Rmc Questions And My Thoughts

[acac]

HI everyone,
I recently purchased a 91 build rmc, i have some questions u guys may be able to help with and some thoughts on the overall quality of the rmc.

i think the body is great the finish and fit of the panels, gaps and finish are excellent.

The trim is a pile of rubbish, maybe down to the guy who built rather than rmc.
crappy piece of fiberglass for a dash, mounted with 4 exposed screws.
door trims poor fit and just look cheap and nasty.
crappy vdo guages.
i plan on redoing the complete interior with need dash and door panels.

ive already fitted side pipes, i bought some side pipes from usa and cut up a set of block hugger headers to clear the streering and chassis rails, what i thought would be a 1 day job, turned into a 3 day job, a major pain to get the exhaust out through the chassis to the side pipes.

Ive just fitted 2 x roll hoops , supplied by drb, really helpfull people but very ordinary hoops, it would have been nice if the radius on the bend of both hoops were the same, even more of a pain since i used 1 roll hoop as the template to cut both sets of holes!
Having to weld my own mounts to the hoop is a pain also, especially on the 3rd leg as it has to be cut on a perfect angle to match the body because its mounted to the body , rather than mounted within the boot.

The pedal arangement is terrible aswell, i couldnt even put my foot on the gas pedal without hitting the brake pedal, for someone with big feet it would be even worse, i got the oxy in there an bent the pedal into a better position and now works fine.

Well thats my ramble and thoughts on the rmc, but i have a few questions you guys may be able to help with.

my car is a 351 windsor and top loader, im going to fit a 302 and 5 speed from a ed xr8, but ive taken some measurements and i think i will have bonnet clearance issues, can someone point me in the right direction as to where i can find a wider , taller bolt on scoop

im also assuming my car has a mk2 jag suspension, can someone confirm this please.

ive just ordered some 18 x 10 and 18 x 8 halibrand replicas from the states and ordered 5 x 4.75 stud pattern which im pretty sure is correct.

does anyone know what sort of steering column is used and what sort of steering rack is used, as i want to upgrade the saas wheel to a momo and dont know what boss kit to buy and maybe look at converting to power steer.

i have tried to get this info from rmc but they dont reply to emails or phone calls.

Any advice anyone can offer on the rewiring of the efi 5.0 would be appreciated also.
sorry for the long post, hoping someone has the answers i need.

Thanks Dean

[Rebel1]

acac, welcome to the land of RMC.

Firstly, there are three renditions of RMC chassis. Yours would be series 1 or maybe series 2. The difference between these two is the series 2 has 2 side rails all the way from the chassis upright behind the rear bulkhead to the front suspension cross member. You'd recognise if this was the case when fitting sidepipes as you'd have two side rails to negotiate to get yout pipes out the side.

The trim is a function of the expertise of who put the car together.

Had you asked the questions re hoops and sidepipes before now we could have saved you a heap of heart ache. Don Pilling of Snakebite, phone 07 5529 0877 makes roll bars (either full width or duals) for the RMC. He also makes beautiful side pipes for them. Don used to own a series 2 RMC himself and is in the business of making bits and pieces for Cobras..

The pedal box if it is the RMC supplied unit is an infinitely adjustable unit but difficult to get at whilst in the car. All pedals hinge off a common shaft and it is only a matter of adding/removing spacers and maybe a little bending to get the pedals to your liking. However, to do this properly the pedal box needs to be out of the car.

Regarding the height of the 5Ltr. engine. It really depends on the engine mount. The early series 1 and 11 had mounts which lifted the carby engines. For the 5Ltr EFI engines most folks cut these down about 25mm ( easy to do with engine out) which should then give you clearance. However, the narrow bonnet scoop of the RMC means you may still have problems. Some folks are just happy to cut away a bit of the bonnet inner liner to clear the manifolds some remove that scoop altogether ( difficult even with fiber glass experience) and fit a wider scoop. ( available from Don Pilling)

The RMC uses XJ series 11 suspension pieces and the early series 2 RMC ( ie. twin side rail) has a bump steer problem which is easy fixed. IT ALSO HAS A SAFETY ISSUE YOU SHOULD ATTEND TO. I'm willing to discuss this on the phone with you.

The current owners of RMC have little time for the cobra market and are certainly not interested in cars purchased prior to them acquiring the company.

In general however, The RMC is a respected kit but considered heavy for those interested in competition. The chassis is over engineered ( in an agricultural sense) but is extremely stiff.

Cheers

[Beejay]

Hello,

If your car is complied with an older motor that does not have all of the pollution gear I would be working that one rather than putting a 302 in.

18" wheels - sounds cool, got any details?

Ben

[Rebel1]

Beejay, exactly my thoughts.

If I owned that car it would have at least a 392 stroker and tremec 600 going into it.

[acac]

Originally Posted by Beejay

Hello,

If your car is complied with an older motor that does not have all of the pollution gear I would be working that one rather than putting a 302 in.

18" wheels - sounds cool, got any details?

Ben

hi ben,

the wheels are american racing 18 x10 rear 18 x 8 front.
ive attached a pic
Dean

[justcobra]

Originally Posted by Rebel1

acac, welcome to the land of RMC.

Firstly, there are three renditions of RMC chassis. Yours would be series 1 or maybe series 2. The difference between these two is the series 2 has 2 side rails all the way from the chassis upright behind the rear bulkhead to the front suspension cross member. You'd recognise if this was the case when fitting sidepipes as you'd have two side rails to negotiate to get yout pipes out the side.

The trim is a function of the expertise of who put the car together.

Had you asked the questions re hoops and sidepipes before now we could have saved you a heap of heart ache. Don Pilling of Snakebite, phone 07 5529 0877 makes roll bars (either full width or duals) for the RMC. He also makes beautiful side pipes for them. Don used to own a series 2 RMC himself and is in the business of making bits and pieces for Cobras..

The pedal box if it is the RMC supplied unit is an infinitely adjustable unit but difficult to get at whilst in the car. All pedals hinge off a common shaft and it is only a matter of adding/removing spacers and maybe a little bending to get the pedals to your liking. However, to do this properly the pedal box needs to be out of the car.

Regarding the height of the 5Ltr. engine. It really depends on the engine mount. The early series 1 and 11 had mounts which lifted the carby engines. For the 5Ltr EFI engines most folks cut these down about 25mm ( easy to do with engine out) which should then give you clearance. However, the narrow bonnet scoop of the RMC means you may still have problems. Some folks are just happy to cut away a bit of the bonnet inner liner to clear the manifolds some remove that scoop altogether ( difficult even with fiber glass experience) and fit a wider scoop. ( available from Don Pilling)

The RMC uses XJ series 11 suspension pieces and the early series 2 RMC ( ie. twin side rail) has a bump steer problem which is easy fixed. IT ALSO HAS A SAFETY ISSUE YOU SHOULD ATTEND TO. I'm willing to discuss this on the phone with you.

The current owners of RMC have little time for the cobra market and are certainly not interested in cars purchased prior to them acquiring the company.

In general however, The RMC is a respected kit but considered heavy for those interested in competition. The chassis is over engineered ( in an agricultural sense) but is extremely stiff.

Cheers

It seems from your description that I got a Series 1 RMC Cobra and any photos of the chassis would be appreciated.

I have seen a Series 1 RMC cobra chassis photos in the forum and it was a single stacker.

I got photos of a double stacker chassis and I totalled the side by scaling the rectangular tubing and it came upto 350mm.

This measurement of 350mm is ridiculous for my Series 1.

I believe that the dimension should be in the vicinity of 200mm without any overhang.

Confirmation that the sill should cover the chassis would be appreciated.

The Series 1 probably had concealed exhaust versus Series 2 had the side pipes which necessitated the extra meat for the side pipes and the need for extensions was not needed.

The Series 1 fibreglass is one of the best on the Aussie market and you could place a elephant on it and it will not break.

The glassing is upto 8.00mm thick in places.

Rx. Stanley Kilmore Victoria 0402713412

PS Further to the additional photos sent to Les c/o Rebel 1 it is confirmed that my RMC is a SERIES THREE and emails to replica motor company quizzing them about the availability and pricing of a chassis has fallen on DEAF EARS.

I had this problem when trying to source hang on panels early in June this year.

I eventually got these panels in Victoria and I saved on freight out of WA.

It appears the RMC are not interested in the Cobra Market in Australia.

[acac]

hi rebel,
thanks for the reply.
i think mine must be s2, as it does have rails the full lenth of the car, it looks like box tube approx 3 x2 and goes all the way to the engine compartment where there is basically tube on top of tube with a 3 inch gap to get the pipes through.
i guess my thoughts with the engine swap are more to get rid of the agricultural top loader and the niceties that go with an efi engine, i drive a 300rwkw xr6t ute as a daily car and like the nice bits that go with that, think im gettin to old to ignore the things that annoy me about the cobra.
the car drives good for what it is, but im trying to get it as nice as it can be and the bump steer is one of the issues i would like to address.
it has all sorts of driveline creaks and moans i want to address, but i think these are related to rear shocks and tail/driveshaft unis.
i would love to have a chat and maybe u can shed some light on some of my issues.
Thanks Dean

[Rebel1]

Dean, I can relate to the gettin old bit.

Firstly what I'm about to say is just me relating my thoughts. I don't want those who are running the 5Ltr taking offence at what is said.

Dean, the 5Ltr with it's bluddy ugly intake manifold just does not do it for me. Given that you already have the 351 and obviously want some benefits of EFI then have a look here:

http://www.mass-floefi.com/mass-flo.html

A system like this gives you all the ole traditional cobra charm of a carby set up but with the advantages of EFI. It uses a reprogramed ford ECM which saves you buying a Motec or Autronic or similar.

You can use whatever cam you want together with whatever heads you want so you can go mild to wild.

I'll send a PM with a number to contact me.

Cheers

[acac]

Originally Posted by Rebel1

Dean, I can relate to the gettin old bit.

Firstly what I'm about to say is just me relating my thoughts. I don't want those who are running the 5Ltr taking offence at what is said.

Dean, the 5Ltr with it's bluddy ugly intake manifold just does not do it for me. Given that you already have the 351 and obviously want some benefits of EFI then have a look here:

http://www.mass-floefi.com/mass-flo.html

A system like this gives you all the ole traditional cobra charm of a carby set up but with the advantages of EFI. It uses a reprogramed ford ECM which saves you buying a Motec or Autronic or similar.

You can use whatever cam you want together with whatever heads you want so you can go mild to wild.

I'll send a PM with a number to contact me.

Cheers

yep agree with the ugly manifold, but for me this car is all about making it as user friendly as possible, i want a nice car not neccasarily a fast car, been down that road too many times, i dont mind spending on the car, but i would rather pile bucks into a new trim, nicer paint and a fully upgrade on the suspension, i want a car that runs like a clock and drives like a new car. ive just jumped out of a big block 62 corvette, looked crazy, went like hell but drove lke a marsh mellow,thats why i sold it.
i want a refined roadster this time and for the virtually no spend i can go from 351 toploader to efi 5 litre , 5speed.
i can probably be talked out of the 302efi, but i reckon a efi car will be nicer car all day and if i want more grunt a supercharger is a simple upgrade.
the efi upgrade u suggested would probably be nice on the 351, but at $4k, dont really see the value.could have blown efi302 for similar money

Dean

[stephen low]

G'day Dean

Welcome to the club.

I have a G-Force which is an RMC variant, I won't say copy, but there are many similarities. I'm guessing your column will be from a Mistu sigma or colt and you'll probably have a Commodore rack.

Whereabouts are you in Melbourne? I'm in the SE suburbs.

As was sort of said earlier, to strictly stay legit., if you transplant a later model efi motor into the car, all the anti pollution crap should also go with it, so as to maintain emissions compliance.

Given you sound like you are fitting live side pipes I'm guessing this point may be of little consideration but the EPA can get fairly nasty if push ever got to shove!

I've got an AU XR8 donk and have to agree the plenum doesn't do too much for looks. I do like the look of the set up through the link posted earlier re alternate intakes but I need to get to VIN number first - I'm still building.

There are certainly a couple of auto electrician types within the club so rewiring to EFI isn't a problem, particularly the earlier XR8 as you have.

Anyway it is all a matter of personal taste so you go down the track you're happy with and bugger the rest - it's your car!

Cheers

[acac]

hi stephen,
yeah the legalities dont really concern me, the fact that mine is a 91 build i dunno if going to a later engine is such an issue even if i use minimal pollution crap.
hoping someone in the club will step up and offer there services to rewire it for me or recommend someone who can.
Dean

[Beejay]

Dean,

Get plenty of advice before going for that 5L, I think you are going to need to get the new motor engineered, and you will not be able to reverse the decision. Many Cobra owners would kill for a legal carby 351 V8 rather than a 5L, so I think you might actually go backwards in resale value too!

As others have said, get a good engine builder to work the 351 with an EFI set up, you will make much more Hp and should still stay relaible if the Combo is right.

My 2 Cents.

Ben

[boxhead]

If you fit the later engine the polution gear needs to match that engine number.

[acac]

the legalities dont concern me, if i was ever defected, i would cross that bridge then

[Plums]

As some people on here have alluded to, once you go with the later model engine you may find it very difficult (legality wise), to go backwards.

If you did get defected you would have two choices; either fit all the pollution gear, or pull the motor out and re-fit the older motor/box...

[750hp]

Originally Posted by acac

the legalities dont concern me, if i was ever defected, i would cross that bridge then

Hehe... I used to think that way. Now I have a Cobra-sized showpiece sitting in the rumpus room minus registration. Make sure that any mods that you make are reversible.

Have a good chat to Rebel1 about the safety issue. My RMC had not been fixed, and I had the suspension failure that Les is no doubt talking about.

[Rebel1]

Craig, that must be a huuuuuuge rumpus room you have

Hows ya been and where ya been......we missed ya. You're part of this institution mate.

[acac]

Originally Posted by Rebel1

Craig, that must be a huuuuuuge rumpus room you have

Hows ya been and where ya been......we missed ya. You're part of this institution mate.

hi les,
just wanted to say thanks for the chat tonight, it was very informative.
Thanks Dean

[Rebel1]

Originally Posted by acac

hi les,
just wanted to say thanks for the chat tonight, it was very informative.
Thanks Dean

You are most welcome.

By the way, have a look here and see the gussetts reinforcing the upper arm mount.

http://www.clubcobra.com/photopost/s...0&ppuser=23826

[acac]

hi plums,
yes im aware of that, it doesnt concern me
Dean