New guy here wondering who is the manufacturer of the roadster i just bought. - Page 6

ogravty · #**101** (**permalink**) 10-31-2010, 10:46 AM

Thanks for the input on the trunk lid. I was planing on doing that also. There are a lot of mismatches around the doors so i need to clean that up also, it has fun so far. I haven't opened the tank, but it looks like a fuel cell. any particular way to tell?

Three Peaks · #**102** (**permalink**) 10-31-2010, 11:20 AM

If that is truly a fuel cell, it will have a rubber bladder inside. The problem is the bladder fill will correspond to the fill location on the outer metal tank. I'm not sure you can just reposition the bladder to meet up with a new fill location on the top of the tank.

After going back and looking at the pictures again, I think if it were me I would ditch that tank completely and take some measurements to see what stock OEM tank may fit in that space. Find a tank with a fill tube on the passenger side so you don't have to go through the trunk with the fill tube, or at least not in the middle of the trunk. Then, fab up a tank support, run a 90 degree bent fill tube from the tank fill up through the trunk on the side and up to a fuel filler cap. Then fill in the hole in the trunk and reclaim your trunk space. It would actually be pretty easy and inexpensive if you have any fab skills at all. Even paying somebody else to fab up the tank supports and the filler for the hole in the base of the trunk would be pretty inexpensive, IMHO.

Bob

ogravty · #**103** (**permalink**) 10-31-2010, 12:07 PM

Thanks for your advise Bob, the first thing i have to do then is see if it is a truly fuel cell or not. and also how much space i have. I'll do that tomorrow, opening everything in the trunk and go from there.

rustyBob · #**104** (**permalink**) 11-01-2010, 08:52 AM

ogravty....did you give up on WHO manufactured your car or did you find out who it was and i just missed it ????

i kinda have to agree with the other posters that say just drive it and dont sink a lot of cash into it....you got it to enjoy it not spend countless hours working on it and sinking your life saveings into it....drive it and enjoy it.

ogravty · #**105** (**permalink**) 11-01-2010, 12:52 PM

Rob, I'm still looking into it, i have sent emails to a few manufacures to see if the kit belongs to them but no luck yet. I'm putting a limit on spending on this new hobby (I'm calling it hobby because you hardly ever make money in a hobby and it is just for fun) of 15k, so far only 5.5 has been spended in the past two weeks, the remaining will be in the next few months as soon as i learn more about it with help and input from everyone. So every bit of advise will be taken in consideration.

rustyBob · #**106** (**permalink**) 11-01-2010, 02:38 PM

I still think its an OLD E-M......as far as i can recall they where about the only company that offered leaf spring rear suspension...OR its a collection of bits and pieces that made there way out the back door of E-M without anybody knowing about it.....see if you can do a title search on it through the DMV offices and find out who the original owner was and you might have some luck that way.

Ralphy · #**107** (**permalink**) 11-01-2010, 03:34 PM

Bob,

As far as I know EM always used a round tube frame never boxed. Also if you look at the spring mounts they are unpainted. Which would indicate they are not factory. I have a 86 titled EM and it's nothing the same.

http://www.clubcobra.com/photopost/s...7/ppuser/42220

Three Peaks · #**108** (**permalink**) 11-01-2010, 03:46 PM

Nothing on that Cobra looks like it was made in any manufacturer's shop. IMHO, this car was cobbled together by somebody wanting a Cobra but low on funds so he cobbled a separate body onto an existing OEM chassis of some sort and fabbed the rest as cheaply as possible to make it all work.
Nothing wrong with it as long as it is safe to drive, but it will be difficult to find parts for such a creature. Time to polish up your fab skills.....

Bob

RodKnock · #**109** (**permalink**) 11-01-2010, 04:32 PM

Just for clarification, the DMV's offer to "take it around back" for inspection is typical for an out-of-state used car purchase. You would not use this method if you're going to get the SB100 exemption.

The CHP inspection is utilized as one stop on the road to getting a SB100 exemption, since the CHP is the only agency that will establish/assign a new VIN number (or verify an old one that's not standardized like most modern cars). They also assign new CA state VIN's for salvage title inspections, verify cars for stolen parts and make sure that a car is road worthy.

If going through the SB100 process, then you will have to visit the CHP, but it's no big deal.

rustyBob · #**110** (**permalink**) 11-01-2010, 04:49 PM

anythings possible i guess........even when it comes to Cobra kit cars.......

Wild Card 289 · #**111** (**permalink**) 11-02-2010, 01:12 AM

The lack of finished internal panels (raw matting everywhere), and the state of the door inner tells me that this car is a one-off. No sign of any sort of production manufacturing. Looking at this picture, the trim is a minor issue in comparison to the unfinished lower door edge, and the sagging raw cut upper edge. Lot of finishing to be done there.
Do the CHP look critically at the quality of the build, or just check to see if it has four wheels?

Wild Card 289 · #**112** (**permalink**) 11-02-2010, 01:28 AM

picture of door......
http://www.clubcobra.com/photopost/s...9/ppuser/42220

Luis, plan ahead, how you are going to spend that 15K, and consider realistically what you are going to achieve with it.

ogravty · #**113** (**permalink**) 11-02-2010, 02:44 AM

There is a lot of work to be done, a lot of edges to be fixed. I have been taking a lot of pictures along the way.
The leaf spring suspension is only in the rear, not the front. I wonder the reason for it.
New apholstery is almost done,(door panels, floors, seats, dashboard, back panel, center console) but not going to be installed until all the body work has been done and painted.
I unscrew the trunk and the tank only has two things, a hose for air and one for gas, that's it, is it really that simple?. and it has some kind of plastic, rubber inside the gas opening. It is made of plastic/ fiberglass?, so there goes the whole idea of moving the cover and welding the hole. By its measurements it looks like it is a 15 gallon tank and it saids Ramsey, N.J. on the cover.
http://www.clubcobra.com/forums/albu...pictureid=4468 so it is time to look for another tank, maybe something a bit thiner and longer so i can gain some trunk space and with the openning closer to the right side, any ideas?
Roll bar, header/exhaust system and misc parts should ready from chroming by tomorrow.
I have to cancel the CHP appointment i had for tomorrow and move it to two weeks from now, which i think it might take to fix all the body work and paint.

I definitively have to plan how the rest of the remaining 9k it is going to be spent, but i think the major things has been paid for already. Doing most of the work myself does help and of course owning a manufacturing company also helps for machining parts for it. I've never owned a convertible or roadster so this is a new experience and if I see that it is going to rain, i can still use any of my other 3 cars, so i'm not really worry about that part. Thank you once again for all the input an ideas, so please just keep it coming. =)

Wild Card 289 · #**114** (**permalink**) 11-02-2010, 03:54 AM

I take back my comment about the tank having a "racy looking top" on it.....
Definitely a new tank, then.

What do the fuel and brake lines look like?

Two weeks, including the respray!

ogravty · #**115** (**permalink**) 11-02-2010, 12:08 PM

Thats what i was thinking about the tank, i don't think it is something i would like to use again. I'm looking for a tank or fuel cell f around 26" x 26" x 7" at the most or anything that will fit inside those measurements with the filler on the right side. The one in there right now is 24" x 17.5" x 9", any ideas? even 6" would be even better so i can gain some space in there. so i want around 15 gallons +

Three Peaks · #**116** (**permalink**) 11-02-2010, 12:28 PM

You may want to check out OEM tanks for foreign cars with the filler on the right side. Just look up the tank on a site like Autozone or someplace like that and they will usually give the measurments. How much room do you have between the frame rails? Would a Mustang tank fit?
Sounds like you're making good progress at the project so far.

Bob

ogravty · #**117** (**permalink**) 11-02-2010, 12:41 PM

I have 27" wide space between the rails and can probably go another 27"-28" long. I keep looking at tanks and i keep finding 30" wide. i just want to get 7" of smaller. I'll keep on looking. Everything since to be coming along just fine. I just got a call from the Chromic house telling me that my parts are ready, they pick up my stuff on Friday morning and they were ready by around 8pm last night. I hope they look good.

rustyBob · #**118** (**permalink**) 11-02-2010, 02:11 PM

my car has a 69 Camaro gas tank its 15 or 16 gallons and all i did was remove the stock filler tube and patch the hole and cut a new hole on the passanger side so it would line up with the lemans gas cap....cost about $150 bucks.....

ogravty · #**119** (**permalink**) 11-02-2010, 04:04 PM

i went to the autozone website and for a 69 camaro they are giving the following dimensions 39 3/8 in. x 20 7/8 in. x 7 3/4 in. Is that right? 18 gallon tank for a 5.0

rustyBob · #**120** (**permalink**) 11-02-2010, 06:18 PM

I could measure it tomorrow for you.....but that sounds a little big....i got mine from a Chevy parts only co. 7 years ago......try OPG ( original parts group)they should have them.