oldscol Bill if you already own the trans I understand. What gear ratio is in the rearend of the car? Remember that your cobra is any 2,500-2,800 lbs and doesn't need the high gearing that a truck for 4,000 lb car needs. Are you going to do any long drives in the car? A couple of companies make the correct reverse shifter for the cobra. What's under the car, nobody is going to see with out a camera or mirror shoes. If you are looking to build a 100% replica of a CS car, stay with the 4 speed toploader. A 428 mild build will have over 400 ft of torque and move your cobra along a highway real easy. There are 3-4 overdrive trannies that would do the same thing, plus extend your gas milage, less wear and tear on the motor and drivetrain, and if you are running side pipes, less noise.
. I am a Richmond fan and G-force fan. I like the design of these trannies, simple and strong. The down side is they are not cheap, about $800.00 more than a TKO 500 or 600. They all come with a first gear in the 2.80's if you want. This also depends on rearend ratio. IMO you don't want anything higher with a tork motor than 3.54 gears. Even this is a little high for a mild motor, but will give great acceleration from a stop. TKO has fixed their problem with the TKO 500 and 600 now. It has multi shifting point for the handle in the car. Mr. Blykins sells a complete setup for your motor at a great price. It would be really hard to fine it cheaper some where else. The choice is your on which why to have the clutch work. ERA uses the clutch fork and external slave cylinder. With the trannies named above and the top loader, a hydro will work just fine. You will need to have solid mounting points inside the bell housing to prevent the hydro line from being sucked into the pressure plate and rubbing through. Solid steel lines are on most new cars. Bleeding the system is not too bad, takes too to do. Good luck. Rick L.