Commissioning a Turn Key ERA 427 Cobra

[428street]

Came into this late but here is my .02.

Have fun with this, it's exciting.

On so many levels ERA is just a great company and a great product. You will not be let down on any level.

Be reasonable and you will have no problems. These guys are like old new England craftsmen. The quality is beyond expectations. This takes time. Whatever date they give times it by 1.5.

Build the car you want.

You can reach me direct at 203.506.9126 for anything specific.

[kgs365]

ditto what 428 said....the ride is long as far as the build...but everytime you see the work they do its like x-mass morning when you where a kid!

Originally Posted by 428street

Came into this late but here is my .02.

Have fun with this, it's exciting.

On so many levels ERA is just a great company and a great product. You will not be let down on any level.

Be reasonable and you will have no problems. These guys are like old new England craftsmen. The quality is beyond expectations. This takes time. Whatever date they give times it by 1.5.

Build the car you want.

You can reach me direct at 203.506.9126 for anything specific.

[ZOERA-SC7XX]

Adding to that, the time goes by faster than you may think, and then you have your Cobra. After that, the driving experience is just great, no matter how many years you have it. It just keeps getting better season after season. ERA is the best.
PS. Does anyone know the date of the ERA open house this year?

[strictlypersonl]

I suspect that the open house will be on Friday, the 23rd.

[Green Hornet]

Flygirl,

I have thoroughly enjoyed your thread. It actually prompted me to re-register with CC as I had forgotten my password and could not figure out how to retrieve it.

I own ERA #669. Which some call Peter P's car but I've owned it since it was new. It was a full turn key and I had no issues getting an SB 100 in Cali.

It's a full street spec car and is pictured on ERA's website with Peter's original (csx 3252) and in the new ERA poster. It has the smooth hood but in aluminum, 2.5 in. undercar exhaust, sunbursts, street gas cap, etc. I have a mild 428 with a wide top loader and 3.31:1 gears.

I have been developing this car for over seven years and would love to help assist you in any decisions.

Added bonus - I live in the Bay Area if you want to see it.

Green Hornet

[Flygirl]

Thank you! I've been offline for a while now, a new job and traveling, no excuses really just swamped with a long to-do list.

Time to build/wait for a turnkey ERA: I know what y'all mean about the months passing, and then...there's the car coming off the transporter! I'm going to be 50 next year and am really experiencing that acceleration of the passage of time which comes with age. To be honest, the year flew by, and it's only going to get quicker. I'm not in any rush, really, so waiting's not a big deal. And I appreciate the contact information and offers of assistance. Sometimes I'm not good at reaching out, that's something I need to improve upon.

A new ERA for me?: Actually yes, I'm very serious about the idea. I placed a $5,000 deposit last month, and have been added to the list. But I'm still considering other options, one in particular; we'll see how it goes. I will say that I've read and re-read the assembly manual, and find myself thinking, "I could do that!" Really interesting stuff.

SB-100: From what I understand, SB-100 is an option for this car. And Green Hornet proves that to be so. Logically, I'm not sure I see how it's any different from a Superformance. In that case, SPF builds the roller and another entity adds the driveline. In ERA's case, ERA builds the roller, another entity adds the driveline...in fact, a third entity paints the body. I've seen other ERAs, built by ERA (as opposed to by an individual) registered under SB-100, in fact, I nearly bought one. Everything I've learned indicates that it should be SB-100 compliant.

Engine choices: During layovers and such, I've been reading a lot about the original Cobras, reviewing many pictures, and one of my students gifted me the book, "Shelby Cobra, 50 Years" by Colin Comer, which I carry with me wherever I go. The gist of that book is that the 428 was seen by most customers at the time as not terribly desirable. So, although some cars came with that engine, it was often (but not always) swapped out for a side oiler. That said, I'm pushing the budget with this car as it is, and the 428CJ is my turnkey engine of choice. A good blend of price, period correctness, and lower end torque in an engine that'll be built to a mild configuration.

Green Hornet's Car: Thank you! It's a beaut and has the look I'm going for. I'm in the bay area regularly, and would love to take you up on your offer. At the moment I think I'd prefer the five speed, but that's the main difference, besides the color. I've also seen some pics of earlier street 427s ( in particular, comedian Mort Sahl's car that was stolen in San Francisco in '66, and never seen again) that has only the chrome overriders front and rear, with that air splitter up front in the grille opening. I think one of the most attractive aspects of the car is in the rear, how the body curves down and in below the trunk opening, and worry that perhaps the bumper hides that feature a bit too much for my taste.

The current hypothetical set up of a turnkey ERA 427 Cobra for Pinto Girl: Street version, Wimbledon white, no scoop, 428/five speed, vinyl seats, street gas cap (or the comp version if it's cheaper, especially if I go with the comp instrument panel, see below), Halibrand style knock offs, undercar exhaust with the pipes exiting downward in the rear and mostly out of sight (instead of straight back), chrome overriders front and rear (no bumper or grille hoop) and the splitter up front, 15" wood steering wheel with the Cobra center cap. It'd be equipped with the heavy duty puller fan so the twin pushers wouldn't be necessary. The only question is that I really prefer the comp instrument panel, would it be too much of a mistake to spec that instead of the street panel, but with a glove compartment? From an aesthetic point of view, this car wouldn't have the sunbursts, so perhaps the comp filler cap and comp instrument panel with a glove compartment would be elements blending comp and street styles...? Or is that just weird? Really don't know how I feel about this yet.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Flygirl

The only question is that I really prefer the comp instrument panel, would it be too much of a mistake to spec that instead of the street panel, but with a glove compartment? From an aesthetic point of view, this car wouldn't have the sunbursts, so perhaps the comp filler cap and comp instrument panel with a glove compartment would be elements blending comp and street styles...? Or is that just weird? Really don't know how I feel about this yet.

A lot of us have the comp dash with a glove box, which is "blending the two." I think it just looks better than a no-box dash, and I think the comp style looks better than the street style. Remember, these are just fake cars. You can make them any way you want and no one except us will know the difference. In the years I have owned my car I have run in to exactly one real Cobra owner (and he was an owner 40 years ago). He did look at the comp dash and said "You know, I think my dash was different from yours, but I'm not sure..." and that started a fun, long conversation. He was nuts about my car, too. Build it any way you want.

[RodKnock]

Glove box? A heater, defroster, heated seats, A/C, PS, PW, stereo, and PA can't be too far behind.

I tend towards the purist end of the Cobra spectrum, but then my Cobra experience generally comes from watching my tires flat spot in the garage.



Flygirl, glad to see you back on CC. Patrick was very worried about you.

[Flygirl]

Originally Posted by RodKnock

Glove box? A heater, defroster, heated seats, A/C, PS, PW, stereo, and PA can't be too far behind.

I tend towards the purist end of the Cobra spectrum, but then my Cobra experience generally comes from watching my tires flat spot in the garage.

Flygirl, glad to see you back on CC. Patrick was very worried about you.

Thank you. He expresses worry in a very...umm...pejorative manner, however.

I'm only considering the glove box with the comp instrument panel as a design element that blends street and race themes.

And that list of luxury items omits the most important one of all: a slushbox!

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by Flygirl

Thank you. He expresses worry in a very...umm...pejorative manner, however.

I'm only considering the glove box with the comp instrument panel as a design element that blends street and race themes.

And that list of luxury items omits the most important one of all: a slushbox!

Well, that's "our" Patrick. At least you won't be painting your Cobra "beige."

If someone would make an affordable Sunburst, those would sure look nice on your street build. Last thread I saw about the Sunbursts, they were about $800/wheel.

Sunburst Wheels

[DanEC]

Originally Posted by Flygirl

The current hypothetical set up of a turnkey ERA 427 Cobra for Pinto Girl:[/i][/b] Street version, Wimbledon white, no scoop, 428/five speed, vinyl seats, street gas cap (or the comp version if it's cheaper, especially if I go with the comp instrument panel, see below), Halibrand style knock offs, undercar exhaust with the pipes exiting downward in the rear and mostly out of sight (instead of straight back), chrome overriders front and rear (no bumper or grille hoop) and the splitter up front, 15" wood steering wheel with the Cobra center cap. It'd be equipped with the heavy duty puller fan so the twin pushers wouldn't be necessary. The only question is that I really prefer the comp instrument panel, would it be too much of a mistake to spec that instead of the street panel, but with a glove compartment? From an aesthetic point of view, this car wouldn't have the sunbursts, so perhaps the comp filler cap and comp instrument panel with a glove compartment would be elements blending comp and street styles...? Or is that just weird? Really don't know how I feel about this yet.

Here's a thought - instead of the Halibrand knock offs you might consider the FIA wheels that some of the very early 427 cars seem to have been fitted with or at least acquired over time. I actually wish I had purchased them for my ERA roadster. The downside is that Vintage doesn't sell the FIA style (Trigo does) so I wouldn't have been able to deal with Bob at Vintage who is a great guy.

Be sure to talk to Peter about wanting the street fuel cap. They have to perform a little work to accomplish that and I sourced my own filler cap from England although they may be able to help you come up with one. Also, ask them to be sure and not drill the body for the roll bar - assuming you don't intend to have one. For some reason they drilled my car for the roll bar and then had to fiberglass the holes back up. If your a stickler on authentic features ask Peter for the original type glove box knob. I think he must keep those in the back of his desk drawer or something but if asked he will cough one up - or he did for me. If you want to get really into authentic details 428Street can really fix you up with all sorts of information.

Good luck

[ZOERA-SC7XX]

Nothing wrong with a Cobra with some S/C features and some 'Street' features. The combination is quite common (even among original Cobras). Mine has street bumpers (they look great and protect the front body edges from road rash), S/C dash, scoop and gas cap, along with sidepipes and single roll bar, for that 'Cobra" look. The 428 is a no-brainer, as you can save at least 10k, and the 428 performs great and has good 'street behavior' (just look at the old GT 500 Mustang). I would suggest the large (original size) Moto Lita steering wheel, as the look is fabulous and the larger diameter makes for easier steering. Any way you do it, it will be 'correct' for you. Good luck.

[xb-60]

I agree that you - or anybody doing a new ERA build - should do what you really want to do, as you're the one paying the money. Personally I think any deviations should be period correct, but apart from that, a lot of the original road cars were modified for racing early in their lives, so there was a lot of mixing and matching back then, and that validates it in a 'replica' now.
Cheers,
Glen

[kgs365]

congrats on the first step Flygirl....you will enjoy the ride...I'm just about done with the process and don't have any regrets

[jeffy]

Hi Flygirl! Welcome to the ERA family!

Fortunately, you have time to come to your senses and decide to build a 289FIA! If you visit ERA over the winter, mine will be there for you to look at. Here is the build album:

ERA 2131 pictures by jeffy10028 - Photobucket

Good luck and enjoy the journey!

Take care,

Jeff

[ZOERA-SC7XX]

Jeff, I saw your car when I was at ERA last week for the party. Very nice car. Is it back there for service, or have you yet to take delivery?

[jeffy]

Originally Posted by ZOERA-SC7XX

Jeff, I saw your car when I was at ERA last week for the party. Very nice car. Is it back there for service, or have you yet to take delivery?

Thanks!

Picked it up in May, about 1,700 miles since then, I think (the speedo was out for about 1,100 miles). Glad it doesn't look all beat up!

From the day I picked it up, the Richmond tranny would grind shifting from fourth to fifth. No one knows why. I lived with it (I figured out a way to avoid it about 80% of the time by putting it in neutral for a bit before going to fifth) and now its been pulled to go back to Richmond. Obviously defective out of the box.

Jeff

[tkb289]

Flygirl,

To add to the comments above, welcome to the ERA family!

You have a great plan and as the guys said, build the car YOU want. As the build progresses, you might change a few things here and there, but the key decisions that are not easily changed are color, body features (scoops & cut outs) and dash configuration. Sounds like you have those well thought out.

One hot topic around here is roll bars. For a street setup, none is the way to go

Some folks have gone for the traditional single roll bar, some with dual roll bars and yet others with a full width roll bar set up ... I have a unique setup on ERA 2136 that allows for a single or full width roll bar

What I would suggest is to consider having ERA weld into the frame, the tubing and mounting points for whatever roll bar configuration you might want in the future, maybe even have them make the roll bar and fit it to the frame. The whole setup will be powder coated and will fit just right.

Then be sure to tell Peter ... DO NOT drill the body for the roll bar, just leave it in pure street mode, NO roll bar. Down the road, if you decide to race the car or just want to have a roll bar, all that needs to be done is to have the body drilled and you are done. A small investment up front and a real savings later on if you change your mind.

Now whether you go for a single or double roll bars ... that's up to you

[DanEC]

Originally Posted by tkb289

Flygirl,

To add to the comments above, welcome to the ERA family!

You have a great plan and as the guys said, build the car YOU want. As the build progresses, you might change a few things here and there, but the key decisions that are not easily changed are color, body features (scoops & cut outs) and dash configuration. Sounds like you have those well thought out.

One hot topic around here is roll bars. For a street setup, none is the way to go

Some folks have gone for the traditional single roll bar, some with dual roll bars and yet others with a full width roll bar set up ... I have a unique setup on ERA 2136 that allows for a single or full width roll bar

What I would suggest is to consider having ERA weld into the frame, the tubing and mounting points for whatever roll bar configuration you might want in the future, maybe even have them make the roll bar and fit it to the frame. The whole setup will be powder coated and will fit just right.

Then be sure to tell Peter ... DO NOT drill the body for the roll bar, just leave it in pure street mode, NO roll bar. Down the road, if you decide to race the car or just want to have a roll bar, all that needs to be done is to have the body drilled and you are done. A small investment up front and a real savings later on if you change your mind.

Now whether you go for a single or double roll bars ... that's up to you

I'm not sure if it was intentional or not - but my street car w/o roll bar still has the brackets all welded to the frame.

[tkb289]

Originally Posted by DanEC

I'm not sure if it was intentional or not - but my street car w/o roll bar still has the brackets all welded to the frame.

Interesting, that just might be standard practice at ERA ... it makes a lot of sense to build the frame that way.