Reviving Dead Cobra

[C5GTO]

So after looking into the Weber style 8 stack option for a couple of days, I’ve run into a potential show stopper timing issue. My number 1 motivation for reviving the Cobra was to have it drivable for this summer driving season. Well summer is here (in Arizona anyway) and the Cobra still has no rumbly sounds from its side pipes. Now I’m finding out there’s an 8 to 12 week lead time to have a Weber style 8 stack system ready to ship. Then I’d have to custom build an air filtration unit for it (the only purchasable option is screens that keep the large rocks out) because it’s dusty in the desert and I have a ¼ mile rock/dirt roadway to get to my house. Yes, I can build the air unit but not until I have the 8 stack in the same garage as the Cobra.

Hmmm, sounds like I’d be feeling the chills of autumn before I’d have the Cobra back on the road if I went that way.

So I’m looking at any and all alternatives that get the Cobra to a drivable state in the not too distant future at a reasonable cost. Given the posts above about carburetor versus EFI, 93 octane gas is not readily available in my area and I really don’t want to have gas boiling on a hot engine or gas fumes in the garage. So I’ll stick to EFI alternatives unless none play out.

The alternative I hadn’t looked into prior is using an old school 4 barrel intake manifold and a Holley carb style EFI system. It looks like a 4 barrel carb for an authentic Cobra look. Check. They are in stock at Summit for quick shipment. Check. The TerminatorX Stealth product is self learning but also connects to laptop for diagnostics and tuning. Check. The basic bits add up to about $3,400 but if that gets the Cobra driving again with the 91 octane gasoline available from the local stations then OK. My Cobra is already outfitted with the EFI basics like a high pressure fuel pump/filter and a gas return pipe to the tank. So potentially the Cobra could be back on the road in a couple of weeks. Check.

So for the people that have experience with the Holley carb style EFI, what’s your experience been like? I don’t expect to get more power than a 4 barrel carb but that’s not the point. It’s about drivability, no gas boil-overs, no gas smell in the garage and being able to fuel it with the garbage gas locally available. Were you able to get the Holley EFI systems installed and working with a reasonable amount of work? Have they been reliable with good drivability?