History of my car??

[artman]

Hi everyone. I just purchased a Midstates 390FE. The car has the best of everything and is really a special car (my second Cobra). It was completed in '94 and has been in numerous publications and is pictured on both of Midstates websites. I am supplying the VIN# in hopes that someone by chance could give me a little more history of this awesome car. Thanks ahead.

B53312R118TF

ART. . .
artman@carolina.rr.com

[Dan Stryffeler]

Art,

Am I missing something? If it's been in numerous publications and also on the Midstates websites... I think you may have one of the most documented Cobra's around.

What are you looking for, the publications themselves?

- Dan

[artman]

Originally posted by Dan Stryffeler


Art,

Am I missing something? If it's been in numerous publications and also on the Midstates websites... I think you may have one of the most documented Cobra's around.

What are you looking for, the publications themselves?

- Dan

Dan, I have some of the publications, but the are mostly pictures with or without brief descriptions. (ie: pictured in C. Scott's Guide to Cobra Replicars, Motortrend calendars, etc). I would like to know who actually built/finished the car, engine, etc. What I know is from the mouth of it's former (second) owner. I think some of the folks at Midstates may be able to help as this was one of the undeniable 'money no object' creations of the Midstates model. It was independently appraised last week for $75,000. Thanks!

ART. . .

[computerworks]

Originally posted by artman
It was independently appraised last week for $75,000.

....wow. Sure would like to see some of those pictures.

[artman]

Originally posted by computerworks


....wow. Sure would like to see some of those pictures.

Will get them up on gallery shortly. It is the black one on the websites below:

http://www.midstatesclassics.com/about.asp
http://cobracountry.com/midstates/home.html

[Dan Stryffeler]

Nice Car!

Yep, you should probably try Midstates for help.

- Dan

[artman]

A couple of pics are in my gallery. Will get some more up once I get to taking the top off.

[cobrajam]

If you are talking about the black cobra on Midstates webpage, it was completed in 1996, it was titled in 1994 in WV. I started building it in 1990, and did all the work except the painting on the top side and the stitching on the seats. I sold it about Feb 1999 to a 70ish year old man in Johnstown Pa. I actually pulled out my 427 and put the 390 in it. Sometime around April 2001 while in Seattle, I got a call from a state trooper in New Jersey who had bought it. The old gentleman was having a battle with cancer. I have since moved to Va Beach and wondered what had become of it. I have been off-line since I moved from WV almost 2 years ago. If this is the same car, the most notable feature is the forward brace roll bar. The interior should be almost all black leather, seats-door panels- top of transmission tunnel-kick panels-behind seats-dash-steering wheel, the rest is wool carpet. The seats you notice are actually comfortable, I had them made w/ a built in lumbar and knee support. Also leather heal pad on custom dropped driver side floor pan. It had an old fire extinguisher mounted on the back wall that was my grandfathers from about the late 60s, that I wish I had kept for sentimental value, but i could not find a new version that would fill where I custom cut out the foam for it. The front suspension is RCC tubular w/fully adjustable AVO shocks, 11" Granada rotors w/ adapter from Everett Morrison. The rear is 4 link, 9" 3.50 Ford posi, Eagle shocks, rotors from a '78 LTD with a braced housing. It was a narrowed truck housing. This was for strenght and looks. If you notice most of the cars w/o narrowed rears. the tires either stick out past the body and/or the wheels do not have the proper dish. It should also feature a rivet on hood scoop and rivets around the front edge of the hood. The wiring harness is a Ron Francis. The sidepipes/header are Jet Hot coated and I added tabs on them with bolts for easy dissassembly. Although the pipes were baffled, they were supposed to w/o the fiberglass packs. The wheels should be 16" Compomotives w/ Michelins, which I highly recommend replacing if you spend anytime on the track. The transmission was a 5sp Tremec w/ forward bent shifter and an aluminum NHRA approved bellhousing which I would love to have back. The 390 was from a friend I met because of this car. He had started building a Contemporary, and had gotten a frame, the complete Jag rear w/ Watt links and pin drive assemblies. As you may know, Contemporary then went out of business. I had originally talked to Peter Bayer about buying a Contemporary, but he was such an ahole, I didnt care how good their cars were. Funny thing was, after completing my car, he walked up to me at the run and gun near Milan, OH and asked if it was one of his cars. Anyway, this guy had built a "winger" 390 engine, that he had very little money in, relative to a 427, that he could "take out and rev the crap out of it". If it broke, he could rebuild for almost nothing. Kinda nice having your own machine shop. If I recall correctly, it had a solid high lift, around .500, cam, adjustable rockers, 10.5-11.0 compression, .030 over, balanced, etc. It should also have a "turkey Pan" that the old guy bought to have me install. Also had the polished fin alum 427 valve covers and 7 1/2 qt oil pan. The gas tank was custom aluminum, close to 30 gallon. Also, it should have a full complement of SW guages. It should have polished aluminum panels in the engine compartment, as well as polished pusher fans, and quick jacks. I had been to Run and Guns in Columbus OH and Indy, plus Carlisle Kit car show. I was impressed w/ the quality of the Midstates cars. At that time I had barely heard of them. When I looked closer they had business card size b&w ads in the kit car magazines. It seemed whatever event I attended, 25% were Midstates owners. And none of them had even the least negative thing to say. Plus, anyone that gives their home number on their business card, and it does work, must be pretty confident in their product. I picked up the frame at the Run and Gun near Allentown Pa, the shop foreman, Chuck (a super guy) helped me to put together a rolling chassis in the parking lot. A year or so later, I took it out to Nebraska to have them put the body on it, plus fit the special roll bar. Everything that I wanted to do, regardless of how different (roll bar, rivet hood, black gel coat) they did w/o question, they did it very well, and they did it at a reasonably price. No wonder they have been around since 1982. I cant go w/o saying how great this crew is, from Lauri who has since passed, to Bob and his family and the crew at the shop. If you ever saw the shop in "downtown" Hooper, NE, you wouldnt believe that they could produce the quality product they do. Why did I sell it? Like Bob build them, I built it stouter than I needed to. I started out w/ an all iron 427, Nascar 4sp toploader, 9.3" ford rearend w/ brace, cast iron bellhousing. It weighed close to 3100lbs. The body must've weighed close to 700lbs. I then replaced them w/ aluminum Edelbrock heads and waterpump , the aluminum bellhousing, aluminum 5sp tranny, aluminum Griffen radiator, etc. It still weighed about 2900lbs. Unlike all the tales of the original, it rode too well, your sneakers did not melt, and it didnt rattle your teeth. It was more refined than I had envisoned.
After selling it, I bought a 94 Corvette, even though I despise bow ties. I guess I had to see how the other side lives. Actually a nice car. 140mph in it was a lot more comfortable than the Cobra. It was also kinda nice to have doors that would lock and a relative weather prrof top when it rained. I quickly tired of it. I sold it sometime in 2001.
I wanted to build another Cobra. The only thing that I would change from yours, was 1. be much lighter 2. have IRS 3. have pin-drives 4. have much better brakes for competition 5. have an all aluminum 427 SOHC. So I bought the Contemporary frame from my friend that had the pin-drive assemblies Jag IRS w/ Watts and Brembo brakes, got a AMP tubular Jag front w/ the Wilwood brakes, added 17" PSE wheels. After getting a rolling chassis, I again made the trek out to Midstates in Nebraska. They fitted a thinner, much lighter black gel coated Kevlar body, added a roll bar, again forward brace, but I also had them add the rear brace at the last minute. It is almost art. This time I will use the rectangular taillights, and the white/clear front turn signals. It will look similiar to yours, but still be different. I still have the iron block 427, added an Aviad pan and a tunnel wedge single plane intake w/ Demon 850cfm carb. Hopefully, will get the aluminum Shelby or Genesis block in the future. But since moving and buying a house, remodelling has been a priority.
By the way, if you are in the Va Beach area, would love to see it again.

[Excaliber]

OK,,,but what can you tell us about the car?


.....that you didn't all ready cover! Wow, thats some detailed history! There is more than one guy around the Club here STILL trying to find out WHAT Cobra they got, let alone who built it! It's great when the history and the car come together! Nice ride!

Ernie

[aumoore]

Don't ask any more questions if I have to read War and Peace to get the answer.

[Turk]

I need the name of that independent appraiser.
If he is close to my location, I have a $120,000 Porsche I need him to sign of on.

The way the market is (and the appraisal is done during the current market), there are very few $75,000 Cobras out there.

MidStates is good. I am not sure they are $20,000 to $30,000 gooder than a comparable ERA.

TURK

[Excaliber]

......must be a Turkish thing....

Ernie