What things about your Cobra would you have done differently?

[ERA Chas]

Yes the footbox has that general shape. The early cars (which is what I have) do not have the extended boxes which came later but I do not know at what chassis number.
The difference with my car is the reservoir which is mounted on top and the clutch line which crosses the footbox and goes down the side to the clutch master right at the last exhaust port. My clutch hard line is covered in Firesleeve for that reason.
You later number guys have the 3 cans on the fender well. Don't know if 392 which Argess has came with the cans or my set up. I made that access hole 21 years ago.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by ERA Chas

I made that access hole 21 years ago.

Interesting. Do you have any trouble getting to your front driveshaft universal joint?

[ERA Chas]

Originally Posted by patrickt

Interesting. Do you have any trouble getting to your front driveshaft universal joint?

No.
It's a poor photo but the joint is well clear of the crossmember from below.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by ERA Chas

No.
It's a poor photo but the joint is well clear of the crossmember from below.

That's a breeze to get to. With the ERA rear handbrake bracket all of that gets covered up. With the right adapter I think I can get to mine through the gear shift trim ring hole, otherwise I'm going to put an access panel in the passenger side of the tunnel.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by ERA Chas

No.
It's a poor photo but the joint is well clear of the crossmember from below.

This is a shot taken from the trim ring hole with the shifter removed. It shows what I'm up against coming from beneath. I think with a long grease gun adaptor and one of those swivel gizmos at the end I can grease the u-joint through the trim ring hole, otherwise I'll pull the passenger seat out and install a trap door on the tunnel. Chas -- you did install a drive shaft safety hoop after snapping that picture, right?

[Ron61]

The only thing I would have did different on mine was make a trap door in the trunk floor so I could get to the fuel sending unit as I had to drop the tank on it to do so. All the rest was very easy to get to under my car. I could have my transmission out and one the bench in 20 minutes.

Ron

[Tommy]

I was not the original builder of my car. It was built as a dedicated SCCA racer (e.g., full roll cage) and was not registered for use on the street for about five years. When it was retired from racing, the owner cut out part of the roll cage, swapped the race engine for a more domesticated 351W and installed a turn signal toggle switch to get it titled and registered in his home state. It went through two new owners in quick succession as each found it too uncivilized for their tastes. I was looking for a street/track car, so I bought it around 2002. It was still equipped with Hoosier racing slicks when I bought it.

I drove the car and autocrossed it for about two years. During that time I broke and upgraded the engine twice. Finally, around 2005 I completely disassembled the car and rebuilt it the way I wanted. My major list of changes fell into three categories, cosmetic, maintenance and performance improvements.

My cosmetic changes included fresh paint inside and out, new carpet, a new dash with improved gauge layout, a new steering wheel and column, and ceramic coating for the sidepipes. My maintenance changes included all new wiring, new brake and fuel lines, a new oil cooler and a new power steering fluid cooler. I moved the brake fluid reservoirs to make brake fluid changes easier. And I replaced the chronically leaky hydraulic TOB system with an externally mounted slave cylinder and a mechanical TOB fork. I also replaced the leaky rear main seal in my engine while it was out of the car.

My performance improvements focused on lowering and centering the center of gravity of the entire car. I moved every component down and as far toward the passenger's side as possible. I also moved the shifter forward and installed a racing seat with a five point harness. I installed heat shielding on the brake lines (near the headers) and installed ducting to route air from the front inlets to the front brakes.

My rebuild consumed about six months and culminated with me taking the freshly completed car to a three day track event at Roebling Road racetrack. To my complete amazement, the car worked flawlessly for all three days. It was a good project and well worth the effort.

[ERA Chas]

Originally Posted by patrickt

This is a shot taken from the trim ring hole with the shifter removed. It shows what I'm up against coming from beneath. I think with a long grease gun adaptor and one of those swivel gizmos at the end I can grease the u-joint through the trim ring hole, otherwise I'll pull the passenger seat out and install a trap door on the tunnel. Chas -- you did install a drive shaft safety hoop after snapping that picture, right?

Yes, thanks for asking. This was reassembly after a clutch change in April.

[WarrenG]

I would have bought it sooner. I would have waited the 8 months that it took to sell the house in CA before I sent the cobra back to MD instead of sending it back when we put the house up for sale. Would consider 3.31's with 0.82 OD instead of 3.54 w/0.64. Would consider Webers instead of the Holley. If I was to buy now, I would get ERA's new slabside with wire wheels instead of the FIA!