First time buyer

[marksar]

Hey guys I have never owned a Cobra before but there is a 1986 Contemporary for sale in my area that I checked out today that Im really interested in but I need to do a little homework on it first. My main concern is finding parts if I need them and the second is what to do with the side pipes. They're black (which I dont care for,) in kinda sad shape and they stick out a little too far from the body for my liking, so from a cost effective point of view what are my options? Would it be best for me to buy new pipes and much do those run, or is it better to cut down the pipes that are on there now so they hug the body a little better and have them ceramic coated? I need to decide on this car pretty soon so any advice would be helpful. If there are any problem areas with the Contemporaries that I should be aware of and pay special attention to that would be helpful as well. Thanks a lot guys! I hope to be a owner soon!

[Grubby]

Where are you and the car located? It might be wise to have a Cobra savy guy go with you.

I would suggest deciding on what you want in a Cobra. Original looking for example and then looking at several Cobras. There is a huge difference between the various kits.

Parts shouldn't be a big deal on that one.

John

[marksar]

I'm in Maine.

[Mongoose930]

Nick at Acton Custom can help. He works on a lot of Contemporary's (including mine) and he lives in NH. I would highly recommend having Nick check the car out for you. Trust me - It will be money well spent: Acton Custom Enterprises, Custom Metal for Cobras

[Mongoose930]

Also, if you look in my gallery, you will see pictures of my red Contemporary. Nick cleaned up my sidepipes, tucked them closer to the body and raised them so they were in the correct position. He also did a new correct height rollbar for me. The original Contemporary rollbars were typically very low.

[WardL]

I don't really know the money situation (how much you want to spend and how much a Contemporary costs), but seems like you could spend $1,000 on the exhaust system pretty easily. There are so many around for sale, why not buy one that is set up the way you like it? What seems to happen is you buy something and think you will fix it the way you want it and after 10 years you haven't changed a thing!

[Seagull81]

I sent you a PM.

[mrmustang]

OP will tell you the seller has not posted any pictures. From the ad, it appears the seller hopscotched around the car, doing a little here, a little there. Not going through the suspension (not explaining whether it is a torsion bar front end or not), wiring, or anything else besides yanking the original motor and replacing it with one that is supposed to be a "392 Ford crate engine". The mention of American Racing Wheels (no knock offs) has me wondering what the seller considers "fully restored". Too many red flags, but I'm sure that Nick already knows about the car, as not too many Contemporaries on the market that he does not know about.


Bill S.