Heavy Metal: Shelby Continuation Cobra & KMP owners post up pics of your Cobra

[eschaider]

Originally Posted by Sandwich

I had to take my engine out to surface the deck. When I made the block, I intended for the deck to get surfaced by the engine builder. Well, it wasn't. Some of the sleeves were too high, and one of them was lower than the deck surface. So I could not get it to seal properly, that is the combustion chamber I'm talking about.

The clutch, if I remember correctly, it was a clutch for a Saleen S7. Then I made the flywheel as light as I thought I could. The clutch and flywheel combination only weighed in at 26 pounds or so. I think a typical clutch and aluminum flywheel from Mcleod weighed in at 46 pounds.

...

Jamo — Sandwich's post (and it's follow ons) really does deserve a thread of its own. It would be great if you moved it and gave it a life of its own.

I have frequently wondered where that block and flywheel went, Sandwich. Now I know! Very nice work on both of them.

When we used to run KB wet blocks in blown Chryslers we would run the sleeves a few thousandths (~0.003 to 0.005) above the deck surface with the copper head gaskets. We used stainless o-rings for a better combustion seal around each cylinder. Coolant and oil to the top end always presented a small weeping problem.

I don't know which SCE gasket you used but their ICS versions would provide you with reusability, a very nice combustion seal and also coolant / oil passage sealing.

How did you like that pressure plate? It looks like it was a 7 inch model. Which discs did you decide to use? Were they fairly long lived or were they fragile and short lived?

I am just impressed as hell with the work and workmanship you Kirkham guys deliver.

Thanks for being there for us with provocative vehicles and ideas.


Ed

[rodneym]

Originally Posted by JHS

Attachment 24226

Attachment 24227

Love it, JHS!
Did your exhaust go into the wheel well or simply straight back?

[JHS]

The exhaust is 2 1/4" ss and goes straight back from custom spintech mufflers... I have maybe very slightly over 3" clearance, which has been OK...for my purposes. there was simply no way to go up and around wheel wells with 2 1/4"....

[MOTORHEAD]

Here's your early Kirkham

[REAL 1]

Nice looking car. Like the black hood scoop.

[MOTORHEAD]

Real: thanks. Scoop is not painted and tacked on with only 4 rivets pending final carb configuration. May be modified , reversed, or replaced. Time will tell.

[rodneym]

Originally Posted by MOTORHEAD

Real: thanks. Scoop is not painted and tacked on with only 4 rivets pending final carb configuration. May be modified , reversed, or replaced. Time will tell.

Nice touch.
Was this an original feature of an early KMP?
I wonder when the Kirkhams started offering ally scoops?

[MOTORHEAD]

Rod; As far as I know all the earlier KMP's (and CSX originals ?) had the F/G scoop.
KMP probably started making aluminum ones when customers started opting for the bare aluminum bodies. That's just a guess tho.

[Paintwerks]

Originally Posted by philminotti

I've always wondered about decking an aluminum block with cast sleeves...must be a bit tricky. I do know however that the alloy blocks all have their sleeves proud by a fingernail or so. (my scientific estimate). Good luck

The Subaru guys use cast sleeves in the alloy EJ25's. As long as it's done properly, there are no issues.

[Jamo]

Originally Posted by MOTORHEAD

Rod; As far as I know all the earlier KMP's (and CSX originals ?) had the F/G scoop.
KMP probably started making aluminum ones when customers started opting for the bare aluminum bodies. That's just a guess tho.

That would be me. Far as anyone can recall, only one other bare arruminum customer car was done before mine...Flip's (Hi Cobra) KMP 142...but many followed after Da Boys did mine and started promoting it. My decision was based on seeing Tom Jr.'s brushed personal car.

One thing that was discovered when the first BNLs were offered with the arruminum scoop was that it wouldn't polish out the same as the rest of the arruminum (different alloy me thinks)...which wasn't a problem for me since I wanted the brushed finished...but even with the slightly polished stripes, you had to be careful not to polish too much or the difference would show up. That's also why many of the early polished cars had brushed stripes. Later, I think (not sure) they started making the scoops out of the same alloy as the rest of the body so the polishing matched.

[PatBuckley]

I know your serial number is one before mine, but I thought I did the no paint thing before you?

Unless of course you're making a distinction between a BNL and a polished car.

You're right, my scoop didn't match my body. (Gotta be a joke I there somewhere...)

[1985 CCX]

Feeling slighted, accurate home builds should be allowed......

[Jamo]

Pat...mine was delivered brushed...you were polishing and leaving arruminum everywhere for quite awhile afterwards.

Elephant

[rodneym]

Originally Posted by 1985 CCX

Feeling slighted, accurate home builds should be allowed......

Agreed. Exact, Hi-Tech, one-offs, home builds...

[CompClassics]

Great photos, there has to be more out there though?!