Looking at buying a kit car Cobra

[Miket]

Jules

If it was me mate I would leave well alone at any price, if that engines so rusty on the outside, god knows what it will be like inside.

Offer him £500 and risk getting bitten.

x( x( x( x( x( x( x(

[Steve]

The return edge of the bonnet opening looks wrong for a dax, they don't make them like that as far as I know

Also the mount for the steering rack is in the middle of the chassis on a dax, below frame rails, not above like that.... I don't think its a dax


Steve
GD/LS1/T56 in progress
sgullick@waverider.co.uk

[Happy Jim]

Jules,

Unless there is documentation to support a rebuild then consider the engine to be a cut-out of unknown origin and therefore only worth a couple of hundred (and then only a shot in the dark). At that price I'd think long and hard and maybe take an experienced dax builder along to have a look (it could be a supertube chassis).

If you do buy a part built, you will end up stripping and re-building stuff anyway (less cost more time) just to satisfy your curiosity if nothing else.

Rgds

Jim

[ian]

Jules,

I'm pretty sure it's a Ford Windsor engine, not sure if it's a 302 or 351 though. If you take a rocker cover off there should be the number 351 or 302 I think. I also think it's a Dax chassis because the sides of the engine bay towards the rear are so bloo*y close to the engine (can't be certain though.)

If it's a 1991 Dax chassis you will need to buy the seatbelt tower mod. brackets from Dax to comply with SVA. That will entail putting holes in the body just behind the passenger compartment and in front of the boot. I seem to remember Dave Brooks found a way around this though. If the car is complete with drive train and is potentially drivable I reckon 3000 max is what it's worth, you'd have to strip it down, clean it up, make sure everything is SVA compliant (fuel pipes, electrics, brake pipes) and then buy all new SVA compliant chrome, windscreen, exhaust etc. etc. Also check if there is a donor V5 you can use otherwise it could be Q registered which some people turn their noses up at. Good luck. Ian.

[hawk289]

Jules,

That is a 351W (windsor) engine, you can tell by the holes in the block on the right had side, as the 302 has large thread sizes than the 351W (5.7Lt). Also, look just above the starter motor and check the block code (first is a letter and second is a number, letter is years "D=70's, E=80's, etc" and the number is the year, so D4 would be 74), see what age the block is (69-74) are pretty good blocks. Also that is a very early DAX kit, so will need quite a lot of work to pass the SVA. The engine also has performance parts (I know the rust!!) added so would be a good by at £300-400, that is not a standard carb, inlet, etc. I hope this helps.

Kind Regards

John.

[mikey]

I think its got another 10 years of life as a boat anchor - nice anti-barnacle paint. The carb is a vac secondary Holley that looks quite new.

Dont be deceived by the rust, take the heads off and have a poke at the cylinders, if there is wear check if the unit has meat for a rebore.

Mike

[cushti]

The 3.5l (as per Rover) was probably just a printing error for 351 (5.7 litre Ford Windsor).

[dave]

Hi Jim/guys.
That ain't no supertube and there is nothing that i recognise as dax there either, (But i did not build my first Dax until 1994).