I've been a fan of the old Cobra since my dad first told me about them (I'm 36, not that it matters). I even built a "pine derby" car based on the Cobra (mind you, I carved the body from memory):
Anyway, I happen to have an engine, albiet not a conventional one for this type of car, but an engine that's put down 600hp to the wheels (on race gas) and propelled a 3100lb (with driver) front-wheel-drive car down the 1/4 mile in 11.7 seconds @ 124mph on pump gas & street tires (I never got to run it on race-gas & slicks). Anyway I'd like to use this engine, build a tube chassis and use a Cobra body. But, I have some questions I need answered to see if this will even be feasible.
1. I need some dimensions. I've searched the internet and have only come up with wheelbase, overall width, height & length. What I need to know specifically deals with the engine compartment. The most helpfull measurements would be the body height at each corner and midpoint of the hood along with the length & width of the hood (at the front & the rear).
2. Body. I've searched and found loads of places that sell kit cars, but it's unclear from their websites if they sell just the body, and if they do how much it would cost. Also there is the question of quality, so my question is which manufacturers have the best "bang for the buck" and which manufacturers to just stay away from.
In case you were wondering, the engine is a 2.4L Dodge SRT-4 engine. It's a built, turbocharged, dual overhead cam 4 cylinder. It's 26" tall, 10" wide and 21" long. The intake manifold adds just 6" to the drivers side so there should be plenty of room for steering, clutch, brakes, etc. The turbo hangs off the passenger side, but I imagine there'd be plenty of room over there. I've found an adapter plate and bell-housing which should allow me to bolt up a Viper T56 6 Speed transmission. And to keep things simple I'd probably use a 4 linked solid axle in the rear with a Mustang II based front suspension. I have all of the wiring from the engine "donor" plus the clutch & brake pedal assy and steering column (which also has lights, wipers, ignition, etc).
I know what I'm trying is probably unconventional, but think about this: the engine weighs probably 1/2 (or less) of what any V-8 putting out the same power would weigh. Which means hopefully I can keep the overall weight just under 2000lbs. Here's some vids of it in the old car, which had a race built 3-speed auto w/ a 3500 rpm stall converter in it:
Just Cruising around.
Tuning at the track.