Wife question

[Stearman]

Hang with me, this is a Backdraft question. Looking for a RT3 for the wife....yes she is/was wanting a Cobra. Just to be sure she and I are on the same page being I'm the one working through the maintenance details. Power steering came up. or the lack there of.
Question, what is the feedback heard from the lady drivers, or your feedback ( male or female), on the ease of the Backdraft steering force? Any comparables? She drives a 99 full size Suburban as her daily driver. Grew up on family tobacco farm working the crops by hand back in the day. She is a tough cookie, but..., now is the time to enjoy life without being frustrated of trying to back out of a parking spot.
Guess we should have reached out more at the London cobra show!
Other notes: trying to find a good used RT3 with power steering is slim. I'm not that interested in trying to rework a power steering into a car. But I'm willing to listen to others if this has been done. Ordering a new equipped RT3 is not a viable route.

Let me know what you think. Any BDR owners within western
Ohio or eastern Indiana within 100 miles of I-70 corridor willing to share an driving experience?

[joey4420]

You could reach out to the Ohio Cobra club, several members have Backdrafts. Not sure how many would be willing to let her drive, but never hurts to ask.

[Antny]

How hard could it be to install a power rack & pinion setup? Easy, I bet.

[lovehamr]

I've done 2 BDRs now, both with FEs. The first was a "he-man" version with no P/S, no P/B, a stiff clutch and a carb. The second Had power steering and brakes with fuel injection and better hydraulics for an easier clutch.

Wouldn't go back to the he-man version.

[flyboy1997]

Have one I would sell, built for my wife when she was driving 3 hours a day to her business, retiring now so I would part with it. One thing you are leaving out for her is PB also, this one has it & the Coyote motor with a little over 1000 miles.
These options make it a great driver.
This car is loaded out but if you want more info & pics let me know.

Wendell / Lynn

[Millsy]

I have the same concern due to many shoulder surgeries. When my BDR gets to Vintage Motorsports i will be visiting it and i will bring my vette so Jay can compare the steering effort in it versus the Cobras he drives all the time. If the steering is much more difficult then i will have him put P/S in, if not then all is good. I see alot of Cobras for sale with very little miles on them and i think it is for 2 main reasons. One is the buyer should of never bought it because funds were tight to begin with and something unexpectedly came up that forced the sale of the car because funds were needed somewhere else. The second reason could be because they didnt like driving the car, something wasnt pleasurable with the driving experience. When i sat in the BDR cobra i knew right away changes needed to be made. The seat needs to be much forward and tilted down from its usual position. The steering wheel was also tilted too far forward. So Jay put all these demands/details in the build sheet and added tilt steering to the options. He also said that these issues can be resolved to make the overall driving experience what i want because of my shoulder issues. Having a builder like this is a big plus to ensuring the setup is correct. Having a local builder also allows me to bring my non cobra car to him so he can take measurements, take it for a drive, see how i like the steering wheel and seat positioned all BEFORE he even starts to assemble the new cobra. Small details like this is what i think alot of buyers miss and end up with an expensive car they dont care for. Alot of due diligence is needed before one is to order these badass machines.

[dallas_]

Another advantage with PS is you can dial in more caster which helps high speed stability.

[Cashburn]

Originally Posted by Millsy

I have the same concern due to many shoulder surgeries. When my BDR gets to Vintage Motorsports i will be visiting it and i will bring my vette so Jay can compare the steering effort in it versus the Cobras he drives all the time. If the steering is much more difficult then i will have him put P/S in, if not then all is good. I see alot of Cobras for sale with very little miles on them and i think it is for 2 main reasons. One is the buyer should of never bought it because funds were tight to begin with and something unexpectedly came up that forced the sale of the car because funds were needed somewhere else. The second reason could be because they didnt like driving the car, something wasnt pleasurable with the driving experience. When i sat in the BDR cobra i knew right away changes needed to be made. The seat needs to be much forward and tilted down from its usual position. The steering wheel was also tilted too far forward. So Jay put all these demands/details in the build sheet and added tilt steering to the options. He also said that these issues can be resolved to make the overall driving experience what i want because of my shoulder issues. Having a builder like this is a big plus to ensuring the setup is correct. Having a local builder also allows me to bring my non cobra car to him so he can take measurements, take it for a drive, see how i like the steering wheel and seat positioned all BEFORE he even starts to assemble the new cobra. Small details like this is what i think alot of buyers miss and end up with an expensive car they dont care for. Alot of due diligence is needed before one is to order these badass machines.

Based on this post you will want PS. I'm not a fan of it, but if you want it light than it's the solution.

[Stearman]

Originally Posted by joey4420

You could reach out to the Ohio Cobra club, several members have Backdrafts. Not sure how many would be willing to let her drive, but never hurts to ask.

Understand totally, I would be very cautious too. Thanks for the tip.

[Stearman]

Originally Posted by Millsy

I have the same concern due to many shoulder surgeries. When my BDR gets to Vintage Motorsports i will be visiting it and i will bring my vette so Jay can compare the steering effort in it versus the Cobras he drives all the time. If the steering is much more difficult then i will have him put P/S in, if not then all is good. I see alot of Cobras for sale with very little miles on them and i think it is for 2 main reasons. One is the buyer should of never bought it because funds were tight to begin with and something unexpectedly came up that forced the sale of the car because funds were needed somewhere else. The second reason could be because they didnt like driving the car, something wasnt pleasurable with the driving experience. When i sat in the BDR cobra i knew right away changes needed to be made. The seat needs to be much forward and tilted down from its usual position. The steering wheel was also tilted too far forward. So Jay put all these demands/details in the build sheet and added tilt steering to the options. He also said that these issues can be resolved to make the overall driving experience what i want because of my shoulder issues. Having a builder like this is a big plus to ensuring the setup is correct. Having a local builder also allows me to bring my non cobra car to him so he can take measurements, take it for a drive, see how i like the steering wheel and seat positioned all BEFORE he even starts to assemble the new cobra. Small details like this is what i think alot of buyers miss and end up with an expensive car they dont care for. Alot of due diligence is needed before one is to order these badass machines.

Did not think about tilt, going to add that to the..."going to retrofit" list.

[Stearman]

Pm sent

[Stearman]

Thanks for the input and help. Best to ask and learn from the experience of others.

[Stearman]

Originally Posted by Stearman

Pm sent

Flyboy, if I knew how to use this computer thingy, you would have seen this note attached to your post. But it ain't going to happen today. I'll have better luck next time.

[flyboy1997]

I got your pm & sent you a email & contact name & number of builder

[olddog]

I don't have a Backdraft, but I do have power steering in an A&C. Previous owner installed a GM power steering pump with a Ford Rack. I think Ford power steering pumps operate 1000-1200 psi and GM are 1200-1500 psi. I don't remember the exact numbers, but that is in the ball park. So do not make that mistake. In this light of a car you can steer it with your pinki finger, and you cannot feel the road.

A fellow that comes to the London Cobra show, who loves to run the auto cross, has power steering in a FFR. He installed an adjustable by-pass valve in his car. When the pressure exceeds the setpoint (a spring loaded relief valve design) it dumps fluid to the return line. Last I talked to him it worked perfectly. He dialed his PS to exact stiff/power level he wanted. I will install one, when I get around to it.

If you put PS in a car this light, I highly recommend installing the valve while your at it.

[Grey 65]

Get the Backdraft rack... It is just an E36 P/S rack and use a KRC P/S pump.. KRC pumps have different flow valves so you can pick the smallest one that doesn't make the rack grown..... I drive my car over 100mph and I can feel the road....

Kevin