Boot (trunk) details

[Dan Case]

I have never found exact replacements. (I have been hunting one original from a Cobra for more than ten years now.)


If you visit the Ebay® UK site you might find some close to what AC Cars used. Some of the larger dealers should have something close.


The originals were made by die stamping the form in brass, a little machining, and finally they were chrome plated. The size, ¼ BSW, is not very common* now but the shape is. The shape is common as it is some sort of industry standard and many have a small numeral three on one side of one wing. The ones AC Cars used don’t look different than almost any other except they have a large numeral three instead of a small one and have a chromium plating finish.


*1/4 BSW threaded fasteners. The fastener hardware for the jack rods and top bows are the only BSW threaded pieces that I know of on a Cobra. The machine screws were long ones reduced in length, each screw is a different length, and further modified with a smooth radius on their cut ends. Each side received a modified screw, a spiral cut lock washer, two each machined hex nuts (chamfered only on one side), a formed sheet metal clamp, and a chrome plated brass wing nut. The steel screws and nuts only appear to have an as manufactured appearance (called “self color” in the UK). The lock washer might have a light phosphate coating. The finish on sheet steel clamps is highly variable. The intent seemed to be paint them with a glossy black but some originals have poor coverage. Some look like somebody had laid the clamps on a horizontal surface and passed by them in a single pass with a spray of black paint. In that type situation the black paint didn’t even cover all of the appearance side of the part. Some are painted on both sides.