Just bought a 93 Cobra... I think

[SVT1993]

I'm not sure I understand your argument. What do you think I'm saying about the Cobra/GT relationship? Your use of the word "just" is throwing me for a loop.

The Mustang GT and the Cobra are two different cars in many ways. It's not "just" a Mustang GT that has been transformed into a Cobra. The Motor is different, the suspension is different, the body is different. These things were planned, as the Cobra came down the line with different parts.

I'm just stating that the car did not start out as a GT, and then changed into a Cobra, like a Saleen or Roush - it was planned by SVT to come down the line as a Cobra at its inception.

 

[SVT1993]

Jess,

By the looks of the engine compartment picture, it looks like you got a nice original Cobra.

If your MAF has the numbers F1SF-12B579-AA on it, it's a Cobra MAF.

Hope this helps.

 

[blk50cobra]

I can see the color difference very well in your pic and that's exactly the color difference I've seen on other cobras. Maybe some vibrant red owners know why the clearcoat changes the color so much?

Those are the '93 cobra valve covers. I also notice the unique '93 cobra vacuum tree on the firewall. Some parts that have been swapped are the chrome stuff- radiator brackets, hood prop rod, oil fill cap, brake M/C reservoir cap. Also it looks like the heater core has been disconnected. Maybe it leaked. The heater tubes are still in place on top of the intake though.

Looks like you really do have cruise too. I can see the cruise control cable running over the top of the wiper motor.

 

[stangbear427]

Thanks guys. I'll take a look at the MAF today for the number, I just know that every picture I've seen in the promo materials and '93 Mustang magazines looked different, including some "stock original" Cobras on Cardomain and stuff. I'm not sure I care for all the chrome bits- but the owner still had all the original parts in a box so I can change them if I choose, as well as the originial headers, plug wires, and the 3.08 gears. I'm pretty sure the heat worked when I checked it, the only thing that didn't was the radio, which for some reason is stuck in cassette mode, and the passenger door lock motor is toasted. Everything else (well, except the cruise) I checked out, I think... I was going on two days with no sleep at that point lol.
Do the Cobras have the same headlight/foglight problems as the 87-93 GTs did? I know the GT's had a service bulletin for the lights doing the copcar thing and burning up switches, and there was a Ford wiring upgrade I did in my GT, although it didn't really fix it. Will I need to worry about this in the future or did Ford fix it by the time they made these?

 

[cobr96]

underhood is different on the red and also the teal cars , it doesnt look to have been wrecked, it still has the decals on the radiator support. It may have been a theft recovery and someone added a gt steering wheel in place of a hard to find cobra wheel? I run the www.1993cobra.com Registry and added your car before you bought it , I believe I got the info from an Ebay ad? after you contact 1-800-fordsvt email me the rest of the cars info and I will list it. that valve cover decal is correct for a cobra 5.0 engine, look at the bottom row and you will see a date should be a little ahead of the cars build date. also look on the left side radiator support above the left headlamp (near the hood prop rod clip) you might see a paint stamp with the build date? all cobras have this, if not painted over. Also the hood prop rod should be red not chrome or silver.

 

[BADBOYSPACK]

I dont see any VIN stickers on either fender or the hood !

 

[1993CobraAF]

Good call BADBOYSPACK...I also missed the obvious..

 

[stangbear427]

There are a few VIN size stickers on the fenders and hood that have been painted over, I'm pretty sure these aren't the original fenders. Don't know about the hood. It's definately been hit, the engine bay is @5/8" out of square. I think whoever fixed it tried to straiten it with the body panels, and never pulled the radiator support back where it belongs. I'll have to pull the nose apart and do it myself, it'll drive me crazy even though it's almost impossible to see if you aren't looking for it.

I love this car! Just got it registered this morning, flew through emissions and transferred my old plates over. The cruise does work. I gotta say though, this suspension sucks. I forgot how bad stock Mustangs handle- SVT's "controlled compliance" philosophy leaves a lot to be desired. I can't wait to get my coilovers and three link in here! It isn't enough to dampen my mood though, I'm positively giddy right now. I think I burned a whole tank of gas today.

cobr96- the build date is 04/05/93. Drop me a pm with a list of the info you need and I'll get it to you. This guy may have tried to sell it on ebay last year, but he doesn't have a computer so I'd be surprised. He gave me receipts with his name dating back to 2000 and 66,000mi. :shrug:

 

[stangbear427]

double post

 

[G2Mach1]

All in all it is a great car. Good purchase! In 1993 my friend had one the exact same color and it was the fastest car I had ever been in... Good luck with it.

 

[stangbear427]

Agreed... and thanks! I have high hopes indeed...

 

[BADBOYSPACK]

cobr96- the build date is 04/05/93. Drop me a pm with a list of the info you need and I'll get it to you. This guy may have tried to sell it on ebay last year, but he doesn't have a computer so I'd be surprised. He gave me receipts with his name dating back to 2000 and 66,000mi. :shrug:

Here is what you need..............

To get your Cobra put in the registry, we need the following information:

-Production number (ex. #1970 of 4993) This should be on your certificate or you can call 1-800-ford-svt and they will be able to tell you with your VIN.

-VIN we only need the last 6# to keep the space down. This is strictly voluntary if you are worried about it being in public view.

-Exterior Color and interior color. We also need to know the type of interior either cloth or leather

-Options The only options available were leather seats, sunroof, rear window defrost, CD player, power driver seat and engine block heater

-The day your car was born. Date is on your certificate or you can call SVT

-Dealership vehicle was purchased at new and city/state dealership is or was located. If you do not know what dealership this was, SVT should be able to tell you as well.

-Your name. If you choose not to give your name, that is fine. If you want to give your e-mail address so that others can contact you, please specify the e-mail address you want to publish. This is also strictly voluntary.

-Current mileage. In order to keep the database as accurate as possible, please e-mail us every 6 months to update the mileage.

-Last but not least, we need to know if your car is still alive. It may sound odd, but there are many owners of 93 Cobras that have had them stolen or totaled. This information is critical to see how many 93 Cobras still exist.

you can e-mail your registry info to: [email protected]

 

[stangbear427]

email sent.

 

[mkeane]

The headlight flickering problem was fixed before 93 so you shouldnt have any problems with it, had the same problem with a few of my old mustangs but have had my 93 for 12 years and no problem

 

[buddha93]

Looks and sounds like the real deal to me.

Yes, the Cobras are also prone to headlight/foglight problems just like the GT's. There is no factory fix, so you'll have to rewire it yourself. Here is a link:

http://www.allfordmustangs.com/Detailed/625.shtml

Is the car oringinally from NY? It should have the 6 digit odometer.....not a bunch of those out there.

 

[stangbear427]

No, it was originally sold in Ohio unfortunately. that million mile odo would have been cool.

 

[Tank5879]

where in new england are you??? I may be able to look at it and tell you for sure

 

[93Cobra#2771]

Looks like the real deal to me, congrats on the purchase. How many miles on the car, and how much did you get it for?

VIN is the deciding factor, as many have mentioned, and it wasn't that hard to swap CC over on these cars. I know of a few who did that...

Need a reproduction window sticker? See sig.

 

[stangsteve1993]

No mustangs ever had matching body paint and under hood paint. Ford used two differant shades, usualy they were all uncleared, non metalic paints. Calypso green and titanium frost are the most noticebale in this area. I used to have the paint codes of the under hood paints, but lost all that info when I moved. Looking at that car, I dont see any fender vins, stating to me the car was wrecked at one time maybe. the cruise steering wheel may be a factor in this. The air bag may have popped and they replaced the whole wheel, airbag and all, cause the non cruise wheels had been n/a for some time now. That or the wheel may have gotten rotten and god knows its hard to find non cruise cobra/ DPS mustang steering wheels. I can tell you the vacuum tree is correct for a 93 cobra as all LX 5.0 and GTs had a differant tree. 93 cobra's used 4 banger vacuum trees. It also has the correct brake booster on it. Id be willing to bet it was tapped in the front end, and both fenders, hood, and bumper replaced. All factory body parts will have lil paper vin tags on them.

 

[stangbear427]

where in new england are you??? I may be able to look at it and tell you for sure

Connecticut. I doubt you want to make that trip :-D
I'm as sure as I can be, the VIN checks out and every part is right except the MAF, which could have been damaged in the accident. I wouldn't have left the Cobra one on anyway, so it doesn't concern me. Even the parts that have been upgraded (plug wires, headers, 3.08 rear) I have in boxes, the guy saved it all.

Looks like the real deal to me, congrats on the purchase. How many miles on the car, and how much did you get it for?

VIN is the deciding factor, as many have mentioned, and it wasn't that hard to swap CC over on these cars. I know of a few who did that...

Thank you. It's been on the road two days, and I'm still buzzing over it. Over all I'm very pleased with it so far. It has just a tick over 98K on it, and I paid $9500. I wish I had haggled over it a little, since he told me on the phone I wouldn't be able to tell it had been hit but I could. Guess he wasn't expecting me to be a 50 year bodyman's son. Although, while I was pointing out where things didn't line up quite right, I'm still not sure he could tell. He had already knocked $1300 off his advertised price when I called him, and the car is in fantastic shape, he was a really nice guy and held it for me for two weeks with no down payment so I just gave him what he asked. I still feel it was worth what I paid, it just wasn't as perfect as I thought it would be. After working all day then pulling a trailor 7 hours through the night, I wasn't pulling that trailor 7 hours home without it. I just wanted a clean rust free GT, red with grey int. and sunroof, and saw several go for about that much before I could nail them down, so I didn't feel bad spending it on a Cobra that met that criteria.

No mustangs ever had matching body paint and under hood paint. Ford used two differant shades, usualy they were all uncleared, non metalic paints. Calypso green and titanium frost are the most noticebale in this area. I used to have the paint codes of the under hood paints, but lost all that info when I moved. Looking at that car, I dont see any fender vins, stating to me the car was wrecked at one time maybe. the cruise steering wheel may be a factor in this. The air bag may have popped and they replaced the whole wheel, airbag and all, cause the non cruise wheels had been n/a for some time now. That or the wheel may have gotten rotten and god knows its hard to find non cruise cobra/ DPS mustang steering wheels. I can tell you the vacuum tree is correct for a 93 cobra as all LX 5.0 and GTs had a differant tree. 93 cobra's used 4 banger vacuum trees. It also has the correct brake booster on it. Id be willing to bet it was tapped in the front end, and both fenders, hood, and bumper replaced. All factory body parts will have lil paper vin tags on them.

I know for certain it was hit in the passenger side, just forward of the strut tower. I know exactly what I'm looking at in that regard. I'm as sure as I can be without pulling it apart that the fenders, hood and bumper cover aren't original either. The frame/unibody/rad support are original however, if any of it had been replaced there isn't a bodyman on the planet who could hide it from me. It'll be easy for me to get it strait, I just have to take a weekend and do it. Even if I don't, it's practically in show condition- more like a 25,000mi car than a 100,000mi one.