non cobra build log

[CoolCarl]

So I got this toy last summer and gave it to mom for mothers day. She wanted it yellow (I thought orange was fine). So after getting some estimates for this silly toy I decided to paint it myself. The quotes were in the 5k neighborhood. I have 1 more coat of clear to apply Tuesday then I'll start the reassembly. There are 5 windows to put back in, front and rear bumper, wiper motor and wiper, mirrors, heater and defroster and the diamond plating. The doors are already done and stored at moms place. I didn't have enough room to do all the pieces at once in my place to I did the doors first.

With paint, compressor, gun, misc materials it set me back a little over 1k.

Here are some of the pics.

The before pic


Front pic (base coat done, 1 coat clear so far). See the front vertical area that has some rot (to the right of the single headlight assembly). That will be covered with diamond plating on both sides.


The Humdinger is the name of our family business (burgers, shakes, fries, etc. 50's style burger joint) The letters are your basic vinyl letters.


Tailgate

[Jamo]

That is freeking cool.

[CoolCarl]

Its a hoot to drive. The pedals are spaced really far apart. You feel like your straddling something huge when you operate the foot pedals. It's top speed is 30mph! You shift with you left hand. 3 speed. The engine is an opposing 2 cylinder air cooled Suzuki 650. I've never driven a cobra but when you drive this thing you get all kinds of looks.

There are a couple mechanical things I have to fix. Reverse beeper isn't working. Speedo isn't working. Small gas leak in the tank that I'll fix before I put the bed back together. The thing that will be the biggest PITA is the shift linkage (it feels kinda loose). If you don't shift it PERFECTLY it gets stuck in 2 gears at the same time and your stuck. The only way to get it unstuck is rock the thing back and forth. Really embarrassing in traffic.

Then the hassle of registering it. It used to be a CalTran vehicle and was registered as a motorcycle. Oregon won't register it as a motorcycle because it has 4 wheels. I think the route I'll go is a "Slow moving vehicle." Kinda like how some golf carts are street legal.

Oregon DMV also wants me to get it inspected by the Oregon State Police to search for a hidden VIN. Even though its clearly stamped on the drivers side door. Its not the normal looking VIN tag though. Its just stamped on the cab.

[Ron61]

That is going to work great with the business and you are doing a good job. I think I like the yellow better too. And the lettering looks great. That sounds like a lot of fun to drive.

Ron

[Buzz]

Nice! This recalls fond memories of flogging the hell out of a lil' Cushman on night shift back in my old warehousing days. It was different from yours though - electric powered and sat two on a bench seat in the tiny cab. We used to do timed runs around the pallets in the receiving dock area.

[Jamo]

Well hell, Buzzer, now you're taking me back to my earliest autocrossing...using forklifts.

The boss never believed us when we told him them damn Toyota go-pedals stick.

[Buzz]

Nothing quite like getting one of them lil' Toyota or Clark forklifts up on two wheels screaming through a tight turn is there? And yes, every time someone took out a section of racking or drove off the loading dock it just had to be Toyota's fault - we just never knew it at the time! Class action anyone?

[CoolCarl]

It's taken me way too long to finally finish this, but here it is:




I gave it back to mom and to my surprise she actually drives it back and forth to work everyday (.8 mile from her house to the family business).

[Ron61]

That looks great Carl. You did a very good job.

Ron