Questions for Atlanta Cobra Owners

[JJM3]

I’ve been looking to add a Cobra to my garage in the future. I’d like to say near future, but with the economy I’m a little hesitant to pull the trigger on a $50K luxury item right now. In the meantime, I’ve been getting better educated on Cobras … most of my car experience is with German manufacturers (mainly M3’s). My goals for the car: weekend cruiser, would like to stay under $50K, fitment for 6’4” driver (legs and head height), above average quality, something to tinker with, but not spend an entire weekend on, and a nasty American muscle car engine sound (nice choppy idle in the 475hp – 515hp range). Acquiring a mirror image of the original, putting a 427 under the hood just so I can say so, or getting Shelby licensing is not important to me. Now to my questions:

1. Atlanta Area Get Together – is there one any time soon? I haven’t seen too many Cobras in person and I’ve only sat in a SPF. It would help a lot with my decision.

2. Build vs. Buy Roller vs. Buy Used?

Build - was something I’m very interested in, so I can intimately know the car like I never have with any of my other cars. Lonestar seemed like a good choice here because of the tall fitment & cost goal. I’m fairly competent with the mechanicals, but I’ve always had the concern in the back of my mind if I was biting off too much in doing a WHOLE car. Lonestar’s 7 day vacation build would solve that concern – one of their guys comes to your garage.

Buy Roller – I always liked the piece of mind in being the only owner of a performance car, so a roller seemed like a good option. Superformance was recommended by a friend I highly trust in the automotive space. He first said Kirkam, but that’s not in my price point. Backdraft is another one that I’ve personally been looking at just based on my own research. Any thoughts?

Buy Used – I can probably get the most bang for the buck right now by buying used. SPF or Backdraft would probably be my choice here since I don’t want to rely too much on someone else’s build quality. Also, the state of GA’s recent title and registration regulations seem to almost force me to go this route now, so I can get a pre-titled 196x car that I won’t have to worry about emissions or ad val tax down the road. Any thoughts?

3. Engine – Almost as subjective as color, but I’ll ask for input. My current thought is Southern Automotive’s 426 Windsor or Roush’s 427SR Windsor. SA’s 426 seems to be the more cost effective engine if I want to try to stay at $50K. A Roush would probably put me over, but I like the warranty and quality. Thoughts?

4. Soft Top – in Atlanta, how do you guys make due w/o soft tops or do you just treat the Cobra as if it were a motorcycle? I just see so many car sales w/o them. The only time I’d drive with a soft top would be if I got caught in an unexpected rain shower and that seems almost a certainty here in Atlanta. How would you go on a weekend trip with the Cobra? I wouldn’t mind the water, but the wife would not be happy at all. Seems like a requirement for me. Soft top requirement change anything above?

Thanks,
John

[Mac VABCH]

John,

I own a Backdraft so take what I say with a grain of salt but I will try to stay objective.

2. I would say to look at a turn key minus, which ever company you decide to go with. This allows you to get intimate with the car but no take forever to build. If you are competent with hand tools the Backdraft was a breeze to get on the rode.

3. Check out Keith Craft for an engine, just to give you more options.


Mike

[JJM3]

Mike,

So what are the cons on your Backdraft? If you could change a couple things, what would they be?

Any issues for someone 6'4" as-is? On any car I get, I still plan to loose the sliding bracket and direct mount with a little upward angle.

Thanks,
John

[FIA-ERA]

Hey John,

Welcome to the madness! There is too many choices out there for sure. I have an ERA so I pretty biased on any other manufacture. I have only been for a ride in a Midstates and it was well a little rough! I have great expectations of mine and I've worked hard to get it just right. The leg room in a ERA is pretty good as I'm 5'9" and feel like I'm all the way forward. Now, as far as the engine goes that's another story. I will bet most CC's will say the more the better but if you live in Atlanta, where do you use all of this power? I know of too many owners that build these cars past the point of reliability and function. Sure I would love to have 500 HP but just where am I going to drive this car? By the time I can get it to the areas to "let it loose" I would have to pull over to fill her up again! I have 395 HP and 420 LBS of torque in a 2100 Lb car. I haven't gotten her out just yet but I'm sure it will scare the crap out of me! BUT, I can jump in and go get a gallon of milk at the local Publix without it overheating or laying down on me!

Now, unless you have pretty good fab skills, welding abilities, metal lathe access, metal shaping, and plenty of time I would steer towards a "turn key minus". These cars are pretty simple BUT nothing is really standard and all parts take massaging to make them work. I enjoy my car and the process but it's like building a Rolls Royce, everything is hand built! I'm getting close to being completed and this has been going for 5 years. Then there's the whole registration biz in Ga. It really makes me appreciate my cars registration when I think about it. Where in Atlanta are you located? If your close your always welcome to stop by and check it out. Thanks, Matt.

[427 S/O]

A few guys have been by and ask the same questions. I built mine and understand that's not for everybody so, I recommended they look for an unfinished replica or buy a roller. Some guys get in over their head and in today's economy, you might get lucky and save some big bucks. Look around on craigslist and ebay.

[Tony Radford]

John, I'm running the Southern Automotive stroker you refer to. You might want to consider Unique over in Gadsden and their delux pallet package. I've put 30,000 spirited miles on my car in this area and have enjoyed every one. Unique holds a homecoming event every year and draws quite a few cars from around the southeast. Bill will deliver the engine and transmission to Unique and your Pallet car will arrive with everything mounted. Don Wilmott down in Decatur builds the transmissions for Southern. Great guy and really knows his stuff. Lots of legacy in this town. Might as well stay in the family!

[Speedysnake]

John,

I own a Backdraft and am quite content with it. I chose the soft top for the reasons you mentioned, however, it's not something you carry in the boot & throw on when you see a rainstorm coming. Please E-mail if you have any specific questions regarding the BDR.

Paul Neeld - Peachtree City

[Mac VABCH]

John,

I don't use my car on the street any more, I have turned it into strickly a track days car. So I am going on memory for the things that bugged me while it was a street car.

1. I didn't like the stock shocks, they seemed to "soft". My car is #250 and I am not sure if they are still using the same shocks but there are two different firmness levels that you can go with. KYB then the next level up is Bilstien. In my opinion the Bilstiens are to hard for the street. This is what I run on the track.

2. Clutch slave set up. This is not just a BDR problem as most makes have the same issue. There are several "opinions" as to why the slave cylinders fail but different distributors have looked at this and have come up with what works for them.. Vintage has spent some time so I would look at what they have done. I use a hydraulic throw out bearing from Quarter Master but I did have to modify the input shaft bearing retainer to get it to fit. I have not had any failures with it.

3. Door latches rattle. Wrap the door pins with black tape and that "fixes" the rattle.

4. Under hood heat. Again this is not a problem that is specific to BDR but with the polished headers they put off a trremendous amout of heat. This is one of the "opinions " as to why the clutch fluid breaks down. I had mine powder coated and it made a huge difference in under hood temps, also I haven't had the clutch fluid problems either. I do use high temp fluid like ATE or Castrol SPF.

5. Parking brake assembly. BMW uses these brakes on all of there cars so I am confident that they can be adjusted properly or made to work. Mine works well enough for me, but again I don't use it. Again there are many different opinions as to what is the cause. I just didn't mess with it.

6. Steering wheel shake. This was an issue that I haven't been able to fix yet. I have tightened the slip ring and u bolt on the collume. I will attempt to tighten the rack to get rid of some of the "looseness". But if I where going to do it again I would get the power steering option and not ever have this issue. Just wasn't available when I bought the car.

7. Open differential. I does work and it can handle the power that these motor put down. I just like an LSD, its a very easy fix to put on in. I went with a junk yard LSD and swapped it in.

I am being very critical here. As I am trying to stay objective. All in all this is a great car. The car handles great, looks good and is great value. Are there more "correct" car? Sure, but they are much more expensive. For me the price was in my range and I wouldn't hesitate to buy from them again... Mike

[JJM3]

Guys - thanks a bunch for all the info! You certainly answered a lot of my questions and threw quite a lot more options on the table. Man, there's so many options out there - very hard to compare apples to apples!

Matt - 5 years ... you most certainly will scare me off from building from the ground up. I'm sure it is fun and you're taking your time though. I actually live in Canton, but work in Vinnings - not too far away from you. If you're up for it, I wouldn't mind stopping by at some point to get a first hand look at your ERA.


Mike/Paul - thanks for the feedback on BDR - certainly staying in my list.

Tony - thanks for the great info on Unique's deluxe pallet pkg. That seems a lot more appealing to me given what I want vs. the true build ... especially since they work with the folks up here and are only 100 miles from my house.

Thanks,
John

[FIA-ERA]

Hey John, I sent you a PM. Call anytime. Thanks, Matt.

[olblu66]

You Just Can't Beat Unique And Southern Auto. Their Close By Also. Heck, If You Need It Painted A Local Jerico Shop [bruce Bunn]. They All Work Together As A Team. Every Year Unique Has A Home Coming Event. We All Attend It And Its A Great Get Together.

[Tony Radford]

Hey Pat, what's been happening young man? I see you have a new Cobra neighbor building an FFR (Joe).

[tboneheller]

I assembled my roller in 6 months. If you are interested in an ERA, stop by & see if you can fit in it. I live in Canton, also. As far as a top goes, I have one that has never been installed. I think that it would take longer to install & adjust it than it would to wait for it to stop raining. Plus, these cars are a handful it the rain. Give me a call 404 925 6408 Tom.

[ground zero]

John, I'm located in Lexington, SC. I own SPF #1967 and would be glad to have you come up and take her for a test drive. I think that might help you in your decision. Shoot me a PM and I can give you the particulars if your interested.

Dale #1967

[traveler]

John , I live in the up state of South Carolina and have a Unique . I purchased their Delux Pallet kit and have been enjoying my car for three years .

I looked at several mgf's before deciding on the Unique and so far have been very happy with my decision .

I made several trips to Gadsden to see the Unique cars before buying . What I really liked about the Unique was the fit and finish of the car and the detail and time Unique puts in their cars before the sale .

What sold me on the Unique was how I was received by the Weavers and their service still three years after the sale .

I didnt have alot of time for the build so I had my car painted by Jodeco south of Atlanta and Unique installed my motor and transmission before the painted body went back on .

About all I had to do was follow the detail instructions you get with your Delux pallet and hook up the wiring , gas lines , break lines , radiator hoses , add fluids , install the interior , adjust the breaks ,crank the car and have been going ever since .

I am no mechanic by any means and found what I did very easy for a first timer.

As with any of these cars one is never completely satisfied and we continue to make up-grades all the time . I am no exception to this rule either .

No matter which car you finally purchase the feeling I had when I herd my car crank for the first time is hard to describe . I still get that feeling everytime it is cranked and I never get tired of the drive . WHAT A RUSH !

[olblu66]

Ha TONY. Im just fine. I hope all is good with you. Where might my new neighbor be located ?

[JJM3]

Thanks guys for all the info and offers to check out your rides! I really appreciate your input. I'll certainly take you guys up on your offers down the road.

If I go the build/roller route, I'll most certainly go with Unique's Deluxe Pallet kit. Have them mount my engine/tranny, have Jodeco paint it & put it back on all while it is at Unique. I can certainly knock out the rest on my own. I'm only 100 miles away, so I plan to visit them in the near future - maybe time it with their homecoming event in May (if non-cobra owners are welcome to stop by for part of the day). I figure I'd see more Unique Cobras in 1 day than any other place.

On the buy side - I guess I'm still open, but narrowed a bit ... ERA, SPF, Unique & BDR.

BTW - I'm very impressed with the Cobra forum community ... very open, helpful and close knit. I don't think I've seen one flame in a thread in all my research. I'm sure they exist, but not at the level in the BMW & Merc forums (kind of have to wade through the BS to get to the good stuff).

Thanks,
John

[GeorgiaSnake]

Hey Tony - what's up?

[Tony Radford]

Yo Mr. Little. Just trying to survive like the rest of the nation. I'm heavily involved in an expansion tank install, so my car has been apart for a couple of weeks. I can create my own landfill with the left over parts. I wonder how hard it would be to get some of the old clan back together? I talk to Chill once in a while and I see Johan pipe in every now and then. Don't know about TC Mike or wild-man John Owen. Even Cracker seems to have left the planet.

Pat, that would be Cobrajose. He posts a lot on the FFR forum. I think is formally christening his car tomorrow. There are several Cobras in Lawrenceville these days. Someone over on FFR (another Lawrenceville guy) wants to get a Cobra club in the area formed with regular get togethers. Sounds good to me.

[Johan]

I'm still around . Sounds like a Dreamland BBQ trip is in order...