Cobras and reliability

[Excaliber]

It is "all in your head". All though most Cobra owners don't put a lot of miles on their car, others do!

Hal Copple and his SPF come to mind, over 50K last I heard and ultra reliable. He runs an Olthoff 351 W. The key is building the right engine and selecting the right components. For "distance driving" you don't want to radical a motor and keep the compression ratio below or at 10 to 1 or so (hard to find "race gas" on that highway trip). I would not use a roller solid lifter either. It's going to be as reliable as the parts you select.

Seats and foot box are key components for long drives also. Use plenty of sound and thermal insulation, like "dynamat". Go for some quality seats, Classic Roadster (Don Scott) has about the best seats available. I like a "dead pedal" for resting my left foot on, lots of replicas don't come with one. Get a soft top, side windows optional. Just the soft top alone is generally all you need.

Unless, like my friend, planning a CROSS COUNTRY trip with your Cobra. In that case I would go with side windows. Heater/defroster would be nice also (for those LONG trips in questionable weather). If I was building a serious "daily commuter" and "long trip" replica I would consider a Classic Roadster. A little longer and wider and yet retains the good looks and superior quality of a nice replica.

But a standard size will be fine. My cross country friend did it with his wife in a Mid States with a 351 Cleveland, top loader and 9" live axle rear. He's got over a 100K on his! I would opt for IRS myself, with it's improved ride quality.

I would also choose a 351 Windsor, possibly a built 302. But even a Big Block (427 FE) would do you a fine job built "right". Additional gas and heat would be the major drawbacks to really long hauls with a Big Block.

With it't small trunk I've seen some guys use a "trunk mounted rack" for carrying additional gear. I don't think I would go that way, but it's an option. Think of the Cobra like a BIG highway motorcycle. Travel light and plan carefully your luggage, it CAN be done. I feel comfortable enough in my ERA with it's newly rebuilt "street" 427 FE to ship it to the mainland and head out to New York City in a,,, well,,,,, New York minute!

Ernie