High School Students Build A Cobra

[Don]

From the Neosho Daily News:

High school students build replica of mid-60s musclecar

Spring little Cobra getting ready to strike

Spring little Cobra with all your might

Spring little Cobra getting ready to strike

Spring little Cobra with all your might

-- The Rip Chords

By JOHN FORD / Daily News Associate Editor

A project more than two years in the making has paid off for a group of area high school students. Students enrolled in auto mechanics at Crowder College's Technical Education Center have built a brand new, old-style car. And not just any old car, either, as the students have constructed, from the ground up, a replica of a 1964 Shelby Cobra.

The Cobra, built from a kit produced by B&B Manufacturing in Granby, includes a 302 cubic inch, 5.0 liter high output Ford Mustang engine, a five-speed overdrive standard transmission, a Positraction limited slip differential, front suspension from a 1974 Ford Mustang II, and disc brakes at all four wheels.

Every piece of the car was crafted by high school and junior college students. Students in auto mechanics and auto collision repair classes at Neosho, East Newton, McDonald County, Seneca and Diamond high schools worked on the engine, suspension, drive train, body, paint and graphics elements, while members of the Crowder College automotive technology classes did the vehicle's wiring.

Above the din of the Cobra's twin chrome exhaust pipes, Automotive Mechanics Instructor Galeon Smith shouted, "This was built by high school students, juniors and seniors. The students have learned a lot on it. It's quite a project.

"I think we can be proud of this car," Smith confided after shutting off the 5.0 liter engine. "It's a runner and it looks nice."

The Cobra features blue metal-flake paint with gray racing stripes and graphics. Not only were high school students responsible for the factory-quality paint job, they also fitted the Fiberglas body sections together.

"The Cobra was basically in a box when we first got it a few years ago," recalled Russ Canter, collision repair instructor at the CCTEC. "This car was built by students from the frame up."

And, Smith said, students had a chore ahead of them in trimming body panels to line up and bolt up perfectly in place.

The Cobra is definitely fast. During a recent test run, the little car effortlessly made it to 80 miles an hour while the tachometer measured about 2,000 RPM. Smith said the class has put the Cobra on a dyno, a machine which can simulate a grade, measure RPM and, using these figures, calculates a vehicle's horsepower. With a 5 percent grade and measuring 5,200 RPM, the project car listed in at about 400 horsepower.

"I'm not sure I can believe the output, but that's what the computer came up with," Smith laughed. "I know she's fast. The original '64 Cobras had a 427 side-oiler Ford engine in them. I'd hate to think how fast this thing would be with a 427 engine in it."

Exactly how fast is the project car?

"It's seen 100 miles an hour, and runs 70 miles an hour at 1,900 RPM," Smith said.

The Cobra's speedometer measures up to 140 miles an hour, a speed Smith said would not be out of the little car's limits.

The car also draws a crowd wherever it goes. Outside Neosho High School on Wednesday, dozens of students came between classes to look and ask questions about the Cobra. And former auto mechanics students also dropped by to take a look at their project.

One of the students working on the Cobra project was Cody Spencer, who is currently a senior at Neosho High School. Spencer, a student in the auto mechanics class, worked on the Cobra's fuel injection system and did some wiring on the project.

"I learned a lot from this project," he said. "When I started out at Crowder, I knew nothing more about cars than changing the oil. I've learned quite a bit. Mr. Smith is a good teacher."

"How much would it cost to build one?" one of the students gathered asked.

"If you're going to build one, you better have $20,000 in your pocket," Smith answered. "The basic kit is $11,000."

This basic kit includes the fiberglass body of the car, but does not include engine, transmission, radiator, or other drive train components.

Students weren't the only ones gawking at the car, as some school administrators came out to look at the little blue Cobra. One of those looking was Mike Ferraro, assistant principal at Neosho High School, who also got a ride in the Cobra.

"That was awesome!!!" he exclaimed when he and Smith returned to the Neosho High School parking lot. "Everybody ought to have one!"

And some lucky someone could get their chance for this little Cobra. According to Canter, the car will soon be placed on e-Bay for auction. Canter said the group hopes to earn enough money to buy another kit car and begin the process again.

"B&B sells a '34 Ford coupe kit. Maybe we could do something like that," said Canter.

But that would depend on the decision of the Crowder College Board of Trustees, Smith said. Despite what their next project will be, the instructors look forward to it.

Hey, little Cobra, don't you know

You're gonna shut 'em down?

-- The Rip Chords