suggested transmission

[oldschol]

I'm currently building my cobra and wanted to go oldschool. I already have all my running gear. 428 CJ with toploader. Any feedback on what shifter to use as well as the use of a hydrolic throwout bearing or slave cylinder.

Thanks
Bill

[Anthony]

Go with a slave cylinder.

David Kee can set you up with a shifter.

Also, Mark at Toploader heaven, if he is still in business can build you a shifter.

[blykins]

Use a Hurst Comp shifter and a regular clutch setup, with a master and slave cylinder, unless you don't have room for a clutch fork.

I can sell you everything you need. If you want to check pricing, just shoot me an email.

[RICK LAKE]

oldscol Bill if you already own the trans I understand. What gear ratio is in the rearend of the car? Remember that your cobra is any 2,500-2,800 lbs and doesn't need the high gearing that a truck for 4,000 lb car needs. Are you going to do any long drives in the car? A couple of companies make the correct reverse shifter for the cobra. What's under the car, nobody is going to see with out a camera or mirror shoes. If you are looking to build a 100% replica of a CS car, stay with the 4 speed toploader. A 428 mild build will have over 400 ft of torque and move your cobra along a highway real easy. There are 3-4 overdrive trannies that would do the same thing, plus extend your gas milage, less wear and tear on the motor and drivetrain, and if you are running side pipes, less noise.. I am a Richmond fan and G-force fan. I like the design of these trannies, simple and strong. The down side is they are not cheap, about $800.00 more than a TKO 500 or 600. They all come with a first gear in the 2.80's if you want. This also depends on rearend ratio. IMO you don't want anything higher with a tork motor than 3.54 gears. Even this is a little high for a mild motor, but will give great acceleration from a stop. TKO has fixed their problem with the TKO 500 and 600 now. It has multi shifting point for the handle in the car. Mr. Blykins sells a complete setup for your motor at a great price. It would be really hard to fine it cheaper some where else. The choice is your on which why to have the clutch work. ERA uses the clutch fork and external slave cylinder. With the trannies named above and the top loader, a hydro will work just fine. You will need to have solid mounting points inside the bell housing to prevent the hydro line from being sucked into the pressure plate and rubbing through. Solid steel lines are on most new cars. Bleeding the system is not too bad, takes too to do. Good luck. Rick L.

[Bill Bess]

Go with 308's in the rear end if you want to cruise on the open highway with the top loader. 325's with the TKO 600 will give you good cruisng speed and low rpm.
Now if your drag racing..that's a different story...go lower on the rear end...but what do I know?

Bill

[ZOERA-SC7XX]

I use a toploader w/3:31 gears behind a somewhat mild 428 and I'm quite happy with this setup. Sometimes I wish I had more gear (3:50's) but it's a compromise, and it's as close to original as possible. If you wanna spend a couple of thousand extra $, go with a 3:50/3:70 rear and OD trans, but if you already have the toploader, stick with it. I don't race my car, so this setup should last forever, and the gas mileage is acceptable. Good luck.

[Dwight]

I drive a small block with a TKO 600 and a 8.8 rear end so my driving expertises with an FE Cobra is limited. I have driven Coach Mike 428/461 KC Cobra and Mike Lainhart 427/487 KC Cobra several hundred miles each. I have been the passenger for a few thousand miles. Both Cobras have Tremec 5 speeds. Lainhart's Cobra will cruise at 1800 -1900 with no trailer hitch jerk. Coach has to stay 2100 or better.
I would suggest you us the auto math calculators to give you an idea of what speed/rpm range you will use most. It just an guess at the best. Each motor is different. Tire size, motor rpm, torque, cam, rear end ratio, gear ratio of the trannie all play into the equation. Most of the toploader big block I know of cruise at 2800 + - range.
Cruise speed can be 50 mph or 60 mph or 70 mph or 80. Think about which speed you will drive the most and pick a setup that is comfortable for you.
If you drive your Cobra a lot (every week) a good cruise speed is very important but if you only drive it a few times a month you can put up with the high rpms or jerking.

But what ever, it's the ride of a life time.
Oh yea, I have 23,500 miles on my small block and I'm getting ready to drive 535 miles to London, Ohio. This will be the 7 TH time I drove to the DVSF/LCS.

See ya on the road.
Dwight