Article Contributed on: 11/9/2007 2:27:33 PM
A 1967 Cobra 427: It can be the stuff a high school boy's dreams are made of ... even if it arrives as a kit car still in need of a few essential ingredients. And even if the final product won't be his.
Brighton High School students who are working to build the car see the vision.
Volunteering on their own time before and after school and between other extra-curricular activities, a handful of BHS auto shop students are putting the '67 Cobra 427 together.
The goal: To sell the completed car to buy another kit that the auto-shop students can build to sell to buy another kit to build to sell ... and so on and so on. Bottom line: All the while, providing an exceptional learning opportunity to the students.
The unexpected project is the result of a gift from Peggy Schmidt, said shop teacher Phill Kehl. Peggy said she inherited the kit from her brother, Larry Reynolds, who passed away in August.
A post office maintenance mechanic by day, automotive mechanics was her brother's passion. He invested a lot of time and money in automotive parts, she said. The Cobra was to be his first complete car.
When it became time to decide what to do with the inherited kit, Peggy said she and her husband, David, debated about storing it or selling it - but asked themselves, "what if the buyer doesn't finish it either?"
They decided to donate it to Brighton High School so the students would have something more to work on than just old cars that needed to be repaired. "I know Larry would be glad the students are building the car," Peggy said.
The Schmidts' daughter, son and now a granddaughter are BHS graduates, so the gift to the high school seems natural.
"The family thought it would be neat if BHS students would finish the project," said teacher Kehl. As he has its course planned, it's a legacy that will keep on giving.
"With a current value of around $18,000, the kit is an unfinished body and frame," Kehl said. "The value of a completed Cobra kit car varies on options and details and the original kit maker." On the low side, he estimates the completed value at just over $25,000 -- on the high side it could be around $60,000.
There's a lot to be done - and to be donated - to get the car from Point A to Built.
Parts that are still needed include wheels, a 460 or 429 Ford engine, transmission adapter and shifter, bumpers, steering wheel, and some trim pieces, Kehl said.
The students will be looking for donations from local and national companies to complete the car. And the help has already started coming in, he said. Truck Parts Specialists has donated labor and parts for a posi-traction rear differential and will build the custom drive shaft.
"To complete the car body," Kehl said, "pieces need to be fitted and trimmed, the body fitted to the chassis, assembly and installation of an engine and transmission, and complete electrical wiring installed."
"It is a great opportunity for these students (who are members of SkillsUSA) to learn and be involved in the building of this vehicle," Kehl said.
On an October afternoon, two students gingerly scraped and cleaned a gasket in place on the chassis. Asked what they thought when they learned of the gift to the school, both said, "Sweet!"
Ryan Krizmanic, who is a senior, said he doesn't think he will see the finished Cobra. "But he'll see it finished," Krizmanic said of junior Derin Wood, who was the other student on duty that day.
"Sometimes I think this will take quite a while to complete," Kehl said. "Other times, I think it will go fairly quickly."
Time will tell.
Stay tuned for '67 Cobra 427 updates as they become available!
Editor's Note: To learn more about the Cobra kit car project and/or to donate, contact Kehl at
pkehl@sd27j.org.