Olddog, thank you for the thoughtful post. By "not a car guy," I mean I have never learned to work on cars (other than simple stuff like
oil and coolant changes, and years ago, tune ups). I have always been a fan of cars like this. I would not consider an automatic transmission, but don't yet know anything about what to look for in a manual transmission (for example, five or six speed?). I have no clue whether I should get fuel injection. I don't know if I need independent suspension, don't know what to look for in brake system. So I still have a lot of homework to do. I should make some progress on engine selection today. A couple of owners in Dallas are going to let me ride in their Cobras, one with a 351, the other with a 482.