We are plugging along, slowly but shirley. Wayne is concentrating on the bodywork and I am concentrating on the dash right now.
Wayne is sanding his little heart out, and the attention he is paying to all the little details is nothing short of amazing. For Example, the bead he has sculpted along the passenger and driver’s side windows are just fantastic. They are faithful reproductions of the bead around the perimeter of the "C" pillar air vents. (Actually, they are more exact and precise than the factory castings, but don't say that to Wayne, it will just go to his head) This detail, while very labor intensive, is light years ahead of the typical "chop off the drip rail and smooth" process used by others in the past. I am very impressed. And while it is not something that will reach out and grab your eye, like 22" spinners or a chrome blower sticking through the hood, it is the subtle detail like this that will make the car stand out from the crowd.
Wayne’s goal is to have the body (sans doors and fenders) in primer by this weekend. Mine is to get the items completed that need to be finished before he can proceed and try my best not to get in his way.. I will post photos as soon as he is done.
I am working on the dash. The path we have decided to walk is going to be a bit tricky, but we expect the results to be worth the effort. We have trimmed the factory dash pad back to a point that will give us a nice transition from the 03 pad to the 65 cowl. We are then going to fab a mettle filler panel that will span the gap from 03 to 65. This panel will then be covered in vinyl that matches the dash. It will even have the openings for the defroster. We are going to take the same approach to the dash side trim panels. When complete, it should look better than our original plan which would have required us to black out the bottom 2" of the windshield.
Even though I do not have photos of the car to post (it looks like a bondo bomb just went off), I can post a photo of the current task list. Also, here are some photos of just a few of the items we will be listing on e-bay over the next week or two. We have a seemingly endless supply of parts to sell. I guess when you think about it, we have half the parts of one car, and half the parts of another to sell.
I am getting a lot of requests for pricing on the parts I am going to list on e-bay.
Here is the deal. I will accept offers that are in line with the price typically achieved on e-bay (search completed auctions for finished auction results).
If we can't come to terms, I will list the item on e-bay and you can bid on it then. Maybe you will get a deal, maybe not. :-)
Not to beat a dead horse, but these are the two connectors we are having trouble identifying. Wayne has ordered the shop manuals, but if anyone knows what these are, I would appreciate any help.
Here is a shot of the car on the ground. We have adjusted the coil over shocks a little bit. We still have to tweak them a bit, but we are close for now. When all is said and done we should end up with 4" of ground clearance (plus or minus 1/4").
We have resolved the issues we were having with the cold air induction system. K&N, BBK, etc... were of no help what-so-ever. Anything out of the ordinary, and they have not a clue. I finally came across a company called Western Motorsports www.wmsracing.com and they are going to help us out with one of their high velocity intake systems. They are even going to help by supplying a number of alternate tube configurations so that we can piece together something for this rather unique installation. :-)
Western Motorsport and LDC Chicago, along with Maximum Motorsports, NPD, MagnaFlow and CenterForce Are all on my preferred vendor list.
We have figured out how to reconfigure the intercooler plumbing (the original factory configuration was interfering with the front sway bar. We now have to solve the same issue with the engine coolant lines and we will be able to push toward firing up this beast for the first time.
We should be receiving the revised oil filter relocation kit today. If this works as planned, we should have a pretty slick setup. I will post photos of this setup next week.
Yesterday we installed the oil filter relocation housing. Because space was a bit on the tight side, we had to be a little creative in our approach.
As you most likely recall (from previous episodes), we could not use the Cobra oil filter casting with integral oil cooling jacket because of interferance with the relocated steering rack (7" forward). To solve this problem we ditched the stock Cobra casting and replaced it with the typical 4.6 (sans oil cooler) casting. In order for that to work, we had to have the castings radiator connection (see photo) altered from the standard 90 degree configuration to a straight neck.
This was all fine and good until we received the oil filter relocation kit and the item (item #1) that was supposed to bolt up to the oil filter casting was about 1/2" to thick to clear the rag joint on the steering linkage.
AAAUUUGGG!!!!
Not to be deterred, we started evaluating our alternatives, and since we felt running without a filter was not an option, we came up with the following game plan. The item designed to fit to the block (item #1) did not have enough meat on it to allow for modification. As we looked at all the parts we had to work with, we noticed that the remote housing (the one designed to mount the remote 5.0 oil filter, now known as item #2) was 1/2" shorter, narrower, thinner than item #1. To make item #2 function properly was fairly easy. First we had the mating surface machined with a groove to accept the oil filter gasket. Then we machined off the now useless mounting ears. Then we removed the threaded nipple (from item #2) that received the 5.0 oil filter and had that hole bored and threaded so that it would screw on to the engine just as a oil filter would.
Now it sounds like that should solve all our problems, but...
When we threaded item #2 onto the block, we found that, when tight, we needed about another 300 degrees of rotation. To gain this additional 300 degrees, we had to remove about 1/32" of material from the rubber gasket. To do this only required about 2 hours of sanding, fitting, sanding, fitting, sanding, fitting, etc....
In order to sand the gasket, Wayne used item #1 to mount the gasket and slowly sanded the surface over and over again until we removed just the right amount of material.
With all that said, here is the device mounted in the car. We now all we have to do is locate the in line oil cooler and remote filter housing and we are finished. Well, finished with this item anyway. Only another 100 or so to finish this month.
OK, it is now 7:30 AM, Time to make some coffee and get back to work.
can we get a few more recent pictures of the car? im 16 we have a 65 fb and an 03 cobra. i smiled showed it to my dad and laughed, safe to say he wont let me get my hands on the cobra. my opinion on this project, its awesome, cant wait till its done. so your painting it yellow? nice choice but black is my favorite. plus if we did this there would be less painting, our 03 is an all black vert. oh buy the way would the vert set up be mush different than the coupe on the cobra?
We are patiently awaiting the delivery of some key components, so today, we reviewed the status of the project and organized our thoughts.
First, we reviewed the intercooler installation and came up with a solid plan of attack. Due to interference with the relocated roll bar, we cannot run the lines, as the factory does, under the frame rail. We plan on running the intercooler lines from the engine, through the opening at the top of the core support on the passenger side and down to the recirculation pump and intercooler. These lines will end up underneath the cold air intake system. We are going to use as many of the factory pre bent tubes as possible. Some look to be almost exactly what we will need. A little modification and we should end up with a pretty slick installation.
Second, we trial fit the lower front valance and discussed how to route air to the intercooler radiator. We decided to locate two 4 inch diameter holes on either side of the license plate mounting area. Wayne feels that the round holes will fit in with the overall design much better than the rectangular trapezoid shapes I had originally worked up. We will connect the two holes together with 4 inch diameter tubing. We will then section off the back half of the tube, and fit it with a rectangular transition that will mate up with the front of the radiator. This is probably hard to picture in your minds eye, but we will be following with photos of the finished installation next week
Third, we reviewed the oil filter, oil cooler routing. We haven’t received the oil cooler yet, but we figure it will mount in front of the air conditioner condenser. The oil filter itself will mount to the inner cowl panel on the driver’s side. At this point I have to say that I don’t really care for the appearance of the anodized fittings and the braded SS hoses that came with the kit. Don’t get me wrong, they are very high quality items and they should work very well, but they don’t really match anything else on the entire car. Maybe if I keep the hose ends and just trade out the hose for the non-braded variety it will be less “flashy”. I guess, if I want to go off the deep end and also drive Wayne totally insane, I could paint them all flat black to match the look of the rest of the fittings.
Next we found a supplier of electric actuators for the 65 door locks / latches. The problem we were having is that the typical actuators used in classic applications come with 5 leads that tie in to a separate dedicated controller. We needed actuators that would function with the 2 lead, 03 Cobra electrical systems. After talking to the staff at NPD, they suggested that I call their supplier Electric-Life directly. After talking to a few of their techs, I finally found the right setup for our project. Also, we found that the “door ajar” lead is at the very end of the door harness. We will have to unravel the entire harness, pull the wires all the way back to the door jamb and rewire them to tie into the old fashioned door plunger switches.
Today is going to be a good day. We should be receiving the cold air induction system, the oil cooler and a bunch of other miscellaneous items.
can we get a few more recent pictures of the car? im 16 we have a 65 fb and an 03 cobra. i smiled showed it to my dad and laughed, safe to say he wont let me get my hands on the cobra. my opinion on this project, its awesome, cant wait till its done. so your painting it yellow? nice choice but black is my favorite. plus if we did this there would be less painting, our 03 is an all black vert. oh buy the way would the vert set up be mush different than the coupe on the cobra?
Hi 65,
Thanks for the kind words. I will be posting a few photos soon.
AFA the convert goes, it would be set up in exactly the same manner as the SN65 fastback. No dif what-so-ever.
Well we have received the cold air induction system today and have started the fit up. Opening the package was both exciting and anticlimactic at the same time. Because, unlike the kit you would receive, ours comes unpainted and un assembled (nothing welded together).
After examining all the parts we had to work with, we started trial fitting things together. We installed the rubber boot over the throttle body and were thrilled with the configuration. This was a big deal for us. In order to get the proper orientation of the pipes, we ordered the kit normally supplied for the 01 Cobra. With the boot in place we positioned and started rough trimming the pipes. Once we got a feel for the positioning of the pipes, we positioned the fender apron mounting flange and cut a hole in the apron. We have positioned everything in line and are ready to tack everything together. We will then disassemble the whole shebang and weld everything up. After that, we just have to fit the Mass air sensor and the rest of the vacuum lines and sensors.
We have also received the Maximum Motorsports shock tower brace. We will have to modify it to fit, but that has become the norm on this project. Doesn’t anybody manufacture standard products that fit a minor grafting of two cars 40 years apart?
The oil cooler has arrived, so we can now plan for the installation of the oil filter / cooling plumbing. In order to get the lines routed and looking correct, we will have to combine ˝” diameter aluminum tube with formed rubber hoses. To get the tubes looking correct I will have to purchase some sharp radius tube bending equipment. Anyone want to loan me the one they got laying around their garage?
Wayne has been busy. He has laid the first coat of primer to the roof / top of the quarters / trunk surround areas. He will then start on the tail light panel and rear valance. He cannot start on the sides until we get the doors and fenders mounted.
We have an aluminum fabrication specialist coming in early next week. Their task, if they choose to accept it, will be to cut, shape, trim, bend and smack, and tweak and hammer the dash trim panels into submission.
I sent an e-mail request to NPD. I need a custom warranty plate for the door. I am going to intermingle the codes (as best I can) as there appears to be no relevant correlation from 65 to 03.
How does “63B-7-26-16B-13-E-5” sound???
I am also going to locate a “VIN” number (on an aluminum) panel with 67 VIN trim in the original 65 location. I will be keeping the original VIN info in my office. I was thinking about mounting the info under the rear package tray, but I think that that would just be asking for trouble.
We received the battery box and are struggling with the location of this monster. While of heavy construction, it is not exactly what I pictured in my minds eye. It is rather on the large side. Maybe I can have it covered in leather just like the rear fiberglass surround panels.
I am writing this note late at night. The house is quiet. Both the wife and our dog are fast asleep. Not a sound safe the soft, cool breeze through the trees.
I am sorry that I have not been posting as of late, but Hydro-Flo (you know, the wastewater treatment company) has been very demanding of my time. We have had one of our sales staff and our project manager both leave in the past 3 weeks and I am the one who has been taking up the slack.
Is there anyone out there looking for a sales or engineering job???
Sigh….
Anyway…
This past weekend (and this week for that matter) Wayne has been concentrating on getting the tail panel, quarters, doors, etc. in primer, while I worked (Saturday only) on getting the inner fender details complete. We are doing everything we can to get the fenders mounted so that Wayne can start on the front fender flares and also complete the detail work on the sides of the car.
That being the case, I worked on finishing off the inner fender wiring details. I drilled the holes in the cowl panels for the door looms and also finished off a few misc details, but I have not finished the inner fender wiring or any of the other details I was hoping to finish this week. I am just a few details away from getting the fenders mounted. Wayne has been very understanding, but I know it must be wearing on his nerves. We are so close to the finish and yet I am the one holding the project up. I am so depressed. I cannot even find the time to take the occasional progress photo.
We set the Maximum Motorsports strut tower brace in place and were trying to picture how we were going to get it to fit under the hood. We discussed a number of alternatives, but all of them seamed to interfere with one device or another. Wayne said, “To bad we can’t run the brace in front of the engine”. I took the brace flipped it over and rotated it 90 degrees and walla, it fit. We just have to remove and re-weld the mounting brackets for the revised positioning.
After we get the doors and fenders mounted, I will concentrate on getting everything associated with the engine complete. If there were only 48 hours in a day, I might be able to spend some time on the car, but I do not see any free time in the immediate future. I have to find replacement personnel, train them, etc…
On another note, we are listing things for sale on e-bay starting Friday night. We are going to list everything with a starting bid of one dollar and no reserve. I will post a link to the forum for those interested in bidding on some of these items. The demand for some items may be high, but the demand for many others will be very low. If there was only some way for us to create some demand for these miscellaneous items.
Hummm… Let me think….
I know…
I can pull a Shelby.
Some of these low demand items may be of interest to those who just want a small inexpensive souvenir of the project. If that is the case, we will be happy to autograph the item for display in your garage.
It must be getting late. I can’t stop laughing. Damn... I just woke up the dog. You ever get so tiered that you just can’t stop laughing? Anyway, if I really wanted to pull a Shelby, I would have a minimum bid of $500 for everything and then charge an additional $250 for the autograph.
BRAAAHHHAAA!!!!!
I know this is going to sound really stupid in the morning, but you know what. I am going to post it anyway. I really need to get to bed. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.
Below is a link to the infamous Cobra seats currently for sale on E-Bay. Click on the "View sellers other items" button to see all the other items for sale.
SNIP... I have to list this later
Good luck to all who bid. I hope you find the items you need at a price you can afford.
After hours of debate, we have decided to come clean. The entire project has been an elaborate hoax. All of the work we have been showing has been done in PhotoShop. All this time we have been working on a typical 66 "rest-o-mod".
Here is a photo of the real project. A little more work and we will be ready to start assembly.
Well that was my attempt at humor. I guess I should stick to the serious stuff. Also, I couldn’t PhotoChop my way out of a paper bag. The green car shown is a 66 coup that my brother is “rest-o-moding” for a local fire fighter. It is one of the cleanest 66 coups I have ever seen. He is having the car built for his sons. His personal stang is a 71 Boss 351. They are some of the nicest people you would ever want to meet and we are proud to build this car for them.
This weekend Wayne spent all his time on the passenger side quarter panel. This panel has been a royal pain in the butt. In fact, every time Wayne has had an issue with the bodywork, it has been with this panel. He finished all the revision to the flare and sealed the entire area with feather fill. Feather fill is a polyester product similar to Bondo, etc. Wayne likes to use it as a sanding base prior to applying the final coats of primer. The advantage of this material is that it will not shrink up over time.
If you look at the photos, you will see that the flare is very close in design to the 03 flare. The lines are sharp. The angle and width of the flare are very close. The only difference of note is the width of the “flat”. Ours is about an inch whereas the 03 is about 2. I am very happy with the results and believe that they fit in with well with the 65 bodylines.
While Wayne worked on the quarter panel, I worked on a number of miscellaneous items. I painted and mounted the front core support / hood latch brace. I cleaned, sanded, primed and painted the brackets and mounts for the intercoolers heat exchanger and a number of other odds and ends.
Also, here are some photos of the battery cable run. We are pretty much set except for the final location of the battery box. We just need to find a location that will clear the gas tank and any existing wiring. Sounds like a snap, but I am sure that this will give us a bit of hartburn before it is all over.
Also, when we ran the chassis grounds, we tied a couple of seperate of items together and grounded them with one terminal. I hope this dosen't end up biting me in the butt. A ground is a ground is a ground.
