Check out my friend Chappy's cobra :)...

Mike Braddock · #1 (**permalink**) 01-12-2003, 02:09 PM

I finally got around to posting these photos and wanted to share them with you guys. I know many of you will be able to appreciate the talent and enthusiasm Chappy has to finish a project like this. He's really an amazing guy. He's the type of guy that has a wonderful imagination and the craftsmanship to put his concepts into reality.

As for the car, he bought it as a basketcase behind someone's house a few years ago. I believe it's an old LA Exotics kit. The first time around he built it as a high compression (12:1) 460 powered, Richmond 5 speed, solid rear axle car. Probably 550-575hp. All of the custom frame work, tilting front end, soft top, A/C, PS, interior seats/upholstery is all his handiwork, as are the paint and bodywork. After driving it for a while he got bored and decided to redo the whole thing. This time he punched the block .125 over, dropped the compression to 9:1, mounted a Vortech SQ S/C and redid all the suspension to run an automatic, 35 spline rear axles/locker, etc. Last I spoke with him he was still sorting the car and was experiencing fuel starvation problems so he was preparing to swap in an Aeromotive pump. I think he told me the engine laid down around 700 hp running 8 lbs of boost and he intends to run around 14 psi when it's completed. Anyway, here's a link to some photos I took of his car before he completed it:

http://www.pbase.com/mjb2/chappys_cobra

Check out page 4 for the pics of his engine setup. Let me know what you think. Thanks.

Mike

decooney · #2 (**permalink**) 01-12-2003, 02:39 PM

Mike,

I checked out the pics, pretty cool! Your friend seems like a very talented individual. I bet he has built some nice street rods and cars in the past! Some of the pieces and parts he fabricated like the alumimun center console cap (if thats what it is), and plumping for the air/super charger looks like pure art work. Some of the Viper guys out there would appreciate that tilting front clam shell. After looking at the front, engine bay, interior, it's almost like looking at a 60s/muscle car version of today's Viper.

Its always fun to see a true crafstman at work on custom stuff like this every once in a while; far above and beyond the rest of us bolt-on guys...

Thanks for sharing.

RACERAL · #3 (**permalink**) 01-12-2003, 04:07 PM

If he ever quits doing cars.. maybe he could be a plumber... awesome engine. very cool pics

KobraKarl · #4 (**permalink**) 01-12-2003, 08:34 PM

WOW ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Someone , GIVE THAT GUY A JOB!!

750hp · #5 (**permalink**) 01-12-2003, 09:06 PM

Mike - thanks for the photos! I remember seeing some photos of the tilt front a couple of years ago - probably from you back then.

That's an interesting way to run the bypass vlave - wsa that for aesthetics, or was there another reason?

Your friend hs obviously put an incredible amount of time and effort into his car. It clearly looks like the sort of car (along with DV's efforts), that require a few hours of looking at it in the flesh to fully appreciate all the neat custom touches.

Is it on the road yet?

Last question, do you know how many teeth on his cog pulleys? I'm using 74 and 28 with the same 3.45:1 internal step-up in the blower, and I was stripping blower belts at 6500rpm. Just wondering how he went....

Thanks - and please congratulate him for an outstanding car,

Craig

Mike Braddock · #6 (**permalink**) 01-13-2003, 09:04 AM

Craig,

That was the second or third bypass config he built. Apparently it had to be that far from the carb for the turbulence to not adversely affect the pressure signal. If he had gone EFI it would not have been a problem. I'm not sure how many cogs on each pulley. I shall ask him next time I speak with him.

Mike