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[wyocobra]

Cobra Chuck Thanks for the support. You're right about the online manual by Jim Woodward---great help! The few calls I had to make to Lone Star were very helpfull and informative. Dennis, Brian, Steve, and PJ are fantistic to work with. I wouldn't change a thing if I had it to do over.
I had the pleasure of visiting with the whole Lone Star crew this February again as last Febuary when I "toured" their shop for the first time. Great people!
It's cool to hear from someone that knows where Rock Springs is, let alone Wyoming. Most folks think we're part of Colorado or Montana. Definitly look foreward to your next visit to the Green River area.
Keep sandin.....she'll be smooth some day. I haven't even started yet!

[wyocobra]

Just checkin out CobraClub site, noticed good pic. of 392cobra in Lone Star's shop. In-house build? Tell us more!! Looks good!

[BMK]

Currently biulding 427 body style and ready for paint. Does anyone know the code for Viking blue? Is it a metallic? Is it the colour that is being used under the name of Ford Portofino blue cuuurently offered by Superformance. Any ideas would help. Email at kni-time@bigpond.com. Car was purcased from Homebush in Sydney Australia nd is being built at McDonald Brtos. Racing in melbourne. 351 windsor DART heads. Victor Jnr. Holley and ICE Ignition..Strocker kit in now.

Would appreciate details on paint as building as replica race car.

[wwissman]

Just took delivery of my LS427 Competition. 351 W basically stock, Holley Street Avenger Carb on Edelbrock Performer intake manifold, aprox 325HP, 3550 tremec 5 speed. 9" Ford rear,Boyd Coddington 17" wheels, 3 stage paint deep candy apple red. Considering a EFI conversion.

[Cobra Chuck]

Originally posted by wwissman


Just took delivery of my LS427 Competition. 351 W basically stock, Holley Street Avenger Carb on Edelbrock Performer intake manifold, aprox 325HP, 3550 tremec 5 speed. 9" Ford rear,Boyd Coddington 17" wheels, 3 stage paint deep candy apple red. Considering a EFI conversion.

What's wrong with the Avenger carb? EFI can be a real pain. There are some other threads on this site with some EFI headaches. Also check Cobra Forum. Got photos?

Chuck

[Cobra Chuck]

Originally posted by Cobra Chuck



The manual could use a little help but the phone support and digital photos via email were a great help. My kit went together sweet. I am just finishing up the wet sanding and I need to patch a hundred pin holes, the off to the paint shop, maybe next week. I got my test panel back for the paint shop on Saturday and Inferno Red with a Pink Pearl tinted white stripes looks like the way for me to go. Actually the red hides imperfections pretty well. Good body work takes lots of time. Much more than I thought. Have fun with the snake. I get out to Green River from time to time. Maybe I'll look you up next time Iam out.

Cobra Chuck

Just an update: 8/4/03
Paint is done. It looks great check out my photos on this site. I am doing the final assembly. I may be driving it about late next weekend.

Chuck

[BPWilliams]

Well, let's see where to begin?
It took two years to create, and get on the road! I can see why some cars never get finished.
427 SC, 429 BB (they said don't do it, but I am glad I did) I moved the engine back 6" for the CG. 48% on the front, and 52% on the rear. Aldan shocks, when adjusted right I have a slight push on the track, but nothing the gas pedal wont fix comming out of the turn. Tremic 3550-R (beefed up for road racing) Currie rear end, with a gold trac loc. 275's in front, and 315's in the rear.
429 pulled 430HP at the rear tires with 450lbsTQ, 4150HP 950, solid cam 688 lift, Alum Cobrajet heads, JE pistons, MSD, Ford Motorsports, Torker2 intake port mached, McLoed clutch, Alum Flywheel........
The car is a blast, I thought my wife would hate it, but I can't get her out of it. I race the car when I can get the chance, and so far so good, nothing major as of yet. Frame is built quite well, and the support was great! See the shots under the camera!
Take care,
L8R,
Brian

[BPWilliams]

Hey just wanted everybody to know..........

I completed the car 100% in the Garage! form the frame, engine, to paint. She looks pretty good............
Brian

[Cobra Chuck]

Bill
Nice ride! I think your paint is almost green. I'll bet the bent pushrod is an ugly story. Tell me about it.

Chuck

[BPWilliams]

Well let me tell ya,
In order to get buy in from my wife, I gave her the task of selecting the interior, and the color for the car. I was fine sitting on a milk crate, and having the car primer, heck I was glad to turn the key and have it start! After about 20 trips to the paint store to pick out the perfect blue, and perl stripe color We finally went on a road trip with the local Cobra club. We saw about 10 Cobra's that were the traditional blue, and white, and seven that were diffrent colors. My wife changed her mind Again And we went after a Candy green from House of Kolor. I wanted to have somebody besides me shoot the car, I have only painted about 4 cars at the time. She told me that the car was built by me, and it should be finished by me So I agreed and shot the car. The paint is outragous! and atracts alot of attention.
The bent Pushrods......
I had a single thought process when I built the motor, keep the valve train light, because of the rotation mass of the big block. I down scaled the pushrods from the 3/8 to 5/16 thinking that lighter mass would not float at the 7K pulls that I wanted from the motor. Well one night I was fine tuning the carb, just put in new power valves, and jets took it out for a test run. I let the car warm up good put in my 6.8K shift light and started to run through First, second, then rattle, rattle and I shut the car down. I had bent #2 intake, and Exhaust pushrods. So, I went back to the bigger pushrods, and learned some things;
1) I had broke the carbide tip off the exhaust pushrod.
2) This pushrod beat the rocker down untill it could squeeze by the guide plate and shot off the lifter.
3) This caused the #2 Exhaust solid lifter to shoot out of the hole.
4) When the lifter left the hole, my oil pressure shot to Zero.
5) Pressure built up in the cylindar, causing the 2.300 intake valve to stay closed, bending the Intake pushrod.
DO NOT BUY 2 PIECE PUSHRODS lessons learned.
BIGGER IS BETTER Lessons Learned.
Well that is my story and I am sticking to it
Take care, and have a good day!
L8R,
Brian

[cobramax]

Originally posted by wwissman


Just took delivery of my LS427 Competition. 351 W basically stock, Holley Street Avenger Carb on Edelbrock Performer intake manifold, aprox 325HP, 3550 tremec 5 speed. 9" Ford rear,Boyd Coddington 17" wheels, 3 stage paint deep candy apple red. Considering a EFI conversion.

Hey,
It sounds like wwissman and I have nearly identicle cars (except mine is midnight metallic blue). I received my first parts in January 2002 and I have about 600 miles on the car now. Still working with getting the coilover springs correct.

You can see it at http://home.nc.rr.com/cobramax

That site has finished pictures, build pictures, and full specs.

Just email me for more info on the build.

Max

[FUNFER2]

Mine is the 2000 year model before they re- tooled the body. I'm now rebuilding the motor. (long story) The engine builder screwed me on the internal parts when built. I paid for all the good parts, forged pistons, (got cast), rods, bearings, windage tray, ect....The builder used cheap..thin walled valve guides, these expanded & contracted finally seizing #1 valves, bent the push rod & breaking rocker shaft. (it did not have end stands). When I pulled the head I found CAST, pistons so, I tore down the entire engine & I'M...building the correct way. I'm trying to get him to pay me for the parts & labor that I paid him for...we'll see what happens ! Anyway, the Lonestar is a great car & have talked to the shop guys many times & have been very helpful. I recomend them to everyone.

Question guys, are any of you using 15" wheels ? I hear that we can't use 10" wide rims, they will hit the frame, in front, of the rear tires. I really don't want to buy new 17" wheels so that I can have fatter tires.
kev

[FUNFER2]

And yes.....the manual NEEDS, to be upgraded !
That's my only beef with Lonestar.

[Cobra Chuck]

Originally posted by FUNFER2


Mine is the 2000 year model before they re- tooled the body. I'm now rebuilding the motor. (long story) The engine builder screwed me on the internal parts when built. I paid for all the good parts, forged pistons, (got cast), rods, bearings, windage tray, ect....The builder used cheap..thin walled valve guides, these expanded & contracted finally seizing #1 valves, bent the push rod & breaking rocker shaft. (it did not have end stands). When I pulled the head I found CAST, pistons so, I tore down the entire engine & I'M...building the correct way. I'm trying to get him to pay me for the parts & labor that I paid him for...we'll see what happens ! Anyway, the Lonestar is a great car & have talked to the shop guys many times & have been very helpful. I recomend them to everyone.

Question guys, are any of you using 15" wheels ? I hear that we can't use 10" wide rims, they will hit the frame, in front, of the rear tires. I really don't want to buy new 17" wheels so that I can have fatter tires.
kev

I am using the 15" Team III wheels and at 9.5" they just barely fit. The tires are close to the top of the fender well. I probably could have moved the offset in an inch but things are pretty tight everywhere. I had to do a little grinding on the rear disc caliper castings to stop a slight rub on the inside of the wheels. I do love the look of the Team III wheels.

Chuck

[Cobra Chuck]

I noticed someone said their Cobra was 100% done. I have listed my snake as being 99.99% because I just keep coming up with just one more idea, modification or piece of eye candy for the Cobra.

1/11/04 My wife and I spent the afternoon cruising town and the nearby countryside in the snake and it was great!!!! I just can't ever get over how much attention the car gets. It is a babe and biker magnet. You always get thumbs up, shouts, honks. At a 4 way stop everyone wants to let you go first. This afternoon a couple of chicks in an Acura 3.8 TL stalked me and we spent a while talking about the car. Of course I got the usual two questions 1)What is it? 2)Is it real? The girls had never seen anything like it before. They looked to be early 20s and too young to have any idea about 60s muscle cars. They liked the looks of the car and the sound made them crazy.

After awhile you begin to wonder if it is you or the car, then I go put the snake away and get into my Ford F350 and no one gives me a second look and certainly no respect at the 4 way stops.

Chuck

[cscowden]

Just bought my Cobra from a dealer in Oklahoma. It is the full comp kit, factory built in 2002. 351W, T5, 17" Boyd Coddingtons, Ferrari Midight Black paint.

[WACO BLUE COBRA]

HAVE HAD MY LONE STAR FOR 2 YEARS NOW. LOADS OF FUN. WAS UP THERE LAST WEEK AND THEY WERE ALMOST THROUGH WITH THE GT40 LOOKS GREAT. IM RUNNING A 351W WITH WORLD PRODUCT HEADS WANT TO DO ANOTHER ONE AND GO WITH THE STROKER NEXT TIME. ALL IT TAKE IS $$$$$$$$$$

[951mat]

I've had mine for over a year now and loving it. It was built in 99 and has the following:
427 centeroiler, Edlebrock heads and mainfold, T&D rollerrockers, MSD, 3550, 3:73 and has been relatively trouble free, except when I decide to take it apart. I've upgraded to QA1 shocks and have new fully polished 17" Team IIIs I'm dying to get on. I'm narrowing the rear to get the rears on though. I'm also having some bigger sidepipes built as I type. Also have a Canton pan in the garage that needs to go on soon before an event in College station at the end of March. The car has 400 RWHP and is reliable. I did about 300 miles at R&G w/ no problems. Can't ask for much more, except 450 RWHP!

Mat

[Phansm72]

I just picked up a 2000 LS 427 with a 406 chevy motor , it lopes like a bandit , runs like a scalded cat, it only has 2k miles on it , only a few minor issues and she'll be perfect. Pics soon.

[trularin]

Okay, I have one. It's like four or five years old.

Built it in my barn.