my first disgusted spectator

[rustyBob]

BBfangs.....some people just cant appreciate the time and effort that goes into building a car from scratch.....they have never done it.....their loss of cource....
bbc in a Cobra is not my thing but "i get it"......
24's on an Impala thats 4 foot off the ground not my thing but "i get it"( well maybe i dont get that one) a real car guy "GETS IT" a real jerk dosent........
my car has AC emblems front and rear and says powered by ford on the valve covers
and NO mines not a Cobra "ITS A REPLICA OF A COBRA".....

[SoTxButler]

If the guy had any social skills, he would have said "nice car" and then shut up....he is obviously a jerk....not for feeling the way he does, but for saying it aloud.

I am always amazed at how many people at car shows have no idea what they are looking at under the hood and, these are grown men....I just can't understand how a grown man will take a son to a car show and not even try to understand and point out to the kid the skill, creativity and hard work that goes into one of these cars....guess they are just looking at paint color and neon lights. A car show is a perfect place for a father/son bonding and all the fun conversation about the "neat cars". It is a sad commentary on society today.

[Dangerous Doug]

Originally Posted by rustyBob

...24's on an Impala thats 4 foot off the ground...

Okay, I can understand a BBC in a Cobra replica, but the 24's on the Impala? No. I really don't get it---unless they are trying to be funny...


DD

[BBfangs]

ratsnst1, I posted a few pics in my gallery of my engine, nothing special but I like it. I just put in the msd system and need to work out some issues. I made the mistake of getting the programmable MSD 6AL-2, I wanted the Digital 6, long story really buyer error, oh well. I am hoping to change out the valve covers soon.

[ratsnst1]

Originally Posted by BBfangs

ratsnst1, I posted a few pics in my gallery of my engine, nothing special but I like it. I just put in the msd system and need to work out some issues. I made the mistake of getting the programmable MSD 6AL-2, I wanted the Digital 6, long story really buyer error, oh well. I am hoping to change out the valve covers soon.

I like the look of the engine, what size is it, mine a 515 makes power to 6000 rpm, and hauls ass.

[Excaliber]

It's pretty typical for folks outside the USA to put a wide variety of motors under the hood to meet their countries various legal requirements. I have the distinct impression that even in these countries a Ford engine still gathers a ton of respect. It's the best choice if the law's and the budget allow for it, not always the case depending on the country.

In the USA it's easy to run a Ford. You can run a Toyota engine if you want, or make it a front wheel drive Honda with 24" wheels if thats your thing. But you do have a choice, unlike in many other countries where your options are limited.

When I see some of the Austrialia builds I sure admire the ingenuity and work it takes to over come those legal parameters. Like catalytic converters in the side pipes, for instance. There is some serious attention to detail in many of these foreign replica builds.

Chevy in a replica Cobra here in the USA? Pfffttt, piece of cake, no challenge there, no extraordinary "points" for ingenuity. Woulda, coulda, shoulda don't cut it. Shelby went with Ford and AC. It could have have been Austin Healey and Buick, Oldsmobile (an engine Shelby favored as well) or Chevy. It could have been a lot of different combinations, it wasn't. When the smoke cleared it was AC and Ford.

[BBfangs]

I think it is up to the owners ultimate goal as to the best choice for them concerning replicas, it is what they want out of it. I am all for American muscle, which includes Chevy, Ford, AMC, Pontiac, etc. I wouldn't like to see a Honda in an American muscle car but it would be the owners choice. So, Excaliber, are you saying that the engineering (personal design)that goes into a replica cobra, just because it is chevy based and not what was originally matched up gets no respect?

[CobraEd]

Originally Posted by Excaliber

Shelby went with Ford and AC. It could have have been Austin Healey and Buick, Oldsmobile (an engine Shelby favored as well) or Chevy. It could have been a lot of different combinations, it wasn't. When the smoke cleared it was AC and Ford.

As I understand it, Shelby went to Chevy first, but they turned him down.

I think that if "Chevrolet" were not french, it would be better accepted by the Cobra community.


.

[Excaliber]

Gets no big amount of respect from ME, I can take it or leave it, or move on to the next car at the local cruise in, whatever... Just not my cup of tea, could be worse though. It could have neon lights under the side pipes that blink on and off to the big base speaker booming out in the trunk.

Put some FE style valve covers on that BBC, now that would be interesting, I would certainly pause to look as I passed by and scratched my head. Extra "points" for ingenuity.

[Jerry Clayton]

We build a lot of muscle era engines for many very dyed in the wool straight laced enthusisants---they really turn pale when in our conversations I lead them into a trap about how 100% brand loyal they are to there brand and then point out that most likely the only oem parts in there engine are a camshaft thrust plate or possibly a couple of special headed bolts

My favorite saying over the years has become---the crankshaft doesn't know what the valve cover says ---

Why do the Everette-Morrison cars have the most unusal choice of engines???usually because the 4 in frame is most like original and the C4 vette aluminum suspension is so highly developed and the owners want the cars to PERFORM on the road or track, not setting at a car shw with the hood up

[Jerry Clayton]

Sorry Ernie--I was typing that while you were so It isn't a comment at you about the valve covers

[Excaliber]

No problem Jerry. Much of what I consider appropriate for a replica has to do with the overall look and feel of the end product. If you want to seriously go racing there are a bunch of choices, none of which appeal to me. JBL, for instance, heckuva a race car, looks put me off. FFR is a good choice, hmmm, I'm not a big fan of the perky butt syndrome. I had an Excalibur, the longer wheel base always bothered me.

This time around, my third replica, I wanted something that was close to what it was really like, "back in the day." Thats why I specifically went with a side oiler and then built it like you might find one typically built "back in the day". Solid lifter, OEM iron heads, OEM alloy intake, IRS, top loader. Specs very much like you could find then. I just wanted to experience more like what it felt like back then. I do miss the easy maintenance of the 302 in the Excal, but that was then, this is now.

I recently put a 5 speed in it, but don't tell anyone.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Excaliber

I just wanted to experience more like what it felt like back then.

Then you need to "fix" it so that it unexpectedly breaks down when you're out in the middle of nowhere and so that it overheats a lot when you're in traffic.

[dcdoug]

Originally Posted by patrickt

Then you need to "fix" it so that it unexpectedly breaks down when you're out in the middle of nowhere

Don't you and your Tremec have that covered for us?

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by dcdoug

Don't you and your Tremec have that covered for us?

You know, on Friday I was marvelling at how nice the Tremec's .64 5th gear along with the 3.54 rear is. There is a huge difference between 2000 and 2500 RPM, noise-wise, in my car. I was way out on I-66, at the beginning of the mountains, doing a conservative 70MPH in the sunshine, hardly anyone on the roads, and at 2000 RPM the engine was downright quiet. I could even drop down to 1800 or so without any misbehavior. It was very, very relaxing. I would absolutely, posively not trade my .64 for either the .82 or a Toploader's gears... so long as it doesn't break, that is.

[Excaliber]

Hey, THATS why on some days I miss the simplicity of the Excalibur.

Trust me, it's "just like an original" in all the ways that tend to piss me off.

[dcdoug]

How would the .82 with a 3.31 compare to that (which is my set up)?

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by dcdoug

How would the .82 with a 3.31 compare to that (which is my set up)?

With a 26" tire diameter, those ratios equate to 71MPH at 2500RPM.

[dcdoug]

Originally Posted by patrickt

With a 26" tire diameter, those ratios equate to 71MPH at 2500RPM.

My tach shows I'm turning closer to 2000 RPM @ 70mph. Maybe a touch over that, but not 2,500.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by dcdoug

My tach shows I'm turning closer to 2000 RPM @ 70mph. Maybe a touch over that, but not 2,500.

There's several Speed/RPM Calculators on the 'net. You can double check me, but I'm pretty sure a 3.31 rear and the .82 5th gear gives you 2500 RPM at 70 MPH. But I could always be wrong....