Bruce Cambern's 427 one owner Cobra

[gsharapa]

Here is a post Bruce put up back in 2009 when questions came up about CSX 3170 modifications he has done...
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Thanks for all the positive comments on my car, the purists do not like what I have done, so it is nice to hear that some folks think it is OK.
Several years ago I described the changes to a gentleman who owns an original that he runs in vintage racing and he turned and walked away in disgust.

The only irreversible changes I made to the chassis are the reinforced frame tubes and they don't show. Everything else is bolted to the original chassis using existing mounting points so the car can be put back to original condition whenever necessary. I have saved all the original parts including engine, transmission, rear end, suspension, steering gear, brakes, pedals, steering wheel, radiator, seats, wheels, springs, shocks, drive shaft, windshield, grease gun,etc, etc. When I check out my widow can have it restored for auction, till then I plan to enjoy the hell out of it!

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[fordracing65]

Ive seen this car run in person, at 14:1 compression it sounds like an earthquake is about to hit, plus Bruce has given me advice on my next cobra build, his opinion is very valuable when it comes to these cars.

[Historybuff]

At that late stage in Cobra production, maybe he has an opinion on what the car came with that could have been corrected.

I heard the front coil springs on the 427 don't last too long.
I have seen the batteries behind the seat in some but in 427 S/Cs, is it two separate 12 volt aircraft batteries? Or one big long battery?

Did Cambern's Cobra used to be red and run an almost horizontal plexiglass full width windscreen, very darkly tinted, and a huge black roll bar, sort of squared off, that spanned both seats? I might have shot it at an autocross decades ago but not realized it is the same car.

I didn't comment in the first post about the shape of the rear body but in some other website they were speculating about that. If you go to the pictures on this website

Bruce Cambern's Original 427 Cobra

Looks stock to me, I don't know what they are talking about. Usually only cars that have been hit and repaired without ref. to original shape have different contours. That site shows a third windscreen treatment--the driver only plexiglass--this is the first time I have seen that on a 427 Cobra.

On the site above it also shows the interior. Does anyone know the model of steering wheel and wrap around bucket seats? I am glad he saved all the original stuff--most guys throw that out to make room in the garage and regret it years later (remeinds me of when my belly pan fell off my 300SL and I left them laying in the road, probably cost $2000 to replicate today!) .

[RICK LAKE]

Historybuff I talked to Bruce a couple of times. Very knowledgeable man. Has do alot of work to this cobra without changing the body. Motor is under 500 cubes. The suspension has been worked to product the best handling possible. The Whiners from the Optima battery camp and the air ride camp all called foul and Bruce was not allowed to return with the cobra for a repeat. He showed up with his GT-40 and had it not been for clogged cats and injector problem, he might have won.
Bruce brings a gun to a gun fight, wins and is told to find another gun. What crap. This years Challenge was a bigger joke with Poppe winning the event with a vette. I have no problem with the vette beating Stillow car but when did you see a vette come from the factory with a 5' wing that generates upto 1,500 pound of down pressure on the rear tires. Every other car but 1 other ran in a stock body factory look. I guess if you are not cheating you can't win. Driver that won is also a pro driver from the west coast. Bruce has a friend drive his car at the event for the first time.
Bruce has alot of good info and how to setup a cobra with roll rates, spring loads, bumpsteering, and alignments. I am sure he would shopw you his car if you are in the area. I going to Navato in Sept. Might take the 4 hour drive over to Frenso. Rick L.

[timothale]

Bruce came to work at Ford AFTER he bought the cobra, Ford engineers redesigned the suspension for the Cobra but the Ford bean counters squashed the upgrades. the first upgrades were a modified 57 caddy front sway bar and custom adjustable rear sway bar. After Bruce moved from California where he was an engineer at the Ford Mustang factory to Dearborn, Some of the engineers at ford who still had the suspension designs gave him a set of prints and he had the second series design parts made In the 60's or early 70's. The present suspension is a different design.