[Frank Messina]

Forget the AL and just get a cast iron center section. They are CHEAP. You can clean it off and spray it with Rustoleum Hammertone and it will look great. Once it's in place noone will know the difference except your wallet. Plus if this is going into a Cobra replica the extra weight at the rear is not a penalty, up front is what you need to be concerned about. Finally, the cast iron CCs are easily rebuildable on your work bench and are virtually bulletproof in a roadster. AL requires a case spreader and a magical incantation.