How were the coil-spring street cars equipped?

[mudhenk27]

I'm curious about the 427 street cars. Was there a standard configuration as delivered from the factory, or were they equipped as specified by the customer regarding dash layout, side pipes, roll bar, bumpers, etc?

Thanks for any info..........Bill

[Cobra #3170]

Originally Posted by mudhenk27

I'm curious about the 427 street cars. Was there a standard configuration as delivered from the factory, or were they equipped as specified by the customer regarding dash layout, side pipes, roll bar, bumpers, etc?

Thanks for any info..........Bill

Standard layout on dash, options included: Roll bar , hood scoop, oil cooler, outside exhaust, 9.5" rear wheels, larger fender flares. They would option early cars pretty much anyway you wanted. Later on I think they may have standardized the process when they were making cars for dealers because they were losing money on 427's according to rumor at the time. That led to 428's and aluminum wheels. They also had different front and rear sway bars and Koni racing shocks available for order along with heavy duty rear upper arms with bronze bushings in place of the rubber bushings and a rear end oil cooler package. I am not aware of any street cars that came with these these options but Ned Would Know. I ordered the rear A arms and Koni shocks after I took delivery so they were not on the car when new.

[marcocsx3121]

FWIW, the street cars were not equipped with sway bars at either end.

[DanEC]

But they had an ashtray and cigerette lighter.

[mudhenk27]

Thanks for all the info, guys.

I'd buy one, but there's no cup holder :-)

[Dominik]

They discarded sway bars in favour of ashtray? ;-)

I believe the street cars all had 7x15" wheels with 205/15 tires, battling for traction!
And the tiny filler cap on top of the fender.

[Cobra #3170]

I picked my car up from the airport facility on a rainy Friday night in November of 1965. They did not have the 9.5" rear wheels available at time of delivery so I got the 7.5" rears with blue dots. The engine was blue printed and probably made on the order of 450-475 HP as delivered. We had to drive it back to Fresno in the rain and in 5:00 PM traffic in LA, not a fun experience. The Blue dots were not a very good dry tire and certainly not a good wet tire so it was white knuckles from LA to Bakersfield where it stopped raining. The car had the side curtains on and the top up and the heater/defroster were pretty much non functional. I was cussing myself for trading my nice 63 FI Stingray for this crude imitation of a car until I opened the throttle for the first time outside of Bakersfield. After lighting the tires at 80 mph I decided buying the car was the best thing I could have ever done and have thought so since.

[MOTORHEAD]

3170: Great story!!!

[DanEC]

That's a truely unique experience and memory that very few ever had an opportunity to enjoy. Congratulations for hanging on to it all these years.

[ACademic]

Originally Posted by MOTORHEAD

3170: Great story!!!

Agreed! And just to add some context for those not familiar with So Cal, that was a 225 mile haul over the mountains (~4,000 ft elevation), in a cold rain that could have yielded snow during that time of year at those elevations. In a Cobra...amazing.

[66gtk]

Looks like 3170 has "evolved" a bit over the years.

[CompClassics]

It does but it still has that little fuel cap right where the factory put it!

[66gtk]

and a grill splitter, too.

[marcocsx3121]

I'm sure that this has been mentioned before, but that "little" fuel filler was shared with the Norton Commando motorcycle. I bought a 750 Commando S in May 1969, and CSX 3121 followed it in November of that year. I was surprised to note that the two vehicles shared at least one common part.

[Cobra #3170]

Originally Posted by CompClassics

It does but it still has that little fuel cap right where the factory put it!

I quit using the fuel filler about 10 years ago because it would spill fuel out the cap vent under hard cornering. I machined a piece of aluminum bar stock to fit the filler hose diameter and then used a 4" length of hose to connect it to the tank. The block is drilled and tapped for (3) an-6 fittings, I have AN-6 hose to a 1-way check valve for a tank breather, another as a fuel return line for the injection system and a 3rd for filling the tank with a shut off valve that I open and close for fueling.
I fill the tank with a portable Holley blue pump to pump out of a drum or five gallon can, the cap is for decorative purposes only now. I can add fuel at about 1.5 gallons a minute so it isn't too big a hassle. I guess you could do the same thing with the racing cap or better yet a racing fuel filler.
The down side, I cannot fill the car at a gas pump but a small price to pay for safety.

[66gtk]

1.5 Gal/Minute?

[Cobra #3170]

Originally Posted by 66gtk

1.5 Gal/Minute?

Yes, it is free flow so good flow rate, I use a stop watch to time filling from a 55 gal drum so I know how much fuel I added