redmt John Every guy here thinks he has one of the best cobras. I"M NOT going to get into which company's make the best cobra. The question is what kind of money you have and what you can afford??
You asked about a west coast company because of wanting to be able to get in touch with the manufacturer if there is a problem. I think this narrowed down the list.
Motor wise, the new stuff is nice, DOHC & SOHC mod motors. The problem is fitting them into a cobra and having room to work on them. You have knowledge about the old stuff, A last 60's early 70's motor like a 302 or 351 stroker work be a good fit for what you want. You also have the ability to wrench on it. Car with FI system, you need alot more knowledge if you have a problem to repair. The KISS method is the better method to use.
A/C, Power steering, Hard top, or Soft tops are all very easy to have dome on the car. Vintage Company makes complete AC system that will bolt on any car with a little work. Radios and speakers bolt behind the seat.
I don't know how flexable you are but,
Getting into a cobra with either a hard top or soft top and hot side pipes requires some REAL LIMBER joints.
Have you thought about exhaust system, under car or side pipes?? Here's another issue to address. Ear plugs are needed on drives if the car has a radical motor.
Sounds like you are going though your second child hood.
If you want to talk about this off the net, send a P-M and I will return to call you. Rick L.