So I figured I would start by telling my story about how I got my 1980 cobra. When I was growing up my cousin had baught te cobra and has put an insane amount of money into it. It's never been driven but has been run. I've drooled over it since I could see. About 4 years ago he got in a rafting accident and lost his jobs and had to relearn all his normal functions. When He got in the accident it was in at a shop getting the sub frame put in and while it was in the shop the guy realized that my cousin was injured and he removed about 7000 in parts and sent the car back which has now been sitting for 3 years untouched and unlooked at as my cosusin is just getting normal but has no job and spent all his savings living. So it my uncle gave him an option cause the guy from the shop stole the distributor among other things but it's been sitting for 3 years with who knows what living in the engine. I ended up getting it for free, with the promise I would never sell it and finish building it. So I brought it to my shop and have been at it since. Has a 351w with lots of work on it which I just rebuild and unseazed. A tranny with all stage 3 racing parts a 4 link rear end with what I believe is 3.11 gears but not quite sure though. A whole sub frame strut bars all around. Among a lot of other stuff. He has receipts for over 30000 dollars. So Im gonna finish it and get it to driving point. Gonna need a lot of help and figured this site was the best.
Just Getting Started
- Thread starter Brendan Laughy
- Start date
my cousin had roller rockers sitting among the tons of other extra parts but there isn't a roller cam in it. so i have no use for them till i take the engine apart again which wont be till at least next year. so i do have roller rockers that will fit a 302 with the valve springs that I wouldn't mind getting rid of, never been used. sorry for the blurriness, if someone interested ill take better pics
Good pics.
Did you see any cast numbers on the block? Particularly on the driver's side under the header? They might start with a letter with as C5, D9 or E3 or something like that? Might help ID what the engine is out of. Early 351's weren't roller cams, but I beleive they can be retrofitted.
Is the trans a 5-spd? It looks like a T-5, which is a fairly weak trans. Hard to say if it's a OEM take-out, or a Z-spec trans without getting the tag info off the case.
Rear end looks like standard 86-93 Mustang 8.8 axle. I do see Koni red shocks, but i don't see the quad shock setup, but i see the mounts.
Looks like the rear was convereted to disk brakes too. Turbo coupe conversion probably.
All i can tell you from those pics however. Looks like you do need a lot to get it back to being a driving car though
Did you see any cast numbers on the block? Particularly on the driver's side under the header? They might start with a letter with as C5, D9 or E3 or something like that? Might help ID what the engine is out of. Early 351's weren't roller cams, but I beleive they can be retrofitted.
Is the trans a 5-spd? It looks like a T-5, which is a fairly weak trans. Hard to say if it's a OEM take-out, or a Z-spec trans without getting the tag info off the case.
Rear end looks like standard 86-93 Mustang 8.8 axle. I do see Koni red shocks, but i don't see the quad shock setup, but i see the mounts.
Looks like the rear was convereted to disk brakes too. Turbo coupe conversion probably.
All i can tell you from those pics however. Looks like you do need a lot to get it back to being a driving car though
StreetsideStig
Active Member
- Feb 22, 2011
- 1,012
- 48
- 48
Cool project. Alot of potential there, as I'm sure you know. Major bummer about your cousin and the pathetic excuse for a person who stole from him.
I will look at the engine when I go out next. I have also sent an email to my cousin to see what he knows about it still. It is a 5 speed, hoping my cousin can tell me what it is. If not I'll get under it. I remember him saying the gears are different. Yea it's got Koni shocks and new springs as well. And yep has 4 disk brakes. This is what worries me though. There could have been more stolen off of it than I already even know. The car was basically done. Now it's missing the electric fan, distributor, he took the 4 piston brakes off the front, and its in more pieces than it should be for a guy who was only supposed to be doing the sub frame. So I'm concerned more is missing. What I have to do is get my cousin out and get him to look at it for the first time in a long time and for him to tell me what's missing hopefully.
my cousin had roller rockers sitting among the tons of other extra parts but there isn't a roller cam in it. so i have no use for them till i take the engine apart again which wont be till at least next year. so i do have roller rockers that will fit a 302 with the valve springs that I wouldn't mind getting rid of, never been used. sorry for the blurriness, if someone interested ill take better pics
I have a 70's model 351 Windsor in my truck, has a flat tappet cam yet I have 1.7 roller rockers on it. The cam being flat tappet or roller doesn't matter since the rocker arms are touching the valve stems.
