Well I am ready to call it done!
I now have 1,500 miles on the Cobra, so far so good … I absolutely love it. My goal was to get the car completely done by the 50th anniversary celebration of the Cobra, at Laguna Seca this month and we made it.
Three years ago today, I was on my way home from my visit to ERA and would start this build log on 8/31/09. Now three years and 33 pages later, 2136 is finally complete. There are sure to be some tweaks here and there as time goes by, but nothing major. What follows is an overall summary …
The key components:
- ERA 289 FIA 'Street' Cobra roller / Custom dual roll bar config, a first for an ERA FIA / Fully wired body & dash / ERA optional rear suspension (3.54 posi) / Custom dash & seats for 6'-4" driver.
- Paint and bodywork by Connecticut Custom.
- Ford 302 by Tom Lucas FE Specialities, iron heads and block, 360HP, Dynomax mufflers.
- QuickTime bell housing, clutch setup & parts, TKO 600 with 0.82 OD from Mike Forte.
- FIA Wheels by Phil Schmidt - PSE.
Driving impressions:
- With a relatively mild 360HP 302 the car is quick, responsive and fun to drive.
- The ride is firm but not harsh, the car handles very well.
- I am now more accustomed to the brakes and how much pedal pressure it takes to stop quickly. This was the biggest adjustment, as this is my first car without power brakes.
- The motor is excellent. Starts up from cold and easy to drive right away thanks to the manual choke. Has a nice lope at idle, can handle stop & go traffic (180F to 190F water temp), starts easily when it's hot and pulls well from about 2500 to redline.
- Clutch take up is smooth and easy, and the TKO600 shifts very nicely, a pleasure to drive.
Hardest Part:
- The wait for the car … but that was a given going in and did allow me the luxury of time to pour over all of the choices & options.
- The color … we finally nailed it, but it was not easy.
Initial Issues:
- The wipers did not work, found a connector that was not fully seated.
- The gas gauge does not read more than 2/3 Full when the tank is actually full, but as the tank approaches Empty the gauge is very accurate.
- Still tracking down an intermittent short in the instrument panel light circuit … will dig into that one during the rainy season.
- I had to fabricate some parts for the clutch slave cylinder setup & make a boot for the clutch fork / bell housing.
The 'Do Over' List … Thankfully very short.
- Have ERA or Connecticut Custom paint the spare tire well.
Recommendations for those considering building a car or having one built:
- Is short some wise words from some folks on the forum … Build the car of your dreams, not someone else's & Build the best car you can afford to finish.
- If you can, have the motor run in on a dyno … so nice knowing it will start, run and not leak. One less thing to have to think about.
- Do your homework, the build is a lot of the fun.
I can see the attraction of doing more of the build, and also the attraction of a car that's turnkey ready to go. For me installing the driveline and finishing up the interior was the right amount of work.
All the suppliers I worked with are excellent, especially Peter / Bob / John and the crew at ERA. They design, engineer and build a fine automobile. Walt Senior & Junior at Connecticut Custom did an outstanding job on the body work and paint. Tom Lucas at FE Specialties, built exactly the motor I was looking for.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST … A huge thank you to all that have contributed to this thread, offered comments, suggestions and encouragement, along with thanks to all those that came by to lend a hand. Thanks also to those that contributed to the many threads I started along the way, and I have to thank my family as well for their support to see this dream come true. I have met some great people along the way and made many new friends.
TIME TO DRIVE IT !!!
