Cool-that should take a few years off their life expectancy. Honest, I just don't see that look with your chromed panels. Jamo's brush finish-yes. After all he's got a visible ass-crack.
Why not just highly polish your current Trigos and save the $$ for your Cammer??
Ron's still not divulging his wheel selection and he owns a 'real' GT 350 -so I'd guess they'd be some type of 'real'.
Ron's still not divulging his wheel selection and he owns a 'real' GT 350 -so I'd guess they'd be some type of 'real'.
Trigos for the street and FIA spokes for show (since they were the "correct" wheel for a Comp-ish car). No magnesium.
There's a great video clip that turned up, interviewing an original purchaser of a 427 Cobra who talked about how they got aluminum wheels because there was a problem with the magnesium Sunbursts exploding when they rubbed a curb and 'sparked.'
Trigos for the street and FIA spokes for show (since they were the "correct" wheel for a Comp-ish car). No magnesium.
... because there was a problem with the magnesium Sunbursts exploding when they rubbed a curb and 'sparked.'
Well thank you Ron!
And uh-I avoid rubbing my magnesium against curbs.
Trigos for the street and FIA spokes for show (since they were the "correct" wheel for a Comp-ish car). No magnesium.
There's a great video clip that turned up, interviewing an original purchaser of a 427 Cobra who talked about how they got aluminum wheels because there was a problem with the magnesium Sunbursts exploding when they rubbed a curb and 'sparked.'
Ed Leslie told me that they dropped the mag wheels because Ford was pushing Shelby to improve the profitability of the 427 Cobra. They brought in the aluminum wheels along with the 428 engines. I can attest to the sparking effect because I spun out in the Yosemite tunnel in 1966 rubbing the very high curb with my left rear, it looked like a 4th of July celebration, it bent the mag wheel but it did not break. I did not know that Sunbursts were ever made in magnesium.
I did not know that Sunbursts were ever made in magnesium.
Nor did I. Thanks for weighing-in here Bruce, your car was discussed earlier.
So I can ask-why did you paint your car silver? (Besides the fact that it looks beautiful) I though that a 'take-no-prisoners' guy like you would save 50 pounds with bare skin.
I know, I know-800HP, what's 50 pounds?...
Nor did I. Thanks for weighing-in here Bruce, your car was discussed earlier.
So I can ask-why did you paint your car silver? (Besides the fact that it looks beautiful) I though that a 'take-no-prisoners' guy like you would save 50 pounds with bare skin.
I know, I know-800HP, what's 50 pounds?...
Good question,
When I first put in an aluminum engine I went all out on weight, I even had a magnesium water pump, 25 pound clutch and flywheel, a standard bell housing because my Lakewood was heavier, magnesium Jerrico trans, small battery, etc. etc. The car weighed 2180 with 10 gal of gas and 10 qts of oil. The handling was not good and the car was very unpredictable although fast in a straight line. I then decided to stiffen the frame with an insert using a round tube with a vertical blade rosette welded in the tube. The car then went to 2270 ponds but handled much better, after that I added the dry sump system, fuel injection and supporting electronics. Car weight is now 2350 but very drivable even in the wet, just illustrating that structure trumps weight but weight is still king if you can get it. A bare original Cobra is pretty ugly and needs lots of filler for acceptable paint. A polished Kirkham is a 1000 times nicer than any original and I am not sure you could ever get an original that nice even with a ton of body work so I stayed with paint to cover the many flaws of a hand hammered body. If I were to build another Cobra today I would start with a Kirkham and use my suspension, modify the frame and use carbon fiber brake rotors and a high horsepower Windsor based small block of about 650 HP that would rev to 10,000. I'll bet you could bring that in at about 1900 lbs, it would be killer fast and handle better than just about anything out there until aero took over, of course you could do a Daytona coupe in Carbon to solve the aero issues.
More thanks for your car's resume and your great build progression. Very refreshing to see serious tech on here.
I think you and Morris have achieved the most success for road racing Cobras with the difference being yours is in more of a conventional configuration. You both agree on many points like starting with a KMP, stiffness, power required and lightness.
Just to pick your brain, an all aluminum, 9.5 deck small block (of 358 to 427 ") would weigh in around 470 pounds. Why such a modest power figure (650) when with Cup technology (na), you could achieve 730-800HP and a conservative 9000RPM top?
It's great reading your experiences and views.
Cobra Make, Engine: Kirkham 289 FIA #690, FRPP 427 Boss engine
Posts: 764
Not Ranked
Quote:
Originally Posted by ERA Chas
Just to pick your brain, an all aluminum, 9.5 deck small block (of 358 to 427 ") would weigh in around 470 pounds. Why such a modest power figure (650) when with Cup technology (na), you could achieve 730-800HP and a conservative 9000RPM top?
It's great reading your experiences and views.
I would think the old cost/reliability formula comes into play here, but I also look forward to Bruce's answer.
Mark
__________________
RCR GT40 SOLD to Fast 5
Kirkham #690 289 FIA
More thanks for your car's resume and your great build progression. Very refreshing to see serious tech on here.
I think you and Morris have achieved the most success for road racing Cobras with the difference being yours is in more of a conventional configuration. You both agree on many points like starting with a KMP, stiffness, power required and lightness.
Just to pick your brain, an all aluminum, 9.5 deck small block (of 358 to 427 ") would weigh in around 470 pounds. Why such a modest power figure (650) when with Cup technology (na), you could achieve 730-800HP and a conservative 9000RPM top?
It's great reading your experiences and views.
I would use the short deck block and final weight would be around 380 pounds according to my engine guys. Engine acceleration rates would be unreal, think old trans-am cars with better heads Ti rods etc. HP could get close to 700 which would be way more than adequate at 1900 LBs. My car has so much torque now that we tried to kill some of it to help traction by going really big on the cam 292 @.050 N and 296@ .050 X
The small block would do that and still have a big top end and lots of flexibility with that rpm range. I stuck with the FE because it is an original car if it weren't, I would have gone the small block route. At one time I was looking at a DFX Cosworth Turbo engine but again the originality thing got to me so I did not do it, had a hell of a deal on one and it was under 400 lbs complete.
Honest, I just don't see that look with your chromed panels. Jamo's brush finish-yes. After all he's got a visible ass-crack.
Why not just highly polish your current Trigos and save the $$ for your Cammer??
Okay, Chas, well here's a polished CSX4000 with what appears to be either powdercoated or painted black wheels. Besides the black wheels, BTW, I also like the black stripes.
The engine noise is NOT coming from the Cobra, but by a race car passing by.
Okay, Chas, well here's a polished CSX4000 with what appears to be either powdercoated or painted black wheels. Besides the black wheels, BTW, I also like the black stripes.
.
My friend, avoid the urge to go trendy with black. Your car is timeless and perfect. You're trying to put hooker dangling ear rings on the Mona Lisa.
And those black stripes suck because they don't taper-among other reasons.
My friend, avoid the urge to go trendy with black.
Can I interest you in a nice shade of Pastel Blue?
I'm bored, bored, bored....though the excitement from last weekend was putting 5 gallons of gas in the tank, unfortunately, via a 5-gal gas can, since my car still hasn't seen the light of day in months.
As for the magnesium wheels, no curbs in my garage.
Can I interest you in a nice shade of Pastel Blue?
Careful-you'll be getting Victoria Secret crinolines and push-ups from you-know-who with that kind of innuendo...
-NOT THAT THERE'S ANYTHING WRONG WITH PASTEL COLORS...
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