New guy with some questions
 

Greetings,

I just discover this site and have scanned all 50 pages. Great reading and a great bunch of guys. I am 53 and have been a car nut all my adult life. I have also been very fortunate to have owned some nice rides including a 911 Carrara, C5 Corvette and 66 Sunbeam Tiger. I wanted a cobra…then a GT 350 but my bank account said get the Tiger. But…a cobra has always been the dream. I’m sure many of you can relate. It seems that a replica might be a realistic (affordable), way to go and am just starting to do little research. I remembered seeing an article years ago in one of my many car mags…I’ve purchased every Road & Track from the time I was 16…that compared the leading cobra kits and ERA was number one saying it was the most authentic. Interestingly, I just heard the same thing from a sales guy at F40 Motorsports. Anyway, like I said, trying to get educated so if anyone could weigh in on the following I would appreciate it.

Thanks!


Is FI much more reliable/desirable than a Holley carb? My Sunbeam Tiger had a Holley that gave me a lot of trouble.

I live in the Dallas area. Are there any members in the Dallas/Fort Worth who have found a good place for final assembly and maintenance?

I have two Holley carbs on my 427 Tunnelport equipped side oiler and have only had to adjust and tune them once. I know plenty of people who have never tuned their holleys after their initial tune and have 20,000+ miles on them without an issue. I guess to respond properly to your question I need to ask if you have ever had your holley tuned professionally?

ERA is a fantastic company still in business today.........To own one you would not go wrong.


Bill S.

FI more reliable? Probably not. More desirable? Not to me. Don't design your car around what you think might be desirable to others. If you're going to go to the trouble of having ERA build you a car, build it to suit yourself. If you get too far out of line, Peter will steer you back in the right direction.

Have ERA finish it off for you. There's no one on the planet that can build and finish an ERA car better than they can. As to maintenance, for the most part it's not as difficult as you might think. Of all the cars I have ever owned, my ERA Cobra is the easiest one to work on -- and I'm serious on that.

When you say "final assembly"? What are you intending to purchase? You can order any level of completion from ERA, and they ship unpainted rollers, painted rollers, turnkey minus (all done except engine and trans install), or complete turnkey (you provide the motor or they source one to your specs). There are some used ones on the market - looking for a 427 body or 289? Definitely worth visiting the factory in New Britain, Ct. They normally have 10 - 12 cars in varying stages of completion on the premises, and can show you the chassis and glass shop, as well as the finish assembly area. Great group, small company, build 60 or so cars a year and have been doing it for over 20 years. Build a 427 SC, a 289 FIA, 289 Slab Side, and a GT40 - each very faithful to the original dimension specs of the body, cockpit, engine and trunk compartments. Look virtually identical to the original.

One variation from the original on their cobra replicas is the chassis construction. Designed to be driven and tracked in many cases - they went with rectangular tube chassis and use 3" * 4" rect tube contstruction, rather than 2" * 4" rect tube used in many replicas, or 3 - 4" round tube used in the original. Their chassis has a section that wraps up around the back of the cockpit as well - door latches are bolted to that assembly - and are rock solid. Designed to use the Jag Dana IRS, and they manufacture a custom rear assembly, based on an aluminum housing, with outboard brakes (as opposed to the standard Jag internal brake setup), that is both lighter and stronger, and permits oversized outboard brakes. Defiitely worth a visit to ERA in Ct. Enjoy the research.

I'll make it short and sweet...
 

JayDog, if money is not an issue (within reason, of course), and if glass versus aluminum is not an issue to you, and if having the ability to say you have a "real Shelby" is not an issue to you, then ERA is clearly the car for you. No two ways about it.:cool:

Guys,

Thanks for weighing in. I live in Dallas and 100+ days are the norm from June thru September. My Tiger was always running hot and the Holley was susceptible to vapor lock but probably needed a rebuild. My question about local support has to do more with finding a used car but still needing a local guy to help evaluate before I buy and then help me keep it in order once I purchase. Make sense?

Never had a vapor lock issue even on 100 degree high humidity days -- I wouldn't worry about it. Since the best part of the driving season is pretty much over, I think you ought to wait until the spring and use the time between then and now to learn the zillion different things there are to learn about these cars. Somehow I read your first post to mean you were just going to have ERA build you a Cobra to your specs. Buying a used Cobra makes it a little trickier, but frankly it's probably a better idea money-wise.

Patrick, you're basing part of your reply based on living here in the Mid-Atlantic area. In Texas the good driving season is just beginning! Get it now!

JayDog, I am just four years older than you, am in Dallas and bought my first Cobra, an SPF with a Keith Craft engine, six months ago, so I am also new. Two thoughts. First, for maintenance in the Dallas area, C&S Performance in Plano. http://www.candsperformance.com/ Rob Camp in the principal, used to be in business with Keith Craft. Gary Morris and Michael Turner are very helpful. Second, the DFW owners group is very active, very welcoming to new guys like you and me, and very helpful. Go to the Texas Cobra Club forum on this site. The group gets together at least one a month for a lunch (cool months) or breakfast (warm months) around the monthly Cars and Coffee, first Saturday of every month. And there is lots of other stuff. John Shelton has organized a November 13 trip (which I cannot make) to the Great American Peanut Butter Festival in Grand Saline. Gary Tucker has organized an October 23-24 trip (which I can and will make) for a National (seems a bit ambitous) Championship Barbeque Cookoff and car show in Meridian. Larry Carlson

JayDog, if you find a reliable FI setup, whether it be TWM or Dynatek or what have you, then pass along to everyone here. I think the preponderance of evidence suggests that FI is PITA.

I'm sure you'll find a handful of folks here, most of them being geniuses or the 2nd coming of MacGuyver, who have run FI sucessfully and reliably. Most others have not.

Nearly everyone, with the possible exception of me :LOL:, can work on a Holley, but try and find an expert on FI. They're out there somewhere, but very few and far between.

JMHO

BTW, ERA = Very Good Choice.

Guys,

Thanks for all the input. I'll try to make some of the upcoming events.

Take care, Jay