New Cobra in Glendale

[pfalk]

Howdy all -

Sunday the car carrier showed up with a nearly new midstates to sit in my garage. It's from my dad's estate and I'm helping the family out by taking care of it. (Although given the squealing noises from my wife when it showed up in the driveway, I think I may just be able to keep it for myself...)

The car has kind of a sad story. My dad had been building it for a few years when he found out he was terminal with cancer. He had it finished off at a professional shop and only managed to get a few hundred miles on it before he passed. Given it was his life's love, I'm kind of hesitant to sell it. It would feel a bit weird having someone else driving it. But then again, I need some help on the car before I can really make that call.

There are a few things I'm needing some help on:

I need the name of a good shop you'd trust a kit car with in the Phoenix area, preferable the west metro that's good at electrical work. The car has some sort of electrical problem that is causing the battery to discharge. (Sat in storage for 3 weeks just fine up in MN, started right up when it was loaded on the carrier. Started up fine to drive off the carrier. Started just fine in my driveway. Battery was dead as a doornail after driving 5 blocks and stopping for a malt with my wife.) I'm going to get the alternator checked out this week, but I'm not confident that's the problem.

The car has an automatic. And it has what I think are two swtiches that control the overdrive on the dash with a yellow light. Flipping the switches does change the transmission, but for the life of me, I can't really figure out what it's doing. Anyone have any insight?

Any gatherings coming up where a new guy could swing buy and ask a lot of dumb questions with only getting laughed at a little?

Thanks gents,

Pete

[mikiec]

Pete..

Where in Glendale? I'm at Bell and 67th ave.

If you don't mind the drive to Maricopa, Gordon Levy has lot's of experience with cobras.

B&R which is near McDowell and 27th has also been a good place to go.

Anthem motors is another place.

Jeff Classic helps out the gang with problems. He goes by Vettstr here and will show up on this thread very soon.

There are some tests we can perform on the charging system to help locate the problem.

Most of the westsiders meet Tuesdays at the 5 and diner on bell and 75th ave. Also every Saturday night at the Safeway on North 83rd ave.

Mike

[pfalk]

Thanks for the info. Hopefully by Friday I'll have the electrical issue fixed and I can actually get some more time behind the wheel.

Hopefully I can get it rolling and meet a few folks on Saturday if the regular get together is going on.

Pete

[pfalk]

I'm as giddy as a kid at Christmas. The family worked out the deal on Monday so as of now I'm the proud new parent of a bouncing baby Cobra.

Looking forward to seeing you all at the next get together, assuming I can get the tags, title and insurance all worked out.

[davids]

Pete For The Best Insurance Call Northeast Classic Auto Ins>> Talk To Mike Tell Him That Dave Shulak Told You To Call From Scottsdale He'll Take Great Care Of You 1-800-866-6440 Dave low prices too....

[mikiec]

I also have Northeast classic....

Mike

[madmaxx]

pfalk,

As you may have figured these cars are painfully simple, as simple as a 1960's car. Any good mechanic should have no problem in assisting you. I would bang some doors at work and before you know it there will be a guy that can repair in his sleep. You do not need a specialist to work on these cars, if fact take the opportunity to learn yourself. run down to autozone with the car and have them check the batt and alt, it will take 2 minutes.

[Danr55]

Pfalk, Congratulations to the proud new parent. May I suggest that you bring your new baby to the Chevron station at US60 and Idaho Rd. Saturday morning about 8:30. You can join us for a run to Tortilla Flats, a little breakfast and some down home, all around kidding and screwing around. Not sure how many cars will show up, but it should prove a reasonable introduction to the club.

[csx4910]

I wish I was going. I have to miss another one. They are starting demolition of my driveway either Friday or Saturday.

[Bob Broberg SPF667 460BB]

Don't wait for me, I'll be at Good Guys at Westworld most of Saturday.

AZ Bob

[Sharroll Celby]

What was the electrical problem?

[pfalk]

Thanks for the warm welcome all.

I'm not sure what I'm more excited about.. Having a damn fine new toy or now having a car to work on that doesn't require a PhD in Electronics. I've always wanted to move past the "I can change the oil without losing a finger" and move up to "Not completely incompetent with a wrench."

The car actually runs pretty well right now. I think it could use a tune up as it had a pretty drastic change in elevation from where it lived previously. Other than that, the electrical problem I believe I have isolated down to the regulator on the alternator.

The problem lies in that as it runs, the battery is getting drained. The car can sit parked for months and not lose power, but after a bit of driving the battery is wiped out. The car has a new style alternator with a regulator that takes it back to being a 1 wire type. The regulator seems to only be putting out about 12.5v when its running which is likely the problem. There is a small resistance adjuster built into the regulator but I don't see much change in the voltage output when I've tweaked it a 1/2 turn either way. Likely I just need a replacement regulator and I'll be good to go.

Thanks for the recommendation on the insurance folks. I'll be giving them a ring today.

I doubt I'll be able to make the run this weekend and the tags are expired and from out of state. Unless I can get out of work early and get it knocked off today.

[Fitz]

In my early years I had a 18t foot Century boat. Worked on it all winter. Put it in the water in the spring0. It Fired right up. The faster I went the more it discharged. I discovered out in the middle of the lake that the cables were on backwards. .Dah! Almost like refinishing the wood boat and using charcoal grill in my garage for heat. Couldn't figure out why I had a head ache

[pfalk]

Still getting her ready for the road, but I thought I'd share a quick pic of my bouncing baby girl.

http://www.stinkdog.net/cobra.jpg

[Danr55]

Nice looking car. WHat color is it really?

[pfalk]

British Racing Green. It was a jaguar factory color awhile back.

And thanks for the tip about Northeast Classic. They seem like nice folks.