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II MUCH !
Dave Wilson's Mustang Cobra II sets a new standard for the breed.
by Chris Endres
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Okay, we had some serious reservations about featuring a Mustang II in Mustang Illustrated. Generally regarded as the redheaded stepchild of the Mustang family, the '74-'78 Mustang IIs are generally not held in the highest regard, Cobra IIs even less so. Enthusiasts everywhere gasped in horror at the notion of the beloved Cobra moniker being recycled on a lowly hatchback economy car. No doubt about it, Ford was building some lame ponies. Perhaps dubbing the flagship model Inchworm would have been more appropriate. More famous for its appearances in "Charlie's Angels" than its tire-shredding performance, it is safe to say the Mustang Cobra II didn't set the world on fire.
David Wilson's '76 Cobra II may not change the purists' minds, but it does pack enough punch to honor the Cobra heritage. Purchased in 1980, the car was raced hard in the SCCA Pro Solo II ranks for five years. But, alas, familial duties took precedence and it was retired from competition. Four years later, Wilson set about the task of rebuilding the pint-sized pony. "My goal was to rebuild the Mustang in show car form, while retaining the handling manners developed while autocrossing. I also wanted to bulletproof the engine and drivetrain," he relates.
While the Cobra's original 302 remains, it has been reworked to give its bite a bit more venom. The bottom end remains largely stock, but the pistons have been replaced with forged pieces from TRW that bring compression to 9.5:1. The cylinder heads are from a 351 Windsor and were pocket ported, gasket matched and treated to screw-in rocker studs and hardened valves seats. Comp 1.6 roller rockers mediate SVO pushrods and stock-sized valves. The cam is from Crane and features 210/218° duration, .456/472" lift and a 114° centerline, and Ford Motorsport timing chain keeps valve events in synch. For the engine's fuel and air needs, Wilson selected a Holley carburetor and bolted it to a Weiand Stealth intake manifold. Ignition componenets consist of a blueprinted Duraspark distributor working in conjunction with a Motorsport high-energy ignition module. Exhaust is scavenged by a pair of no-name headers into an exhuast system muffled by Flowmater and tipped by Borla. The stock transmission remains, but is mated with a Ram Power-grip clutch. Bringing up the rear is a Ford 8-inch with a set of thrifty 3.00 gears.
"At the time it was produced, the Mustang II suspension design was superior to its predecessors, Wilson tells us. "The rack-and-pinion steering even with the lowly standard suspension combined to produce superior handling than either my '66 or '72 Mustangs had." Though it was good, Wilson knew he could make it better. He dropped the car two inches front and rear through the use of revised coil springs and shorter leaf-spring shackles in the rear. The vehicle retains its stock sway bars, but they have been modified to accept Heim joint end links and aluminum mounts. All suspension bushings have been replaced with polyurethane pieces from Energy Suspension.
More go is usually acoompanied by more whoa. In this case, stopping power comes from disc brakes at all four corners. Up front, Wilson retrofitted a pair of Granada rotors to which he matched a pair of adapted Wilwood calipers. Out back are eleven-inch Lincoln rotors with calipers pirated from a Cadillac Seville. Rolling stock consists of Progressive 15x7 and 15x8 wheels, front and rear, wrapped in Dunlop 250/50 and 225/50 Z-rated rubber, respectively.
Subtle but very effective body modifications produce a very appealing package. On his inspiration: "I say a '73 Mach 1 on which the owner had recessed the grille. I thought it gave the car a sinister, aggressive look, very appropriate for a black Cobra. The problem was that I could only recess the grille one inch. That didn't produce the look I was after, so I decided to lengthen the nose, similar to the 427 Cobra's. The header panel was extended one inch while the grille was recessed an equal distance.
With the grille relocated to his satisfaction, Wilson then relieved the car of its turn signals and relocated them to the bumper. For this he used a pair of housings and the matching lenses from an Opel Manta. "I decided moving the turn signals further apart would make the car appear wider," Wilson recounts. "The bumpers were a natural location for them." The grille was sectioned before being patched with portions of a junkyard donor piece.
Once the nose job was completed, the remainder of the car was stripped of its original finish. Since the car had always been stored winters, there was no rust and only minimal block sanding was required. The bumpers were shaved and filled, and a trip to JC Penney produced the chin spoiler. Amazing, but true. (Actually, what amazes us most is that David admitted it on his tech sheet.) Wilson also replaced the chintzy plastic hood scoop with a functional shaker and air cleaner assembly from a 9170 Torino. Finally, the Mustang was liberally slathered in black DuPont Chromabase and striped from nose to tail.
Though it took eight years to complete the Mustang's tranformation, Wilson claims hes has no regrets. "I am very pleased with the results. The look is just as I envisioned," he tells us. "And since humans cannot remember pain and suffering, I can say I really enjoyed this project and its various challenges." Can't remember pain, eh, David? Find yourself a "Charlie's Angels" marathon and get back to us.
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