I now understand that the front suspension was derived from the CAV gt40 and that it may have been used as a cost saving measure.... My cobra mechanic took a look at the uprights / spindles etc that I pulled off the passenger side and thinks that we can fix them so that I can get some more use out of them. The hub slipped right off the spindle without the need of a press. The bearings appear to be good, but the spindle nut needs to be tightened more.
ALL The fasteners were loose. The billet aluminum mount was scarred and needs to be machined flat again. It is still a dumb design that we hope to improve on, but he thinks if we change (and upgrade) all the fasteners, use hardened washers, clean up the mating surfaces , use better loctite and torque then better (including the spindle nut) it should be safe to drive. I still have to bring the other side to my mechanic on Monday and we will continue to talk with shelby about any new parts / fixes / updates and may try to make new rotors and hats that are removable but I will hopefully be back on the road soon. There are going to be many thourough inspections coming up in this Shelby's life. Still very unhappy about yet another example of the poor build quality of this car and the fact that fasteners that were damaged when the uprights were changed were put back on the car when it was at SAI
My mechanic brought up a good point today. With all the whining I do about this car and all the serious things that have been wrong with it, many people (including him, before he saw the pictures and doccumentation) may think that I am either making stuff up, just never satisfied, or a typical customer who doesn't know what he is doing (which is exactly what I was told by some one at SAI about my foot boxes, frame, motor mount and tranny mount - and then had to eat crow when they actually saw the car) - it is all real and I am just cursed. Thanks again for all the supprt and we shall see how this saga continues to develop.
John(;-)