The Build Goes On

[LoBelly]

I like a good read and am always keen to read/see what people have been doing. In particular, because I'm building, I like those build posts especially when there are pictures too. Its been a while since I posted an update on my progress so its only fair that I share.

Hopefully the body is on for the last time - or at least a long time while the rest of the car is finalised. In this pic you can see a summary of what we've been doing.

The most obvious change is the addition of the windscreen, it took several months to get the windscreen and now there's just the matter of the wipers etc. Looks like the three blade set-ups are pushing $900 now.


In the above image you can also see the battery in the boot, which has a battery box and sits in its own cradle, there is a battery isolation switch fitted to the rear of the compartment for the quick disconnection of electricity.

The next image is the dash we made up


The dash is fashioned from aluminium checker plate with the smooth side out.
I like the look of it but may strike trouble if it is deemed to be too reflective.
Used the indicator lights as described in other posts (with bulbs rather than diodes) and they look great. I guess it then follows that a lot of the wiring has been done. We used seven core trailer cable to run forward and backward from the dash - still have a little to do.

I call this next image 'contemplation of the cooling system'.


I have mentioned previously that we started the build without a manual, But with several parts, the project having been abandoned by its original owner after 15 years in the shed (my very own barn find(?)) One of those parts was/is the radiator.

To cut a very long story short the radiator was first mounted in the only place that seemed to fit - only to find that it fouled the bonnet(hood) hoops when the body was mounted. After acquiring a manual we found that the radiator is supposed to be mounted almost horizontally going up from rear to fore with cowling to direct the air over it. (No thanks)

So after much removing of excess chassis its now sitting in the 'mouth' although still at a rather raked back angle (cos its a tall radiator) with a fan mounted behind that draws through very well. Also a modern cooling system with remote filler/resevior - you can see this at the back of the engine bay on the RHS. The engine now keeps its cool and the new transparent reservior is turning brown as the 40 year old engine starts circulating all the goop its been saving up. Amazingly after 15 year kicking round a shed as a loose part, being shipped across the continent in a body full of loose parts and then having been in and out of the snout of the cobra at least 30 times the radiator is without (significant) holes

Onto the fuel tank next...

LoBelly

[Aussie Mike]

Excellent post Michael, I love progress reports with pics too.

Is that the final location for the battery or does it go under the rear deck?

Cheers

[LoBelly]

Thanks Mike

Yes - that's the final position. The build manual says it should go behind the LHS rear wheel but it would have to be a smaller battery.

With the battery box that is the only place it will all fit. Still leaves room for a couple of bottles

LoBelly

[stephen low]

Originally Posted by LoBelly

Thanks Mike

Yes - that's the final position. The build manual says it should go behind the LHS rear wheel but it would have to be a smaller battery.

With the battery box that is the only place it will all fit. Still leaves room for a couple of bottles

LoBelly

Bottles of what Michael?

Cheers

[LoBelly]

Hello Stephen

Bottles of happiness, of course

LoBelly

[Aussie Mike]

Big bottles of happy gas or small bottles of happy liquid?

Cheers

[LoBelly]

Thats right!

How perceptive of you (hopefully more of the former in time)

WoBelly

[fastraxsg]

As you two are some of the more prolific builders and posters, I could sure use some advice. I have this ratty old sorta cobra car that was built locally on a Torana pan with 202 six and a trimatic. I dearly would love to build a proper replica but with customs and import problems and registration it will not happen. However, I can get in a body and bits shipped in but no chassis or motor. This is what I have been thinking, I can buy a second hand Holden belmont wagon or Kingswood SL and use the suspension from it, chop the frame to fit the right wheel base and get a three bar set up somewhere or four bar and use that for the rear. I also have an oppurtunity to get a Chevy 302 with complete front and rear suspension, auto trans (I've got a stuffed left knee so no clutch) driveshaft and diff. You have mentioned build manuals before, are these the books that come with kits or has someone written a manual on do it yourself at home chassis work. My welding isn't so hot, I can gas weld, but a bit slack on the arc welding but can get that done easy enough.
By using the old Holden, I can use the registration, legally change the motor type to a V-8 and have correct serial numbers which is about all they care about. Plus the road tax is still cheap, about $30 Aust a year.
I know there were pixs of a car that someone was building up with Holden front suspension, is this common in Aust? Any help you guys can pass along would be great.

[Rebel1]

Originally Posted by LoBelly

Thanks Mike

Yes - that's the final position. The build manual says it should go behind the LHS rear wheel but it would have to be a smaller battery.

With the battery box that is the only place it will all fit. Still leaves room for a couple of bottles

LoBelly

Oi LB, actually a better place for the battery it in the shelf over the rear suspension on the very left. All you need is a some form of shallow box to insert into the shelf and sit on the frame underneath. My box is glass but many are alloy. It's about 3" deep and gives the height to install the battery. Gets it right out of the way and gives you more room in the boot (trunk).

I just made a simple box mould out of MDF and glassed up a shallow tray.
Cheers

[Aussie Mike]

Originally Posted by fastraxsg

By using the old Holden, I can use the registration, legally change the motor type to a V-8 and have correct serial numbers which is about all they care about. Plus the road tax is still cheap, about $30 Aust a year.
I know there were pixs of a car that someone was building up with Holden front suspension, is this common in Aust? Any help you guys can pass along would be great.

The common Holden suspension used in Australia is the LH, LX & UC Torana front. The DRB kit uses this car as it's main donor.

I reckon it would be a lot of work to cut and shut a Kingswood wagon chassis. You would have to shorten and narrow the whole thing. A recipie for a big headache in my opinion.

If you are stuck with using a donor chassis to retain rego etc you might want to look at a Toyota Crown chassis. G Force in Perth used to do a kit that's designed to go on the Crown chassis. You might be able to find an old Crown in Indonesia at the right price.

Have a look at the G Force web page and give them a call.

http://www.gforcesportscars.com.au/index.html

Cheers

[boxhead]

Holdens have been a monocoque (sip) design since the first FX vehicles.
The only models with a seperate chassis is the HQ-WB commercial vehicles.

[Aussie Mike]

HQ-WB ute 1 tonner ute runs a seperate chassis. I thought the same chassis was under the wagon as well.

Cheers

[fastraxsg]

Thanks for the info on the Holdens, will see about the Crown, there are a few around, didn't some of them come with a Toyota baby hemi v-8 ? that might make an interesting motor for a local Cobra here. I know there are alot of small Rover V-8 Cobras in the UK. Not sure if I want to do a Japanese Cobra but then some Cobra is better than no Cobra. I would like to get out from under mine and start over, need to do paint and upholstery but just no time to get to it right now...I might be back for more help...I appreciate the time. Ken

[Gav]

There are a couple of guys who would say calling their cars 'japanese cobras' be fightin' words
Any hemi in my books is a good hemi, japanese or Keith Black.

Gav

[400TT]

Originally Posted by Gav

There are a couple of guys who would say calling their cars 'japanese cobras' be fightin' words
Any hemi in my books is a good hemi, japanese or Keith Black.

Gav

Some quality parts can be found in jap cars. Especially if you are building a race car. In the Black Harrison we used following jap donor parts:
Toyota 1UZFE Engine - Found in Lexus, Soarer, Crown etc
Nissan Skyline Rear End
Nissan Skyline Front Uprights
Nissan Skyline Front/Rear Brakes
Suzuki Master Cyl/Booster
Toyota Radiator
Mitsubishi Steering
Mazda Seats
Nissan & Toyota Wheels
etc etc

[fastraxsg]

Hi LoBelly, I was wondering where you got the side pipes from or did they come with the car when you bought it? Are they still available from anyone today?

[LoBelly]

hello Fastraxsg

The side pipes on my cobra (and the headers) are home made.

the construction is revealed in this picture


As you can see the headers go into a collector (part of the header kit I brought) and then from the collector into a 3in pipe with a 45deg bend and straight into a 90deg bend to get the pipes to the side of the car.

After that it just steps up into a 4in pipe.

These now have tips made from sawn-off 4in mandrel bends and home made inserts to add muffling.

got the bends and joins etc from local exhaust centres. Having a home mig and a brother who can use it made the construction a lot easier - everything bespoke.

Others here have done the 4-pipes thing - maybe next time for me

hope this helps


LoBelly

[fastraxsg]

I've always liked the looks of the under car side pipes like the team cars ran in '62 and '63. From the occasional picture I have seen, there was the occasional customer car sold with under car mufflers and such but with the tail pipe exiting just in front of the rear wheel. Unique in the US sells a FIA replica that has side pipes similar to yours. I'd stick with these, definitely different and probably really sounds awesome.