A miracle....Slowy's cobra update

[stephen low]

Lost the weekend working on the cobra to a skiing opportunity at Buller but not a bad diversion I guess.

The view from the absolute highest point was magnificent! Looking onto the mountain down the run Fast One!



And out the back over part of the high plains area.



The weather on Sunday sadly was more normal and pretty bleak and what's worse I had to cook my own Fathers day breakfast plus the boy's serve!!



Anyway back to normality at home today and I've essentially got the passenger tunnel fully completed with kick panel work and heat shielding. Will need to re-glass the hole I cut in the rear wall before I can shield this are too.





Am hoping the thermal layer will achieve both some heat reduction benefit as well as noise reduction.

Anyway now working on templates in the drivers side for more panel work.

Enjoy!

[snakesaway]

Hi Steven,

I was wondering what seats do you have as I would like to sit just a bit lower in my car which is an Evans. I also noticed the dip in the floor pan for the bottom of the seat is that something you did or did it come that way?

Thanks Andrew

[stephen low]

Andrew

The G-Force pans are built that way.

But the rear cabin floor is somewhat coffin shaped formed by the raised glass over the chassis rails. These two features make it extremely difficult to fit seats low into the G-Force.

My engineer fabricated seat frames and the mounting plates to get my seating as low as practical. I'm only 5' 6'' in the old language but am still looking out the windscreen at about mid-screen level.

I had MX5 seats in it but even these couldn't be made to sit low enough.

Perhaps you might want to talk with my engineer Marty Govett (Kenmer Engineering) about his seat frames as an option mate.

Cheers

[stephen low]

Should add Andrew, dependant on where you are. My untrimmed frames are sitting in my garage. If you wanted to test a frame in your car you are welcome to have a try.

This is of course dependant on how slow I am getting my panel work finished to then send the car to the trimmer. So your time is thin on this option.

Let me know.

Steve

[stephen low]

Well lost another weekend attempting to ride Amy's Gran Fondo, and even failed miserably at that attempt.

Not enough saddle time or perhaps that previous weekend skiing had killed my legs. Mind you I didn't suffer a heart attack like a 40 yo bloke did on the first main hill climb of some 9kms. He did survive fortunately.

The views between Lorne and Apollo bay on the closed road were spectacular though!

So very little time on the car and not much physical advancement.

Had been developing cardboard templates in the driver's footwell. I came to the conclusion I needed to make multiple panels, to be able to fit around all the obstacles. Also decided I'd simply run the panels behind and around the various mounts on the basis these black painted items would tend to disappear against the planned dark blue carpet.

So got my first of three planned panels finally cut off the final template version and mounted as shown below.



The second template notionally in position.



And then the third template to work around the windscreen stanchion and bonnet latch in this case.



I need to do some tweaking to panels 2 and 3 to better fit up to each other and for panel 2 to fit panel 1. I will also be making two small cover panels to fit neatly around the bonnet lever and the accelerator pedal mount.

These small cover panels are needed to cover the cut out shapes I need to make in the larger panels just to be able to even fit them.

Given the silly Tigers failed again to progress in finals and I've a full weekend available, I'll have no distractions to progress further.

Hopefully by the end of the weekend I'll be able to sign off the driver footwell panels as done too.

We will see.

Enjoy

[gjkrv8]

Originally Posted by stephen low

Given the silly Tigers failed again to progress in finals and I've a full weekend available, I'll have no distractions to progress further.

Enjoy

Slowy I went to that game - first final I went to in 30 years. A loss in the first semi is the "new 9th place". Lucky us Tigers supporters are resilient. Next Year.

Onto better weather and Cobra driving.

Keep up the good work Slowy.

cheers

Gregg

[stephen low]

Ha thanks double G.

I think your right but I was disappointed I couldn't reciprocate my brother's stirring this year to talk about Ninth-wood.

Next year for sure - lol

So yes am keeping the pressure on when I can between working stints to progress the car. Not only is my weekend free but have realised I am "working from home" for the majority of next week too.

Not been too productive for work of late but hey sh.1.t happens.

[stephen low]

So still a bit of an interrupted weekend but got some reasonable progress on my driver footwell kick panels.

By the end of Saturday night I'd fitted up two panels as shown and test fitted the third panel for match into the second. Suffice to say I wasn't happy with the match up and decided to rework a second panel variant.



So Sunday's first job was the number 2 panel remake and refit.

I was a happier boy when I fitted up panel number three and though not perfect, was adequate to pass muster as shown below.



This exercise essentially consumed all the day.

I'll need to trim the panel at the door opening and match up to a panel under the door and then that's it for folding of cabin kick panels.

I do also need to tidy up along the top folds, cut out holes for a speaker and a couple of footwell LED lights and make the two cover up panels for the bonnet lever and behind the pedals.

With this work done the kick panels will be done.

That just leaves the gear lever cover plate and the cabin aluminium is finally done. But I guess this is going to take a bit of time.

Enjoy

[Aussie Mike]

Nice work Slowy.

It'll look very neat and tidy in there when it's all carpeted.

Cheers

[stephen low]

Thanks Mike I am trying to make the panels fit up so that the carpeting is pretty seamless when it is installed.

Still not sure how the trimmer will retain my ability to dismantle sections if needed but I guess a conversation will be had on this issue soon.

So I managed to get some late arvo shed time, with a good result - the final panel cut and installed.



Still a fair bit of trimming and bits to work on but another step closer.

Cheers

[albanycobra]

Looks neat Slowy. Love the space in that G Force.

[Hoity]

Hey slowly, sent you a pm
cheers
jon

[stephen low]

Despite having to go into the office this morning, the arvo proved very productive including meeting our newest inquisitor - Hoity (Jon) for a bit of a chinwag.

So progressed the third and rear panels from shaped to completed. This meant that I could refit the seat base to the rear panel and the speaker and LED's into the third panel, all capable of being final mounted as evident below.



As mentioned in earlier posts I need to make up panels to better disguise the spaces around the bonnet latch handle and the accelerator mount both visible in the photo below.



This is all shortening my list rapidly which makes me happy!!!

Enjoy

[Hoity]

Hey Steve, great to meet you today and thanks again for a look at the car, the photos don't do it justice. Hope I didnt hold you up to long.

[stephen low]

Jon it was my pleasure - always happy to entertain fellow cobraphiles, even those in research phase - lol

As the photos above show, I got the work I wanted to complete today all done.

This allows me to move onto the next phase.

Cheers

Steve

[gjkrv8]

Looking great Slowy, keep up the good work - Summer is coming - or so they tell us. No more footy worth watching as the Tiges are out. Cheers Gregg

[stephen low]

Am that close to getting the car to the trimmer but I'm worried how long he will have it for now.

Still it has taken this long I should be thankful.

It will be a two step process as I'll get the cabin trimmed first and then return to the boot alloy folding after the car is registered and driving.

Not sure too if I'll hold off on the soft top till stage two as well, but I'd like a tonneau straight up for when the car is registered.

I am guessing the stud layouts will be the same for the top and tonneau anyway.

[DaveW]

Originally Posted by gjkrv8

Looking great Slowy, keep up the good work - Summer is coming - or so they tell us. No more footy worth watching as the Tiges are out. Cheers Gregg

You can still barrack for your other best team the Hawks Gregg.

[stephen low]

So had been continuing to tinker through the week most nights and making small steps forward on the driver footwell panels. And now I have a final product finished.

As mentioned multiple panels to be able fit these in and around the obstacles plus several small covers as seen below separated.



And then all the bits screwed together, as bit of a check.......



Then more importantly the whole shebang mounted into location.



The covers to hide the opening around the bonnet latch.



And a closer look around the footbox.



I'll be keen to see how the pedal room works on the accelerator when I get the chance to sit in the cabin. However I deliberately folded the panels to maintain space to the right of the pedal so that the foot could somewhat slide into that area.

Some final tinkering and fitting of LED's and this is all done.

Hope to get the gearbox cover finished this weekend too and that will be it for the cabin aluminium work.

Enjoy

[stephen low]

As hoped the panel work is essentially finished in the cabin bar some minor tweaks.

Made and mounted up a transmission lid, that then led me to fitting up the gear lever boot and ring as shown below.



The old gear lever arrangement has grown on me and is likely to stay for now. Tends to fit in with the wider look.......



Then got started on the stereo head unit and tweeters so that I can get them wired up.

Tweeters fitted nicely at either end of the dash and swivel so they can better direct the sound at the listener.




The head unit needed to be offset to miss fittings already located through the tunnel behind the dash. Will allow me to perhaps fit up some form of 12V plug fitting on the left for charging gear.

Can anyone suggest a nice looking 12V outlet fitting for this purpose??



I also repaired and re-painted the hole and I had cut in the abortive attempt to fit a small sub-woofer behind the passenger seat.

And I discovered on Saturday that the owner of the bike shop I use is mates with one of the Blackman brothers, perhaps Garry.

I've sent him a number of photos and an idea of what I am after trimming wise as he said he would forward these to Garry for him to have a look at.

Will see if this changes the trimming direction I've had planned.

So just need to finish wiring for LED's and stereo and all the panels and dash can go back in, then it is just finishing off the heat matting and the car is ready for the trimmer.

Half a chance this might be done by end of week.

Enjoy