[donno]

Originally Posted by eschaider

+1 on this above ⬆︎ OP. Forget the period correct perfection stuff. That is for million dollar show cars and people who have a special dedication to a car that is destined to be a show car queen.

If you drive you car, like most of us do, you want it to look like a Cobra but with modern tech and equipment for strength, reliability, and fun in driving. These cars were not just race cars in their day, they were the race cars at the top of the heap that everyone tried to beat.

The originals were not built to be nice street driven cars they were built to be unbeatable race cars without any real concessions for streetability. If the cars were not as spectacular a performer as they were and there were not as many of us wowed by their awesomeness, the replica market would never have happened — but it did!

It not only happened but it brought 90+% of the race car genealogy with it. That means anything you can reasonably do to mitigate the damage the race car genes can wreak upon our bodies (and it is a lot) — the better the car is to physically be around, while running or more importantly being driven.

As nice as the old TopLoaders are the new Tremecs are stronger, shift better and make better in-town and highway vehicles out of cars that can be real rascals.

Go modern tech wherever you can without compromising the original visuals of the car — and that means engine and drive train. An interesting thought someone recently came up with was to use an exhaust cutout in sort of the reverse manner it was originally conceived.

Instead of providing open exhausts when it was actuated it was plumbed to provide under car muffled exhaust when not actuated and much louder side pipe exhaust when actuated. After a few highway experiences at highway speeds using a 3.70 R&P and a non over drive four speed, close ratio or wide ratio doesn't matter, your ears will ring for hours afterward if not days. Did I forget to mention you would be doing damage to your hearing?

Be smart, don't get sucked into period correct this and that. In the end you bought / built this car to be a weekend attitude adjustment vehicle. Make it look as much like an original as you can afford to and use as much modern tech to introduce reliability and civility to a car that was otherwise built without compromise to win races against the best in the world sixty years ago.

Look at my engine and transmission choices. They are absolutely period incorrect. I make just under 700 at the tire which is about 300 too much! The engine will start in subzero weather at the flick of the key and also in Death Valley or up in Denver — it simply doesn't care! The car had a 3.55 R&P which was unmanageable. I went to a 3.08 and finally a 2.73. Now it cruises at 65mph or so at only 1400 rpm and it pulls like a Massey Fergusson tractor from idle without bucking or farting. If you are silly enough, you can light the tires in any gear up through fourth by just rolling into the throttle. Be careful what you both wish for, and build — sometimes you will surprise yourself. These are light cars.

Build the car you want, the way you want it, and then enjoy it — which is why you began this whole journey in the first place. Don't build more horsepower than you need and don't ever get crazy while driving it, you will be happier ...

Thanks for the good info. I did take issue with the last sentence though! Too much HP? Never heard of her!