any others in the Evansville area?

Robbinsshkr · #1 (**permalink**) 10-11-2008, 06:29 PM

I am getting ready to start building my unique 427 cobra, I should be able to pick up the DPK in a month or so. I was curious to how many other cobra owners there are in the Evansville area. I live in Boonville, right outside of Evansville. Hopefully I'll get to meet some of you soon.
Take care,
Eddie

Rick Yeager · #2 (**permalink**) 10-12-2008, 03:04 AM

Eddie, congratulations on your new Unique. Rest easy, despite all the nice old Vettes and hopped up ’55-73 Chevys you see around town, you have friends!! There are several Cobra folks in the tri-state area.

We live about one and a half miles due south of Main Street Baptist Church, off Eight Street, just a little across from the FOP. Drop by or phone 897 0548 But it might be easiest to just Email me at Rick.Yeager@InsightBB.com or just follow up on this post because I work such irregular shifts. It would be great to meet you and to know more about your project.

Ricky

Robbinsshkr · #3 (**permalink**) 10-12-2008, 10:34 AM

Thanks for the reply and offer. You and I are very close. I live in what i really consider Chandler, but it has a Boonville mailing address. Does your cobra happen to be blue? My two sons, 12 & 14 have told me of a blue cobra in Boonville. Do you happen to have any pictures of it posted on here? I looked in the members gallery, but couldn't find any. If you need help working on anything, i'm only 10 minutes away. robbinsshkr@aol.com
Thanks again,
Eddie

Rick Yeager · #4 (**permalink**) 10-13-2008, 03:49 AM

Yes, it is a dark blue generic Cobra without skunk stripes

or roll bars. I have just never gotten around to posting any pictures of it—just keep thinking that there would be a better time later.

I am trying to figure out about where you live. Is it close to Ray McIntyre’s Chandler Auto Pro on Hwy 62? Ray has several nice Fords including his 428 Mustang and a 427 Thunderbolt clone. But you probably know him. If you don’t he is a great resource on any car project.

Thank you for offering to help. There is always something more it seems to need but right now things may be under control. This summer we put a better radiator in it and have fought with the carburetor and something else but I can’t remember what now. After a lot of trial and error, it seems that the carburetor problem was mainly a bad power valve but we changed almost everything before we figured it out. It was one of the new “million mile” valves that were not supposed to go bad. I had heard about this problem with Hollies but had never seen it before. The new radiator came from PRC, north of Boonville. They added a shroud and recommended some changes in plumbing to help eliminate air from the cooling system as well as build a two coil double pass radiator. Dwayne is great to work with and his suggestions and new radiator seemed to have done the trick.

Please keep me posted on your Unique. They are an excellent car. If you would like to see it, I think there is a VCR sales build tape from Unique that is about 20 years old lying around in the basement. For all I know, they are probably still using the same one. Ha!!

Again, if you get the chance, we will have lunch or just drop by.

Ricky

Robbinsshkr · #5 (**permalink**) 10-13-2008, 08:40 PM

Ricky,

Its good to here from you again. I live between millersburg and edwards roads on the back side of chandler. woods behind me, a big stripper pit to my front, deer and turkey in the yard pretty much everyday, it's great. Being a cobra owner in boonville, you are probably familiar with "Brent" as he is known in the unique forums and went by BB427 on the club cobra. i lived next door to brent for years and did a lot of drag racing together. If you ever look at the unique forum / gallery, you'll see a picture of my recently sold race car, 1964 corvette, 1050 horsepower, anyway, back to brent. Brent had the beautiful candy apple red "unique" cobra running around this area for a few years, it was one of the best anywhere. it was actually a kit car magazine cover car. I got some good news today from unique motor cars. they tell me my kit should be ready to pick up in about two weeks. I'm guessing it will take 4 to 6 months to complete, not as fast as some, but faster than some others. not going to give myself a deadline. i hope it to be nice, but not so nice i'm affraid to drive it. I'm still having a hard time deciding on a color, but i have ordered my wheels. are you and the other cobra owners in the area going to have a get together anytime in the near future? i just hope i fit in this thing ok, i'm 6'1'' and about 235 with a size 13 shoe, which i hear can sometimes be challenging with the pedals and narrow foot boxes. How long have you had your cobra, big block, small block, 4-speed??
I have no doubts we'll meet up soon. I'm looking forward to it.
Eddie

Rick Yeager · #6 (**permalink**) 10-14-2008, 05:15 AM

A year or so ago Bernie Knight and Hershel came through this area and several guys met them at the Outback Restaurant. Brent was at that dinner and I met him then. We all had a good time and talked about doing it again but unfortunately, it never happened. His car sounded phenomenal. Hopefully there are other local folks and perhaps Cobra fans from Owensboro and Henderson reading this thread who would be interested in getting together this fall and having another supper together. It would be a lot of fun.

There are several very nice Cobras in the area. Mine is not one of those but it is fun. Like you are concerned, the foot box is a tight fit for my 5’ 11’ 210 body with size 11 shoes. Our 6’3” son with larger feet drives it frequently and says that is not a problem—I do not see how, but he loves driving it. The Superformances are much better fitting and surely the Unique will be too. This one is the 1970-80’s style kit based on a Mustang II suspension and simple 4x4 box frame. The engine is a 351 Cleveland. The clutch is the old 11” high performance with a hydraulic external slave cylinder. The transmission is a wide ratio top loader with a 3.5 ratio 9 inch differential. The body was thick and stout but very poorly done. It took a lot of work and still is far from perfect. It has been out enough and abused enough to look a little used. I think I like that look in a Cobra

Choosing the color was by far the hardest decision. Please let me know when you get it. I would like to see it. If you do it like you did your Vette, you will have a very special car.

Ricky

Robbinsshkr · #7 (**permalink**) 10-14-2008, 09:13 PM

Rick,

I take it from your reply that you looked at the photo of the vette i had on uniques gallery section? you may have seen it a few years ago in the tristate torque magazine that ran for a while. i pretty much had to use a shoe horn and some crisco to get in the vette, especially with the fire suit and helmet, but that was only for 5 seconds at a time. does your car have the dropped foot boxes? i cant remember if i mentioned it yet, but i'm going with a 452 ci, FE, top loader and 3.73 gears. engine should put out 525 to 550 horsepower, surely enough in a light weight street car. i just hope it runs cool and is half way reliable and hope i don't look like some kind of bobble-head sticking up above the winsheild, seat tracks are pretty much not an option. unique does have the dropped foot boxes, the offer a dash that allows for a little more knee room and i chose a bit smaller steering wheel. i'll be like your son, and the thrill of driving it will out weigh any discomfort from long legs and big feet.
was you able to figure out where i live with my description? i've never seen a sign stating the name of the subdivision i'm in, i don't even know if it has a name, its basically off of state street [the one and only red light in chandler]. i'm close enough that i can clearly here the drag races on saterdays.
now for a bit of a personal question if you don't mind my asking. do you happen to be a DR. ? My two sons have told me for quite some time that a DR. in Boonville has a blue cobra. If you are and have ever worked the Boonville hospital emergency room, then you've most likely met my two boys. plenty of stitches and broken bones between them. they are definetly all boy, and as they say, "boys will be boys" they both think the cobra is the baddest car out there. until next time, take care. Eddie

ps....are you aware of any good painters in this area familiar with painting these body's?

Michael P. Wole · #8 (**permalink**) 10-15-2008, 09:35 AM

I am in McLeansboro, Il...1-1/2 hr from Eville. Drive an LAE(B&B) British Racing Green, Wimbleton White stripe. Built 351w. Ran the Hot Rod Power Tour as a long hauler. Went to London Cobra show, and just returned from RunNGun at Gate Way Raceway Park.
Have lot of fun driving and working on my baby.
You may want to talk to B&B about thier kit...great quality and service. Has dropped foot boxes...my 6' 4" son in law can get in ...only problem he has are the pedals with his size 16 brogans as my pedals are very close together.
Let me know if I can help you on your project.
Mike Woley 1-618-599-1035 cell phone

Rick Yeager · #9 (**permalink**) 10-16-2008, 01:02 AM

Eddie, no, I could not find your car in the galleries—not sure what I am doing wrong. Don’t remember it in the tristate torque magazine. It is a shame they stopped publishing. I still have several old copies.

Your car sounds like a barn burner. Five hundred horsepower in a 2500 pound car should be adequate—at least for a while. Ha!! One thing I would warn you of—you can not imagine how much attention a Cobra gets. I was not even remotely prepared for that. And my car is not that nice. Glad you went with an FE just for tradition’s sake. They are good engines and look natural in a Cobra. My car does not have the dropped foot boxes. Like you, I went with a smaller steering wheel, did not install the seat tracks, worked with the angling of the seat, fiddled with the seat backwards tilt and made a lower height cushion. These things made a difference. The next thing for comfort my car needs is a less intrusive door hinge. It is the most complained about item on the car.

I have not figured exactly where your subdivision is but think that is just south of Millersburg Rd. about half mile east of State St. John Tweety has a body shop in his barn just south of Edwards on State St. With three young men 19-24y/o, a daughter-in-law and a lead footed wife, I visit him frequently. He takes good care of us. I know several painters but am not sure of just exactly what you want. Probably Brent or Ray would be able to advise you there. One sound piece of advice I would share—don’t let me paint it. That was a disaster. Priming went great but I should have stopped there.

Yes, I am an ER doc here in Boonville. I cannot place your boys. It is very likely I treated them. Hope they did well and you were pleased with your care. When my boys were younger, we went through so many broken bones, that I nearly tried to hire an orthopedist on retainer. Ha! It is just part of the daddy job.

One quick story, if you don’t mind. I was looking for an engine and rear end when I first started working on the Cobra. I found a old Mercury Montego MX sitting in back of a used car lot off State St. in Chandler. It had been sitting there for some time. It had a 351C engine and 9” differential. The car was in pretty sad shape but had less than 60,000 mi. The owner was reluctant to sell it at the time. A month or so later his wife brought his teenage son in with a broken ankle. I offered to barter casting and caring for the ankle for the old car. She called him and he readily agreed. Every body was tickled pink with the deal. Ha!

I will be off this weekend. Maybe Matthew or Greg could drive “Gracie” and me out and let you look at it. Maybe it could help you in making your decisions. Beware, the hood scoop on my car looks like somebody built an air plane hanger on the hood. The boys say it doesn’t look too bad. It is certainly different.

Mike, John Bullock in Huntingburg built a B&B. It was a nice car, a 302, blue with white stripes. He was pleased with the kit and factory support. He and his wife drove it to the first London Car Show. He was included the official first London VCR tape. I think that he got into SCCA racing and sold the Cobra. It sounds like you have put in a fair amount of “seat time” in yours. If you are out this way, let us know.

Ricky

Robbinsshkr · #10 (**permalink**) 10-16-2008, 08:46 PM

Rick,

my youngest son's left arm has grown about 5 inches longer than his right, but i figured his other one would catch up one of these days. just kidding, we've always had good treatment in the Boonville ER, maybe because were such good repeat customers!!!!when you go to the uniquecobra forums, go to the main gallery and scroll down. the heading reads "it's not a cobra, but...." it's kinda hard to see what the picture is until you click on it, it's actually a scanned copy of the tristate torque magazine artical written about the vette. I actually have two photo's on that main page, not because there anything special, i just think its because no one has posted any more recent photo's to bump them out of line yet. i think i may have found a painter????i was given his name and number buy the owner of southern in body works. this guy used to work for SIB years ago. i gave the guy a call and ask if he was familiar with fiberglass body's. he told me that corvettes is what he paints the most of. he said some of his paint jobs have won the "gold award"
i'm not familiar with the gold award, but he must mean he does an excellent job. his name is randy smith and lives on oak grove road. i'm supposed to send him photos tomorrow so he can give a quote. from the way he talks, i think it will be very reasonable and should be completed in about 3 weeks after he gets it. he mentioned that his dad restores and has several restored cars of his. Randy turns out "gold award" quality paint jobs and only does it as a hobby out of his home. we shall see, i told him i wanted it to be nice, but i didn't need a show quality paint job because its being built to be driven.
is yours the light blue, dark blue or ? the reason i ask, is because blue is one of the colors i am leaning towards, but only if its different than yours out of respect for you and your car. you are welcome to come by any time, but unfortunatly i won't be home this weekend, its kentucky's early muzzle loader opening weekend for deer hunting. i do hope to meet you very soon. to be honest, i've never even sat in a cobra. do you have a slave cylinder or the hydraulic throw out bearing? I'm glad you told me about the horse trading with the car for the broken ankle repair. how you feel about trad'n a hemmeroid surgery for a 12' john boat???? I really hope you realize i'm just kidding...........it's actually only 10' . Ha!

ps....jokin about the roids too!
until next time, take care,
Eddie

Robbinsshkr · #11 (**permalink**) 10-16-2008, 09:06 PM

Mike,
thanks for your reply and offer. i actually replied to you last night, but when i was trying to insert one of those little smiley heads, i erased everything i had written. must have stuck my finger in the wrong hole some how. your son in law has size 16 shoes! he would have a hard time with the pedals in a cadillac, let alone a cobra. and i thought i had it bad with my 13's. i noticed in you personal info that you like bass fish'n. mom and dad head to lake okeechobee, florida every dec / jan for the winter months. dad loves his bass fish'n. you ever tried using shiners for bass fish'n? that the big thing in florida. buy these 8 to 10'' long minners at about a dollar each and go out and catch some of those big hog bass. dad has one of those nets you cast out into a "shiner hole" and catches his own. a buck a piece is just to expensive when you give your rod and reel a good hard cast and the only thing left on your hook is a pair of big minner lips, and your dollar a piece minner just swims off. he ain't got no lips, but he still swam off!, again, thanks for your offer and i would like to extend the same from my end. i'm sure i'll be asking a lot of questions along the way.
thanks,
Eddie

Rick Yeager · #12 (**permalink**) 10-18-2008, 02:50 AM

Glad you found a painter. Please paint your car what ever color you like—with my blessings. It is your car. Besides no two Cobras ever look the same. There are so many other individual choices reflected in one that color is secondary. I think dark blue is a natural color for Cobras and hope you chose that too if you like it. There are even several nice “flavors” of that. It receives a lot of complements. I read somewhere that you should just close your eyes, relax, and just think of a car (Cobra) and imagine the color you just feel most comfortable with on it. Then go for it. It worked for me.

Thank you for the pictures of the Vette. That hood scoop makes mine look insignificant. Ha! It was a beautiful car.

The hydraulic clutch release is an external slave cylinder from here at AFCO. I made a bracket for it and used the original clutch arm. There has been some debate on Club Cobra forums about with is better that or a hydraulic throw out bearing. I don’t which is best but this works OK for me. Probably, since I chose that the other is better—story of my life. Ha!!

Have a nice weekend. Let me know if you would like to see or ride in it—weather permitting.

Rick