[Dan Case]

Originally Posted by strictlypersonl

The original FIA's intake had two water outlets pointing forward. There was a cast connector with an outlet on the left side, pointing toward the radiator. No thermostat, but probably a restrictor somewhere. I've seen some pictures showing an additional bracket on the connector that held a fuel distributor (1 in, 4 out). Our "Number 142" had a fabricated part rather than a cast one, but the layout is similar.

All the known period "factory" intakes (COBRA/FAV/FORD SK prototypes/FoMoCo/SHELBY/COUGAR) that I have pictures of had two coolant connections for hoses. 1962-1967 there all kinds of water necks, fuel logs, and water necks with integral fuel logs. Some were one offs. One general design combining water neck and fuel log were used on most team Cobras, most factory supported Cobras, and most retail sale Stage III and Stage IV engines. John Bessey provides an excellent recreation of the most common design. Shelby American used steel fabrications they made themselves as desired and as required. Circa 1966 they offered retail a cast aluminum COBRA lettered water neck; ‘hollow letter’ like COBRA text on 1963-early 1966 cast aluminum rocker arm covers and oil pans. Circa 1967 the “COBRA” letters became ‘solid letter’ like the late 1966 onward die cast GT350 rocker arm covers.

The companies completing and racing Cobras 1962-64 were mostly rather small ones. Small groups driven to win not burdened with an enormous staff in many layers could and did make changes rapidly. Some of the Shelby team cars changed in some way just about every race. That leads me to intakes and water necks / fuel logs from the Cobra world ignoring what FoMoCo HQ was doing in Michigan and Ford Advanced Vehicles was doing in the UK. There was not just one of anything design wise. One could fill a nice little size book just covering the known versions of COBRA intakes:
Standard weight
Reduced weight
Original as cast ports at head flanges
Revised larger as cast ports at head flanges
Customer intakes normally as cast
SA team intakes normally fully prepared ports matched to racing cylinder heads
Opposed carburetor layout
Parallel carburetor layout
Intakes for unmilled heads
Intakes for milled heads

That’s the general outline for intakes. Fuel logs and water necks would be a really complicated. The bigger the scope the bigger the coverage gets real fast.

If I start with the definition that a “system” was everything (bearings, jam nut, carburetors, hose clamps, whatever) Shelby American tested, used, or sold 1962-67 then I have documented details of thirteen (13) different types of “COBRA” systems Shelby American tested at least once, used, and or sold. Within in a type team cars usually were often done slightly differently and that made subset versions.

10 each versions of ready to install intakes at least (that I know about), includes two layouts
4 each 48 mm carburetor models (IDM1, IDM5, IDA, IDA1)
3 each versions of carburetor inlet (2 with internal screen filters and 1 just a banjo fitting)
4 each linkage systems (not counting getting from foot box to intake)
9 each water necks and or fuel log combinations (that I know about)
2 each brands of hose band clamps
2 each types of band clamp screws (hex and safety)
3 each lengths of Dorman® mounting studs
3 each versions of Mil-Spec hex nuts for mounting studs
5 each version of center bellcrank assembly (that I know of)
Parts fabricated by Shelby American as required (several) and desired.
Parts purchased from somebody else.

Most of the “original” systems you will see are conglomerations of whatever somebody found or desired. I know of just a handful of factory installations that never got broken up into pieces. When we worked on Steven Juliano’s CSX2416 we were fortunate that a magazine company took a collection of engine bay pictures of the car after it was completed but before it was delivered to the dealer. The detail in the photos was fantastic down to individual hose clamp details. It took Steven and I years to come up will all the correct parts to make the restored car match the day one picture set induction system wise. I got lucky early with a set of two digit serial number carburetors that found me. It was fortunate that I have an unrestored identical original works race shop system on our red car to get down to very tiny details.