1965 Shelby Cobra Factory Five Racing
Car has about 3050 miles on it since completed in 2010. Titled as a 1965 Shelby Cobra Replica. Mass VIN #MA33188.
HIGHLIGHTS:
5.0 Liter v/8 Ford Power 5 Speed Manual Trans 4 wheel Disc Brakes Adjustable Coil Overs 8.8 Ford Rear End with 3:70 Gears Factory Five Racing Body Tubular Chassis Shelby 10 spoke wheels Custom one-off interior, done very tastefully.Talk about a lot of performance and fun for not a lot of money! Take one lightweight tube-frame chassis, wrap it in high-quality fiberglass that emulates the most famous and curvaceous roadster of all time, then plant a vintage small block up front for whiplash-inducing acceleration. Priced easily for less than the cost of building one yourself, this Factory Five Racing Bodies Cobra hits a lot of high notes.
We've featured Factory Five Cobras at Custom Classics before, and you can look through our archives to see that they've been universally high quality in both construction quality and parts selection. Part of that is due to the fact that Factory Five cars allow you to use virtually all the parts from the massive Mustang 5.0 aftermarket industry, with everything from engines to brakes to coil-over suspensions available as upgrades. They must be doing something right at Factory Five because theres a considerable waiting list for new kits. But if youre the impatient sort like I am, perhaps something that is already finished is more to your liking. Get in, fire it up, and start having a blast on the road NOW.
The body on this little Cobra is very well prepped, and since its black, it's easy to see that a lot of time was spent working the flaws out of the gel coat before the paint went on. Although Factory Five puts out some quality work, it takes some time and effort to make even the best fiberglass pieces look as good as this car does. No corners were cut, and theres something very sinister about a midnight black Cobra with the gold stripes. Despite the nasty, fire-breathing image Cobras have, I think this one was built to be elegant as well as deadly quick and most importantly, a blast to drive.
1965 Shelby Cobra Factory Five
• Factory Five Racing chassis # 2033k with vinyl/polyester fiberglass body
• Chassis coated with POR15 satin black protective coating.
• Front suspension/Steering
• Custom tubular upper and lower control arms w/ProShock adjustable coilover shocks. 500 lb./in. springs.
• Mustang II spindles modified for larger inner bearings.
• Custom engineered rack extensions of mustang rack to eliminate “bump steer” geometry.
• Power steering pump and rack from '92 Mustang.
• Custom steering column and shaft w/ stalk mounted turn signal, Flaming River U-Joints (rag joint eliminated)
• Walnut 14” steering wheel.
• Front sway bar from Ford Taurus (modified)
• Rear suspension: Fully independent.
• 8.8” Ford center section from Thunderbird “Super Coupe” trac-loc w/ 3.70:1 gears.
• All rebuilt using new gears, clutches, steels, bearings, seals and gaskets.
• Custom machined aluminum mounts used to eliminate rubber grommets and associated flex and movement.
• Shortened half shaft/axles w/ new CV joints and Boots.
• Spindles from Lincoln Mark 8 w/ new bearings.
• Custom tubular upper and lower control arms w/ integral Heim Joint ends for easy & “Perfect” alignment adjustments.
• ProShock adjustable coil over shocks and springs. Special 550#/in. springs for this application.
• Rear sway bar from Ford Focus.
• 4 wheel power brakes: Front: PBR aluminum double piston calipers ('96 mustang) w/ ceramic pads. Rear: Lincoln Mark 8 calipers and rotors w/ integral E-Brake feature.
• Fully functional E-Brake.
• Power assist function provided by Buick Regal Grand National electric power brake unit & master cylinder w/ new accumulator.
Engine & Transmission:
• 1989 Ford 5.0L v8; Completely rebuilt with, new pistons, rings, bearings, oil pump, timing set, water pump, gaskets, etc, etc,….
• Heads are '96 Ford GT40P completely rebuilt with “crane” HP valve spring and1.7:1 aluminum roller rocker arms.
• Reciprocating assembly balanced to within 1 gram (by me) before assembly.
• The camshaft is a Ford Motorsport “F303." Specs available at FMPP.
• Completely computer controlled using…….Ford EEC IV computer.
• The intake manifold is GT 40 type (common on '96-'97) Explorer engines.
• 24lb./hr fuel injectors, '93 Mustang “Cobra” mass air/fuel meter, and 65mm throttle body matched to the appropriate A9L ECU. Estimated H.P. 320-340.
• The engine is rev-limited (by the ECU) to approx.. 6300 rpm. The engine would likely rev easily to 7000+ if rev limit were adjusted.
• Transmission is 1993 Mustang T-5 manual w/ overdrive. Rebuilt at time of assembly.
• Clutch is Ford Motorsports “Cobra” model, also new when built.
• The flywheel is also new.
• Fuel Safe™ fuel cell w/ 90GPH Walbro electric fuel pump.
• Side pipes are ceramic coated and have external heat shields.
• Mufflers are “spiral” type racing mufflers and also have “Vortec” inversion cones.
• Body work and paint was done by Dartmouth Collision in Dartmouth Ma. They are the original body shop used by Factory Five Racing and have done upwards of 500 of these cars.
• G.M. Black w/Gold (Nissan Murano) “no feel” stripes.
• Hidden trunk hinges and hidden body mounts.
• Hood extended 2” back under scoop opening to look more like an original aluminum hood.
Interior:
• New updated Tan leather seats installed in 2012
• Custom made dash w/ burled walnut veneer inlaid sections (custom made) including glove box.
• The car has heater & defroster w/3 speed fan, Sony 200 Watt radio/CD, fan-powered foot box vents, custom interior door panels and Miata leather seats custom dyed to match. I also have a set of the original style low back seats in the same tan leather. New/never installed. Also has Simpson 4-point racing belts w/shoulder harness'. Carpet is beige loop type to complement the interior colors.
• A full complement of AutoMeter gauges, Includes Speedo, Tach, fuel level, oil pressure, water temp, Ammeter & clock.
• 2 Speed electric windshield wipers
• Manual switch for electric engine radiator fan.
• The sound system is a Sony head unit with CD player.
Wheels and tires:
• Tires are Goodyear Eagles GTII's.
• 235-60-15 front
• 295-50-15 rear
• Wheels are replica Shelby 10-spokes
• 15 X 7.5 front
• 15 X 10 rear - Rears were custom modified by Eric Vaughn in California.
• The centers were machined out and inserted into new 10” rims using a Hot/Cold interference process and then welded around the inside. I believe these are the only 2 of their kind.