Just Ordered my BDR

[Dinobyte]

Well, I just dropped the hammer and did something that I have been wanting to do for the past 25 Years, ordered a BDR Cobra from California Cobra. I have some questions however and want to make sure before it is too late that I have all the right gear to make this once in a lifetime pursuit a satisfiying experience, which is why I would like some input from the forum patrons.

First Question
I ordered it with a 351W/400 HP and a T5 transmission. My first question is whether or not I should go with a scatter shield, and should I consider a different transmission altogether? I don't plan on taking it to the track, except on Cobra events, and even then my driving will probably not consist of droping the hammer at high rev (at least not that often ).

Second Q
Will the 351W be enough? I feel it will be, but woud be open to moving up to the 408. I want to ensure however it is as streetable as the 351, since I plan on driving this and not just on special occasions.

Third Q
I ordered a vinyl top for those unfortunate instances when cold or rain caught my wife and I out (we live in the bay area where the micro climates are crazy). Does anyone have the vinyl top, and if you do, how is it holding up? Would a cloth top be a better buy?

Lastly, if anyone has any recommendations for me, let me know...I am open to hear how others would do it again if they could.

Cheers
Dinobyte

[lineslinger]

Congrats on your new car.
As far as the scattershield is concerned, if you have ever seen the bottom of an aluminum car after a clutch has blown up you wouldn't need to ask the question.
By all means, spend the extra couple hundred bucks and get the shield, your feet, ankles, and knees may thank you one day.
Would you mind talking about what it was specifically about the BDR that influenced your decision to purchase their car as opposed the other manufacturing companies?
Give serious consideration to the 408, it will enhance the look of your engine compartment, is easily developed to be street friendly, and will help uphold the value of your car a little better, aka the big block factor.
Once again congratulations.

[trs900]

392 - 430 hp stroker is just a little more $$ than 351-385 horse ford crate and should give you enough power. Scattershield a no brainer, just do it.

[SS COBRA]

Purchased Backdraft #251, powered with a 342 Stroker, 400hp and tremec 5 spd. Decided on the cast iron bell housing instead of alum.and no scatter shield for street driving mostly. Driving around town and some short trips,I now wish I would have added another 50 to 100 hp. Sometimes it just feels like I could use a little more power.

[pwcengineer]

Congratulations on your purchase. This is my first post, I wanted to let you know you won't be disappointed. I have had my BDR for a year now and love it. Biggest problem was mounting the license plate. Check it out at 65ac.com if you are looking for a solution.

[wtm442]

Scattershield? - YES

HP? - the more the merrier! No matter if you get 400, 450 or 600 HP, you will want MORE eventually. Trade off is drivability at low speeds and high idle speed. The 400 HP should suffice for the first 6 months - hehe

Vinyl or cloth top? - Neither. Forget the top. A Cobra is a convertible. If it rains, you get wet. It takes at least 30 minutes to put it up, and its a bi**h to get in and out. Truly a waste a time and money. Use the $ for more HP

Congrats and enjoy

[Dinobyte]

Originally Posted by lineslinger

Congrats on your new car.
As far as the scattershield is concerned, if you have ever seen the bottom of an aluminum car after a clutch has blown up you wouldn't need to ask the question.
By all means, spend the extra couple hundred bucks and get the shield, your feet, ankles, and knees may thank you one day.
Would you mind talking about what it was specifically about the BDR that influenced your decision to purchase their car as opposed the other manufacturing companies?
Give serious consideration to the 408, it will enhance the look of your engine compartment, is easily developed to be street friendly, and will help uphold the value of your car a little better, aka the big block factor.
Once again congratulations.

Lineslinger,

I was drifting between the ERA, Hurricane and the BDR. The main reason I went with the BDR was convenience and the consistency I felt I would recieve from the BDR product. I do not have the time or the inclination right now to build the car, so outside of having someone else build the ERA or Hurricane, I was going to have to have someone do the heavy lifting. The BDR offered the best solution to my needs. Additionally, I like the look of the BDR with the Hood Scope rivited instead of molded. The ride of the car is very nice as well, since they are using the BMW suspension from the 325 series of cars.

By the way, thanks for the input on the scatter shield and motor. It reinforces what I have been thinking regarding upgrading it.

Cheers
Dinobyte

[Speedysnake]

Dinobyte,

Just a little "Devil's advocate" here; Try to drive one of the high horsepower cars first & see if YOU like it driving around town. I opted for the 351 "crate" motor in my BDR for ample on the road performance and driveability. I've spoken with folks that high powered engines that won't even consider taking them out anywhere there might be a traffic jam, since they will overheat so easily.

I also chose the cloth top for appearance. I wanted to drive the car on cool days and be comfortable. I don't regret either choice. The black vinyl looks really cheap compared to the tan cloth & didn't go well with the Prism Red either

It really all depends on what you want to do with the car.

Enjoy!

Speedy

[Nor Cal Al]

I put in the 392W-430hp crate motor and am more than pleased with it. I think you will like it better than the 351. My number 128 is about 2 years old with 2,600 miles. I put in a scattershield because of the torque and all the fiberglass. I also used the Tremec tranny. It's stronger than the T-5.

You mentioned "wife" so I would recommend the second roll bar. I have 2 on mine.

Armond and his crew at CA Cobra are great people. Wish they were in Nor Cal. I know you are in the Bay area but we have a great group up here in Sac that meets the 3rd Sat of the month..Check in the clubs under Nor Cal Cobras.
Welcome to the Backdraft Family...

[jeffko]

For my $0.02 I would say...yes to the shield, definitely yes to the horsepower and I doubt the top would be that useful.

Why, a shield is cheap insurance. Yes it probably will not be needed, but the results could be catastrophic if it was. Can you imagine a cop without a vest?

I have approx 450/450 at the rear wheels with a 393. There have been times when more would have been better. A 393, 408 or even a 427 will produce great torque and still be streetable. Big cubes = big torque and torque is what gets the train rolling through the gears. HP is mostly just icing on the cake.

I have put approx 1500 miles on my car and got caught in a sprinkle twice. It was really no big deal and I would not want all the snaps, hauling it around, the pains of putting up and taking down, the confinement when it was up not to mention the $1500.

Oh, the trans. Take the TKO and make sure you get a limited slip diff with a 3.4 to 3.6 ratio. A couple things that restrain torque are weight and gear ratios. I do not know the rule of thumb for speed gains related to weight vs torque but you gain a second in the 1/4-mile for every 930 lbs you loose.

The last thing you want is to have the smack put down on you by some frisky mom hauling the groceries home in a Hemi Magnum, 300, Charger, etc...

[Dinobyte]

Thanks all for the feedback. Great input!
What is the standard BDR rear end gear ratio? Any ideas on the extra cost of the limited slip and is the selection of the rear end gear ratio an option before it leaves the factory or is it done at the builder?

[jeffko]

An open diff with a 3.10 gear is standard. Ask Reg about the upgrade.

[Dinobyte]

Jeff,

I just checked out your gallery and I thought it was ingenious how you guys put the car on rollers when installing the engine. Very clever!

Lover the color

[jeffko]

The rollers work great for getting the car in the just right spot, no worry of the car falling off jack stands, especially while someone is under it and still gives you the height to work under the car from a crepper. After almost 2 years I still love the color. Thanks

[salesco]

i have car 169 built by calif cobra 351 with a t5 goes fast enough to scare you, starts everytime does not overheat very driveable. the only issue i would have is the last post that he is going out of business.

[Mugzilla]

http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/store...tegoryId=15519

spend $300, mail it to BDR, have them install it, and save $400.