West Coast Cobra Owner Build Chassis # 3299

[kitcarbp]

Summer 2014
It took a while to agree a start date with the body shop because they were slammed with Vette work. I was patient. I waited this long, whats another few months? In July 2014 I rolled the Cobra out to the street with the body in place but not yet fastened with rivets permanently.
Called AAA and they took it to the body shop. Now the progress really begins! The body man would be the only other person that worked on my car. Up to this point I was the only wrench. Notice the chalk drawing on the driveway. I guess earlier in that day it was playdate at my house

[kitcarbp]

September 2014

Here are pics from the first week. Let the fabrication begin! I dropped the car off in July and the guys didnt start on it until Sept. imagine a sought after bodyshop running behind plan!
Remember my eBay purchased WCC kit included a very rough Vern special WCC hardtop. The word rough is quite kind! But I had one. The pictures here of the hard top are after a week of cutting and glassing to get the fit right to the body. Way more labor than I planned for.

[kitcarbp]

Oct-Nov 2014

Changes! Redesign topics. So as with most projects, there is scope creep. I wanted to add a few safety features for seatbelt harness mounting. I selected Schroth Racing 4 point harness out of Germany because they had undergone DOT testing their belts for selling in the USA many years ago. They are well engineered and good quality. Seat belts are pretty important. Today watching the 12 hours of Sebring the LMP class prototypes were also using Schroth belts. I trust them. I had the body shop weld up a harness bar that mounts in the trunk in place of where the traditional WCC fuel tank is fitted. My body has a fuel filler in the rear fender that I like which meant the fuel tank is in the floor of the trunk. We welded in a fuel tank support bar into the frame to support the fuel tank weight beneath the fiberglass floor. Here is a pic of the assembled PE plastic tank and my pressure test on the bench to check for leaks before installing. Note the Schwin bike pump used to pressurize the tank a few psi. I used these fuel compatible sealing washers shown for every fastener on the fuel tank you must use shoulder bolts to ensure they seal correctly. Also note the GM Group 78 battery with vent tube assembly from a GM car that used trunk mounted battery. Keeping the acid vapor outside! Oem look!

[kitcarbp]

December 2014.

By mid December the mods I requested were done and the body entered a guide coat stage for a little bit and more sanding of course

[kitcarbp]

December 2014
Here are more pics of primer coat stage , now 10 years into my build, a long haul!

[kitcarbp]

While the body was being taken care of at JBL Automotove in Dulles, VA, I was busy building the custom dash. I started off with a billet sheet of aluminum. I was lucky to have machinist friends help me out in creating the CAD/CAM files for the dash. We used a multi axis Haas CNC machining center to build some magic. Here are the pics of how he did it

[kitcarbp]

September 2014

For my dash appearance, I wanted a flat black appearance and wanted to use something that was proven UV resistant and durable. I chose a 3M film product that is used on exterior signs with proven Pressure Sensitive Adhesive and UV stable that will not fade or delaminate from the sun loads. On a roadster its pretty important. I selected VDO Viewline gauges. To save real estate and keep the dash clean and simple I used a Speedo with telltales built into the unit. No need for individual light bulbs on the dash. I also installed dual heated seats and found a nice twin rotary control switch similar to the units used in the finest German cars. I drive my car into the Fall months with my hardtop, and the heated seats keep us comfortable when temps dip into the 40’s. Of course ya need USB ports to charge your devices too.