rust in the body. About the only sheetmetal panels reproduced for the MII are the floorpans, rear quarters, and rocker panels. And the rear quarters aren't that great in quality. Everything else has to be sourced from good used parts or super-rare NOS parts.
10/8/05, 12:41 PM
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Originally posted by King Cobra@October 7, 2005, 4:17 PM
That is a nice Cobra. I wonder how a Redfire w/ pearl gold strips and Cobra would look?
What would all those mods cost?
That is a nice Cobra. I wonder how a Redfire w/ pearl gold strips and Cobra would look?
What would all those mods cost?
Perspective
Even the 2007 GT500 is not being givin the name King Cobra from the factory... We have yet for Ford to decide whether or not they will even release another King... I would imagine the 2008 King Cobra will consist of a Twin Turbo Charged 429 Big block, which comes from the factory with 600HP @ 1 PSI...
10/8/05, 04:19 PM
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Originally posted by King Cobra@October 7, 2005, 6:17 PM
That is a nice Cobra. I wonder how a Redfire w/ pearl gold strips and Cobra would look?
What would all those mods cost?
That is a nice Cobra. I wonder how a Redfire w/ pearl gold strips and Cobra would look?
What would all those mods cost?
it doesnt look like there has been much done to that 05, just a chin spoiler, ducktail, cobra emblem, wheels and stripes. probabaly not that much to do
EDIT: just remembered, i have this chop done by BM a while back... i know T-Tops probably arent going to happen anytime soon but hey, its a S197 KC :P
10/8/05, 07:05 PM
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That is a cool rendering of a futuristic King Cobra. Man that would be an eye catch if ever there was one.
MSP
I really wish I could keep it but like I said there is no place to keep it.
I feel just as bad watching it sit and get worst year after year. So if someone could rebuild and put it back on the road, I would feel better. Just I would ask to let let me drive one more time after it's fixed up.
MSP
I really wish I could keep it but like I said there is no place to keep it.
I feel just as bad watching it sit and get worst year after year. So if someone could rebuild and put it back on the road, I would feel better. Just I would ask to let let me drive one more time after it's fixed up.
10/9/05, 09:31 PM
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Really nice King Cobra. I would keep that car because there aren't many King Cobras in good condition like that. And Ford only made about 5,000 of them.