New to Club Cobra
 

I recently joined Club Cobra and want to say hello to all my fellow enthusiasts. I've been a life-long fan of these cars, have studied them over the years and purchased my very first one in July of this year after having searched for the right car for 10 years or so. I found it in Texas; ERA street car with S/C stripes, roll bar, side exhaust, Nightmist Blue Metallic/Wimbleton White stripes, 427 sideoiler, 2x4v, toploader, 8,100 miles since completion in 1992. Since acquiring it I've personalized it a little, adding front fans, Trigo pin drives with media blasted centers, Goodyear billboards, pent roof logoed valve covers and a turkey pan. Although I was prepared for some immediate maintenance and repair items, I wasn't aware of the oil leaks issue that I now understand from this forum are pretty much a standard part of FE ownership. However, living in Southern California, Long Beach, affords me two things; I can drive this car every day of the year now that it doesn't rain here and there is a plethora of knowledgeable and skilled craftsmen virtually everywhere. Abundant but not inexpensive. I realize that sometimes the dream can be far better than the reality but so far my experience has been everything I had hoped for which I'm sure is the case with most of you. I'm looking forward to interacting with some of you in the future. So long for now.

Welcome! Your in the right place. All you need is here.

Welcome! The ERA is a great Cobra and I'm glad you are enjoying it. Sounds like you found a wonderful example with all those desirable features.

I think we need to see some pictures of this awesome Cobra.

Welcome! I'm a new owner and visitor to the site as well.

I'm curious, why is it the side oilers tend to have issues leaking oil? Honestly, that makes me a bit nervous. This is a big purchase and I hope it's not one of those deals for every mile driven is a dollar spent kind of thing.

Can anyone shed some light to this newbie?

All 427SO do not leak oil, all FEs do not leak oil, but most FEs, which includes 427SO engines, do leak some. It's mainly because of how the heads, intake, and block all meet up. They are prone to misting a little oil out. Some more than others. After eight years of "tightening up" my leaks, I drop about a dime sized drop of oil after a hard run. In the FE world, this is considered "bone dry.";)

Good to know! However, with my personality it will be a hard adjustment for me. My mind will bring it to a mechanic to stop any all leaks. Drive the car, find a drop of oil and bring it right back to the mechanic LOL.

Are there any group counseling programs for such an anal disease?

No. People like that tend not to hang out with one another.:cool:

Well hopefully the first step is recognizing you have a problem lol. I will certainly heed your advise when dealing with the car.

To the OP. Good luck with the car and I would love to see some pics!

The 427 engine has been out of my car since May of this year. Occasionally I see a tiny spot of oil under the car and on the floor. I wipe it away. Maybe 2 weeks later, there's another one! :( I still see 1 or 2 from time to time. :CRY:

It must be a Cobra/FE zen thingy. :rolleyes:

David

An empty engine bay that still produces oil leaks? That's kind of creepy.%/

Kinda intimidates me!

Truth be told....there are still uncoupled hoses with a rag wrapped around them, and nooks and crannies where oil gathered as a result of a slightly leaking oil cooler. :cool:

David

LOL Guess I'm going to have to get use to dealing with this. Glad we got that covered.

Now do any of you fellas run ethanol free gas or do you just stick with 93 octane?

This area has 93 octane and is 10% ethanol. Can't remember seeing 100% gas for quite a while.

David

Pure Gas
 

Check here to see if there is a station near you.

Ethanol-free gas stations in the U.S. and Canada

The highest level of ethanol free is 91. I have never found ethanol free 93 octane. Hopefully some can shed some light onto this.

I feel as though it's a double edge blade. Ethanol free gets you clean fuel without the worry of clogging up stuff. However, it's not 93 octane.

What is your compression ratio? Granted, most cobras are built with engines that would require 91/93 octane but if yours is say 9.5-1 or lower, then that won’t necessarily be so.

BTW, on the oil leaks; I recently (last 4 months) have been running mine with an electric vacuum pump. I know most who run them are actually looking for more power and I'm not. However, I thought that if I could bring the crankcase pressure down to even just a little under atmospheric then many of the little leaks that MIGHT happen would be nipped in the bud so to speak. I’m glad to say that this has worked out quite well for me so far. When I get a little more time I’ll do a write-up with pics of what I did.

Honestly, I'm not sure what the compression ratio is. I'll have to find out.

I for one would be interested in understanding the use of your electric vacuum pump method. What you stated above, makes good sense to me. However, I'm not a good judge on these matters :-)