Ownership Log – ERA#2124

[Fullchat289]

Hyde:

I was just at autozone today and had them order a set of Mr. Gasket 213 Intake gaskets. These are 0.125" thick and have a port dimension size of 1.20 x 2.13, which should be good for my Dart Pro1 170 heads. You would have to consider your heads and the intake port sizing, but I'm going to give these thicker gaskets a go. I'm also going to use Permatex "The Right Stuff" gasket maker around the water ports, and also use the ARP stud kit that Jim sent along with the manifold. I'm going to take the carburetors off this time and torque the manifold down, which is something I didn't do the first time. I purchased some Stainless Steel socket head cap screws and used my torque wrench with a 1/4 Allen key with a "balled" end to gain access to the more obstructed fastening locations and there was compromise involved...

Mr Gasket/Intake Manifold Gasket - Perform (213) | AutoZone.com

I did check for coolant in the oil, but did not note any. At the rate I'm burning coolant, I'm sure I would have noticed something in the sump level if it was finding it's way there. My #1 and #5 spark plugs are much "cleaner" than the other 6 as well...another indication of what's going on, I suppose. Stay tuned.

Glen:

Well last night, I dropped the hardtop off at the painters. Over the next week, I plan to get a good start on cutting my trunklid and getting the new hinging and latching worked out. I'll document that process.. My goal is to get all this sorted by the time SAAC 37 rolls around.. ....wonder if it will be the only LeMan Hardtop'd car there??

- Allen.

[*13*]

My manifold design requires that the carbs be removed to torq. I have arp's on mine. I've had leaks every time I removed/replaced the manifold. I've followed the sequence to a "T" & used sealant. I'll wait for your results When you get a chance, & you are feeling confident about your jetting, let me know what your jetting sizes & engine/cam specs are so I can add them to the database. I just posted the new incarnation in the "Weber Jetting Survey" thread. Good luck with the gasket swap! & isn't nice to pull the manifold w/o removing the Dist!!!? Chebby guys aint' got it so easy

[1985 CCX]

Very nice work!

[tkb289]

Allen,

What a great looking setup, and added performance too, what's not to like ??!?

- Is the small braided line from the fuel log to the firewall running to a fuel pressure gauge ?

- On the driver's foot box near the ID plate, what is the small 'L' bracket for ?

- Is there any type of choke ?

Wonderful work, look forward to seeing what's next !

- Tim

[xb-60]

Me again. Allen - when you have some miles under your wheels, can you post some mpg figures? I have heard on this forum about some astoundingly bad consumption figures with Webers, but with well set up Webers the figures can be amazingly good (relative to the performance), and keeping a log of figures can also help in highlighting problems sometimes as they are developing, so before they get out of hand and do damage.
Cheers,
Glen

[Fullchat289]

Hyde:

Crap, now you are scaring me.... So when you drive your car, you are always keeping an eye on the coolant level?? Have you ever been able to slow or stop the leaks? I'll certainly keep you updated with my results...but I'm hoping for better than yours..I need to get this beast to Watkins Glen next month..

Tim:

Yes, the stainless line running back to the bulkhead fitting on the firewall is going to the fuel pressure gauge on the dash. The braided line, which is just a couple of AN -4 brake lines spliced together is temporary until I switch over to something more period, like some nice aeroquip line or something.
The "L" bracket (well spotted, btw!) is a left-over from my old linkage that anchored one end of a return spring. I just haven't taken it off the footbox...lol
No chokes on these carbs...just a couple dabs of pedal to order up some raw fuel from the pump jets, a twist of the key, and she fires.

Glen:

I will certainly be looking at the fuel economy. I got some decent numbers out of the 44IDF system that was on the car when I drove the 1200 mi trip to the Tail of the Dragon. I achieved something like 17,5mpg or so. Below is the log from that trip. My up-coming trip to Watkins Glen will be mostly "A" roads rather than motorways, so we'll see how that turns out. The biggest issue with these carbs that I can see is staying out of the Main Circuit. That's where you loose all the fuel, which also is where the fun is...unfortunately..

Here's that IDF chart:



- Allen.

[*13*]

I always check my oil & my coolant. I had to put sealant in to get the leak to stop. I was very meticulous the last time I replaced the gaskets. I used the gaskets with the sealant ring on them this last time, mr gasket I believe. I researched the proper torq & sequence. I followed it to a "T". If someone has a fail proof method, I'm all ears. I don't proclaim to be an expert mechanic, but I have swapped out 1/2 doz intake manifolds w/o a problem until this one. I'm ready to pull the heads & have everything checked if it springs a leak. It's been holding for a good year or so now.

[ceslaw]

Allen

Beautiful. Looks great. The coolant bypass line blends in well.

I am really anxious to hear how the Webers perform once you have had a chance to put some miles on them. I assume you did have to balance the four carbs, but other than that do they appear to be well calibrated?

Chuck

[Fullchat289]

Originally Posted by ceslaw

Allen

Beautiful. Looks great. The coolant bypass line blends in well.

I am really anxious to hear how the Webers perform once you have had a chance to put some miles on them. I assume you did have to balance the four carbs, but other than that do they appear to be well calibrated?

Chuck

Chuck:

I'll be sure to post my fuel economy results...I contacted Jim earlier this week and told him that at this point, there's nothing I would want to change about his initial jetting...they are set up very well. As you said, all I had to do was sycronize/balance them and trim the idle circuit a bit...and idle of course.. Jim really does a fantastic job.

I'm pulling the intake back off here in the next two weeks..need to sort out that coolant consumption issue I spoke of earlier...hopefully the thicker gaskets I purchased and some judicious application of sealant will do the trick...fingers crossed.

As for now, I'm working full-steam (as time permits) on cutting my trunklid and re-hinging it to allow access to the trunk when the LeMans top is in use...a la LeMans racecars... Like this:

CSX2049



Now if I didn't have a last minute business trip to Sweden next week, I'd feel a bit more comfortable about my "to-do" list before having to shove off to SAAC37 in a month's time...Gaaaaahhh!

- Allen.

[Fullchat289]

With SAAC37 looming, I’ve moved on to finishing out the Hardtop and split trunk lid. As of now, the Hardtop is at the painters. It will get the same 6R1 Woodland Green Pearl Metallic that is on the remainder of the car. There is “only” 4 variants of this paint code, so we will have to make sure that correct/matching one is applied.

I’ve also forged ahead with gathering my courage and taken the saw to my trunk lid. It is now in two separate halves with the T-handle relocated and hinges at the base of the back section. Later on, I will write a tech article on the process of how I did it. As for now, I’ll post a few “in process” photos.

Hardtop at the paint shop:


Taking the saw to the trunk lid:


Hinged and separated:


Close-up of the aluminum lip fabricated for the upper section:


Another shot of the aluminum lip:


- Allen.

[*13*]

Nice work! Always thought that top needed some paint.

[ceslaw]

Nice! Bet it took some nerve to take that saber saw to that perfectly good trunk lid. You will have an impressive Lemans cobra; something not often seen. Great concept nicely executed.

I was wondering if the top will be removable - it would appear so although I would guess disconnecting the fuel line, etc., would make it a bit time consumming.

[ItBites]

Why did you feel it necessary to drill the row of holes prior to cutting the fiberglass decklid?

[Fullchat289]

Hyde:

Me too! The car will look so much more "finished" now with the top painted. Several have encouraged me to keep it black, b/c they think it looks good black, but I know I'm going to prefer to have it the same as the body color.

Chuck:

I designed the fuel filler set-up to be easily swap-able. It only takes about 5 minutes to remove the hardtop. Easy-peasy

E. Wood:

Drilling the holes was my method for setting the panel gap I was after. I used the jigsaw to connect the dots and then sanded down to the extents of the holes to achieve my desired panel gap. If I was to do it again, I would probably use a little something smaller than the 15/64's bit I used, but all in all, it worked out great! My bodyman will smooth the edge out.

- Allen.

- Allen.

[xb-60]

Allen - should have left it black 'cos now you'll have to paint the hardtops on your team cars too.....



Cheers!
Glen

[Fullchat289]

Ha-ha...good one, Glen!

However, Bill Shepherd's COBRA has a Silver top.. He will have to paint his to match my "team car"..lol



- Allen.

[Fullchat289]

Really turning the wick up now with some key dates coming up here in the very near future. Next Monday, I am pleased to say that I am meeting up with Jacky Morel, who runs “427 Racing” magazine published in France, and he is doing a feature article on the car! Jacky, an ERA FIA owner, and I were acquainted through the classifieds section of ClubCobra.com when I was selling a replica CSX2431 dash that I purchased through the Kirkham sale some time back. Jacky is transforming his ERA to pay homage to that car. So after sending him some pictures of my car, he indicated he wanted to feature it in his magazine. Jacky will be visiting the States for the “All Ford Nationals” at the Carlisle Fairgrounds this coming weekend, then he will be swinging by my area before heading up to SAAC 37 the tail end of next week.

So the car…this past Saturday, I took the car up to the paint shop and installed the freshly painted hardtop and trunk lid pieces. I spent the morning adding PPF strips around the seal to body area of the rear deck and added some around the side window openings where the side curtains have a tendency to contact when the door is closed. I also spent some of the day yesterday polishing the plexi rear window and adding boarder paint to the perimeter. Yet to do is finish up the latching mechanism for the trunk lid, add some cable stops, and splice in some extra wire for the license plate light which is now too short b/c of the rear-hinging portion of the trunk. Here are some pictures..

Painted Trunk Lid Pieces:



Couple Views of the Painted Hardtop:







Shots of the Hardtop Installed:







….and one “artsy” shot once back home:



Boarder Paint on the rear Window..:



Adding a foam rubber seal to the rear window:



The next update will show some detail on the rear trunk lid latch and some close up shots of the hardtop with the rear window installed..

- Allen.

[*13*]

Damn that looks nice!

[xb-60]

Originally Posted by Fullchat289

I s'pose you think that looks pretty good?

Hmm, so do I!
Cheers,
Glen

[tkb289]

Great progress Allen, nothing like a deadline to inspire one!

I thought your 'gap spacing holes' idea was very clever, a good way to approach the problem. Must have been quite an unusual feeling to cut the boot lid in half

How do you get in and out of the car with the roof on? It's hard enough without a top, can't imagine what it's like with it in place.

Keep up the good work!

- Tim