1) Gauges. Priority 1. Gotta be able to read them with peripheral vision without taking my eyes off the road, even at night. Priority 2. They have to work, be reliable, look good, and make sense. Originality is not a priority. That leaves out Smiths gauges, and the original instrumentation layout.
Used Autometer 5" Sport-Comp 0 - 160 speedo, 5" Monster Sport-Comp 0 - 8000 Tach, and "Z" Series
Oil, Water, Volts, and Fuel level. No hassle install.
2) Ask Don or DV.
3) Grounding. Don't rely on the frame working as a good ground. I used a Ron Francis (Street Rod electrics shop. Ads in all Street Rodder Mag, & website) grounding bar, one on the firewall where the factory breakers were, and one directly behind it behind the dash. All ground wires terminated on these grounding bars, and bar wired directly to battery ground. Frame not used for grounding at all. And like Petek, all connections crimped, soldered, greased (wheel bearing grease & WD40 mix), and shrink wrapped. (Tower Hobbies Monokote gun best shrink wrap shrinker of all times, but a hair drier will work)
4) Brakes. OEM parts store brake hoses will work just fine. My rear brake hoses came in the SVO disk brake conversion kit and are stock T-Bird hoses.
That being said, the brake setup you want to use (Front) is based on the '75 - '80 Ford Grenada 11" front rotor. Caliper option 1 is based on the '79 - '83 mid sized GM single piston caliper. This is the absolute minimum you want to put on a Cobra! Not the 9 1/2" MII rotor setup. The next step up is the Stainless Steel Brakes "Force 10" caliper setup. These are 4 piston calipers, and combined with rear T-Bird disks, about as good as it gets for a 15" wheel car. If you do get the front setup from SSB, get a set of rear semi-metallic pads for your rear disks from SSB while you're at it.
Using 17" wheels opens up an entirely new window for brake options including late Mustang Cobra R, Cobra GT, and Baer 13" front, 12" rear rotors.
5) Paint: The SFI balancer doesn't need paint. If you're using the stock balancer, toss it, and use an SFI balancer. Back of crank. If it is immersed in
oil, it doesn't need paint. Flex plate: Should be cadmium plated and not need paint. Flywheel: never paint.
Hope this helps.