"Sorting out" Issues...

[itstock]

What type of issues does everyone consider typical things that are classified as something to be sorted out in the first hundred/thousands of miles?

I'm just trying to figure out how unrealistic my expectations are/have been so far, with just over 500 miles.

I would just like to see an honest list from some owners of issues that have come up in the first sub thousand or so miles.

Thanks,
Steve

[Grubby]

readjust clutch, various fasteners worked lose or not tight, slight oil leaks from hose connections, ground loose, new starter would not start car hot, new alternator died, oil temp gauge died, carb secondaries had too stiff spring and would not open.

I think that covers it.

Nothing major and nearly 8,000 miles of fun and 3 years.

John

[patrickt]

In no particular order, oil leaks, fasteners coming loose (which can and did cause stranding), cheap external engine part coming apart, a circuit that was overloaded by extra fans, loose wiring connections, coolant leak, AN fittings leaking, carb clogging, distributor corrosion, ignition switch failure, gauge failures, parking brake not holding, clutch fork gouging master cylinder, sieve like brake/clutch reservoirs, and that's just off the top of my head. I consider all of the above to be "minor nuisances." I will tell you that almost all of those issues gave a "hint" that they were getting ready to go before they actually went. Some I caught early, some not so early. As a result, I am now "extra vigilant" to any new sound, smell, drop, or feel when it comes to this car. It's taken a good 5k miles to get to the point where I now might, just might, be able to make it coast to coast. That's still a dice roll, though.

[brandx]

I would go over all of the suspension items. Brakes especially.

[jhv48]

13,000 miles and almost three years later and mine still isn't fully sorted out.
Alternator wire broke. Cost me a battery.
Two thermostats replaced. four tranny pulls to diagnose and fix shifting problem. Replaced master cylinder once, slave three times, throwout bearing and pilot bushing four times, complete clutch assembly and clutch fork once. Grinding in reverse.
Three intake manifold gaskets. Leaking.
16 valve guide seals. Oil consumption.
Cobra valley ball joints, adjustable shocks and springs and several trips to the tire shop to get rid of front end vibration.
Three cracked windshields.
Four Tire replacement at 500 miles (sumitomos, need I say more?). Needed traction.
Replaced oil temp gauge. Died.
Replaced nylon oil pressure tube with stainless line. Leaked.
Replaced carb with prosystems dp once. Street avengers are crap!
Replaced valve cover gaskets three times. Leaks.
Replaced restrictive side pipes and gaskets. Choking engine.
Fixed parking brake. Adjusting nut fell off.
Replaced painted wheels with polished wheels. Just for looks.

Other than that, my car has been trouble free.

[mdross1]

My only issue was burping the cooling system,had once added too much coolant and a little overflowed and caused a lot of smoke at an intersection.Had to get used to the quick temp rise and bee comfortable with 190 degree running temp.Always keep an eye on loose hardware especially exhaust and suspension.Otherwise have fun and learn what your car is trying to tell you.

[menace1]

I was stranded twice by a rocker backing off and intake gasket leaking. Both times I was only a few miles from the house and had AAA tow the car to my garage. Then leaks a plenty with antifreeze leaking at hose connections and oil from valve covers and the pan. Also had leaky slave cylinder.
Pedel height adjustment to eliminate reverse grind and a new Jordan shifter to make 3rd gear shifts every time. Corner weight the Cobra after adjusting ride height made it handle 100% better and the list goes on and on...

Glenn

[YerDugliness]

I can't imagine one of these beasts not having electrical system issues....those can be infuriatingly difficult!

Cheers!

Dugly

[Tommy]

Steve,
In the big time auto industry, auto repairs on new cars are tracked by model and plotted on a graph with the number of repair on the vertical axis and miles plotted on the horizontal axis starting at zero. Over time this graph has come to be known as the bathtub curve:


The shape of the curve has improved over the years as manufacturers have gotten better at making problem free cars that last longer. But I doubt that applies to small scale manufacturers of specialty cars equipped with aftermarket drive trains. .... My point is that with cars like Cobra replicas, there is no typical sorting out period. These are not daily drivers like Hondas and Chevrolets. These are replicas of race cars that were sold as street cars only to meet the requirements of their racing classes. For many of us, sorting them out is a never ending process.

[MRGEORGE077]

Originally Posted by Tommy

Steve,
In the big time auto industry, auto repairs on new cars are tracked by model and plotted on a graph with the number of repair on the vertical axis and miles plotted on the horizontal axis starting at zero. Over time this graph has come to be known as the bathtub curve:


The shape of the curve has improved over the years as manufacturers have gotten better at making problem free cars that last longer. But I doubt that applies to small scale manufacturers of specialty cars equipped with aftermarket drive trains. .... My point is that with cars like Cobra replicas, there is no typical sorting out period. These are not daily drivers like Hondas and Chevrolets. These are replicas of race cars that were sold as street cars only to meet the requirements of their racing classes. For many of us, sorting them out is a never ending process.

how many years is the burn in period?
CSX 8050

[tirod]

Aside from the simple mechanical fasteners going loose, or an aged donor wire harness just being itself, there's the complete mismatch of a bunch of race oriented parts thrown at a street car.

The most famous is "my car is overheating/the battery won't stay charged." Usually caused by a set of underdriive pulleys not spinning the water pump and alternator enough to make them work. Add the one wire alternator, something really designed for a tractor and misused on cars. Then apply the spiral cell battery, which keeps the whole thing running just long enough to give up the ghost 35 miles from home.

Search across the forums and it pops up everywhere.

The early races Shelby American went to with their newer models are a litany of sorting out. Differentials overheating, breakages, the infamous Daytona fire, on and on. What kit builders put together today - roadster, coupe, rod, street machine, rat rod, whatever - have the same problem. The builder isn't putting together a system of compatible parts in a design to meet the requirements. He's putting parts together that he thinks are cool, and it's really amazing that it actually works as well as it does.

'94 Mustang brakes on the roadster? Big area to sort out. Small lines on a Championship racer that restrict crankcase breathing at high rpms forcing oil out the dipstick tube? An area to sort out. AN fuel lines from tank to engine leaking and causing fires? Sort it out.

There are posts every day. The factory uses names like recall or technical service bulletin. It's all sorting out.

[YerDugliness]

Originally Posted by tirod

It's all sorting out.

...and, I might add, it never ends.

This is one thing that prospective owners need to realize...there is ALWAYS something that will need attention since most of these things are assembled by an amateur, not a professional, and certainly most often NOT an automotive engineer who understands the interplay of systems.

Right now I have low beams on my headlights but no high beams. Nobody can figure out why....off to the shop, I guess, at $80/hour.

...it's always something.....

Cheers!

Dugly

[mln385]

Shouldn't ones expectations be higher with a turnkey car from an assembled Manufacturer such as BDR or Superformance etc. After all isn't that part of the sales pitch on these types?

The OP has a newer BDR so one would suspect the car should be fairly well built no?

[jhv48]

One would expect that, yes.

But then one would be greatly disappointed.

[Mark IV]

Originally Posted by mln385

Shouldn't ones expectations be higher with a turnkey car from an assembled Manufacturer such as BDR or Superformance etc. After all isn't that part of the sales pitch on these types?

The OP has a newer BDR so one would suspect the car should be fairly well built no?

Better than most? Yes. Perfect? No.

I have seen very few FACTORY related issues on chassis' that have been properly dealer prepped and road tested. Most issues are powertrain related or due to an "improvement" made by the installer.

Thing not caused by the factory we have seen or are aware of:
-Electrical problem caused by splicing into a wire with a 3M "Scotchlock" connector (these are a crime against nature)
-Oil leak due to poor routing of hoses.
-Heater hose failure due to routing against sharp edge and no restraint to prevent hose from chafing on edge
-Use of racing type electric fuel pump, you know the one intended for a drag car that runs 90 seconds total? The ones that overheat and fail when expected to pump for 350 miles?

And so on. A well FINISHED car will have few problems and all will need a re-tune, etc. after a few hundred miles of run in.

[MRGEORGE077]

Originally Posted by mln385

Shouldn't ones expectations be higher with a turnkey car from an assembled Manufacturer such as BDR or Superformance etc. After all isn't that part of the sales pitch on these types?

The OP has a newer BDR so one would suspect the car should be fairly well built no?

Amen, brother let's add Shelby American and their dealers/turn key/ installer to your list.
CSX 8050

[Al G]

Originally Posted by MRGEORGE077

Amen, brother let's add Shelby American and their dealers/turn key/ installer to your list.
CSX 8050

Why don't you do a service to potential buyers as well as all the innocent dealers by naming who you are so unhappy with?

[Tutosnake]

Originally Posted by Al G

Why don't you do a service to potential buyers as well as all the innocent dealers by naming who you are so unhappy with?

I echo that. BTW I enjoy the same view as Mark IV. As a CSX buyer, all the research I did before ordering my car led me to believe that unless you legally created two or more completely distinct entities to handle the affair, the AD shall not finish the car. After all, in the SAI case, didn't it use be that way? Does anybody knows the facts about that? Why did SAI steered away from allowing the AD's to finish the cars they sold?

Anyways, I have had my car for 2.5 months now. It has 480 miles, and I had to fix a dead fuel gauge (sending unit replaced), and tighten oil lines (leaks). I used a local mechanic for those without problem. It also came with a busted wiper blade/arm, but who really cares about that! I will leave it the way it is... just re-adjust it before I go out on a ride so that people don't notice it.

Only one thing KILLS me: the car came with paint damage on the edge of the engine bay that SAI touched up very poorly. I admit it is in a relatively inconspicuous area but it drives me crazy every time I raise the hood. The car went directly from Las Vegas to Olthoff Racing, so you can imagine it would be almost impossible (not enough time and patience ) for me to make any claims...

I am happy with my car. I would do it all over again in the same fashion, hoping that whoever scratched the engine bay did not cross path with my car a second time

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Tutosnake

... all the research I did before ordering my car led me to believe that unless you legally created two or more completely distinct entities to handle the affair...

Everything I've ever heard was that Louisiana's law is neither black nor white... it's green.

[stephen_becker]

[quote=Tutosnake;1225943]I echo that. BTW I enjoy the same view as Mark IV. As a CSX buyer, all the research I did before ordering my car led me to believe that unless you legally created two or more completely distinct entities to handle the affair, the AD shall not finish the car. After all, in the SAI case, didn't it use be that way? Does anybody knows the facts about that? Why did SAI steered away from allowing the AD's to finish the cars they sold?

We were always advised by SAI (CSBI) legal to have a seperate selling ententy (component/roller car) and a seperate servicing/parts/ company.

I do not know the reason for this but we complied with their across the board demand (on all factory-authorized Shelby Cobra dealerships)

I did ask CS before he passed why SAI does not install the drive-trains and he gave me two answers

1) Feds will not allow that to happen as the car is considered a 1965 on the MSO

2) He did not want the liability of the install and what might go wrong in the hear-after with the car

I do not know if you all know but SAI puts a six month, six thounds mile warranty on the CSX cars BUT the warranty starts the day I pick the car up at the SAI factory NOT the day the customer receives the car!! That is a policy that has always irked me