Quote:
Originally Posted by RAO-3
So I spoke to Tony yesterday. He's finishing up the paint and expects my car to be going back to Peter next week.
(Jim Holden - Tony mentioned that he had just picked up your slabside in the morning.)
So my plan was to go up to ERA to check out the car and to go over the rest of the build details with Peter. I was going to bring my list with me to go over the build and the items I had left off of my list when I had first visited Peter and left my deposit.
I'd appreciate hearing any suggestions from those "in the know" about things I definitely need to address with Peter. As a refresher, I'm getting a full build, with the engine coming from Joe at Danbury Engines. Joe has had the engine finished and is ready to do the dyno run.
-Ray
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Hi Ray,
Congratulations on choosing an ERA. I think that you will be very happy with your choice. Not clear from your post but it sounds like you are doing a 427 car? We just recently completed ERA 753. Some options that I would suggest considering include:
1) Competition style dash with smiths gauges including the reverse speedo. This is the most authentic looking dash combination that we've seen. Smiths gauges can take a little fiddling to get everything right but once that is done you'll be happy with the choice
2) Go with the
oil cooler and the H-D cooling system. The
Oil cooler looks authentic and help cooling which can be a problem with a big block (esp a cast iron one). Also suggest the dual fans in front of the radiator. They look cool and will help cooling a little bit as well.
3) Go with the pin drive wheels and outboard brakes. This costs a bit more but it make the car more authentic and easier to service
4) Chrome the roll bar
5) We liked the single square tail lights instead of the round ones but check on your registration/inspection reqs to see if these will give you problems. They did not in NH where we live.
6) Driveline. For street use, we choose 3.54 gears and a Tremec 5-speed 0.64 OD transmission. The OD on this trans will allow you to cruise the car at very low RPMs. I've used this setup in two street cars and have been very happy with it. The richmond trans. and taller gears might be better if you plan to track the car alot.
7) Sidepipes - lots of choices here. We liked the look of "chrome" so we choose the polished stainless steel pipes that ERA has. Very happy with the sound (not excessively loud but means business) and the mtce. on these pipes looks to be minimal to keep them like new. The more we hit them with a polish to clean them, the nicer they look!
8) Wheels and tires - we have vintage 15" pin drive wheels and Goodyear Billboard competion tires. We really like the look and the handling to the Billboards but they do have need to be warmed up and they throw alot of stones. Lots of other threads on this board discuss the pro's and cons. Suggest you work out some sort of protection for you rear fenders no matter what you choose for tires. ERA has a set of removable protectors that we use - they look good with our red paint but my not be as good appearance wise with other colors.
8) Paint and Body - I strongly suggest you talk with Ron Randall in Wallingford, CT about your paint and body work. I think that Ron is one of the higher end painters that Tony works with and I belive he is hands down the best in the CT area.
9) Get the adjustable seat tracks - the ERA footboxes are deeper than you think and you'll like the adjustability I think.
10) Consider the rivet on hood scoop - I think this looks more authentic and its a nice detail.
11) If you live somewhere cool, get a heater. It will help when you drive the car in cooler weather.
12) Wind wings and visors are a good idea to make the car more comfortable to drive.
13) Suggest windshield wipers. You will get caught in the rain at some point and you'll be glad that you have them. May be a requirement for inspection in many states also.
14) Have you battery mounted in the trunk. It will help with the wieght balance on the car (a big block can make these cars a little nose heavy and moving the battery to the back will help with this).
15) Get the AC pedals - again, they are more authentic.
16) Suggest you get a Tonneau cover - this can he hepful if you get caught in a rain storm somewhere.
There are lots of other details to consider that are a matter of personal preference. Here's a link to our build thread on this board and to our website. These links have lots of pictures of our car and the options that we choose.
ERA 753 - Final Assembly in Progress
http://www.anitafred.net/Cobra.htm
Let me know if we can help you on anything specific.
- Fred