Who owns a Contemporary?

[Tom T.]

Kobra Karl,

Around $4,500 complete. Not cheap, but good stuff. Don't have the brains or skill to do a Watts on my own, didn't want to spend the money to have one done, so went with two long rods (also from CWI) that attach part way into the outriggers, back to the hubs. Helps locate the irs pretty well, for $150, as I recall. Ain't purty like Watts though.

TT

[RACER X #99]

The Watts Linkage looks very complicated to me and I also read on this forum that someone was having problem with binding. Like Tom I went with the 60's style radius rods from CWI and I think they work just fine. But I am not looking for pretty as anybody who has seen my car can attest. I am looking for stuff that works.

Cranky

[KobraKarl]

TT,Cranky, do these radius rods mount to the hubs at the original /stock jag, mount points?

you guys running torsion front ?

[Tom T.]

Karl,

Yes and yes. A weld-on reinforcement is used at the outrigger mounting points.

TT

[Rick 427 Cobra]

3140 purchased in early 80's as a DHB
Getting a "new" 433 FE this week with the full Edelbrock treatment.
Top loader and full Jag set-up.
Lots of changes over the years
Rick Currington
President, Bay Area Cobra Club

PS, Besides Presidents Thompson and
Douglas
Presidents
Mike Querio
Bob Accardo
Leonard Ulfelder
Also are Contemporary owners but some what computer challanged.
Rick

[Tom T.]

Hey!

I resemble that remark!

TT

[zimmy]

Contemporary owners - I have a question.

First let me fill in the missing numbers. My Contemporary is CCX-3-3647 purchased in June 1991. It currently has a 427 Center Oiler with 48 IDA Webers and a Toploader. I will hopefully be doing a new aluminum 427 very soon. 600 HP enigne with hopefully about 500 rear wheel HP.

Now my question. Can any of you send me email pictures of your below the floor pedal setup and more importantly, the slave cylinder mounting and hookup for the clutch. I am particularly interested in the slave cylinder mounting and the clutch fork. I also have a Lakewood bell housing.

On the master cylinder side I am most interested in how you made the hydraulic hookups and from the remote resevoir. I need to redo mine due to some bending and want to do it right this time.

Last area of question. Have any of you beefed up the plate that the under floor pedals/cylinders attach to? My flexes pretty badly and always has. I am thinking of welding a steel or aluminum plate behind the original. Any thoughts or photos would be appreciated.

Thanks to all of you. I look forward to your replies.

[KobraKarl]

Zimmy, one thing i noticed looking at your pics , you are still using that old vw fluid resivoir,it probly feeds your clutch as well. I had the same set-up and when i really started to look at it i realized ,if i blow a clutch slave seal ,IM GONNA BE FRESH OUTTA BRAKES! i replaced mine with three girling cans from Finish line,(front,rear,clutch) Imounted them in a row on the firewall at about the present location. With floor mounted pedals yours can be mounted on the left inner fender like the original .I have the older style jag pedals mounted on top of the foot box so i wont be any help with your pedals.
good luck. Karl

[RACER X #99]

Zimmy,
Sorry I can't help you as I have a Willwood pedal assembly and have altered everthing to make it work. Also I am the non conformist that replaced a SO with a sb. (another thread). Perhaps one of the other guys with the more traditional brake set up can help?I am guessing that reinforcing certainly can't hurt.
BTW nice looking Cobra.

Cranky

[zimmy]

Karl:

Thanks. I am thinking about changing the resevoirs as well. The one I have is the old VW but it is a two part resevoir with one for clutch and the other split for brakes.

Cranky:

If it is at all possible could you send me pictures of what you did to fet the Wilwoods in or tell me here or by phone what you did. I would be very interested as I really don't like my pedals much. I do like the AC pedal pads tho. Thanks for the help and the compliment.

[RACER X #99]

Zimmy, I got the car apart now so I can't take any pictures. I'll try to explain. I opened the footbox hole where the original Contemporary pedels hung down and mounted the Wilwood setup on top of the footbox with the new pedals hanging down. I use the tilton M/C's with remote fillers on the firewall. But this makes for a very crowded firewall. The new M/C's are very close to the underside of the fender and of course are located just above the headers. I have cooked my brakes and clutch a few times until I made a heat shield below the M/C's and just above the side vents. This did the job as far as keeping the heat away from the M/C's. I also had to fabricate a cover over the new pedal assembly to keep the heat and air out of the drivers compartment.
I would not reccomend this setup. Too much work and too hard to replace M/C's.

Do a search for Roscoe's build, he has a nice on the floor Tilton 3 M/C setup and it works real good.

Hope this helps,
Cranky

[bmalone]

Zimmy, if I had seen your post earlier, I would have been able to get some good pics of the slave cylinder setup on my car. I rebuilt it today. It was leaking and I was picking up free-play in the pedal.

Anyway, it is a Girling aluminum unit mounted to an aluminum bracket (two bolts). You can actually find this unit at NAPA (#26 in the pictures in the Brake Catalog, slave cylinder section). They wanted $200, so I went for the rebuild kit instead.

Like Cranky I have had a fire due to boiled brake fluid. My master cylinders are also directly under the fender well. There is a kit for Contemporaries that serves as a heat shield. Kind of fits right in the open space. I will be buying one at some point.

The lines from the MC run close to the header and then down to the slave, which, as I as I said is mounted to a custom aluminum bracket. The slave actually sits on top of the frame rail. The metal line stops 12" short of the slave and a nice flexible steel hose is used to make the connection to the slave.

The other end of the slave is a threaded rod except the part which fits into the cup, which pushes the piston. The threaded rod has a nut, a jam nut, and a nice little bushing that the rod goes through and fits into the throw-out arm. The rod goes through the bushing and comes out on the other side of the throw-out arm. So adjustments are made by locating the nuts at some point on the rod and tightening the jam nut.

HTH

[concobra]

To Zimmy:

I too have the floor mounted brake and clutch pedal assembly. Since I purchased my car used and am not a "Contemporary" expert I cannot say that mine was a factory set up that way. I will state that it was a very poor design with excessive flex, poor pedal positioning, excessive ratio(s), sloppy side to side pedal movement, dangerously small pivots, and many other draw backs.

I completely redesigned the system. Since I have size 12 feet, pedal position was very important to the design.

The end design is now a modular unit made from 1/4" thick steel. It that can be removed from the bottom of the car without removing the pedals or master cylinders. ( Of course to totally remove from the car the lines must be disconnected but there is enough line length to allow other service to be done) The pedals are bell crank in design and allow initial adjustment to suit your shoe size and leg length. Pivot points are suspended in pillowblock bearings with 1/2" shafts. Final pedal ratio is 6:1. ( I am 5'11" with long legs and have no interference with the steering wheel)

Very strong without any flex.

I also have a lakewood scattersheild and a slave cylinder with clutch fork. To properly clear the frame and trans. tunnel I had to shorten the clutch arm and fabricate a special mount for the slave cylinder.

I would be glad to share with you how with pictures if you wish to discuss further. Probably best to speak person to person. My phone # is 541-447-1398.

[zimmy]

Concobra:

Thanks for the response. I would love to see any pictures of the pedal assembly that you described. It sounds very impressive. Any pictures of your slave assembly also would be appreciated. I will try to call soon to discuss. Is the number home or business and what would be good times to call?

Thanks.

Zimmy

[concobra]

Good Day Zimmer

The phone number listed is my home phone. I work out of my home so a call anytime during, PST, day time is fine. I 'm sure we can work up some pictures but you will need to give me some time.

[zimmy]

No Problem on time. Thanks. I'll try to call soon.

Zimmy

[Al Zack]

I didn't have much luck with the slave cylinder when I was building mine. Space was a problem as well as flex of the bracket. I went with a McLeod hydraulic throwout bearing. Been working fine now for 7 years and 24k miles,.

[Denny S.]

I bought this one last Spring. It's a 428,Toploader. No stripes,No Scoop. THe car originally belonged to a Dentist from Florida who practiced his dentistry in Russia. Car went from shop to shop for more goodies and never got driven. Story I've been told is that he couldn't pay his bill at a shop in Georgia so they took his 427 & Richmond for the bill and sold the car minus Engine & Tranny to the guy I bought it from. I spent most of last year
ironing out the bugs. Amp Billett rear,Penske's Up front,correct gauges,real Halibrands Etc. Etc. After new headgaskets,McCleod Clutch,Flywheel & Plate it's now dead on reliable. Now I'm bored and may sell it.
I'd like to find a gangster sedan with a modern running gear. It's a beautiful car with stainless side pipes, front braced real bar and lots of other custom aluminum work under the hood
which is aluminum also. Who knows I may keep it or if I find the gangster sedan I have in my mind it might go.

[Dominik]

just responding to see if Iet any notification (mail) of new replies.
buttons work more often these days, but now notification mails lag behind.

friday I took a closer look at the mold that came off my car. just the outer shell for now.

forget what I said about the buttons, had to refresh more than once until the reply button was activateable... :-(

dom
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[westchester]

I know this is an old thread, but no harm keeping it alive with new owner details......

I just purchased CCX-3-3411 , manufactured in '89. I'm the second owner with just 3,500 miles from new. Blue street version, no sidepipes, no roll-bar, 16" pin-drive Halibrands etc.

I'm having a pair of Aluminum rear wheel spats made. If anyone else wants could use a pair, shoot me an email or PM - we'll all get a better deal than a one-off build, and share the cost of having the buck made.

See the thread "Wheelarch spats / fender guards - HELP" for a great pic of an FFR with them.

Scott (westchester)