To modify or not?

[CO9B3RA]

Talk about "carbon copies"...the only outward difference between my #629 &
#3675 is the way we spell the interior color. Mine is Opal and yours is Opel!
Had there not been a :bowdown: Teal metallic, :xpl: red and :xpl: black
only available, I wouldn't have a '93 Cobra. :coolman:

 

[LEE93COBRA]

Im also in this bind....i have an ed curtis ported cobra intake, full exhaust sittin in my closet, and am this close to ordering heads and cam form ed curtis as well, and a procharger...but here is the thing

Like stated above the , mortality rate is huge of 4993 there might be 4000 left..probably less...i live in SF and i hear of about 2-3 93 cobras getting stolen A YEAR...Not to mention the ones that are wrecked.

Ask yourself this question... is a gt 350 worth more stock or converted into a fuel injected 408 with a vortech and a t56 and IRS?? Dont think so...what about a an old boss 302, cobrajet or anything else?? Those command high prices in bone stock form, far more than the ones that are modded. I know you dont think the 93 cobra compares but consider the fact that your 93 cobra has less production numbers than these older cars, consider the fact that the 93 cobra is the car that saved the mustang line and that the fox body cars are considered one of the nicest looking mustangs ever built, In 20 years our cars will be held in such a higher regard than they are right now......and i know in 20 years someone will pay alot more for a 100k mile stock cobra with no mods..than one that is done up and has a DSS 331 with a blower.

I consider the fact that old cars that have been 'restomodified' cars bring waaaay more money than OEM cars.

Value only matters to a person that plans to sale his/her car. My car will never leave my driveway (wife won't let it). I think I can speak for most of us 'modifiers' when I say, rest easy virgin cobra owners, we have our OEM pieces too :thumbsup:

Look at it this way folks, we have some here who show people what a bone stock 93 Cobra looks like up close and we have some here with stock looking 93's whipping ass on the street and track. :thumbsup:

 

[venomous93]

I consider the fact that old cars that have been 'restomodified' cars bring waaaay more money than OEM cars.

Value only matters to a person that plans to sale his/her car. My car will never leave my driveway (wife won't let it). I think I can speak for most of us 'modifiers' when I say, rest easy virgin cobra owners, we have our OEM pieces too :thumbsup:

Look at it this way folks, we have some here who show people what a bone stock 93 Cobra looks like up close and we have some here with stock looking 93's whipping ass on the street and track. :thumbsup:

I dont know, i dont think someone would pay 30 grand for a 93 r that has a lot of track time, upgraded brakes, full griggs, a 351, cage, and numerous other components, as they would for a bone stock low mileage one. I'm not saying i dont appreciate it, cuz i do....but im leaning toward the fact to save these cars and **** witha notch,lx,or gt...those are a dime a dozen

 

[8urvett]

If I could get the financing on $30k for a 93R stock showroom condition, I would jump all over that..........then modify my 93!

 

[PJM99]

Talk about "carbon copies"...the only outward difference between my #629 &
#3675 is the way we spell the interior color. Mine is Opal and yours is Opel!
Had there not been a :bowdown: Teal metallic, :xpl: red and :xpl: black
only available, I wouldn't have a '93 Cobra. :coolman:

LOL, I need to fix that..........

yeah, Teal is my favorite color. Black doesn't appeal to me, it looks sharp but just doesn't stand out. Red I can live with and would have been my second choice if I didn't find the Teal. The Teal stands out and looks great.

 

[93Cobra#2771]

I dont know, i dont think someone would pay 30 grand for a 93 r that has a lot of track time, upgraded brakes, full griggs, a 351, cage, and numerous other components, as they would for a bone stock low mileage one.

According to how well the racing history is documented, and if the car was a popular car. I'd wager that a car with a well documented history, and a winning car, would bring as much as, if not more than, a virgin low mileage car...

 

[CO9B3RA]

....whipping "tusche" on the street :nono: ...local gendarms and the traffic
courts will love you! And the track :sleeping: ...unless someone is a pro at
it. Those are two examples, besides the testosterone rush, that contribute
to the '93 Cobra mortality rate....and any other vehicle, for that matter. My
rush is a bit more subdued!!!! :idea:

Had a corvette guy drooling all over #629 last night. He couldn't get over the
fact Ford had such a BEAUTIFUL paint color...and he's a chevie kook!!!!
:coolman:

 

[Robert M]

If I could get the financing on $30k for a 93R stock showroom condition, I would jump all over that..........then modify my 93!

Current NADA high retail for a 93R is in the $33K+ price range. Banks/credit unions loan on NADA figures. I have loans through my credit union on all three of my R's 93/95/00. The R's are not listed in the regular NADA value listings, they are listed in the collector/classic section, already! That shows how special the R-Models have become even though they are newer (not vintage) Mustangs. The 93R is listed at $6K or so over its original $26,592 MSRP.

Robert

 

[Robert M]

According to how well the racing history is documented, and if the car was a popular car. I'd wager that a car with a well documented history, and a winning car, would bring as much as, if not more than, a virgin low mileage car...

Since I have ultra low mile bone stock examples of each of the R-models, I have had this question posed to me more than once. I was not really sure what to say. One of my close friends who has been in the Mustang hobby for 30-40 years put it to me this way;

If I had the chance, or made the choice to buy a 69 or 70 BOSS429 Mustang and there were two to choose from,

-----One BOSS429 is a well preserved virgin, the car had some light street use and has all of its original parts, matching numbers and low to ultra low miles with an original nice interior. You could even put an "as it came from Ford" restored car in this catagory.

-----The other had been extensive drag race history, it has had the "snot beat out of it" on a regular basis noted by its record book and history, yes it has low drag race miles, the engine and or trans. and rear end have been replaced because of its race duty, the interior is sparse with a roll cage and fire extinguisher.

Both cars are priced identical - Which one would you choose to spend your money on, and take home??

These SVT Cobras etc, are the modern muscle cars that are the future HI-PO, BOSSes, Cobra Jets, Super Cobra Jets, etc. pricewise. When there time comes, they will be the sought after cars. In 1975 or even 1981, you could buy a BOSS429 for a couple thousand dollars, now they are in the $70K's+ for nice original or restored examples, new they were approx. $5500. These cars, with non-matching numbers, incorrect parts etc. suffer many thousand, some times tens of thousands at sale time. Yes these Cobra's are relatively new in comparision to a 30+ year old vintage muscle car, but the vintage muscle car was also a "late model" at one time.

Robert

 

[#1pony]

What modifications would be considerd safe as far as, not hurting the value?

 

[Robert M]

What modifications would be considerd safe as far as, not hurting the value?

I would do nothing that requires drilling, cutting or welding. Any bolt-on items can be removed with no sign that they were ever there, when they are removed. The wiring harness is also an area that should be kept original if at all possible. Down the road when these cars become more valuable, original will be "as it came from Ford" and anything else is "not as it came from Ford". The vintage cars that are judged as original and top of their class have their correct finish nuts bolts, clips, you name it. These are the big money cars.

Robert

 

[93Cobra#2771]

as Robert said...

 

[#1pony]

I understand and agree with what you are saying. Do you think that sub frame connectors, strut tower brace, suspension, better brakes and gears would really hurt it that much? The reason I ask is because I am seriously considering these for my car.

 

[Robert M]

I understand and agree with what you are saying. Do you think that sub frame connectors, strut tower brace, suspension, better brakes and gears would really hurt it that much? The reason I ask is because I am seriously considering these for my car.

I would never tell anyone what they should add or not add to their car. All I can say, is the history/record of what is good and what is not so good in the collector/specialty car pricing has already been set. Odd/non-factory holes, or welded-up and paint touched-up holes, weld distorted metal and or ground-off and touched-up areas stick out like a sore thumb to the "people in the know". Lets face it, the mods that work on these cars are very common and known by all who have interest in these cars. These common areas that usually show if a car was modded or not will be looked at before anything else. The people who know these cars will know where to look. As for how much it could hurt value, only time will tell, but with very small numbers of these cars produced in the first place, and some already distroyed by accidents etc., the nice original cars will be the most sought after and bring the big money. If you are not in it for the long haul, it is not such a big deal, but when I see people, even now looking for a Cobra, they are looking for minimal or no mods and a low number of miles and owners. These cars, even now bring very good money in comparision to other "same year Cobra's".

Robert

 

[#1pony]

Again I understand and agree with what you are saying. When I was looking for my car the main criteria was originality. My delima is that I have been bitten by the "more power bug" as have most mustang owners.

 

[93Cobra#2771]

An alternative for you might be to save the Cobra, and find a decent condition GT/LX to play with - just a thought...

 

[mustangcobra93]

i have subframes welded
i have a strut tower brace bolted

etc..etc

i've never looked back and it has made the car much more enjoyable. Its just a car, have fun.

 

[Robert M]

Again I understand and agree with what you are saying. When I was looking for my car the main criteria was originality. My delima is that I have been bitten by the "more power bug" as have most mustang owners.

You are at the point of decision. Yes, the car is going to be faster and handle better with aftermarket mods. Many cars have gone this direction and they are plentiful. I think welded frame connectors and strut tower brace are mentioned above. They are great for stiffening the car. That car probably handles well, however we are back to the same question. When someone is looking for a collectible/specialty car and is willing to pay top dollar, what are they looking for in most cases? They are looking for what you were looking for when you bought yours. If the mods are removed, holes drilled can be filled and somewhat hidden by paint, however usually there are signs of a mis-match in color. Welded parts are a different story, once the metal is distorted by heat, its distorted, not going back, the signs will always be there. One other thing to remember, GT's and LX's have been mentioned as an alternative. If you have not noticed recently, there are very few original mid-80's GT's and LX's. Most were beaten and abused. Nice original examples of these cars are also becoming sought after, and the premium dollar guys are looking for clean original examples, not 347's, frame connectors, NOS, a big tach bolted to the original dash pad, etc.

This is a hard decision to make, have moderate fun and keep the car as few have, OR modify the car and have some real fun right now, and then possibly kick yourself in the butt 10-15 years from now. It really depends on how long you want to keep the car and will you really be happy with it as it is now, or with easily reversible mods?

Robert

 

[Lee]

Robert, You said that FAR better than I every could! I've had individuals interested in buying my 93 because it's pretty close to original. Everyone wants a "clean slate" to start with. I've never had anyone say "I'd like it better, or I'd buy, if it had this or that mod". But I have welded in subframe connectors and strut tower braces because I bought the car to drive and the chasis holds up better over time with these mods, especially on rough roads. I could have bought a 93 with 1500 miles when I bought mine with 55K, but I didn't want to rack up miles on a car that should be preserved.

 

[sled]

i had a 90 GT that ran 12s in high school. some rich local made me an offer i couldnt refuse so i sold it. i always wanted a 93 cobra because they where different. not because they where rare! i guess their different because their rare, but anyway i told friends i would keep it all stock. well it stayed stock through high school, but i wanted alittle more. i got a blower and then so on. now its alittle over a year later and the car make 500plus rwhp! i guess my friend where right, i cant keep anything stock!