What little custom touches have you done to your cars?

[Bernica]

Well, I have a few that have already been mentioned, but here's one.....

How many of you have had your car up on jacks or in my case, a KwikLift, and spent time rolling around under the car on a creeper just to finish, roll out, sit up, and BANG!!, hit your head on the quickjack? Hit it right and you're a real bleeder. It hangs out there like a talon just waiting to gouge you.

I made some soft covers for the quickjacks that slip on and off just for this purpose. Will post pics later. Christmas Eve now. Merry Christmas all!

[Excaliber]

I had mine flipped for a little while, mostly to get them out of the way while the car was being worked on and shipped to the mainland. I don't particularly care for that look though.

[RedBarchetta]

Originally Posted by Bernica

How many of you have...sit up, and BANG!!, hit your head on the quickjack?

Been there, done that, too. 4 stitches right in the middle of my left eyebrow. The covers are a great idea. I now treat the quickjacks like a hot sidepipe.

Originally Posted by Excaliber

I had mine flipped for a little while...I don't particularly care for that look though.

I observed the same thing in one of my Cobra pictoral books. But I too don't care for the look so I'm just going to leave well enough alone.

-Dean

[Bernica]

Originally Posted by RedBarchetta

Been there, done that, too. 4 stitches right in the middle of my left eyebrow. The covers are a great idea. I now treat the quickjacks like a hot sidepipe.




I observed the same thing in one of my Cobra pictoral books. But I too don't care for the look so I'm just going to leave well enough alone.

-Dean

Here are the pics of the quickjack covers. Simple but effective. No more bloody head or shins!!

[bobcowan]

I used this Tilton pump. Specifically designed for oil cooling - like gear boxes and diffs


I put two bungs into the oil pan. They're not welded in, they're Russel bulkhead fittings. They don't leak.


And the pump is mounted to the frame rail here


I had a thermostat sandwich fitting. But it still had trouble getting the oil warm while cruising down the highway. Even when the thermostat is closed, about 10% of the oil moves through the cooler. That's to keep all of the oil in the system at the same temp. That was enough to keep the oil temps down around 130-140*.

Another advantage is that the engine oiling system and the oil cooling system are completly seperate. No additional strain on the SV/SP engine oil pump. And no pressure drop through the system.

[MFE III]

I like it alot. Since I've got a 4-port oil filter adapter with one return port plugged, I'd run the return to that port and only need one bulkhead fitting into the pan. And, like you said, you don't get the drop in oil pressure associated with adding a cooler.
Great idea, thanks.
Matt

["Q"]

Stainless boot and bonnet lining, stainless scuff plates, stainless clad engine bay, stainless grille set, curved sun visors and wind deflectors, etc.


Above pic of custom painted Cobra with Stainless Grille set.

This might not be to the taste of a purist, but the question was about "custom touches". This was all done by a friend here in South Africa (Hennie Greeff) that calls his bussiness "Custom Cobras". The link attached shows more close ups of stainless customizing on Cobras.
http://www.clubcobra.com/forums/album.php?albumid=189

[Buzz]

Nice work!

[CSXDreamer]

I completely re-did my dash to the conventional "street car" layout and added a few specialties: 1. Powered the headlights and parking lights through a relay so they only work when the key is "on." 2. Added a green light next to my coolant temperature gage that comes on with the electric radiator fan. 3. Added a red idiot light next to the voltage gage when the voltage drops. 4. Added a "racy" guarded toggle switch to start the engine. 5. Wired the front amber "parking" lights to come on with the engine. They function as daylight running lights for better visability.

I also added a windshield center rod that holds the whole windshield assembly to the cowl and the top w/s frame piece to the bottom. Rod was 5/32" nickel welding rod mirror polished. It has a polished aluminum block neer the top that mounts a radar detector and the r/v mirror higher so I can see over the rear cowl.

[Jamo]

I had folks unhitch the gas cap a few times while at car shows or events.

It ain't what it seems...

[Silverback51]

Originally Posted by Jamo

I had folks unhitch the gas cap a few times while at car shows or events.

It ain't what it seems...

I have had the same problem. Thanks for a great idea.

[Blas]

Some very innovative ideas shared here so far...
It's going to be difficult to choose the top 3 at the end of the month.
I would think that posts with photos trump those without photos...but I'm a visual type of guy. As they say a "photo is worth a thousand words"....You could probably be a contender with a photo that says it all and has no test at all.
I especially like the responses with the modifications that anyone can do regardless of whether you are building or finished building your car. Having busted a few shins on my quick jacks I really like that one for sure...so far.
Long time till the end of the month...I'll just bet some of you have done something so simple that you have taken it for granted...but it made your car much more enjoyable or safer to drive...Some of them may be:
Radar Detector Mounts
GPS Unit Mounting
Front License Plate Mounts
Trunk Storage Ideas
Dare I say it: "Cup Holders"
Emergency Weather Covers

[RedCSX1]

I have installed or fabricated several modification. Here are a few of them.

Oil reservoir



Custom fabricated clutch bracket setup



Venting



Interior vents





The taillights are exposed on the “Shelby” Cobra. I made some stone guards to protect the from flying rocks



I put a clip on the end of the hood prop rod to prevent the hood from falling accidentally





Coolant over flow





Welded petcock drain into lower radiator pipe.

[Excaliber]

OK, I guess I can get a picture of the hole I drilled behind the seat for water to run out if you insist...

[Blas]

Well, if you post a photo of the hole you drilled, you'd better really "sell it" with the text description. Perhaps a beautiful girl drilled them and you snapped a few shots of her in action under the car...? Lie if necessary...

[1985 CCX]

I will be doing many:
Joseph flares
Rough look FIA's
and most recently a cool old English style ally hood with long attached scoop





Thanks Karl and Nick

[Jamo]

Ok, I'm getting PMs and e-mails asking me where to drill the hole in the hinge for "safety wiring" the gas cap.

Move away from the drills.

The following sequence shows how to take off the wire in order to pump some gas...me thinks it'll become clear once you see them.

Ok, here it is installed...




First, you slide the wire to the side of the latch...




Keep sliding it over...




Once it is slid over, it'll release the tension so that you can pull the big loop out from under the hinge. Assright...there's no hole. The big loop fits nicely under the hinge and is held there once the wire is tightened by sliding it back to the middle of the latch.




Once you release the loop from around the hinge, just flop it out of the way...it'll still be connected to the latch.




And it's ready to put back on in reverse order...slide it around the hinge first, and then slide it back along the latch to tighten/hold it in place.



If you don't appreciate a little patina (minor scratches) on your cap, you can slide some small diameter tubing over the twisted section, as some have done.

Hope this adds to the little show you (and all of us) put on for the unwashed at the gas station.

[Blas]

Jamo,
Looks like it's scratching the filler cover in the photos...

[PANAVIA]

Blas, those are not scratches - those are "character-marks"

[Jamo]

paaaaaaaaaa....tina

Very minor surface stuff...a little Mother's and they're gone. They don't bother me...what you're seeing is after nearly three years. Like I said, though, some folks slip a little rubber tubing over the twisted section.