the first to do when you get a Cobra

pcoghlan · #1 (**permalink**) 06-30-2005, 01:38 PM

I took delivery of my new pride and joy a couple of weeks ago and have only driven maybe 10 miles with it since.

I have noticed a couple of things which I wanted to get cleared up (tyres rubbing on arches on rough roads, ineffective brakes, steering column rubbing on the body etc.)

Anyway to cut a long story short I decided that for peace of mind I would put it into a local shop that has experience with kits/Cobras.

They rang me today to tell me that several of the rear axle components had been installed upside down(!) and had buckled as a result, hence the car riding low. A few other things were worrying (oil on the brake pads!) and although the bill for their services will only be few hundred it has given me huge peace of mind to know the car has been checked over.

The thought of the rear suspension collapsing on I-95 still makes me shudder.

So, if you buy a nice shiny Cobra that looks a million dollars think about investing another couple of hundred getting it fully checked out. Especially if it is home built! Many are built by people that have little other experience of building cars and mistakes are EASILY made.

Paul

relaxinrob · #2 (**permalink**) 06-30-2005, 01:47 PM

good advice Paul. When my dad bought his cobra, the builder had wired the alternator wrong and nearly fried the wiring harness and could have ruined the whole car!!

Roscoe · #3 (**permalink**) 07-01-2005, 07:41 AM

And once it is setup properly try not to roll it up into a ball. Learning to drive a high hp, low weight, 90 in wheelbase car is a new experience. There are many stories of 'new' owners thinking they are driving just a hot car who have not lived to tell about it. Something like your German Shepard died and you go out and get a Pit Bull.

Also, you will get alot more satisfaction out of your car if you start learning how to maintain and repar. Many people who buy their Cobras, as opposed to building them, tend to get rid of them in a short period of time.

Roscoe

Russ Dickey · #4 (**permalink**) 07-01-2005, 09:38 AM

So I guess "donuts" is not the right answer to this question???

Yetiman · #5 (**permalink**) 07-01-2005, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Russ Dickey

So I guess "donuts" is not the right answer to this question???

The first thing I did was put down a pair of fourty footers in front of my house so if I wasn't home when friends came by, they would get the idea of where I went

I was confident in the mechanical mettle of my car, as I was very much involved in the build many years before it became mine.