Build thread - Resurrection of an old Contemporary

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by cscobra

An outstanding thread--your story is inspiring. Keep the progress notes coming.

Agreed, and I'm still laughing at the slight to ERA.

[Bob Perry]

Doug ,How cool i am very happy for you it seems like just yesterday we were spilling beer in seattle talking cobras. I had ol Blue out yesterday for a nice drive.good luck and call next time you are seattle...

[767Jockey]

Originally Posted by Bob Perry

Doug ,How cool i am very happy for you it seems like just yesterday we were spilling beer in seattle talking cobras. I had ol Blue out yesterday for a nice drive.good luck and call next time you are seattle...

Thanks, Bob - your ride is still one of the most beautiful CCX's I've ever seen. I hope to be out to Seattle in the fall, I'll look you up. First cold one is on me.

[767Jockey]

When I started the project, this build thread was the last thing on my mind, so I was regrettably lax in my picture taking. In retrospect it would have been kind of neat to have a photo log of the build, but all I can do is to start from here on. Here are a few shots of some things one or two of you may find interesting that I have done.

First up are the door release handles. For reasons that are unknown to me, Contemporary chose to install all their door release handles upside down, with the lever facing down instead of up. I though that this would be easy to rectify. Wrong, grasshopper! It was a pain in the tail. There is steel in the body behind the stationary part of the latch mechanism, and there was much grinding, fitting and fabricating to be accomplished to complete the task. Here is a picture of
before:

And after:


The shocks were in great shape mechanically, the car, as beat as it was, didn't appear to have a lot of miles on it. I sent them to Koni to be checked and was told they were perfect except for cosmetics. I checked with Koni for the correct color to refinish them. Believe it or not they referenced me to a Dupli-Color spray can paint color. I bought their recommended orange, and it was horrible, not even close. It turned out to be a dull orange brown color, like a burnt orange. I thought why stress over the shock color, I don't even know what color the original cars had. My suspension is the weakest part of the car as far as originality goes, shock color is likely the least of my concerns here. Many shocks are yellow, even some Koni's are yellow. I got the yellow code from Koni, and had the guys who painted the car spray them. The shocks came out great, I scored some decals from Koni, and assembled all six of them with the fresh paint, and with new 275 lb rate springs on the rear coilovers. Jeff G. used a spring similar to this on his car and got a great stance and ride height, and the handling is excellent too. I went just a few pounds stiffer, we'll see how the ride height turns out. Here are the coilovers after they were spiffed up and redone, notice that the Koni's on the rear of Contemporary's are not ride height adjustable, it's all done with spring height and rate. My springs are like Jeff's - 10" height.:


I had the rear XKE Girling calipers all rebuilt with stainless sleeves, new high performance pads, and new parking brake assemblies and pads. Once I run the new stainless hard lines to them, I should be all set up in the brake department. The Girling's are designed to offer excellent performance stopping a much heavier Jaguar XKE, they should do a fine job with a 2300 lb. Cobra:


The rear is a 3:31 limited slip Jag setup, I had it redone, and I detailed everything, all new stainless bolts,, new rear breather assembly, bead blasted the tag and everything. I used SNG Barratt for all my Jag parts, I replaced all the roller bearings in the rear suspension control arm pivot points, etc. The rear suspension is in great shape, and looks pretty good too. It got scratched up a bit installing it (have you ever tried to install a Jag rear alone? Now I know what a one armed paper hanger feels like. The darn thing is HEAVY, too!) so I'll touch up the scratches and I'll be in good shape. All in all it looks pretty good, and mechanically it's pretty much brand new:
Before:




After:



I mentioned earlier that Nick fabricated some really nice original looking FE engine mounts to replace the Cleveland mounts in the car. Looking at the pictures, the car and frame are REALLY dusty. It all needs to be really cleaned up. Here's what they look like:



I was going to try to put all aluminum panels under the hood. I'm not much of a fabricator, so I looked for someone to make them for me. The prices I was getting were crazy, so I figured before I spend all that money let me try to see what I can make the glass panels look like. I had the paint guys spray some sheet metal with a bunch of different aluminum colors, then I took the panels home and played with them. I settled on one of the aluminum colors and after some experimentation, I liked the way they looked after lightly scuffing them with a very fine wetsanding paper. They're not perfect but they look OK. What do you guys think? I also tried to have the paint guys match the color and gloss of the gel coated footboxes. I think they came out pretty good, and I'll be installing an aluminum firewall panel over the fiberglass firewall after all the items I'll be bolting to the inside of the firewall are in place. I'll countersink the screw heads into the engine side of the firewall, and than cover them with the aluminum panel. I'll fab up aluminum mounting panels for under the instrument panel to hold the fusebox and the MSD 6AL box, all on anti vibration mounts. Hopefully everything will be hidden and all will look neat underneath. I hate a rats nest of wiring under there:




Lastly, the transmission crossmember is not normally removable in a Contemporary, at least not in the early ones like mine. Someone had made mine removable earlier in it's life, I just cleaned it up, and after Nick modified it with a Tremec proportioned mount, the grade 8 bolts went in and it's all ready to receive the powertrain:


That's about it for now, I pulled the old harness out of the car tonight. It's all clean and fresh and ready for the new harness. First I think I'll run the tubes that run from the top of the transmission tunnel to the steel hoop under the cowl. Once they are in it's time to wire the car. Tomorrow is shot with the Dr. appointment, but it's clear sailing after that.

[767Jockey]

Originally Posted by patrickt

Agreed, and I'm still laughing at the slight to ERA.

No slight intended, they build a fine product. They want no part of selling me parts, they can't seem to get off the phone fast enough. I understand their position, I'm not criticizing them, it just is what it is. I don't want to lose this thread into a pissin' contest about ERA. I love their cars. I needed parts, they wouldn't sell to me. That's all there is to it.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by 767Jockey

No slight intended, they build a fine product. They want no part of selling me parts, they can't seem to get off the phone fast enough. I understand their position, I'm not criticizing them, it just is what it is. I don't want to lose this thread into a pissin' contest about ERA. I love their cars. I needed parts, they wouldn't sell to me. That's all there is to it.

OK, uhhh, maybe if you landed safely in the Hudson?

[aks801]

Great build thread so far!!! Chances are pretty darn good I won't be buying a Contemporary, but this is great stuff for any "roadster" fan.

Sure looking forward to seeing pics of that newly painted body being delivered.

[767Jockey]

Originally Posted by aks801

Great build thread so far!!! Chances are pretty darn good I won't be buying a Contemporary, but this is great stuff for any "roadster" fan.

Sure looking forward to seeing pics of that newly painted body being delivered.

I'm waiting for the truck as I write this.

[gkellogg]

Great story! I really enjoyed reading about the diamond in the rough. Too bad for the kid selling the car. He shoulda done some homework. I'll look forward to reading/viewing more.

Hope your health problems work out ok soon.

[767Jockey]

Originally Posted by gkellogg

Great story! I really enjoyed reading about the diamond in the rough. Too bad for the kid selling the car. He shoulda done some homework. I'll look forward to reading/viewing more.

Hope your health problems work out ok soon.

Funny thing is, he wasn't a kid, he was a fairly well off man. This was one of his many toys, the other car I saw was a new pristine Ferrari. I think he just didn't care.

[767Jockey]

Originally Posted by patrickt

OK, uhhh, maybe if you landed safely in the Hudson?

Then I'd make enough money from speaking engagements that I'd be knocking on the Kirkham's door right now!