Little mistery about gold spinners (newbie question)
 

Hello all,

I am a newbie to ClubCobra and I 'm wondering for years about a little mistery regarding spinners on original cobras.

I've in my documentation an old french monthly journal called "L'automobile" and dated June 1966.
On the cover is the photo of a nice 427 cobra roadster (no side-pipes, and in page 3 there's some b&w pictures showing there's no roll-bar on it), which was described and test-driven by a reporter. (I've no idea of the VIN#, of course...)

Sorry, no way to insert a picture in this post, you can download it on (or see my Gallery) :

http://i.picasion.com/resize40/7c3ba...083c4be63e.jpg

You can notice the wheel, which seems from an unusual design to me :confused:. Anybody knows about it ?

And more of all, look at the yellow/gold spinner :eek:. Do anybody know in what metal was this spinner made ? Brass, bronze, gold anodized aluminum, gold painted steel ?:confused:

I can't find any information about that gold spinner. Everybody said to me that only steel spinners were on original cobras.

Thanks for your infos (and I apologize for my poor english... I'm french !)

Bob

The wheel is a "sunburst" aluminum, the original equipment on "street" 427/428 Cobras. As for the gold knockoff, definitely not OEM, but possibly available from Halibrand.

Apparently plated steel KOs supplied by Halibrand had varying degrees of yellow chromium dichromate conversion coating left. I have a new old stock steel 1963 "short ear" KO as used on the first racing Cobras with the sprint car "kidney bean" style Halibrand magnesium wheels. It is definitely yellow. I have a new old stock service set of "long ear" KOs that are a little yellow. A friend that has a new old stock service set with no easy to see tint.


Old photos in color are pretty rare but there are a few low mile unrestored 427 Cobras with steel KOs (some had aluminum and I know of one car that came with steel on one side and aluminum on the other) that still have some tint left.


The dichromate conversion coating type used wasn't/isn't very durable. Weathering and harsh chemicals will change the color and or remove the coating completely.

Now then, is the bright gold shown in the magazine original? Probably not, that looks more like a paint. Strange 427 Cobra. Based on the front fenders it must have been a very early car. But if it was a very early car why does it have Sunburst wheels of a later period? Why does it have a clear turn signal lens? Maybe the car was "fixed up" for the article, note the body paint over-spray on the front bumper tube grommets. And what kind of tire is that?

Bob, there is no need at all to apologize for poor english......your english is better than most native speakers.........just imagine if we had to post in french......

Good eye re the overspray on the grommets Dan! Bear in mind that since it appears to be a European publication, that may well be a COB/COX car in the photo and as such could have some trim or spec variations not necessarily consistent with the better known CSX Cobras.

COB/COX ( the platform of the AC 289 Sports plus some FE powered cars) cars had front fenders like late 427 Cobras....the fender shown in the magazine indicate very early CSX31XX street car.

You can't look at a coil spring COB/COX car today and be confident what type hubs it originally had. The standard hubs for these cars were spline drive for wire wheels. (The offset of the 15X6 wire wheels used were also different than the 15X6 wire wheels for Cobras. The Dunlop part numbers stamped into the rims are different to make it clear which wheel you have in your hands.) The hubs for these cars are different than rack and pinion Cobras (CSX2201 and up) and 427 Cobras (any variation). I have loose known original examples of hubs from all three car types front and rear. They are different. Long ago unless the car was being raced seriously few if any people would have gone to the considerable trouble and considerable expense to replace all the hubs, KOs, and wheels just for looks. Since a high percentage of these rare cars have been converted to 427 Cobra specification now it is easy to forget they were wire wheel cars when new except in a few rare exceptions.

The AC Cars installed insignia on the nose would have been "AC" script instead of a C3RA Ford COBRA emblem. Again, over the years many AC medallions have been replaced with some type COBRA one.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r..._2213-Copy.jpg

I have only gotten to study a couple of COB/COX coil spring cars in original configuration and they also had the large diameter turn lamps like late 427 Cobras.

I'll stick with my assessment that it is a very early CSX31XX car tarted up quickly for a magazine photo shoot.

The date of the photo is sometime in 1966, and it's unlikely that a bunch of Shelby/CSX lookalike mods would have been done by a COB/COX car owner in that time period. I did fail to note the Cobra (as opposed to AC) nose emblem, and it appears to be left hand drive, so that makes it even more likely you are correct and it is an early CSX 3XXX street Cobra.

Dan, you are entirely correct. The car pictured is CSX 3150, which was originally silver. Ford Advanced Vehicles in England repainted it red for the Brussels auto show.

That car is CSX3150

From the Shelby American Automobile Club World Registry of Cobras:

Crap, Ned...you peeked at my post as I was composing it.

Say what? Maybe you peeked at my registry!

Spinners
 

According to the original owner of 3183, they were gold, there are several publicity photos and car tests of the 427, with gold spinners, therefore I say they were gold, painted from the factory.

Thank you all, for your replies and these precious (and precise) infos !

Bob

Great question and "as always" this sight can be a learning experience.
The gold was a latent color, treatment tint, on wheels as well. As stated the treatment solution would not last as the elements removed it over time. Wonder what happened to the guy that polished the outer lip of the wheels?

Thanks

CSX 3150 Cobra
 

Hi Guys,

i am a new member from Australia, I currently own this car, if possible can somebody help me to obtain that original magazine that featured in the Brussels Motor Show in 1966??

Regards Aussie Joe

Hi Aussie Joe !

Wow ! Owner of CSX 3150 :eek: sounds like you're a lucky fellow...:cool: Could you post some recent pics of this car, to have comparison with its 66 shape ?

The picture of the cover I've posted to start this thread, is a scan of the original magazine I've in my hands (Bought new by my father, in the Golden Ages. I whish he had bought the original car, instead of the original magazine :D)

I can send you a scan of inner pages related to the Cobra, if you want. There's other black & white pics of your car. No article on Brussel Motor Show, as far as I remember.

If you only look for an original magazine, as it is a french one, I can have a look on some yard-sales, or specialized old magazine shop for you...(oh, I'm french, living in Paris). In next February, "Rétromobile" show will be in Paris. This is a yearly classic auto show (often with few original cobras displayed), with many related shops around, selling absolutely everything about classic car. I can try to find another original magazine...