What things about your Cobra would you have done differently?

[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.