Getting Ready For ERA Build ... Suggestions ?

[xracerbob]

Agree with most of the above but there is no need for a Tremec TKO. With a light car and a small block, a T-5 would be fine. They are 30 lb lighter, less expensive, shift better and have less parasitic drag. I had one built for my big block car and so far, so good.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by tkb289

I have started a collection of photos for reference. Before I make the final choice, I'll need to look at some of the different colors in person.

Car colors do not look the same in pictures as they do in real life; they look different on the computer too.

What I did (and what I have recommended over the years), is go to a couple of the larger new car shows (World of Wheels, Detroit Auto Show, etc.) and walk through the hundreds of new cars looking for the exact color that you want. Chances are you'll find it. Then take a snapshot of the sticker and your body guy can PPG it to look exactly right.

And btw, some colors look completely different if you have your sunglasses or or off with polarizing lenses.

And some colors look completely different inside the show under the glare of lights, as opposed to outside in the sunshine. So once you're sure of the color you want, go to a dealer and look at other cars with the same color that are sitting out in the sunshine and double check your decision.

[RodKnock]

Tim, in my opinion, color choice is the most difficult and vexing part of the build and one of the major reasons I decided to go with the aluminum body. I avoided it like the plague, because I knew I would vacillate forever, and then I would kick myself for not choosing whatever the other choice may have been. Having said that, although pics can be deceiving, that blue Cobra in the pic that Doug posted from a trip to Canepa looks awesome.

Truly, I wish you the best of luck with your build.

[RodKnock]

As for the engine, there are forum vendors that have been discussed here at length. My engine was built by a forum vendor (FE Specialties). However, while I have no affiliation with them, I've heard many good things about Smeding Performance in Sacramento, at least about their small block Ford offerings, and their prices seem very reasonable. I've always liked the local angle. Sacramento is only 90 +/- minutes away. They've been written up in a few magazines. I would check them out along with the vendors represented here on this forum.

[tkb289]

Originally Posted by xracerbob

Agree with most of the above but there is no need for a Tremec TKO. With a light car and a small block, a T-5 would be fine. They are 30 lb lighter, less expensive, shift better and have less parasitic drag. I had one built for my big block car and so far, so good.

Good point on the transmission ... since I am running a small block, I can go with a less heavy duty unit. The TKO may still be the way to go, but shifter 'feel' is a consideration for me, so ...time for more homework!

- Tim

[tkb289]

Originally Posted by patrickt

Car colors do not look the same in pictures as they do in real life; they look different on the computer too.

What I did (and what I have recommended over the years), is go to a couple of the larger new car shows (World of Wheels, Detroit Auto Show, etc.) and walk through the hundreds of new cars looking for the exact color that you want. Chances are you'll find it. Then take a snapshot of the sticker and your body guy can PPG it to look exactly right.

And btw, some colors look completely different if you have your sunglasses or or off with polarizing lenses.

And some colors look completely different inside the show under the glare of lights, as opposed to outside in the sunshine. So once you're sure of the color you want, go to a dealer and look at other cars with the same color that are sitting out in the sunshine and double check your decision.

You are right ... I have been looking and it's nice to see different colors on Cobras and on other cars as well. There was an ERA for sale a year or so ago, that had a Maroon paint job (I believe it was a Chrysler color) and it really looked good. Not a choice that I would have thought of, but it worked.

Now I have an excuse to go to even more car shows / events !!!

Thanks.

- Tim

[tkb289]

Originally Posted by RodKnock

As for the engine, there are forum vendors that have been discussed here at length. My engine was built by a forum vendor (FE Specialties). However, while I have no affiliation with them, I've heard many good things about Smeding Performance in Sacramento, at least about their small block Ford offerings, and their prices seem very reasonable. I've always liked the local angle. Sacramento is only 90 +/- minutes away. They've been written up in a few magazines. I would check them out along with the vendors represented here on this forum.

Rodney,

Color is big decision ... but I'll probably narrow it down to (2) or (3) and let it percolate for a while. For the motor, I'll most likely go with a forum vendor, as they know the cars, and to be active on this board, they are most likely pretty reputable. The local angle is a consideration, but since the car will be built 3,000 miles from here, I would be OK with a motor vendor that is far away as well. Whatever I get, I will definitely want it run in on a dyno, so I will know it will run once it's installed.

Thanks for the good wishes, will keep you posted, Hope to talk with ERA later this week and get some estimate on when things will happen.

- Tim

[RAO-3]

What I did to help me decide the color once I had it narrowed down was to paint up a panel with each color on it, large enough that I could get a good 'feel' for the color. I would then look at the colors every few days and slowly was able to narrow down my choice even further to where I finally arrived at my choice of colors.

Also keep in mind that some colors look better on big cars (trucks) and other colors look better on small cars. I also went to shopping mall parking lots to look at colors.

Good luck, it's a fun journey.

Ray

[FUNFER2]

Tim- The ERA is a great high quality Cobra. You'll have a blast.
You have email and a PM.

[ZOERA-SC7XX]

Tim. Live dangerously. Tell Peter to surprise you with the color.

[WarrenG]

Engine: I had a 1965 289 stroked to 331 giving me 390 HP and 360 ft-lbs, more than enough for this car.

Trans: I went with the TKO 600, .064 with a 3.54 rear. No problems shifting, smooth as glass. I'd check out the .082 with a 3.31 if you plan any highway driving although I've been happy with the combo I have.

I've driven both the original ERA "Jag" suspension and the new ERA custom one. Personally, I prefer the newer outboard brakes suspension.

Color: I went to several dealers at different times of the day to view colors and see what they looked like in different lighting conditions.

Oil Cooler: not really necessary, but looks cool. Doesn't have to be hooked up.

Roll Bar: I like the single hoop FIA bar, but if you want protection for the passenger, there are several historical pictures of 289's with full width roll bars and IMHO they look alot better than "dual paperclips."

Dash: I personally prefer the "dropped dash." Obviously, that's why I got it.

Wheels: Pin drives, only way to go.

All that said, take all the suggestions with a grain of salt and make it yours!

[FrankJohnson69]

"Dual paperclips"..... perfect.

[tkb289]

Originally Posted by RAO-3

What I did to help me decide the color once I had it narrowed down was to paint up a panel with each color on it, large enough that I could get a good 'feel' for the color. I would then look at the colors every few days and slowly was able to narrow down my choice even further to where I finally arrived at my choice of colors.

Also keep in mind that some colors look better on big cars (trucks) and other colors look better on small cars. I also went to shopping mall parking lots to look at colors.

Good luck, it's a fun journey.

Ray

Ray,

Good thoughts ... see you have an ERA on the way ... choose the color yet ?

- Tim

[tkb289]

Originally Posted by FUNFER2

Tim- The ERA is a great high quality Cobra. You'll have a blast.
You have email and a PM.

Sent you email and PM .. thanks!

[tkb289]

Originally Posted by ZOERA-SC7XX

Tim. Live dangerously. Tell Peter to surprise you with the color.

Now that's a novel idea ... just might work if 'Danger' was my middle name !

[tkb289]

Originally Posted by WarrenG

Engine: I had a 1965 289 stroked to 331 giving me 390 HP and 360 ft-lbs, more than enough for this car.

Trans: I went with the TKO 600, .064 with a 3.54 rear. No problems shifting, smooth as glass. I'd check out the .082 with a 3.31 if you plan any highway driving although I've been happy with the combo I have.

I've driven both the original ERA "Jag" suspension and the new ERA custom one. Personally, I prefer the newer outboard brakes suspension.

Color: I went to several dealers at different times of the day to view colors and see what they looked like in different lighting conditions.

Oil Cooler: not really necessary, but looks cool. Doesn't have to be hooked up.

Roll Bar: I like the single hoop FIA bar, but if you want protection for the passenger, there are several historical pictures of 289's with full width roll bars and IMHO they look alot better than "dual paperclips."

Dash: I personally prefer the "dropped dash." Obviously, that's why I got it.

Wheels: Pin drives, only way to go.

All that said, take all the suggestions with a grain of salt and make it yours!

Great advice and info ... sounds like a very similar recipe to what I am considering. Sent you a PM.

Regards,

- Tim

[PDUB]

Originally Posted by WarrenG

Roll Bar: ... but if you want protection for the passenger, there are several historical pictures of 289's with full width roll bars...

I would love to see these... any references to photos online?

Thanks!

[RAO-3]

Originally Posted by tkb289

Ray,

Good thoughts ... see you have an ERA on the way ... choose the color yet ?

- Tim

Hi Tim,

Tony is just now finishing up the paint. I had originally planned to go with blue with silver stripes, then decided that I wanted something different as there are so many blue cars out there. But I found myself comparing every other color I picked out to blue and silver, so finally decided to go with that. BTW you will find there are loads of shades of each color so be sure to investigate different combinations as well. Just be careful if you go with metallic paints, as chip size can be a consideration too.

(Remember I said it was fun - not easy!)

I'll be taking a trip up to see Peter in the next few weeks to go over the build, and will take pictures of #775, and the other cars he has there.

The journey has been an exciting one thus far...

Ray

[tkb289]

Originally Posted by RAO-3

Hi Tim,

Tony is just now finishing up the paint. I had originally planned to go with blue with silver stripes, then decided that I wanted something different as there are so many blue cars out there. But I found myself comparing every other color I picked out to blue and silver, so finally decided to go with that. BTW you will find there are loads of shades of each color so be sure to investigate different combinations as well. Just be careful if you go with metallic paints, as chip size can be a consideration too.

(Remember I said it was fun - not easy!)

I'll be taking a trip up to see Peter in the next few weeks to go over the build, and will take pictures of #775, and the other cars he has there.

The journey has been an exciting one thus far...

Ray

Ray,

Blue and silver is a great combination. You are right about the shades of blue ... all the way from 'Princess' blue to 'Indigo' and beyond! Then there is black, silver, red, yellow, BRG ... the list goes on and on ...

Looking forward to see some photos!

- Tim

[DoneByDoug]

If you're thinking of doing a stripe and you want to go with the original white color, you may want to do a lot of comparisons between that white and a body color.

I was considering a stripe, but in the end felt the FIA body style was better served without one. However, I did a lot of test samples and had some very nice combos. I was using industrial colors, non metallic, cold in value (light blues, lights greens, and light grays) What I was looking to do was create a color combo that had the effect of being total color all the way through. Almost like if you cut the car in half, the cross section would be total color.

I know this may sound crazy to some, but the slightly off-white of the stripe next to these types of colors really look "thick". They don't lie on top as a white does on the traditional cobra blue. They also look very retro and industrial, the way a lot of the original 289 racing cobras look. To my eyes, the white on a metallic, makes both the metallic and the stripe look like a skin. In the end, I thought it was too radical a choice. What I ultimately chose was a blue from a 1974 Chevy truck with a Ferrari red rookie stripe. However, the next build I do, I'll do exactly what I originally wanted. I'm planning on doing it on an altered wheel base Ford Falcon funny car.

In the end, John at ERA helped me a lot. He and Doug have a lot of common sense, and see a lot of these cars. In fact, John thought it might work and said they'd done a couple of non-metallic grays that looked killer. I was ultimately afraid of growing tired of a baby-blue-battleship grey FIA with an off white stripe. But, every time I see one of the Gulf sponsored GT's in blue with an orange strip, I still have a tinge of regret.

One other observation: I know you don't want the grill in front, but it truly is a piece of art and I'm really happy I chose it. I've heard rumors that Peter comes from an old line of Italian metal smiths, and that these are hand made by monks in a monastery in the Southern alps. They certainly are priced that way, and I WILL be trying to write it off as a donation to the Catholic Church!