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Kirkham Motorsports

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  #21 (permalink)  
Old 06-28-2018, 07:44 PM
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Here in the Caribbean, weather can change in the blink of an eye during the summer months and I've been caught in downpours several times. As others have said, at speeds above 40mph or so, it's amazing how much rain just blows over the top but the leaks at the windshield and door gaps do eventually cause puddling in the footwells. My wipers do help and the worst part is definitely the drip onto my right leg (right hand drive).

The carpet and leather seats dry up just fine with no lingering smells or issues like you get in a closed car. I have a soft top and I only put it up when I see a rain storm approaching, but if I'm caught driving, the soaking I'd get while stopping to erect it makes it worthwhile to just keep on going. I have stopped and put the tonneau cover on to wait out the rain when a convenient spot is available. It's all good - I had a kniption the first time it happened, but after that it just became part of the Cobra adventure.
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  #22 (permalink)  
Old 06-30-2018, 04:00 AM
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In my 30+ years of Cobra driving in California, I've been wet many times. If the weather is warm, it can be a lot of fun! Your tires slip much more easily and your engine produces more power. So, if your car is balanced, you can drift effortlessly through curves.

We have started many long car rallies knowing that we may encounter rain. The worst was the 1997 Starlite Rally. It was 12 hours from Santa Barbara to Las Vegas in December. It started raining before the start. I had erected a Jeep bikini top to help keep the water off. But, at speeds above 45 mph it would flap up and down and hit the top of your head so hard your vision would blur. Pulled that off and gutted out the rest of the rally. Got very cold and almost died.

We knew that the 2000 rally would be a wet on. So I bought a hard top from Ron Butler. I also made some side curtains. It made the event much better because it rained all night long. The biggest problem on that rally were the Hoosier Racing Tires. I couldn't go faster than 60 or 65 without spinning them. The hard top really restricts your vision and the enclosed feeling is not nearly as much fun. You just have to keep a bunch of towels handy.

On the 2003 "No Frills Iron Bottom Motoring Tour" My wife and I were at a Spanish Mission in Monterey when I saw heavy clouds approaching. I told her to jump in the car quick and handed her a towel. We managed to get onto the freeway before the rain hit. It came down hard! Jamming the towels under the wind wings kept the water from flowing around the windshield post and pouring down our legs. We made the 100 mile drive back to our hotel in Paso Robles at 75 to 85 mph and were almost completely dry. It is so interesting to look up at the falling rain that does not hit your face!

We have also run shorter rallies when rain was a factor. As long as you have a waterproof jacket, a baseball cap and eye protection you're good. In my car, I have to keep the speed up to 55 to keep the rain off our heads. On twisty roads, we get wet, but the wind drys you pretty fast.

The one event I will always remember was late in the evening. It had been raining pretty hard and had gotten pretty cold. We were doing well in the rally and had hopes of winning. But, we missed an important turn and I was trying to make up for lost time by going faster. We were probably doing 80 in the fast lane of the freeway, when the left front tire hit a big puddle of water. The steering wheel jerked very hard, but I managed to keep the car from swerving into the center median. I had not realized that my jacket had formed a big fold in the front and this was full of very cold water. When I jerked my arms to catch the car, all that water poured down into my crotch. Wow, was that a shock!
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Last edited by RallySnake; 06-30-2018 at 04:09 AM..
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  #23 (permalink)  
Old 06-30-2018, 06:26 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RallySnake View Post
In my 30+ years of Cobra driving in California, I've been wet many times. If the weather is warm, it can be a lot of fun! Your tires slip much more easily and your engine produces more power. So, if your car is balanced, you can drift effortlessly through curves.
I didn't go into that aspect of driving a Cobra in the rain, but it definitely is a fun factor that those who fastidiously avoid (ahem) getting their snakes wet will sadly never experience.

Though it behooves one to be very attentive and careful driving a Cobra in perfect conditions - let alone on wet or damp pavement - it's funny as hell to glance around and see the reactions of of the hoi polloi pedestrians and other, less fortunate drivers enclosed in their Bimmers, Lexuses, Audis and Mercs. They are priceless and run the gamut from malicious laughter at your plight, to looks of pity, to wide eyed amazement at the incongruous sight of an open Cobra motoring along in a pelting downpour.

It's my pleasure to treat them to a gentle drift (when safety considerations allow, of course) coming out of an intersection or navigating a low speed curve; just to let them know that despite appearances all is actually very well with my situation - and just in case they missed the big, involuntary smile on my dripping wet face.

Yes, cleanup and detailing can be a chore afterwards, but then again I'm not afflicted with the painful analism of having to keep every single part, nook and cranny of my Cobra dry and showroom spotless at all times. Reasonably clean and looking good is good enough for me.
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Last edited by Buzz; 06-30-2018 at 06:37 AM..
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  #24 (permalink)  
Old 06-30-2018, 01:11 PM
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Well said, that is so true!

RS
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  #25 (permalink)  
Old 06-30-2018, 01:25 PM
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That reminds me of a few situations when my Navigator informed me that we were going the wrong way and needed to make a u-turn. On a dry road, our combined weight of 450 pounds made it difficult to make a bootleg turn. However, when the road is wet, just brake, spin the wheel and pop the clutch and you are suddenly going the opposite way!

RS
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  #26 (permalink)  
Old 06-30-2018, 02:39 PM
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Two Hot Rod Power Tours in an ERA Cobra. The top works pretty good. There is some dripping under the windshield, some around the bottom of the windshield posts and some leaking into the trunk.

Wipers and defroster worked well enough.

I have driven for several hours in hard rain.

The little bit of water in the car dried fast.

John
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  #27 (permalink)  
Old 07-01-2018, 02:54 AM
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John,

I have been thinking about doing the HR Power Tour. Especially if it comes west. I would really like to hear about your experience. I'll bet a lot of other people would too.

RS
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Old 07-01-2018, 07:29 AM
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I am on the fence about fitting a soft top to my car. I know that the method I use to get in and out of my Cobra without a top certainly would not work with a top on. How do you get in and out of a Cobra with hot sidepipes with the top up? Must require quite a bit of flexibility. Also, assuming you are adept at doing it, how long does it take to put the top up from start to finish? Thanks.
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Old 07-01-2018, 08:56 AM
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It takes me about 3 1/2 minutes without rushing to erect the top once I get it out of the trunk. I have no real difficulty getting in/out with the top up, but then again I'm not very tall and I'm reasonably flexible. Exiting, I lean in towards the console and lift one leg out then the other. After two snakebites, I instinctively avoid touching the pipes. Then I scoot to the edge of the seat and, bracing my hands on the front and rear of the door opening, I pull myself out. To get in, I sit on the seat, scoot in as far as I can, lean back and pull my legs in. Not the most dainty thing in the world, but its not too bad.
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