1978 Ford Mustang

Mustang ll COBRA Hatchback

5.0 // 302 CID

4 Speed Top Loader

Clear

Regular

(1) 1978 Ford Mustang ll Cobra. 2 S. 2 Door Hard Top, Hatch Back, 5.0 - 302 High Performance/High out put V8. Top Loader 4 Speed Transmission, Dual Exhaust, Tach, Gauges, Radio, Center Console, Bucket seats, Rear fold down seat for cargo room, Hatch back for easy access and or loading, Sport slotted rims and tires. Disc front brakes, Rear drums brakes, Factory High Performance Sway Bar Kit, Performance handling package, All rubbers: Bushings, Boot's, Hose's and Belts all; look and feel soft and pliable, But please check them. Tires will need replacing and CHECK AND OR ADJUST THE BRAKES, Just to be safe! Dual Exhaust, Limited slip rear gears 3.00.1 gears. Hood scoop, Rear hatch louvers, rear window louvers, Rear Spoiler & Corners, Front Spoiler, Glass is all good, No crack's! Door and window rubber is still soft and pliable! Door's, Windows, Hoods & Hatch close/shut nicely and the tight first time, No sagging or hanging door hinges! Motor, Transmission & Drive train: Motor will start and run, After a good cleaning of: Gas tank, Fuel line check, Filter check, Fuel pump test, and Carb clean out, Always check and or change oil, Radiator fluid, Power steering, Brake fluid, Transmission and Rear end gear oil ! It is good practice. It does have rust, dings, Scratch's and Faded Paint, This come's with age and Non owner care. NO Rust Threw or Dents!! This Mustang was purchased for a Father and Son Project in 2006, and we purchased many more from a Ill Older gentlemen that restored these cars and many many other parts, To be listed. My "Son" lost interest and found others! So this car sat covered under a car ports for 8 years if i remember right, I moved it three times when we moved, and took special care of this one, Kinda liked it, But now it has to go, I have moved on to bigger and better things and have not the room anymore. It needs a new home were someone will get it running and restore it to the True Blue Late 70's Muscle Car it was and is! It will run if you do as i mentioned in above, Tho it is being sold as a project car, because it is NOT running at this time! If i were to fix it, It would be worth a heck of alot more! Comes with anything i know it needs, or is not right. Minus a battery! No Leaks in all these years! I have just about every extra part for this car, NOS and or USED. FULL BODY DECAL/STICKER KIT INCLUDED! MANY MANY MORE GOODIE'S! Maybe someone be interested and make me on offer on everything and take it all, This would be nice, and I am fare. I have a 77 Mustang ll "T" ARIZONA car 100%, 90% rust free, Great parts car or builder, We need this one gone to. Wining buyer, Gets a great steal of a deal! Just ask, We will adjust the price accordingly. FYI: When we bought this car i drive it home. It is FAST! Sounded great!! Responsive! Shifted great & Smoked the rears in all four gears! You will be Happy and you will be Satisfied! PLEASE READ CAREFULLY THE CONDITION DESCRIPTION AND EVERYTHING ELSE SO THAT THERE IS NO CONFUSION OR OTHER ISSUES BEFORE YOU BID!THIS VEHICLE IS BEING SOLD AS IS WERE IS WITH "NO" APPLIED WARRANTY NOR GUARANTEE'S! Thank you kindly. Bid to win. Email or Call with questions: 480-521-6839. We now proudly except Credit Cards: Visa, Master card, Discover. YOU ARE FULLY RESPONSIBLE FOR PICKUP AND LOADING! WILL HOLD FOR UP TO 30 DAYS MAX, OR MAKE OTHER ARRANGEMENTS. FULL PAYMENT DUE WITHIN 5 BUSINESS DAY! OR THE DEAL IS OFF! NO BUY IT NOW! NO RESERVE. HAVE FUN AND WIN! "INTERESTING FACTS FOR YOUR READING PLEASURE ONLY": ENGINES There was a lone engine for the King Cobra in 1978-a 302-cu.in. V-8 producing 139hp with a tiny two-barrel Motorcraft Model 2150 carburetor. To show how power has increased, there's 138hp in a new Kia Spectra. But this was 1978, before computerized engine management systems, fuel injection and a host of other mechanical improvements that simply did not exist. The 302-cu.in. V-8 had a bore of 4.00 inches and stroke of 3.00 inches. The compression ratio was a measly 8.4:1, and the camshaft was hydraulic. Another reason power was non-existent was that Ford installed a single exhaust on the King Cobra with a single catalytic converter. The King Cobra came with a chrome exhaust tip, but there is some debate about that, whether it was a mid-year introduction or if all the King Cobras left Ford that way, says Mustang II expert Gary Baum, 51, who lives near Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The most likely reason Ford offered but one engine in the King Cobra was because 1978 was the first model year the federal government's corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards went into effect. Each automobile manufacturer was responsible for making fuel-efficient cars, defined in a miles-per-gallon rating as applied to the entire fleet. For example, Ford's Mustang II Cobra II with a V-8 got only 17 mpg, which meant that for every Cobra II sold in 1978, Ford had to sell another car that averaged 19 mpg to meet the year's 18 mile-per-gallon average goal. Quite a feat in 1978. California buyers had a variable venturi two-barrel carburetor. For those of you striving for that factory-correct look, King Cobras built with manual transmissions had an air-injection pump. The automatic-equipped cars did not. All King Cobras had smog controlled by an EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) valve, PCV (positive crankcase ventilation) valve and single catalytic converter. TRANSMISSIONS The King Cobra came standard with a four-speed manual transmission. The ratios were: first gear: 2.64:1; second gear: 1.89:1; third: 1.34:1, and 1.00:1 in fourth. The four-speed was Model RAD, made by Borg Warner and the only manual available. The Ford C-4 Select-Shift was optional and was more popular than the four-speed, McLaughlin said. Ford records show that 2,017 four-speed King Cobras were built and 2,289 automatics. DIFFERENTIALS The rear end in a King Cobra was an 8-inch Ford unit, and while not as stout as a Ford 9-inch, which is used by all NASCAR teams today, it was more than capable of withstanding the low-performing 302 engine. There were several ratios available including 2.75:1, 2.79:1, 3.00.1 and 3.40.1. The four-speed came standard with the 3.00:1 ratio. Ford rear ends are among the strongest made, but aftermarket ring and pinion sets are available for high-performance applications. Ford experts suggest for beefing up the rear end in a King Cobra to install a Ford 9-inch rear and a numerically higher ratio, which should wake up the sluggish performance. Some custom fabrication is required, but for the hardcore enthusiast, the time and money spent are worth it. SUSPENSION The front suspension in a King Cobra and in all Mustang IIs is a primary reason many of these cars are in junkyards; not because they're junk, but rather because they are highly respected by street rodders for their rack and pinion steering and easy adaptability to many different chassis that are being modified. The suspension in these cars is light-years ahead of first- and second-generation Mustangs. By adding rack and pinion steering, Ford engineers were able to dump the Pitman arm, steering box and drag link. The front suspension was compression strut with lower trailing links, anti-roll bar and coil springs. The big difference, though, is that the front coil springs were located between the upper and lower control arms, producing a more compact suspension and eliminating the shock towers that had encroached on room in the engine bay. There also was a traditional upper and lower control arm setup with ball joints, which were tilted slightly to minimize nose-dive during hard braking. The upper control arms also were tilted like the ball joints. The shock absorbers were Gabriel Strider three-way adjustable both front and rear. The steering was rack and pinion and far superior to earlier Mustangs, making these cars decent handlers, with an 18.1 ratio for the standard power steering. The front suspension also included an axial strut located at the lower A-arm with the other end attached to the subframe. This allowed slight rearward movement of the front wheel when it hit a bump and reduced feedback through the steering wheel. Ford engineers also attached the front suspension crossmember to the sub frame. The rear suspension included a Hotchkiss rigid axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs with four leaves and anti-roll bar. Much like the front suspension, the rear suspension had rubber bushings installed at all mounting points to eliminate metal-to-metal contact. The rear shocks were staggered, with the right shock in front of the axle and the left shock behind it. This arrangement led to better axle control under acceleration. BRAKES The standard braking system included power front disc brakes and rear drum brakes. The rotors were 9.3 inches, and rear brake drums were 9 inches. The parking brake worked from the rear. This is one area where most cars can use an upgrade, and the Mustang is no exception. WHEELS King Cobras featured Lacy Aluminum wheels with a center lace design in a size of 13 inches by 5 inches. Here's where it gets tricky determining if a King Cobra has its original wheels. Gary Baum, who has two buildings full of NOS and used Mustang II parts, said there were three colors available for the lace centers. The aluminum wheels had a four-bolt stud pattern, and the bolt circle was 4.25 inches. "They were color keyed to the striping on the car. So, the laced centers of the wheels are either red, orange or blue," he said. The center caps are King Cobra-specific also, with a snake emblem. BODY AND TRIM The King Cobra could be ordered with a "T-roof convertible" top. The T-roof convertible was first offered in mid 1977 on the Cobra II and regular Mustang IIs. And if you are contemplating buying a King Cobra, you should know that this car did not come from the factory with either side or rear louvers. "If it did, they were likely dealer installed or added later," Gary says. Our feature car is a hatchback model and does not have the T-top option. Ford went to the extreme with the graphic package on the King Cobra. There were three colors of striping available: orange and gold, red and black, and blue and blue. Baum said there is nothing to denote a King Cobra in the Mustang's VIN. But under the hood is a metal tag, called a "buck tag." It's screwed into the body on the front side of the radiator support near the power steering cooling tube. Stamped on that tag amongst all the options and color will be "KC," denoting a King Cobra built in Dearborn, Michigan, or "KNG," which signifies a King Cobra built in San Jose, California. Another way to verify that you are looking at a legitimate King Cobra is to find out the car's build date. Production of these cars started in the first week of December 1977 and ended in July 1978. Other body parts exclusive to the King Cobra are brake cooling tubes, the front air dam and wheel flares in front of the back wheels. The bumper strips on both front and rear also were the color of the stripes. Even though factory sheetmetal and steel body panels are not available, fiberglass front ends, bumpers, hood and doors are. CHASSIS The 1978 Mustang was the last of the old platform before the new "Fox" platform would debut in 1979, and last, with several revisions, until the all-new 2005 Mustang arrived. The King Cobra was unitized and had a front sub frame, much like a Camaro and Firebird. The wheelbase was 96.2 inches, overall width 70.2 inches, and overall height 50.3 inches. The front track was 55.6 inches, and the rear track measured 55.8 inches. The King Cobra, without options, weighed in at svelte 2,733 pounds. Probably the biggest improvement in passenger comfort was due to six rubber-isolated mountings, which insulated the sub frame from the main platform. Road disturbances and engine vibrations were now channeled into the rubber and were dampened before they could pass into the passenger compartment. INTERIOR If one aspect of these cars stands out, it's likely the interior. The standard King Cobra interior was handsome, practical and, if you got the front seat, even quite comfortable. The back seat is another story. Bucket seats were standard, along with a handsome three-spoke steering wheel with brushed aluminum spokes. The most notable change in the interior from 1977 was the rear seat. Rather than the previous full-length seat, Ford installed two separate cushions, divided by a carpeted hump. There were four interior packages available: standard vinyl, standard vinyl with cloth, deluxe vinyl, and deluxe vinyl with cloth. Reproduction dash pads are available. The instrument panel featured an 85-mph speedometer and was surrounded by brushed aluminum appliqués. Standard gauges included an ammeter, temperature gauge, electronic tachometer and, for whatever reason, just a low oil warning light. The standard steering wheel was vinyl wrapped and had three aluminum-brushed spokes with a King Cobra center emblem. The wheel is non-adjustable, but mounted further away from the driver for more comfort. A leather-wrapped version was optional. For the first time, Ford offered an AM/FM stereo cassette tape player combination. For further comfort, four-way adjustable seats were available. Buyers of King Cobras found the front seats more comfortable than the first generation Mustangs, but some complained that the footwell and pedals were cramped. REPRODUCTION PARTS As popular as Mustangs are after 40 years, the Mustang II models are left out to dry when it comes to parts availability. While the mechanicals are shared with many different years, certain body parts, interior and other parts for 1978s are scarce. Tony Branda, who has been selling Mustang parts probably longer than any other supplier, said there is not really a market for these parts and he stocks very little, such as weatherstripping, a fiberglass spoiler and some decals. "A lot of those cars were chopped up for street rods, so a lot of original cars aren't left. It's unfortunate, but they will likely never be nearly as popular as the first-generation Mustangs," he said. If you're looking for Mustang II parts and, in particular, King Cobra parts, contact Gary Baum, who has two buildings chock-full of hard-to-find parts, many of them new-old-stock. He has front air dams, used trunk lids, doors, wheels, new weatherstripping, and probably knows more about King Cobras than anyone else on the planet. There are no mass-produced reproduction seat covers available, but Baum can have exact duplicates made by a local interior shop. He can be reached at secondgenerationmustang@comcast.net. "There are used parts around, but not as many as one would think. These cars had a high scrap rate," Baum says. New body parts and restoration items for these cars are few and far between and Baum does not speak positively about hopes of this improving for King Cobra-specific parts anytime soon. PEFORMANCE PARTS These cars need all the performance parts they can get. When new, a stock King Cobra wheezed its way to 60 mph in 11.2 seconds. It didn't fare much better in the quarter-mile with an elapsed time of 16.59 seconds at 82 mph. The most common bolt-on performance would be installing a four-barrel intake manifold and matching carburetor to replace the stock two-barrel setup. The suggested intake for this engine is a Holley Street Dominator, which is both lightweight and efficient. You'll need a replacement EGR valve, and the best one is Ford part number D6Az-9D475-B. To put that new intake to good use, a Holley 6619 four-barrel with 600cfm is the ticket, and it will fit under the hood. For even more power, the SVO camshaft, Ford part number M-62500-A312 is suggested along with SVO lifters, part number M-6500-A303. After this, install a good set of headers and a true dual-exhaust system with dual catalytic converters, and there will be considerably less back pressure, resulting in marked performance gains. CHASSIS UPGRADES While already decent handlers, there are polygraphite suspension packages available for the King Cobra, which include four ball joints, two outer tie rod ends, control arm bumpers, lower control arm bushings, strut rod bushings, stabilizer links and anti-roll bar bushings. Most aftermarket companies ignore the Mustang II platform and focus on the original Mustang up to 1973 and then from 1979 and up, leaving the Mustang II body an orphan. For example, a rear disc brake upgrade package is not readily available, but a front disc brake package is, including 11-inch rods and cast-iron calipers with 73 mm pistons. Several companies offer a one-inch rear anti-roll bar, upgraded springs and gas charged shocks to further aid in handling. Club scene Mustang II Network 19964 Fox Redford, Michigan 48240 313-475-4231 www.mustangii.net PARTS PRICES Air dam-NOS - $1,200 Air dam, used - $600 Carpet, complete with cargo area - $250 Brake line kit, original - $279 Brake rotor - $85 Dash pad, reproduction - $60 Door, used-$100 - $200 Fender, used - $145 Fender, new - $365 Front bumper, fiberglass - $150 Grille, used - $75 Grille, NOS - $200 Headlamp bezel, King Cobra - $50 Hood scoop - $85 Hood scoop, NOS - $175 King Cobra reproduction 10-piece decal kit - $240 Radio, used-$50 - $100 Transmission, four-speed, used - $100 and up Trunk lid, used-$150 - $250 Quarter panel - $150 Water pump - $30 Weather stripping, roof rail - $68 each Wheels, used - $250-$500 per set Owner's View Donna L. Ewer-Cunningham of Indianapolis says she fell in love at first sight with her midnight blue 1978 King Cobra. She says she fell in love with cars in 1955 at age 10 when the Thunderbird was introduced. She learned to drive in a four-speed 1958 Corvette and has loved cars ever since, particularly her King Cobra. "It's my most favorite car ever. I was so taken aback by its beauty. I wasn't really looking for a Mustang, but there it was, and I wanted it." She has owned her pride and joy for 10 years, and found the original car at a swap meet near her home. She is probably the biggest fan of King Cobras in the land, and can speak volumes on why she loves her car. "I would not change one thing on this car. This car was perfection in design. Ford made this one for me," she says. "I only drive it about once a week in the summer, but it runs and drives very well. The power is enough for me, and you certainly don't see these cars anymore." Her King Cobra has about 78,000 miles on the odometer, and she had it repainted and re-striped with NOS Ford decals about four years ago. "I am the third owner of this Arizona car, and most likely the last." On Apr-06-14 at 22:02:42 PDT, seller added the following information: WE HAVE FRIENDS AND FAMILY IN THE TRAVEL TOW SERVICE, MAYBE WE CAN ASSIST IF NEEDED.