Perhaps you've all ready seen the definitive Excalibur thread here:
Excalibur Owners: Please Reply!
Or perhaps your looking for a 'Cliff Notes' version of that super long thread?
Heres my thoughts on owning an Excal as my first replica Cobra. I really liked the car on many levels, didn't like it on some others.
I liked the rock solid stock 302 and OEM Ford induction, wiring, etc. Easy maintanence, easy to get parts for, durable, decent gas mileage, reliable. Made the car truly a 'daily driver'. Build quality, though not perfect, was fair to good. Troublesome little things like dash lights and indicators are extremely difficult to replace. The exhaust system is a nightmare with it's dual cat convertors and wimpy short headers that CONSTANTLY need 're-welding' because they support enormous weight. Virtually EVERY Excal owner will complain about the exhaust system!
Seating was great! I like the wider body and the seats themselves, plenty room yet they hold you in place nicely. Great paint and chrome, that car STILL looks and runs good and the friend I sold it to runs it hard! Not bad at all on the track, not terrific, but darn respectable! The manual steering is a bear when the back end comes out at on a low speed corner and your TRYING HARD to counter steer. THATS when you wish you had power steering! The ride was pretty harsh, I tried different shocks and springs but nothing really helped. The 9" Ford rear end (8.8 in most of the later ones) just doesn't have much travel and bottoms out real quick. While that checks body roll and is welcome at the track it's the pitts driving around on a rough road, very hard on your back those pot holes.
Great soft top, well made! I used it a LOT for the extreme sunshine here in Hawaii, as does the new owner. STILL looks and works good.
I never really considered the Excal a 'replica' of a Cobra. It was only offered as a completed car meeting Fed standards, in that sense it is truly a 'real' car, not a 'copy' of a Cobra as much as what it is, an Excalibur! In Calif, for instance, no need to get a SB100 for the car. It IS a Federally and California recognized official 'automobile' in it's own unique class. It even has a NADA value (like Kelly Blue Book) you can look up! In that sense it can be financed by a bank and insured like any other car on the road (Ford, GM or whatever). Just make sure that pesky exhaust system is fully stock in Calif!
Eventually the fact that it was not at all a close copy of an original Cobra left me 'wanting' more. I began the search for something closer to the 'real deal' and ended up with my current ERA. Side oiler, original iron high riser heads and OEM 2X4 intake. Solid lifter cam and an engine built very much like you could find one 'back in the day'. Alas, when I see my old Excalibur (the new owner and I are close friends) I occasionally wish I had it back! The ERA is brutish, unforgiving, a real 'beast', just like the real Cobras. But some days I kind of miss the 'easy going' style of the Excal and a place to put my coffee in the morning while I drive to work. I RARELY if EVER drive the ERA to work, but I often did the Excal.
Hmmmm, comfort or realism? Pick one only please!
