Ok now that you have had your Cobra what would you change

[PDUB]

Originally Posted by Thor maine

I no longer own a Cobra replica kit car but I am looking for another! I owned for 35 years a Contemporary Classic with a 427 CHEVY punched ,30 over, 11 to 1 forged pistons, forged steel crank, Merlin heads and Holley TBI, going thru a Muncie 4 spd. FANTASTIC!!!! For my next I am looking for Arntz/Butler , I would replace the front suspension with a Fast Cars IFS. The engine all aluminum old school CHEVY small block stroked to around 427 cubic inches tied to a 5 or 6 spd. I would do the sidepipes but I would using exhaust cutouts route it into a quiet under car and out the back exhaust, quiet and flip of a switch Rock and Roll !!! The other change would also be a hard top of some kind, I like the look of the LeMans type. Or thinking more a GM LS-3 might even be better!!! LONG LIVE THE CHEVY IN A COBRA!!!!

I used the Fast Cars in my Unique, which, I think, is very similar to the Arntz/Butler.

[Alfa02]

What would I change? The 427 Green car, nothing, Finally done, just add many more miles to her. The Red 289 car, change the C-4 Auto for a 5-speed (T-5 world Class) not enough HP to break one. A set of Torque Thrust (15X7) for some shows and the wires for others. And last but not least a 8-stack FI, from the single 4bbl., Although some had said, don't fix it if it isn't broke, on that piece. Opinion's on the FI question ?? Cheers TommyRot.

[Michael C Henry]

I've changed causing some of the dissatisfaction. I have gotten fatter, I've had my right knee and hip replaced, in general I've gotten older. I'm not tall actually short if you ask my wife. With the fiber glass buckets bolted to the floor my bald head id at the top of the windshield. That is why I uses the "CapSure" on my baseball hat. I was at a gathering up at SIR. I let the car in front get a ways ahead and goosed it and when I shifted My wife's hat flew off. I spent the rest of the time that day trying to get that hat back.
If the car body was an inch taller I could get the engine air cleaner under the hood with out trimming. I could maybe able to use adjustable seat slider. The original style seats come up under the shoulder blades causing the shoulders belts to be anchored higher outside the compartment or cause spinal compression. the rubber seal under the windshield doesn't seal that well and water gets in on my legs, it is usually cold .
Remember THE CLASSIC ROADSTER from the Dakotas They had a little longer wheel base and a great improvement on the front door hinge situation. You can spot one by the door front seem. It used a better hinge and and little more space for my big feet when getting in or out. Ever notice when driving on the highway, how people will creep up and ride my ass? It's as if they are trying to read my gauges. I know they can not see my break lights. I like what another member has done and incorporated rear shining LEDs into the under side of his roll bar. A better chance to be seen and warned. I want the twin second roll bar high, functional. My passenger should be as protected as I am, big deal. The new soft top works great but is a problem for this fat old man getting in and out. Remember the Matt Damon standing up and stepping over the door in the movie? That isn't me, never could. Some things I can change or improv, other things I'll live with.

[tortuga]

The good ones are getting too expensive...1965 396 roadster.

[cycleguy55]

EFI, probably Edelbrock Pro-Flo 4. https://www.edelbrock.com/edelbrock-...nes-35680.html

Interestingly, the PF4 manifold is 0.25" lower than my current manifold, plus the included throttle body is ~0.75" lower. The combined difference of 1" gives me more room to play with when looking at air cleaners - though the fat distributor in the Edelbrock PF4 kit could be problematic.

[Michael C Henry]

A little more, there should be at least two lists. One list is things that you intend on changing or having changed.. The second list is things you would ask for If you were planning a new build
I'm not going to start buying new 17" tires and wheels and Tilton 12" front brakes but envy those that have. My intake is extensively modified with the aluminum heads and would not have any value to anyone else if i were to remove. So that is not going to happen.
The hood scoop never really worked on these cars. Many people say that more air comes out than ever went in. Aero was a new thing and it looked cool then. If I were having a new build I would ask for a second hood.

I am planning on getting the twin roll bar and the Quick Release Steering Hub, building new side curtains made to fit with my windshield and soft top arrangement. Finishing my interior would be my conclusion, and new safety harness with cam latches rather than the latch link for both sides. That is about all i have on my list of what I want to change. My car is coming up on 37 years old and I'm 71My wife says the under taker will have heck of a time getting the smile off my face If I die in my car.

[RallySnake]

This thread really makes me feel close to you guys. I bought my Arntz body and frame in '81, spent 6 years building it and 33 years improving it. I have done all the things you have talked about here. I keep working on it to run road rally's and go to car shows. At 72, it's getting harder to get in and out of it, especially with the hard top on. So, I bought a Mazda 3 to drive when I just don't have enough energy to handle the Cobra.

Ron Butler sold me the last hard top he built in 2000 and I ran a Starlite rally to Las Vegas in December, in the rain, that year. I found a 21 gallon Oldsmobile gas tank that fits great in the trunk and gets me about 250 miles on the freeway. I have replaced the front suspension with a Classic Conversions Engineering unit with Wilwood Brakes. Spent a year tuning a Holley Sniper EFI to run well.

With the Covid situation, most rallies are cancelled in Southern California except for the San Diego SCCA Club. They have an event scheduled for February 13. You do all the registration on line and print out your own instructions. There is no social interaction at all. Just show up at the start line and leave on time and hit GPS checkpoints which show your score on your smart phone. There is no gathering at the finish, just go home and get your scores on line.

I have been trying to stop oil leaks from my engine since I bought a cheap racing pan. I have decided to cut apart two different pans and braze them together to make a 6 quart pan with a kickout that is only 7" deep so it does not extend below the frame. I think it may work if I can fix all the leaks in my brazed seam.

Working on my car is good exercise and helps me stay healthy and that leads amazing driving experiences. The 2018 Targa California rally took us on parade laps of 3 race tracks. I will never forget the joy of coming down the Corkscrew at Leguna Seca!

A replica Cobra is just the best toy in the world for us wrench turners. I'm on my 3rd engine (408 SBC with AFR heads), 3rd transmission (5 speed TKO) and third Jag diff (3.73 gears with LS). That one is getting pretty noisy and I don't thinks it's happy with 500 ft lbs of torque coming through. I am thinking about replacing it with a Heidts Pro G unit. Any advice about that will be very welcome!

[HUBBELL RACING]

I always wanted a 427SC of course. Now I’m older & live in FL where it’s usually warm or HOT. So I got a FF 289 Daytona Coupe w AC.

Just got it but I have a list of changes & a little debugging. 1st I need a proper set of White Halibrands like I installed on my 69 GT350 cus seller put modern wheels I don’t care for. Got to paint side pipes white too. Also need to swap the old style race harness to modern twist open harness.

[Michael C Henry]

If you have an original it would be hard to see an owner modifying it as it would forever ruin its value. So the rest of us build replicas. I would not ever try to pass my car off as an original that would be fraud. So I can change things I want. I would bet that no two cars are exact the same. I come from a heavy equip mechanic back ground and what a real racer would or I would do are going to be different. But you do have a a lot of room to adjust your car to fit your wants and needs. I'm now retired and have lots of time on my hands. I still do not have an unlimited budget. I'm aware there are lots of people that specialize in different areas and could do things I want better and cheaper than I can. I have gotten in over my head before and for a long time I question things before committing. I have observed that hot rodding is a personal thing. You more than likely will not even break even when resale because most buyer would have made different decisions. That is why Summit and Jeg's are around and sell parts and not building cars. Some thing are the way they are for a reason and I have often not thought it all through before tinkering. I'm trying to quit that. Who would have ever thought that doing some grinding and then repainting a curved two foot long door closure frame member of 1 1/2" square tubing would have taken over three months , over two heat lamp bulbs and three cans of gloss black Rust-Oleum spray paint. And it isn't done yet. It gives new meaning to "waiting for paint to dry". What a lesson and another story.

[1985 CCX]

One day about ten years ago a good friend, Dennis who at the time I did not know, knocked on my door.
There was a guy who ask what Cobra should I buy? Heard you are the local go to...

My response was there are three Cobra types....
He said go on......
I said there are the purists, myself, then there are the classic rodder type and then there are modern versions of an old car type.
Typically speaking the purist car is the most costly and the rest fall in close behind. As we all know Cobra tag is like adding a Mo Money tag.

He settled on a nice clean version of an EM, 460 and it was a jewel. Point is no matter what you have they all started out as a hot rod perse as stated in many videos. It all started with Keith Moon, Shelby blah blah blah.....

Each has its own story and each its satified owner. I love to make changes however over time its just how I like it however these cars are never done. Geeze I just bought a 993 C2S Porsche, Ive been returing it to its perfect OEM state. Go figure as that is a real manufactured car. Brand irrelavent its all fun and of course a sickness!

This winter I have to repair water hoses on the AC (36 yeras old) and in Spring get new tires and replace fuel lines on the Gold car as after several seasons they have hardened thus dangerous in two ways...
So those are my changes as I like just the way it sits otherwise...

Enjoy these cars as that is why we are on this site, the fun!
As my wife say's "its cheaper than a girlfriend...."

[Alfa02]

I couldn't agree more Jeff. My wife said she never had to go far, to find me with "My Mistress" in the garage. She said you would have them in the living room, if you had your way, I see no reason not to, the garage door could go here and hoist..... Don't get me started on my 1975 "Brand New Honda 250 Elsinore" that I kept in the dining room, of course back then we were newly married and no garage Cheers.

[olddog]

It sounds to me that most comments are about the owners priorities have changed.
The newbies first posts are what should I buy or which replica is best. We always
reply with what do you want to do with it.. Trailer Queen, Auto-cross,,,,, you get the
point. So if you did a good job of sole searching what you wanted and why, there is
not a lot to change.

I would not change my Cobra, I would change my choices. I wish I would have bought it
10 yrs sooner so we could have enjoyed it longer. I wish I would have retired 20 yrs
earlier, now that I know how my wife and I health turned out the way it did. However
it would been foolish to have retired that early from a financial point of view. So all
you can do is waste less time and live your dreams while you can.

[Mongoose930]

When I had my Contemporary Cobra, the high/low beam headlight switch was located at the end of the directional stalk. It worked great as long as the VW latching relay stayed together. It didn't matter if it was a German Bosch or a NAPA Mexico relay, for some reason the top always separated from the base and it would stop working. I eventually started using zip ties to keep them together. In the Hi-Tech, my quest for originality led me to go with a NOS Lucas footswitch. The switch works fine, I just can't get my foot there!! If I were to do it again today, I would put the footswitch in only for looks but go back to the switch in the directional stalk for accessibility reasons. After over 2,000 miles, this is the only thing I would change...

[cycleguy55]

In retrospect, I realize I probably should have changed wives sooner, allowing me to purchase the Cobra years before I actually did. LOL

More memories, fewer regrets.

BTW, my wife refers to it as "the red mistress".

[olddog]

Which Wife refers to what as "the red mistress?"

[xb-60]

Originally Posted by Mongoose930

....In the Hi-Tech, my quest for originality led me to go with a NOS Lucas footswitch. The switch works fine, I just can't get my foot there!! ....

Small as they (foot switches) are, where do you have room in a Cobra footwell to fit a foot switch?



Cheers,
Glen

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by xb-60

Small as they (foot switches) are, where do you have room in a Cobra footwell to fit a foot switch?

Cheers,
Glen

Put it on the back of the clutch pedal, then you activate it kind of like you shift a motorcycle.

[xb-60]

Originally Posted by patrickt

Put it on the back of the clutch pedal, then you activate it kind of like you shift a motorcycle.

Hmm, have to get a proper legal opinion on that

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by xb-60

Hmm, have to get a proper legal opinion on that

Or put it on the front of your clutch pedal and flash your lights every time you shift.

[1795]

Foot switches and standard transmissions are a bad combo. When I was young, I was downshifting while going through a corner at night with my high beams on. A car came through the corner from the opposite direction with one of my feet on the brake and the other on the clutch. No way to lower my high beams, oh well, too bad for him I thought. Then as the car drove by I realized that it was a State Trooper . I thought for sure that he was going to turn around and ticket me, but never did.