"AC" badge vs. Cobra Snake badge??

[HIQ]

Cracker,
Not trying to be an A$$. As an individual you can do anything you would like to with your car. It would be my PREFERENCE to have a Kirkham badge on my Kirkham, a Contemporary badge on my Contemporay, a FFR on my FFR, or a Shelby badge on my Shelby. I don't think it is wrong to do otherwise, it just does not work for me.

Be proud of what you have! You wouldn't put Chevy valve covers on your 427SO would you?

[Cracker]

HIQ - Who told you I put those chevy valve covers on my SO. Seriously, the "Shelby" valve covers is just one example of how I've personally helped ole Carroll die rich. I'd personally be proud to sport Contemporary badges if they existed - you have any? There's an idea for Shelby, he can make badges for all the manufacturers and sell them too! I'm surprised he hasn't done it yet.

[1985 CCX]

So which is period correct
Chrome highlights (left) or flat (right) ???????

[Mark IV]

Right side flat.

[1985 CCX]

Still not sure about the steering wheels emblems

CSX3008: Looks like AC wheel badge


I also have vintage CSX3010 that looks like red, wht and blue style? Although its hard to tell from old Black and white pics....

[Sal Gerace]

Originally Posted by computerworks

...showin' the bolts; no cap.

Slotted, not phillips, right?

[1985 CCX]

Slotted is correct.............
No phillips or allen head

[mdross1]

Remember all the time I spent staring at my car as it went together.The emblems was one of the things that consumed a lot of thought energy.My only concession to keeping everything as original looking as possible was the fender engine size badge.Mine says whats under the hood 460.The rest of the badging is as an AC Cobra would have been outfitted.Bottom line is what pleases your eye.

[Dan Case]

Originally Posted by 1985 CCX

So which is period correct
Chrome highlights (left) or flat (right) ???????

Original production = brush satin chrome plated finish. This finish was/is extremely fragile and tends to blister even sitting on a parts room shelf if there is much relative humidity at all.

Service improved replacement = bright smooth chrome plated finish. These parts are very much more corrosion resistant.

I have no idea when the replacements became available but for a while the parts department had both. I bought two pair from two different former Cobra owners. Each owner had a car in the 1960s that used this emblem from new. Both people wanted to replace corroded originals. Both ordered a new pair. Both got mixed styles delivered. Neither owner installed them because they were not the same. One man bought his replacements in 1968 and one part was still in the packaging from SAI.

Having new old stock parts of both versions in hand there was plenty of evidence (slight rework to the mold between versions) to demonstrate that brushed satin was first and smooth chrome was second.

At least two different companies have reproduced this general design in the past.

Dan

"S1CS-19523-B Emblem, AC_Cobra 2 9/16" – issued 1963, a 2 9/16” round part contracted by Mr. Shelby locally and used on most west coast Cobras prior to at least CSX2132, a.k.a. flat head or worm head emblem, it is undocumented but believed a small number of these emblems were included in some induction kits (Webers for example) based reports from people that bought accessories for dealer installation on their new Fords in 1964 (low quality copies detailwise are available in the restoration market)


New Old Stock 'Production' S1CS-19523-B Emblem

[Slither]

Originally Posted by HIQ

It is appropriate to put AC badges on the car IF it is an AC. It is appropriate to put Shelby Cobra badges on a car IF it is a Shelby Cobra.

Why mark the car as something it is not?

EXACTLY what he said!

[YerDugliness]

Originally Posted by HIQ

It is appropriate to put AC badges on the car IF it is an AC. It is appropriate to put Shelby Cobra badges on a car IF it is a Shelby Cobra.

Why mark the car as something it is not?

I can see the purpose....I mean, after all, there are REPLICAS....many actually pick a particular CSX car to attempt to replicate. WE know it is not a Shelby or an AC, but if we are successful at creating a good REPLICA (which could, IMHO, include badges on the car) the car will "fool" ONLY those who are familiar with original CSX cars...the rest will be no worse off for not knowing the difference.

I, for one, don't want to fool the experts, but I DO like the look of the hood and trunk badges. Mine doesn't have any, but I want to put them on. It sort of completes the look.

If you don't want people to think your car is a "Cobra", which the vast majority of car-nuts assoicate with Shelby and/or AC, then don't build a Cobra. There are plenty of original designs on the market, build one of them. Otherwise, and again this is JMHO, I feel one should feel free to "replicate" to his heart's content, and if that includes badges, I say go for it!!

YOMV

Cheers from Dugly!!

[london]

The definitive guide to badges and many other aspects of the original '60s Cobras is Rinsey Mills' 'Original AC Ace and Cobra', published by Bay View Books, ISBN 1 870979 14 1

Original AC Ace and Cobra | eBay

Very expensive and out of print, so here's a summary of badges on the 60s cars:

Mk1 and II

Up to chassis CSX 2054 - 'Shelby AC Cobra' motifs front and rear

CSX 2055 to CSX 2132 - the 'flat headed' Cobra emblem front and rear

CSX 2132 onwards - the later Cobra emblem front and rear

Early COB/COX chassis cars (sold outside US) - 'flat headed' Cobra emblem on front, AC badge on rear.

Later COB/COX chassis cars - later Cobra emblem on front, AC badge on rear.

Mk III

CSX chassis cars - later Cobra emblem front and rear

COB/COX chassis cars (with 289 engine) - AC badges front and rear.

[mreid]

Holy thread resurrection, batman!

Anyway, which hood/trunk emblem for the 289 fia cars?

[london]

The general rules set out above apply. However(!) if you look at 'Shelby Cobra - The Shelby American Original Archives 1962 -1965', some photos show FIAs with the standard Cobra emblems, others with what appears to be a painted Cobra emblem front and rear and yet others with no badge at all.

[computerworks]

Originally Posted by london

The definitive guide ...

A good book...but not definitive.

[computerworks]

Originally Posted by london

.. others with what appears to be a painted Cobra emblem front and rear .

Those are stickers.

[Dan Case]

Originally Posted by computerworks

Those are stickers.

There were a few different variants of this sticker, I am guessing different batches and or suppliers in different time frames. Old car images are too blurred to tell which version they might have been.

[Dan Case]

I picked up my first original Cobra emblem circa 1971. Once I got a second kind I thought it would be a great collectable. I have been watchful for decades trying to get one of everything a new Cobra had when its first owner bought it. I am close to getting one of everything I have documented so far. I have one of all the front and rear emblems now I think.

When CSX2001 was taken home by its original owner he took pictures and movies of the brand new car. Remember not all Cobras went to California for final assembly. It had three different emblems front and rear, a solid AC, two S1CS-A emblems one each front and rear, and a script AC.

This solid AC emblem was removed from very early CSX20XX Cobra that didn't go to California. It was updated to a S1CS-C emblem later at its owner's request.



This script AC came out of Europe. I bought it from a man that said it came from a European Cobra when it got updated to the S1CS-C emblem.



This S1CS-A emblem was removed from a Cobra that was converted to racing early in its days.



NOS S1CS-B (production version)



New car take off 1965 S1CS-C emblem.



NOS C3RA Ford version circa 1966 model year for 427 Cobras

[LMH]

Dan to the rescue! (as usual)
Larry

[xb-60]

Originally Posted by HIQ

It is appropriate to put AC badges on the car IF it is an AC. It is appropriate to put Shelby Cobra badges on a car IF it is a Shelby Cobra.

Why mark the car as something it is not?

So shouldn't Shelby have left the Ford valve covers alone and not substituted SHELBY or COBRA covers?
Cheers!
Glen