Common Superformance Upgrades

[CHRIS DAMSCH]

JJM3,

Come on out to the London Cobra Show next week and check out everything people have done. Great place to get all sorts of ideas, and it's for a good cause.

There will be at least 25 SPF's there with all sorts of different mods.

Hope you can make it.

[Great Asp]

Depending on your location, and engine choice, the manual switch to activate the radiator fans is nice to have.

E

[JJM3]

I'd love to make it out to London, but too much going on right now. Any events somewhat close to Atlanta in the near future?

[greg schroeder]

Here are a few opinions and observations.

Engine mounts with minimal movement are nice or the side pipes will hit the body at the exit point.

If you're going over 500 engine HP you might want to calculate some fuel line and delivery options. Make sure the tank is vented. An upgraded fuel filter is nice. Aeromotive makes a nice 100 micron unit.

The typical 15 inch tires that come on the car are pretty dangerous for the rear if your HP is up there. Mickey Thompson ET street drag radials 275/60 15 are a light weight option to have fantastic traction, handling for cruising and they don't throw stones to speak of under normal driving conditions. Run about 22 psi.

A scatter shield bell housing and a decent clutch is nice. Light weight flywheels come with many opinions, but they do seem to make for a slightly snappier 1st and 2nd gear. Other than rotational reduced weight they also make the actual car lighter too.

The 3.4x rear end gear is a bit low in my opinion. I was very happy with the 3.73 gear for both my 17 inch wheels and 15 inch wheels. If I did it again I'd go with the .82 5th gear in the TKO 600 instead of the .64, but the .64 is a nice freeway cruiser or around town in the 1600 to 1800 rpm range. You'll need a properly dialed carb for it to pull low rpm good.

A Pro-Systems carburetor is of value if you like performance and lightning quick throttle response. My small block Roush 427R single plane intake was an absolute hammer with their 4150 that's slightly over 1000 cfm.

The Superformance headers on the small block cover exhaust ports to a certain degree. There are other exhaust options for headers and side pipes. It just depends if you're looking for more power or not and if you have a noise level preference.

The Cobra style air cleaners with a sheet metal base have a lower drop than the type with the aluminum base. You can use a taller higher quality air cleaner. The Cobra type is also a longer oval which will have more surface area while looking cool.

[Blas]

The newer cars have a manual fan switch for the radiator fan switches installed at the factory. For the older cars, it’s a simple upgrade. I would recommend a battery cut-off switch, also an easy addition. Rear lighting has always been an issue with these cars, so I would recommend a change-out of the rear taillight bulbs. (Halogen or LED) The rear taillight red plastic housing can be rotated to have the circular design on the plastic at the top for better rear light pattern (2 small bolts to remove and rotate) Old cars have a deep box for the rear lights (maybe 1.5”) there is a shallow box available that brings the bulbs closer to the lens, improving the lighting. Painting the inside of the boxes gloss white also helps. Shoulder harnesses are a common upgrade along with the anti-submarine belt. Hella horns that are LOUD pay for themselves the first time you need them. Then there are the Logo’d wheel centers, car covers (a must), lead hammer, safety wire and tool, headlight upgrades, bug/rock screen for the radiators, Push-button starter button. There are a multitude of interesting items here to spend your money on at www.performanceunlimited.com/cobravalley
Along with Finish line, Tony Branda, etc….