New Superformance Owner in St. Louis
 

Just wanted to say hello and thank everyone on this site for amassing what has to be the most comprehensive source of information for cobra owners and, like me, aspiring cobra owners.

After years of yearning and many, many months of recent research here, I finally pulled the trigger, and the seller (really a great guy) confirmed that the car was picked up and on its way to Olthoff for a review and, if everything checks out (as I expect it will), the addition of a few minor items.

I posted some pictures to my album. It certainly appears that the original owner took very good care of the car and outfitted it with what I was looking for in color, drivetrain, and options. Familiar with the debate, I ultimately went the aluminum big block FE route with a Keith Craft 482 Pond.

Given the demise of Gateway International in East St. Louis, the car likely will see little (if any) track time. It is mainly to satisfy a completely irrational primal urge/syndrome that took hold from the first time I got my first Cobra hot wheels car and has continued to this day where I am looking at a 1/24th scale cobra replica (in the exact color combo of this car) that has been perched on my office credenza for 14 years. Prior efforts to curb the problem with stroked and blown mustangs and a modified E63 AMG only delayed the inevitable.

So, I'm wondering if anyone has any thoughts on items I should have Dennis add when the car is at his place. The items currently on the install list include:

power steering;
a Halon system (I had a fuel leak in a blown small block that taught me these can be handy);
a small shift light concealed in the dash;
the upgraded headlights;
probably a second roll bar (I will have frequent passengers and it just seems rude not to have it--visions of Terrantino's movie "Death Proof" come to mind); and
sidepipe heat shields (I have two boys and a strong aversion to third-degree burns).

The car is due for some new tires soon and has 17" rims (currently with 255/45/17s in front and 315/35/17s in the rear), but I will wait on that for now.

I'm also looking for the smaller leather steering wheel and a set of 15" wheels and tires to have the option of changing up the look occassionally, so let me know if you have any extras laying around that you want to get out of your garage.

I look forward to hearing if you have other recommendations given the anticipated use of the car. Thanks again for keeping the information flowing and sharing your experiences.

David

Congrats all around.
What is the Superformance car number?

It is chassis #2396.

Hi David,

Congrats on the purchase. From the sound/looks of it, you may be headed in the direction of each of these items.

If you've been here long enough, you know the 2nd roll bar debate is long and "heated." Here's the most recent thread on that topic and a poll given, taken and answered all by Jamo:

http://clubcobra.com/forums/showthread.php?t=109627

Best of luck with your new ride.

Suspension and big brake upgrades are awesome. If you don't have them, get the radiator and cooler screens.

I have the screens.

I was considering the brake upgrade, but is it very helpful for street driving or do the brakes really need to heat up to feel the difference.

Gateway Cobra
 

David,
We welcome you to join us - Gateway Cobra Club

Club meeting tomorrow (Tues, Apr 12) at Sonic in Chesterfield Valley.

http://gatewaycobraclub.com

Paul

Thanks for the invite, Paul. I would be there even sans car, but I will be traveling this week. I do plan to bring the boys by the car show at the Muny on the 24th. I doubt my car will be here yet, though.

Keep me posted on events in May (I will send in my membership app shortly).

Radiator screen
Oil cooler screen
Push button starter
Clear bra
Ignition cutoff in the trunk
Jordan shifter
Seat spacers
Braided brake hoses
Aluminum brake/clutch reservoirs

If you make it back from out of town, come on over to Putnam Raceway (Cloverdale, IN - 3 1/2 hours East from St. Lou) and see a few of the local members on the track there. I also plan to go to Joliet, IL in June for some track time there. Hope you can make our next meeting. We meet at that Sonic on the 2nd Tuesday of each month.

HTH,
Tim

I would suggest two upgrades.

The R/T rear shock mount upgrade, and Sway Bar upgrade. There is also an online forum for Superformance owners called SCOF. I have found it very helpful and entertaining!!

http://performanceunlimited.com/cobravalley/

http://www.superformance.org/

I totally agree on the upgrades, and I would add in the QA1 shock and springs. Those changes completely change the handling of the car.

Welcome aboard the superformance express.

Skip the big brakes unless you are running slicks. You can get more braking than your tires will handle with some new BP-20 pads. You don't even need those on the street with street tires.
This is SCOF http://superformance.org/scof/ SPF group trip to Kentucky coming up in May.

Avon tires....will drastically improve acceleration, cornering, and braking. Best money you can spend if running 15 wheels. You will not want for more traction.

Poly motor mounts. The rubber ones dont last. Mine made it 3K miles. I got my mounts from Olthoff. I second the shock mount upgrade, I still have to do that.

Roll Bars
 

You need to check with Olthoff about roll bar options. They make and sell a taller full-width bar that would definitely be more protective for anyone over, say, 5 and a half feet with a helmet on, and there probably will be a time when you will want to track the car. It sounds like you have some pretty good cars in your past, and the Cobra will be much different than anything you have driven, so be careful, careful, careful. They are very difficult to drift, unlike other cars with longer wheelbases. It is a race car that just happens to be streetable.

Thanks for the advice from everyone. I discussed all of this with Dennis Olthoff. In the interest of sharing information (which this site is all about I think), while the rear shock mount made perfect sense to me, he actually counseled against it as unnecessary for this chassis number.

Again, thanks for the input, and Karl, you are so right about needing to be careful. Particularly with the AMG and a prior GTR, you begin to think you're a better driver than you really are (the GTR makes you think your last name is Andretti). I went to a BMW performance school (a buddy invited me so everyone could boo me) and one of the instructors was also an instructor for the AMG challenge. He showed me how to disable all the electronic nannies by putting it into "shop" mode. Let me tell you, even with all that weight and the long wheel base, that much horsepower (it is modified to right at 615 at the crank) it was an absolute handfull. And this thing has greater horsepower, much shorter wheelbase, and slightly less than half the weight. Looking back, I'm glad I didn't have a Cobra in my twenties because I wouldn't have made it to my thirties.

Thanks again. Hope to see many of you at events in the future.

How Much?
 

Wait a minute... You have more than 615 HP? Holy cow!

When I purchased my car, the previous owner suggested that I not go overboard with too many changes to the car initially. Drive it and enjoy it and fix what’s broken. Safety issues aside, there are lots of ways to spend money on these cars: be they “upgrades” or “website fees"…your gasoline costs alone will amaze you this summer…

I misspoke, Karl. It has less horsepower (600), but more torque (618).

The main reason for the upgrades now is that I shipped it to Olthoff, and it likely won't be back there for some time. Given the shipping costs, I'd just as soon get major things done now.

For the St. Louis guys, is there an FE and/or Cobra guru in this neck of the woods? (I probably should make that a separate post--sorry if that's a breach in board etiquette). I know the Fast Lane guys have a lot of experience with cobras but haven't heard any customer feedback or FE-specific feedback.