Any new ERAs in que?

[DanEC]

Seems like it's been a long time since we have had anyone waiting for delivery or working on assembly of a new ERA project. I think prp289 (Phil) is in some stage of finishing his up but it seems like it's been awhile since he has checked in too.

Anyone lurking out there waiting on their car or working on assembling one?

[RockBit]

Yes. I have ordered an ERA 427 SC and expect delivery in late March of 2016. It was ordered as a roller and will be painted in Connecticut. Lykins Motorsports is building the engine for it, and will also supply the transmission, clutch, etc. It is a long wait but I'm sure it will be worth it!

[GregAgrest]

Out of curiosity, what is Brent building for your ERA?

[RockBit]

It will be an all aluminum 427 FE side oiler bored and stroked to 482 CI, based on the Pond block, and will have a single carburetor. I don't know what the final hp/tq numbers will be, but I asked Brent to set it up for drive ability and low end torque. The car will be a street cruiser.

Brent has accumulated most of the parts but not all. He will start building it after the first of the year as we are trying to sync the engine and car delivery.

[DanEC]

Originally Posted by RockBit

Yes. I have ordered an ERA 427 SC and expect delivery in late March of 2016. It was ordered as a roller and will be painted in Connecticut. Lykins Motorsports is building the engine for it, and will also supply the transmission, clutch, etc. It is a long wait but I'm sure it will be worth it!

Great to hear - fill us in on some additional details of your plan for the car. It's been too quiet around here lately.

[RockBit]

It was hard for me to turn down some of the options. I ordered it with:

- ERA rear end with outboard brakes (3.31)
- Larger front brakes
- rear mounted battery
- leather seats
- 6 pin knockoffs with 15" wheels
- heater/ defroster
- competition dash with glove compartment
- Smith gauges with volt instead of amps (CCW speedo)
- single chrome roll bar
- stainless steel side pipes
- top and side curtains fitted
- max cooling fan
- reproduction puke tank
- body bonded
- steering gear with turn signal and steering wheel

In addition to the engine, Brent will supply a TKO600 (.64), dual McLeod clutch, and flywheel.

I originally intended to do more of the build myself, but I don't have space to do it.

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by RockBit

It was hard for me to turn down some of the options. I ordered it with:

- ERA rear end with outboard brakes (3.31)
- Larger front brakes
- rear mounted battery
- leather seats
- 6 pin knockoffs with 15" wheels
- heater/ defroster
- competition dash with glove compartment
- Smith gauges with volt instead of amps (CCW speedo)
- single chrome roll bar
- stainless steel side puppies
- top and side curtains fitted
- max cooling fan
- reproduction puke tank
- body bonded
- steering gear with turn signal and steering wheel

In addition to the engine, Brent will supply a TKO600 (.64), dual McLeod clutch, and flywheel.

I originally intended to do more of the build myself, but I don't have space to do it.

I'm no expert, but you may want to rethink the 3.31 final drive ratio and a 0.64 5th gear ratio. The RPM's on the freeway will be very low.

[RockBit]

I also ordered the 6" oil cooler. Forgot that. I may not hook it up, though. I'll try it first without to see what the oil temp is.

[RockBit]

I had originally ordered the 3.54 gear. One of the guys in the local club had the same car and strongly advised going to the 3.31. I spread sheeted the combos heavily and they both looked ok to me. His experience trumped my inexperience.

[mrmax]

I have the same box (.64) with 3.42 rear just over 2200 rpm at 76 mph. works well here where speed limit on the interstate is 75.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by RockBit

I had originally ordered the 3.54 gear. One of the guys in the local club had the same car and strongly advised going to the 3.31. I spread sheeted the combos heavily and they both looked ok to me. His experience trumped my inexperience.

That's a very well thought out build. Out there in Texas I think you can get away with the 3.31 and the .64 TKO. I have the 3.54 and it works very nicely for freeway cruising away from the big city. Just make sure that whatever speed it is you're thinking of cruising at, say 75 MPH, that you check with Brent and he confirms that your cam doesn't hiccup at the corresponding RPM. It sounds like you're going for more of a milder 482 build, so I doubt you'll have any problem.

[jconley]

Here's another ERA 427S/C in Texas! Sugar Land, Texas to be specific. I placed a deposit on mine this past January. ERA is providing the kit with the body mounted to the frame, and the body painted in Conneticut. I'll assemble everything else. At this time the frame has been fabricated and powder coated, the body has been molded, bonded to the frame and trimmed. In the next week or so it will be going to paint. I'm going with white with blue stripes, although I haven't quite decided the specific colors. Guardsman blue on Oxford white? Or perhaps the shades used on the new GT350?

I haven't ordered an engine yet, but it will be a new side oiler 427 block. I've been thinking about calling Brent as well. I too am looking for drive ability and low end torque. Not even sure I want to stroke it to a 482.

[RockBit]

Thanks for the comments. My calculations show at 75 mph, I should be at:

2,197 rpm for 3.54
2,054 rpm for 3.31

Most of the highways in Texas have 75 mph limits, which means everyone drives at about 80. I wanted to be able to drive on the highway without ear plugs.

I told Brent the engine will be mostly used below 4,500 (city cruising) so he is aiming it toward low and mid range torque. I'm confident he will hit the target.

[RockBit]

Originally Posted by jconley

I haven't ordered an engine yet, but it will be a new side oiler 427 block. I've been thinking about calling Brent as well. I too am looking for drive ability and low end torque. Not even sure I want to stroke it to a 482.

You are two months ahead of me. If you want to use Brent, call him soon. He may be running as much as a 6 month backlog. There is a 482 aluminum side oiler for sale in Dallas (~16k) I was already committed on mine when I heard about it. I can give you a contact if interested.

[jconley]

Thanks Rockbit. Please share with me the info on the engine. You car specs are very similar to mine, except I didn't order the top or side curtains.

I very much like wrenching on cars, doing mods and such, and I can't wait for my car to arrive. Good luck with yours.

[RockBit]

Originally Posted by jconley

Thanks Rockbit. Please share with me the info on the engine. You car specs are very similar to mine, except I didn't order the top or side curtains.

I very much like wrenching on cars, doing mods and such, and I can't wait for my car to arrive. Good luck with yours.

Good luck with your car also. I don't know anything about the engine, but it is for sale by jayscobras on this forum. I met Jay last month at the club meeting and he told me he had it for sale. You can PM him for details.

I didn't order the top and side curtains initially. Then I read DanEC's thread about fitting the top and reconsidered. I figure my wife will be shocked at the total bill but she will get over it. Spending more money later will become difficult!

[DanEC]

Originally Posted by RockBit

Thanks for the comments. My calculations show at 75 mph, I should be at:

2,197 rpm for 3.54
2,054 rpm for 3.31

Most of the highways in Texas have 75 mph limits, which means everyone drives at about 80. I wanted to be able to drive on the highway without ear plugs.

I told Brent the engine will be mostly used below 4,500 (city cruising) so he is aiming it toward low and mid range torque. I'm confident he will hit the target.

I think I would give this some more thought. Basically, until Interstate speed you are going to essentially have a 4-speed transmission IMO. I think the 3.31 rear is OK with the 2.87 first gear but there will be a big drop from 4th to 5th which is nice when cruising along on an interstate, but it's not what you normally want in a high performance car where you want a useable and fairly equal spread of gear ratios. I have a similar situation in my 3.31 2012 GT Mustang with 6th gear. The drop between 5th and 6th is so large that I can barely use it around town - I have to be going at least 45 mph on level ground, 50 to 55 if any hills at all. Depending on the characteristics of your engine you may have to be moving a lot faster than that. It's not so much that huge torque and a light car can't be propelled along by a .64 5th gear, but as Patrick said, depending on the cam, the engine may not feel too happy about it. But it's your car and you know how you want to drive it.

Sounds like a nice car. Keep us posted on it's progress.

I guess I should add that at 75 mph the need for ear plugs is probably more driven by wind noise than exhaust noise.

[Mongoose930]

On my first Contemporary Cobra with a very streetable 428, I had a TKO 3550 with .68 5th gear and a 3.54 diff. I would absolutely not do this combination again as the car just lugged in 5th gear. I have a 482 in my Hi-Tech and went with the TKO600 with the .82 5th gear ratio. I haven't driven it yet so I can't tell how that combination would work but I drove with the .68 for 2 years and would not do that again. Sounds like a great project - you need to share pictures as soon as possible.

[davids2toys]

Yes, definitely sounds like a nice car. Along with the others, I would re-think the 5th gear choice. I presently have a 3:31 gear and a top-loader 4 speed. My plan is to sell the Top-loader and shifter and get the TKO 600 with the .82 5th gear.
I have a 05 Mustang with the .64 5th gear and 3:55 gears and unless I am doing 80 or better, it is a dog in 5th. Granted, the mustang engine is not a 482 with gobs of Torque to maybe make up for the low RPMs of cruising in 5th with the .64 OD.

[jconley]

I ordered the ERA design rear suspension and a TKO 600 transmission from ERA. Peter and I haven't talked about gear ratios yet, so this discussion will be helpful to me.