Toes in the water

[Daniel115]

Firstly gidday to everyone , some great cars on here I'm looking into building a cobra but b4 I dive in when I'm next. In Brisbane I'm going to check out absolute pace. I'm looking for around 450-500hp what do people recommend and do most wire up there own motors or get an auto electrician and what about interior which is what I have no idea how to do I've got a million ? I'm in north qld south of townsville thanks

[Donunder]

Welcome aboard Daniel.

First things first -- I'd be getting in touch with Tom (tomcat racing on the forum) then see if you can slip up the highway and have a chat with him in Townsville. He's a good guy and he's been around a while so he could give you plenty of helpful initial information. (Take notes!)

Then you'll have some factual knowledge about owning and running these cars so that when you talk to Craig at Absolute Pace you'll have more of an understanding of what he's telling you, and you can discuss the level of build you'd want from the AP guys.

Good luck! It's exciting and you're in for lots of fun.

[BJ's Snake]

I think Tommy is in Mackay but there are a bunch of good guys in Townsville who would help you out anyway.

Cheers
Brett

[Daniel115]

Has anyone put a motor in their cobra build that doesn't have efi just a carby here in Australia

[Mrs flatchat]

500 HP eh! that = very healthy budget then
The constabulary also knows that, that kinda grunt gets you from point A to point B very quickly
I wish you good luck with this fun venture.

With 500HP please consider:-
500hp cooling system
500hp fueling system
500hp exhaust system
500hp oiling system
500hp clutch
500hp gearbox
500hp diff
500hp Brakes
500hp tyres
500hp radar detector
etc
JMHO

[boxhead]

Not for a long time Daniel, regulations don't allow it.
In theory it is just a case of meeting the IM240 test regs, but a carburettor vehicle just can not be made to run and pass this test.

Before the testing came in, I know a car complied in SA that ran a Ford V8 out of Japan, it had more vacuum hoses and air pumps than you can point a stick at.
The engine met the ADR requirements on paper so passed. This was before actual testing was done.

[Daniel115]

EFI it is then thanks with EFI can u still get the lumpy idle

[Donunder]

Mate you obviously haven't done much research yourself, or taken the time to use the search function on the forum to find out what you're looking for.

Before you get too worked up about 500 hp and lumpy idles I'd do what BJ's snake suggested. Seek out some of the guys in Townsville for assistance but before you do, spend some time going through the many many informative threads in this forum, so that when you do make contact with them you'll be able to talk to them with enough authority to let them know you're genuinely interested in taking this Cobra business further.

Not being rude here but I'm wondering how old you are and what you're driving at the moment. Cobras look the part for sure but they can bite, and lots of wise heads in the Cobra community will tell you that 250-300 hp in a light short-wheelbase car is ample!

[Daniel115]

Yep no I don't take it as rude that's what I like to the point. I'm 39 and have a xr6 but use to have supercharged commodore when I was 24 and also built a formula 200 kart I built for speedway which was fun then sold then built a light buggy (edge buggy plans) with a Honda cbr fireblade 1000 in it which was evil, sold it last yr now looking to build a car thanks

[d488y2]

Hi Daniel and welcome to the Forum.
I was in your position about 1 year ago, thinking about building a Cobra?????
What I did was lots of research, on this forum, the 2 factory five forums and lots of Google searches
I joined the Vic Cobra Car Club, asked questions and did a lot of listening.
Visited a few Kit Supplies and contacted the ones I couldn’t visit via email or phone.
Then I worked out what I was really going to do with the car once it’s built.
To be honest it’s going to be a street/country road cruiser and a show pony. Plus it will see the track but only once a year if I'm lucky.
So what type of car do you want?
A nice street cruiser?
Open road cruiser?
Show Pony?
¼ mile animal?
Track racer?
Dyno King?
I’m sure the list goes on and on………
Once I knew what the car was going to be used for I then wrote a wish list of things I would like to have.
It can things like Body Shape, Chassis Design, Twin Roll Bars, knock off wheels 15” or 17”, Stripes or no Stripes, Engine, Gearbox, Side Pipes, Power Brakes/Steering, seats, seat belts, etc, etc…….
Once that list is done who can supply a kit to my spec, how much work can I do and can it be registered???
The PACE 427 has ticked all my boxes.

Enjoy the road ahead.

[Daniel115]

Yep just street and road cruiser and bit of a show pony no track time

[boxhead]

Have a really good look at the cars, as they are all slightly different in shape.
Work out what you like best (some are closer to correct than others) but to a layman, they all "look" the same.

[alffie]

LS7 is the engine you want, sounds strong at idle through side pipes and will pass the emissions tests, also makes 505HP

[sambo]

If you want the carby "look", check out something like the Fast EZ-EFI system, which is basically a carby body with built-in injection system and computer to suit. Not sure whether it will be easy to pass the IM240 test but it should be easier than with a traditional carby.

[soulman]

Originally Posted by sambo

If you want the carby "look", check out something like the Fast EZ-EFI system, which is basically a carby body with built-in injection system and computer to suit. Not sure whether it will be easy to pass the IM240 test but it should be easier than with a traditional carby.

Exactly what I have on my Kirkham ,
With big HP, very reliable.
It is awesome.
Soul.

[Daniel115]

I'd love to have live side pipes but from what I've read it won't pass

[sambo]

You're probably right about the sidepipes. Just like most of the lumpy cams and loud exhausts we hear on the road every day of the week. They didn't leave the factory that way either.

[Treeve]

I've seen and passed legal live side pipes on a cobra in NSW in the last 12 months. Having said that, I doubt they are in the same state as the day I tested them.

Treeve

[Daniel115]

Do most of you wire up your own motors,dash & lights or do you get a auto electrician ?

[07cob]

Daniel115

There will be a bit of both around. Really depends on your skill set and willingness to give it a go. I did all the body wiring from scratch (ie. lights, wipers, horn, indicators, ...) and found it to be one of the most rewarding parts of the build. The engine is another story. My 302 was made easy with some very well written notes so I tackled that myself as well. I reckon I would draw the line at some of the newer generation powerplants, though.

Geof