Ironman Cobra Build Thread

[FatBoy]

Good point. I'd actually forgotten it was the Iron Man car, so of course you want to keep it as close as possible.

We have a franchise company here in the UK called Chipsaway, who can match and paint pretty much any paint defect. They specialise in stone chips and scratches and operate from fully equipped vans, so they can go to the customer. I would have though there were similar companies in the US.
Putting an edging trim around the hole just won't look right, IMO.

Looking at your picture with the tape measure, that dimension is about right for the top of the hole. I've just been out to the garage to measure mine and it tapers from around 6" at the top to around 8" at the bottom. If you hole has parallel vertical sides at around 6", you can still get the correct taper.

Paul

[RestoCreations]

Paul, if you take a second look at the tape measurer, the top of the hole extends back to 8" on both the top and the bottom. The only way i could taper the hole at this point would be to take the bottom out to 10", which would look really bad. The hole honestly doesnt look ginormous at any angle. Perhaps a little large when viewed while lying down on the ground, but other than that, it looks more or less normal. And honestly, if the hole was any smaller i would not have been able to stuff the headers tubes through it to connect them to the engine. I'll take another picture of the car from the height where it will normally be viewed and post it later today. Currently I just want to get the car finished and on the road. Little details such as the exhaust cut out can be addressed later if they start to bother me or the paint ends up flaking or bubbling due to heat.

BTW, the engine is a alive and running. I'll have a video soon.

[GT350Mike]

You're getting super close to finishing the car......how much longer before the inaugural start??? I checked the calendar and I have 105 more days of fun in the sun and about 120 before my CSX rolls into my garage.

[RestoCreations]

Mike, its been up and running, but i had a bad Magnentic pick up, some fuel pressure issues, and i am still chasing down issues with the MSD system. I also have an oil leak at the oil pan drain plug for some reason, so i am going to need to drop the pan and probably rethread the plug hole. Perhaps i overtightened the drain plug and messed up the threads.
Ill be tackling the rest of the interior today and the wheel well foam while i have the car up on jack stands.

It's very close to being finished, but i still have a long list of small items to tackle.

I hope the next 4 months fly by for you. Stay safe!

[1985 CCX]

Looking great!

[Avmaviator]

Awesome Chris!

[RestoCreations]

I had to fight with the foot box heat shields some more, so getting around to the interior took a little bit longer than i thought it would.

However, I've managed to get the transmission tunnel and passenger side done in the last two evenings.

Fatmat in the footbox.

[mickmate]

That was done on 3000 cars, it's the front of the radius rod, the little covers aren't very noticeable behind seats. They are similar to the ones in the trunk. They are screwed or riveted in place. Chris can you make or do you have the little circular covers for the upper arms?

[RestoCreations]

I don't have the covers for the circular holes in the bulkhead yet.

I riveted the lower covers in place and you are right Nick, they really aren't noticeable or visible once the carpet and seats are installed.

[RestoCreations]

Interior is officially finished, minus carpeting for the doors and the steering column. That took a lot longer than i thought. I probably have 30 or so hours in reconditioning the bulkhead panels and assembling the entire interior.









I may have said this already, but the leather seats the Kirkham's sell are incredibly nice!!! Beautiful craftsmanship and the leather is some of the best i have seen in a long time.



The Kirkey Racing seat that came with the car. Since it was new, I decided to keep it and use it with a set of the Kirkham Billet aluminum seat tracks and custom mounting plates..



Seat all the way back



Seat all the way forward.




It turns out that the rubber plugs used on 67-68 Mustangs to block off the access holes for the seat bolts fit perfectly into the holes on the Kirkham bulkhead.

[xlr8or]

Very nice. You are getting very close to being done. Congrats on the progress.

[lovehamr]

Chris, I have to ask; do you have really long arms? I'm just asking because of where the shifter lever is.

Steve

[PDUB]

Originally Posted by lovehamr

Chris, I have to ask; do you have really long arms? I'm just asking because of where the shifter lever is.

Steve

Isn't that more like the 289 shifter location? Doesn't it seem too far forward for the 427 car? Not that it has to be in the same location...

Looking good overall!

[RestoCreations]

Im a dwarf, so i put the seat forward and the shifter is in just the right location. The shifter can be swapped around for taller drivers if need be. The location of the actual shifter can also be changed as well. You can see where i reversed the tremec shifter in an earlier post. At least i think i posted those pictures. It's been a while.

Im not real concerned about if it is in the "correct" location for a 427 car. It works well and looks good and that is all that matters. I had the shifter left over from a 68 Mustang build that I ended up selling. Im glad i kept it now.

[Avmaviator]

Interior looks great Chris! You did an awesome job, it will be so rewarding soon and itis all done and you're cruising down Birmingham to Paradise BQ

[RestoCreations]

Originally Posted by Avmaviator

Interior looks great Chris! You did an awesome job, it will be so rewarding soon and itis all done and you're cruising down Birmingham to Paradise BQ

Arnaud, did you get a chance to measure the spinners yet? I havent had any luck finding out if they are supposed to be thicker on the driver's side yet.
Thanks for all the help and I hope your engine shows up soon so we can follow your updates

[Avmaviator]

Originally Posted by RestoCreations

Arnaud, did you get a chance to measure the spinners yet? I havent had any luck finding out if they are supposed to be thicker on the driver's side yet.
Thanks for all the help and I hope your engine shows up soon so we can follow your updates

I get home this afternoon and will get you all that info

[RestoCreations]

Since there was a fuss about the Shifter, I decided to see how far away my reach would be with the driver's seat all of the way back. I can still reach it without issue and shift the gears even with the seat in its rearward most location. So, the shifter should be perfect regardless of a persons size.
Every replica is different and while this is in a great location for the Kirkham with a 427FE and a Tremec TKO, it might be in a horrible location for another brand replica that has the engine mounts further back, different cockpit dimensions, a different engine and transmission combination, or a combination of the 3.

[Avmaviator]

Originally Posted by RestoCreations

Since there was a fuss about the Shifter, I decided to see how far away my reach would be with the driver's seat all of the way back. I can still reach it without issue and shift the gears even with the seat in its rearward most location. So, the shifter should be perfect regardless of a persons size.
Every replica is different and while this is in a great location for the Kirkham with a 427FE and a Tremec TKO, it might be in a horrible location for another brand replica that has the engine mounts further back, different cockpit dimensions, a different engine and transmission combination, or a combination of the 3.

Well it's not like there is a lot of real estate in a cobra anyways... I'm pretty sure I can reach anything/anywhere in car without moving from my seat

[Calicoco]

Looks great!!! I like the bulk head without carpet.