Khan Smith's 427 Roadster Replica Build Blog

2009-11-28T13:00:00.002-05:00

The Cobra is Done!
Here she is. Took over 3 years but it was worth it. Of course these cars are never "done." I'll have to fix all the niggles, calibrate different parts of the car and dial it in still. There are a couple of things that I'll address down the road like I would like to invest in real cobra seats and fit them with distressed leather instead of vinyl. I am sure there will be other things but in the meantime I will just enjoy the ride. Now that I am done with this, I will be switching my attention to my other project, a 1974 Pantera that you can follow here. Not sure how much more I'll post on this blog in the future but if I do anything significant, I'll be sure to post here.

I want to thank my Wife, Eva, my family and my friends that supported this project over the year. I would also like to thank all the guys at club cobra and hurricane motorsports for all their help. Enjoy the pics.

2009-11-26T09:25:00.002-05:00

Wash, Clay, Polish and Wax
I went ahead and invested in some great products and tools from Griot's Garage. I have a full compliment of washes, polishes, waxes, random orbital tools, etc. I used their carwash product that doesn't require water (As that would be tough on a cobra!). I gave the cobra a good wash and then I used their claybar with their speed shine product. It worked great! I then polished the car with their #3 polish. Then for four hours last night, I waxed the car with their "best of show" polish utilizing their random orbital tools for application (I bought both the 3" and the 6".

Now the car is done (See how happy my son Atticus is?). I'll be taking some "glamour" shots soon.

2009-11-26T09:13:00.002-05:00

Turkey Pan....on Turkey Day!
Happy Thanksgiving. The turkey pan that came with my engine didn't allow for adjustments and I also had clearance issues with the choke and accelerator linkage. I ended up cutting up the turkey pan and never really liked it. Then I discovered that Kirkham Motorsports (makers of those BEAUTIFUL aluminium cobras) made a two piece turkey pan. I went and got one and what a nice piece of equipment. The pan went on easy except for one thing...My choke linkage didn't clear. I didn't want to cut a hole in this pan. What was I to do? I went and took a stiff drink and took out my tear drop hammer and shot bag and started whacking my BRAND NEW TURKEY PAN. Crazy? Maybe...but I wanted to see if I could create a blister that would give the linkage room. It actually came out GREAT! I also learned how fun metal shaping can be. It is scary at first as you will see the metal got beat up. But nothing some straightening, sanding and scotchbrite can't fix. Check out the pics and then check out the last pics of the old turkey pan

2009-11-26T09:08:00.002-05:00

Trunk Carpet and Wiring
I moved the back and wanted to finish off the trunk section. The trunk needed some wire tidying to the license plate, I painted the hinges black and put carpet into the trunk. The carpet went in great and looks good too. I also bought a "cruz tools" tool roll that now resides in the trunk. It is a nice, compact compliment of tools to help out if I get stranded on the side of the road.

2009-11-26T09:02:00.003-05:00

Inner Fender Install:
In the front wheel wells, the kit comes with cut to fit aluminium inner fenders. I decided to add a bulb seal to the outer edge to help keep debris off the side pipes and headers. I did have to trim the inner fender and I got a nice sealt against the body. I used rivets to secure them to the engine side inner fender. Pics:

2009-11-26T08:56:00.002-05:00

Wheels and Saftey Wire
As previously mentioned, I almost lost a wheel while going on a test run with my dad. Now, my wheels and spinners are secured with safety wire. I left the wire with a little slack. I did this so I would have a tattle-tale. If the spinner loosens, the wire should tighten. Now all I need to do is tug on each wire on each wheel to see if this spinner is keeping its torque. Here are some pics:

2009-11-16T11:01:00.002-05:00

Finalizing the Cockpit Details
Now that the carpet was in, I worked on the detail pieces of the car like seatbelts, seats, roll bar beauty rings, etc. I also added some switch name plates on the dash. The car is really looking good! Pics below:

2009-10-24T14:47:00.003-04:00

Cockpit Carpet Installation:
Now that the heat/sound insulation was installed, it was time to install the carpet kit. You start out with the rear wheel wells and the rear wall taking care to make holes for the roll bar:

Next was the carpet for the upper and lower trans tunnel. I also noticed at this point that my hands/palms we starting to look like a 13 year old boys!

Next up were the footwell kick panels:

I then proceeded to install the side wall carpet taking care to make room for the door latches:

Now it was time to put in the floor carpet. On the passenger side, I needed to make a hole for the e-brake handle:

I then finished off the foot boxes by adding the carpet on the firewall and floor mats:

And here is the final result!

This was my first ever carpet installation. It wasn't as intimidating as I thought. Carpet glue is much more forgiving than I thought it would be. I made some mistakes along the way but found it fairly easy to repair them. This isn't a show carpet but it will get the job done.

2009-10-17T13:50:00.002-04:00

Cockpit Insulation and Padding:
For this phase, I decided to go ahead and get the cockpit prepped for carpet. The carpet kit I bought is a very decent quality and came with nice thick underpadding. However, this 428 puts out a ton of heat so I decided to put down some BQuiet sound deadening and heat insulation barrier. The stuff is like a slab of tar with tin foil on top. Other brands like "hush mat" seem to do the same thing but this stuff was about half the price but looked similar. I am very happy with the application. It went very easy. I made sure to take some denatured alcohol and prepped the surfaces for the BQuiet product.

I knew I was only going to put BQuiet on the front firewall, floor and trans tunnel so I went ahead and installed the padding on the rear wheel arches and rear wall:

I then added the BQuiet product to the trans tunnel, firewall and foot boxes to combat the heat of that might 428 FE Big Block Ford:

I completed the BQuiet application by finishing off the floors:

Now that the insulation was in, I continued with the padding. First I started with the trans tunnel. I had to take the trans carpet to make a reference mark for a step later. I then made the hole for the shifter:

Now it was time to cover the top of the trans tunnel with padding, taking care to leave a one-inch gap that was mentioned above:

The final steps were to finish the sidewalls in the footwells and to glue the padding to the floor carpet:

Now the car is ready for the carpet to be installed!

2009-10-04T18:23:00.002-04:00

Some serious issues with my paint guy:
So as you could see from my previous post, I got the hood back from the painter. I have to say he really did a poor job. You could tell that he was in a hurry and didn't do a quality job. He also masked off the paint too quick and when I removed the tape from under the hood, all the paint over the rivets came off and left strips of bare hood underneath. He also didn't apply that many coats of paint on the hood (heck...maybe just one). Luckily I have paint left and I will touch up. Check out these pics:

But that isn't the worst of it. I was taking my dad out for a dry run and I was checking out the car when we got back. To my horror, the front passenger wheel was about to fall off! Who would send out a car without checking if something as serious as the wheel being affixed correctly? If you take something off that important, put it back on correctly or tell the owner that you need help. Again, this project was wrecked and could have put me and my family in jeapardy. Not only will I be going over the car with a fine tooth comb but I am going to hire a race prep company to give it a once over as well.

Needless to say, I am not thrilled with my paint experience. But hey, I guess my only recourse is not to recommend this shop. It sad, because Rick is a good person but you have to manage your capacity and quality better.

2009-09-15T16:44:00.002-04:00

More cockpit work:
My main goals with this last batch of projects were to get the cockpit side aluminum installed, the door latches mocked up and the tunnel holes covered with homemade aluminum panels. Additionally, the hood was ready at paint (after much persuasion) with another host of issue that I will cover in another post. Anyway, since most of the aluminum in the cockpit will be covered in a couple of layers of carpet; I wasn't too worried about fit and finish. The door latches required some interesting spacing techniques. I also trimmed the door latch bracket mounts as well. The doors will need to be calibrated once the carpet goes in. The tunnel aluminum panels were easy to make utilizing the westwood fab metal brake. As you can see with the hood, the scoop is now centered...however...many other things went wrong with the painter that I discovered and now need to fix. Pictures below:

2009-08-21T10:01:00.003-04:00

Engine Bay & Cock Pit Work (Phase I of ?):
Not only did the sheetmetal get beat up from the rubbing compound but the radiator top cap aluminum got really bent up. I figure I would do my best to pound it back into shape, add some edging and try out some aluminum polish using Mother's powerball (new tool!). As you will see below in the pictures, the piece came out OK. I just need to make a new piece but don't have the tools to do it right at this time. I could fab up a sheet metal brake using an old bed frame but time is limited. I guess it will just "age" the car and make it look more authentic...yeah right.

Before:

After:

I also made a hood prop catch so that the rod is not bouncing around the engine compartment:

I started work on the cockpit moving again from front to back. I started with the windshield install:

Next I went to install the rear view mirror. I then realized that my drill couldn't locate the holes with the windshield angle. So instead of removing the windscreen, I just bought a new tool :)

Next up was the side mirrors. I spent a lot of time in the cockpit, positioning the mirror and then using a level to align the mounting holes on the painters tape.

I then proceeded to install the windwings. I was hesitant at first because I really like the clean look of the car thus far. But the windwings are clear and they don't stand out all that much. I did have to modify the mounting brackets and create an angle at the base because of the angle of the windshield as it mates with the windshield legs. I ground down the square bottom and added a slite angle to the mounting hole. Worked out great.

I then started to prep the cockpit for carpet by removing the seats. But before I did that, I needed to create a mounting template for the passenger seat. I taped down a piece of cardboard on the passenger floor and raised the car on the lift. I went underneath with a sharpie and I marked the holes. Now I can transfer this template onto th bottom of the seat. I then removed the driver seat.

I then took a shot at installing the rollbar and the cool gaskets and rings I had made. Unfortunately, I hit a problem. One of the rollbar holes w/ the rollbar doesn't align right with my nice new ring. Need to work through that one. As of now, I just have the rollbar WITHOUT the rings.

What I am working on now is to continue prepping the cockpit for carpet. That will include making panels for the trans tunnel, cleaning up wiring, washing the cockpit, etc.

OH...still waiting for the hood. My painter has more excuses than a teenage stoner behind the school building. Each week is a new drama as to why he hasn't fixed the hood scoop. Maybe I'll be running hoodless?

2009-08-05T08:53:00.003-04:00

Google deleted my blog...
I went to post yesterday and noticed my blog was gone. To my horror, Google had identified my blog as "spam" and took it down. They didn't send a notice to my primary email address that is registered to the account and sent it instead to my gmail account which I don't use; only signed up for this blog.

More posts coming....unless they are too spammy.

2009-07-15T12:39:00.000-04:00

Final Detail Assembly: Frame Paint in Front and Side Pipes
The cobra has lots of paint damage on the frame from assembly, brake fluids, painting, etc. Rust was creeping in fast so I decided to give the frame a good cleaning and scraping. I focused on the front 1/3 of the car and will work my way back.

Next I took on putting the side pipes back on. Earlier in this blog, you can read about how hard it was to install these pipes. With the lift, that all changed. I did it by myself and it took about 15 minutes each! Did I say that I love my lift? I DO! Anyway, I took some copper gasket making material and coated the inside of the slip joints for the exhaust as I noticed a few exhaust leaks. I cleaned out the inside and mating surface, put on a generous amount and it worked great. No more leaks that I can tell but will see with time.

The saga with the aluminum is still going on. I am going to try the mother's power ball with aluminum polish. The scotchbright helped some but now it looks like a 30 year old car. Painting really beat up the car. I also got RUST spots on my crome aircleaner and valve covers as well. Lame:

For next time, I will cover one big mistake I discovered....the hood scoop was put on crooked! I had to remove it to take it back to the paint shop to center it and repaint... The silver lining is that without the hood, I have better access to the aluminum pannels and I can also do some touch up paint on some rusty spots. Oh...and I am going to paint my steering shaft (total rust case now), hood prop and hood hinges with POR.

2009-07-02T21:37:00.002-04:00

Final Assembly: Front of the Car:
I figured that I would start at the front of the car to add teh finishing touches. But before I get into that, wanted to give my thoughts on the paint job and my experience.

Now that I have spent some hours with the car in close proximity, I have an opinion of the workmanship. On a scale of 1-10, I would give this car a solid 6. Now don't get me wrong, I didn't pay for a 10. I wanted a "driver" and that is what I got. The only disappointment really is how poor a job protecting the engine and cockpit from all the grit and grim from the polishing process. I was promised that the engine would have been protected and the dash that I tanned by hand would be covered. The polishing compound is everywhere: on the engine, on the leather, on all the aluminum, the frame, etc. In fact, the aluminum is etched with it! I am going to have to take scotchbrite on all the aluminum panels (which there are many). The leather really got beat up but with some TLC I think I wil be able to revive it. Anyway, one of the selling points was how "clean" I would get the car and that was not the case. I now have hours of cleaning to do. So my plan is to "clean as I go."

So...the front end. Here is what I wanted to do.

Add aluminum panels inside the radiator cavity for forced cooling
Re-route and resize an oil line
Add brake duct screens
Add side louvers
Clean and paint front frame
Tie up electrical for lights and blinkers
Le Mans Gas Cap...yeah..it is not in the front but wanted to add it anyway.

Aluminum Panels:

I added a bulb seal around the panels and fastened the panels to the bumper structure. Thank god I did this as the bolts were loose! The bulb seal provided a great tension against the body and the two mounting bolts. Really will add some forced air through the radiator and through the engine bay and oil cooler.

Re-route and resize oil line:

I had a temp oil line coming over the radiator to the top of the left side of the oil cooler. I never liked how this looked and wanted to run the line under the car but ran out of time before paint. I decided that now was the time! The original length was much too long and I needed to cut out about a foot. From previous posts, you will know that making braided stainless steel oil lines can cause lots of blood loss and frustration. Well, not anymore. I broke down and bought this braided line tool called the "Koul Tool." WORTH IT'S WEIGHT IN GOLD. What used to take me 30 mins of swearing, sweating and bleeding literally took 2 mins. I wish I had this tool in the beginning.

Add Brake Duct Screens:

I got these cool looking screens from a company called "finish line." I used an RTV along with the tension of the screens to mount these up.

Side Louvers:

These were fun to put together. I used four screws and bolts to affix the louver to the mounting brackets. The brackets are secured to the inside of the fender with quick-drying epoxy...boy that stuff stinks.

Le Mans Style Gas Cap:

I just couldn't wait to put this on...it is so cool looking.

On closing, I would like to say how much I LOVE my new lift. It makes these jobs pure joy. The lift is so easy to operate and seems to be of great quality. I got the lift at Greg Smith Equipment out here in Atlanta. I will always have a lift in my garage from now on.

I have some more pictures of the wiring and painting that I will post up next time.

2009-06-20T15:44:00.004-04:00

SHE HAS COME BACK HOME!!:
It's been a long time.since she left for paint.... She came back home today. I'll let the pictures tell the story. First picture is of Rick Lake...painter and body man extraordinaire.

2009-06-15T17:16:00.003-04:00

Final Paint and Polish:
Yes, the day has come...sort of. I was supposed to have the car back sometime back. Rick found some issues with the hood and spent a couple of more days working out a defect that must have been in the fiberglass mold. Anyway, the hood looks great and the car is out of the booth and in polish mode. He will clean the car this week and look to come home either Friday or Saturday.

2009-05-27T21:09:00.003-04:00

Keeps going....going....going:
I was hoping I would be writing about how well the paint looked on the car. Unfortunately, this is not the post where I will be sharing this info. The car has yet to be painted. The car is, however, in the paint booth. They have finished up the doors and trunk. They look great and the edges are beautiful. They did have a imperfection in the hood that they discovered that will take some more body work to correct. Now the ETA is to have the car painted this weekend. I also got to look at the final color mix. We took it outside and put a bit on the hood. I think it will look good!

2009-05-20T10:42:00.002-04:00

Paint this weekend:

Just got off the phone with Rick. They have finished the door, trunk and hood gap work, etc. They will put on polysurfacer and will do a final block. Said it would be in the paint booth this weekend.

2009-05-08T08:09:00.002-04:00

Patience is a virtue: Body and Paint-The Saga
As I go almost weekly to check on the progress of the cobra, I often recall the movie “The Money Pit” with Tom Hanks where he asks the builder fixing is dilapidated house “how much longer?” and the builder always says “two weeks.” Two weeks is the answer I always get from my painter, Rick, when I ask about the ETA for finishing the cobra. In fact, he said it would be done by Christmas. One time, I said…”Jeez Rick, when you said Christmas, I didn’t think you meant 2009!” I did have to put my foot down. Eva is pregnant with our second child and she is due in early July. That doesn’t leave me a lot of time to work on the car and get the detail parts, interior, etc. With a new born and a then, 2 year old in the house, cobra time will be at a premium! Anyway, I have photos of the body work. Major challenges with the body work has been the hood and truck fitment. They have done a good job getting these parts to fit as best as they can. The trunk was especially difficult. It always looked like it was made from an early mold and never did quite fit right. I think this will be the last kit car Rick takes on.

2009-02-28T18:38:00.002-05:00

Feb 28th: Will paint ever be done?
I checked on the cobra this week at the painter. Seems that the accidents in Atlanta has increased and his collision business is going crazy. He is going to try to finish off the cobra this weekend next week but the weather isn't that nice. We'll see :)

2009-01-24T09:43:00.003-05:00

Paint: Weeks 7-10
The expectations that have been set thus far were that the car was supposed to be done by now. But I knew better when signing on. Whatever the lead-time you are given by your painter; double or in some cases triple it. Anyway, on with the report...
As you can see in the photos, not too much has been done since the last post. The body was off the car and now it is back on. Rick is now working on panel gaps with the hood, doors and boot. I have tried to take some pictures to show what he is working with; no easy task. Rick asked me to bring out the bumper mounts to get the position of the body dead on. This way, if he needs to raise/lower any parts of the body or panels, he can. Then he will paint the car once everything is on and aligned properly.

Enjoy the pics!

2008-12-21T18:46:00.004-05:00

Paint Week 5&6:
We had a lot of rain here the past two weeks so progress at paint has suffered. That's not to say that progress hasn't happened, however. In the pics below, you will see the final sanding before the black primer was laid down. Rick decided to take the body off the car and paint it off the car. He also applied a nice rubberized coating on the underside of the cobra to help with stones flying off the tires, etc. Next up are the hood, trunk and doors. Then the whole thing gets shot with paint. Merry Christmas!

2008-11-24T21:43:00.003-05:00

Week 4 of Body and Paint
Went by Rick's today to see how progress was going. I was completely amazed at the progress thus far. Rick was saying that come the monday after thanksgiving that they would be hitting it harder and that the cobra would be done in probably 3-6ish weeks which is fast. What you see below is a filler that is sprayed with a paint gun. You can still see the guide coat (which is a darker colored dust that shows high/low spots when sanding). Rick said the car was pretty easy thus far. He is going to use a black primer so that the British Racing Green (BRG) will look a mile deep. Also, when I get a rock chip (and let's face it, I will), it won't show up like a white primer. He is also going to take the body off to spray an undercoat like they use on Porsches. This will add some extra strength to the body and protect from rocks flying up from the wheels causing a spider crack on the surface. Enjoy the pics!

2008-11-23T07:54:00.003-05:00

The car is officially off to paint now. I have covered some ground since last posting that I thought I would cover in one big post here:

Hood Latch Install
As you will see in the photos below, the hood latch catch sticks out pretty far from under the body. These steel "L" brackets provide a lot of realestate for the "duck foot" latch to catch to. I decided to modify the brackets in two ways:
1.) Match the contour of the engine bay opening by triming the bracket to match
2.) Create a recess in the actual bracket face so the "duck foot" latch will "settle in" to a notch
I used a dremel tool to achieve these two modifications. I used a cut off wheel to get the countour for the engine bay then used a stone grinding wheel to get a more accurate curve. For the recess, I used a few different stone grinding wheels to get the right depth. I used the duck foot to test and retest to see if I got the right. I beveled the edges for asthetics (Although no one will see it but I know it is there). I used POR 15 to seal up my work.

Install the catches were a pain on the driver's side. I actually had to take the body partially off so I could access the bolts. What made it difficult was the wiring harness, pedal assembly and steering column. All this stuff made for a tight fit.

For the actual latch to go through the hood, I had to enlarge the underside openings so that the duck foot slide almost inside. This provided enough adjustment space to compensate for the seals that will be put in place between the engine bay opening and the hood.

Off to paint!

The car has been off to paint for about 4 weeks now. It was picked up and dropped off at Prime Collision where Rick will be doing his handy work. Here are pics of this glorious day. Note how excited my son Gryphon is....

2 Week Progress
We made a surprise visit on Rick at the two week mark. Here is the progress; again...look how excited Gryphon is...:

2008-09-09T11:53:00.002-04:00

Time for paint:

I have been spending my time lately searching for a painter and i think I have found my guy. The cobra will be off for paint on October 17th, 2008 and I probably won't see her until Jan 2009. I have a list of little items to get done to get it ready for paint (removing side pipes, windshield, marking for wiper holes, removing lights, etc. Also going to put some gas with Sta-bil in the tank and make sure I got a full charge on the battery as well.

2008-07-15T13:37:00.001-04:00

Back in the saddle:

I took a break from the cobra to manage our move from New Jersey to Atlanta. The move went well and we are settling into the house. I have finally unpacked my tools and I will start working on the car again. Want to get it to paint!!

2008-03-22T16:05:00.005-04:00

Headlight/Markerlight and Oil Cooler Install:
All the wiring for the headlights & marker lights were completed a long time ago. I used weather pak connectors on the end so that I would have nice, secure connections. The holes for the marker lights in the body were almost perfect. I just needed to do a little griding with my dremel tool. The headlight holes were another story. They needed to be hogged out a lot. I started with the passenger side first. I went slow, checking and rechecking to make sure I was center. I ended taking almost too much on the passengerside but it is fine. The driver side worked out perfect. Once the holes were complete, I assembled the buckets, installed the lights and put on the crome rings. The blinkers popped right in and all the electrical worked....because I made sure it worked before I put the body on!
The oil cooler was a fun project. I used a factory five style oil cooler shroud from Finish Line for the Mocal oil cooler. I really liked the design of the finish line aluminium shroud. It went together like a glove. I had to re-route my oil lines. you will see that one line comes from the top of the radiator while the other comes from underneath. I may in the future make a longer braided hose so that both go over the top and come down but for now, I like it like this.

2008-02-17T11:37:00.003-05:00

Mock Up: REAR
I decided to take a sectioned approach to the mock-up phase of the body before sending it off for paint. I decided to start with the rear, then move to the front, then finish off the cabin/windshield, etc.
For the rear, I started with the fuel filler. I started here because I realized I was almost out of gas and had no way to fill the tank with the body on (I am so smart). I used the template in the build manual to create the mounting holes for the lemans gas cap base. This is a very nice piece btw. Once I had the holes drilled I counter-sunk the holes and use the cap as a template to drill the holes through the body. The kit comes with a prebent pipe connect the tank to the top of the spout. Everything fit together pretty well.
The next challenge was to route the electrical branches to their respective destinations. I used rubber coated clamps and used #10 screws to go through the trunk pan. I will most likely take a small cut off wheel and remove the end of the screws that stick out of the trunk pan.
I preped the trunk for the license plate light by drilling 3 holes (2 for mounting screws and one for wires). I recessed the holes so that the inner bolts of the light would have a flush surface to rest against.
Before mounting the trunk, I decided to mount the batter tray. I only had two bolts for this when it really needs 4 to be safe. Figure this is mock up and I can always add 2 more. I added a battery mat into the tray...not that I'll need it as it is a gel batter but I felt it could help keep the battery in place. I will have to cut down the mounting anchors as they are very tall as you can see in the pictures.
Next step was to mount the trunk lid. This requires installing the trunk prop and the rear latch assembly. I had to cut an access hole in the trunk and line up a receiving catch inside the trunk. Very hard when you are having to line this up by yourself. The trunk prop and rear latch when in relatively easy. Only issue I have with the trunk is one of the hinges doesn't line up any more with one of the mounting holes. It could have been the weather. We had gail storms with snow flurries. Pictures below.

2008-01-15T21:48:00.001-05:00

Body Install:
Now that all the mechanicals were sorted thanks to G&S Autoworks, it was time to prep for the install....well....probably the first install of the body as I am sure there might be a couple of times it is off.
I started by installing the racing shoulder harnesses and placing bulb seal in the trunk area and weather striping in key places where the body would rest. Once that was complete, I needed some help. Luckily, my neigbors Glenn (the guy built like a brick wall) and Roy (the Italian Gangster/Baseball player from th e40's lookin guy) were a quick phone call away. They came over and in about 15 mins, the body was on the car. Once on, I had a ceramonial deconstruction of my body buck....the thing that holds the cobra body...not my beer gut. Once that was complete, I went about installing the quick jacks, side mounting nuts, trunk, doors and hood. Keep in mind, this is a rough install. Once this bad boy goes to paint,everything will come off and panel gaps will be worked. Hurricane was smart enough to add extra material to trunk, hood, doors, etc to allow for panel fitment. I still have a ton of work to go before it is ready for paint. I have had some fun driving it down the driveway and turing it around in the street. This car has such a deep exhaust note that some neighbors came outside to see what was going on! Anyway, enjoy the pics and thanks to Eva of taking great action shots of the install. Pictures in reverse order!!

2007-12-28T11:16:00.001-05:00

I have a GO KART NOW
The cobra is back and she can move on her own steam now thanks to G&S Autoworks http://www.gsautoworks.biz/gs.htm . I am so happy I brought my car there to get a good “once over” for a drivetrain and safety overview. Nick and Rob of G&S Autoworks are the most professional folks I have ever worked with in the automotive world. These guys are on top of their game. I received almost daily updates on the status of the car. They took the time to explain any mistakes they uncovered in my work, taught me about the right way to do it and all along, kept a picture diary of their work. All of this at no extra charge! Their work shop is surgically clean and their knowledge (based in racing all types of cars from track to quarter mile alcohol dragsters) of setting up cars right is top drawer. They have made me a customer for life and I wouldn’t hesitate sending anyone to their workshop. Additionally, they are the most reasonable in their pricing and you don’t get any surprises in your bill. The biggest lesson I learned from Nick and Rob is that there is a big difference between “assembling” and getting parts to “work” together. The best part about this lesson was that they did not make me feel stupid for my mistakes but used it as an opportunity to take a customer’s knowledge and grow it.

Here is what G&S did on my car:
Clutch System
The clutch fork was not on pivot and couldn’t be moved into the correct position. They removed transmission and checked the fork. They put the fork back in place for mock up and to check operation. The clutch fork was hitting bellhousing. They remove fork and re-contour sections of the clutch fork for clearance. Additionally they shimmed the fork pivot out. After this work, they were getting enough travel. The push slave cylinder on car has 1 1/16” bore with 1” master. This combo was not providing enough travel to disengage the clutch. They decided to switch slave cylinder back to the pull style with .880 bore. They also made-up a new hydraulic hose. At this point they adjusted the pedal assembly. Now getting enough travel, but has a heavy pedal feel. Car has heavy pressure plate- G&S suggested that I switch to a diaphragm style with internal slave cylinder. I decided to stay with this set up to see if I can live with it; worse case, switch it out later. There was also an issue with the top loader. It appears that the shift linkage rods do not fit right. G&S re-bent the rods and align linkage. They also painted them. Another issue they discovered was that the input shaft was painted (shaft that the throw out bearing sits on). They stripped the paint off.

other work.
1. Check and adjust brake bias – got to 54.5% front 45.5% rear. Note: May need to change master to get more adjustment.
2. Front coil-overs need lower mounting washers on both sides of mount – car has one. Remove both front lower control arms and clearance mounts. Right side arm needs new mounting spacer where it mounts to chassis. Fabricated new spacer.
3. Check steering rack for center. Re-center. Reposition steering wheel. Re-index tie-rods.
4. Alternator too close to engine. Check belt alignment. Shim out 1/8”.
5.Check engine adjustments – carb timing.

Work that needs to be done later.
1. Ride heights/corner weight/alignment/track width.
2. Set pinion angle.
3. Index all rod ends and tighten jam nuts.

All in all, these guys were very thorough. They assess the situation, create a plan, educate you about the plan, give you updates through out and then tell you next steps. Now I feel good about putting the body on the car.

2007-11-24T11:42:00.001-05:00

Driver Seat Installation and General Auto Inspection:
I decided that it would be smart money spent if I invested in a pro shop inspecting my work to ensure I dont' kill myself. After months of searching and asking around the cobra boards, I was introduced to G&S Autoworks. Nick Guarriello so far has been extremely upfront and pragmatic with his approach towards the project. For example, I had a big list of items that I wanted him to check. Basically, he cut the list in half because he advised that I should wait until the body is on (and to bring the car back if we were satisfied with his work). To prepare for the cobra's trip, I wanted to set up the driver's seat and a lap belt. This way, when go karting the car, we won't fall out. The manual has you modified the driver's seat tracks. Below you will see pictures of the mods and the installation.

Now back to G&S.....basically, I wanted them to inspect the drive train, make a first general aligment/ride height, get the clutch system working right, inspect the brake system/callibrate bias, inspect the cooling system and do a once over on the chassis. Once the body is on, they said they would do a total alignment of the car and callibrate the corner weights to get the best weight distribution for better handling, etc.

The only thing that was troublesome is that the G&S shop is about 70 miles from me. Get this; it was cheaper to call a tow truck from Oxford than for the folks here by my house....serveral hundred cheaper. Anyway, I arranged my car to be picked up by Garland's towing who were just awesome. Nice rig, very fair price and efficient as all get out. This guy knows his stuff. I can't believe the tight driveway he backed down with a big ole stone wall next to him on one side and a fence on the other.

Once I got to the G&S Autoworks garage, I didn't want to leave. Their shop is in their old helicopter hanger. It was a candy store. I told them I could sleep in the corner and they didn't have to feed me much. First off, the shop is immaculant. You can eat off the floors. Second, these guys have all the right tools/machines. They have a dyno for engine tuning, a couple of lifts, a full alignment jig, an engine building room, lathes, etc. They had this BEAUTIFUL GT350 clone race car they were working on. Basically it is sitting on a nascar chassis. They were also working on a corvette styled alcohol drag racer (aimed at the low 9's), a show stopper (68 I believe) Camaro, a fox body ford mustang road racer, etc. When Nick walked me through all the cars they have raced (several types of porches, etc) I was on the floor. I didn't want to leave.

Anyway, we got my car off the truck and up on the alignment jig. I spent about an hour walking Nick through the car. He is very thorough. I kept telling him that I am a complete novice and to keep an eye towards this fact (i.e. I put the car together but that doesn't mean it is built right). He also asked to get all the engine specs and to send him the build manual which I have done. I took scans of my engine specs which are below.

Next update will be when I get the car back.

2007-11-04T10:10:00.001-05:00

Clutch Slave Cylinder: From Pull to Push:
After talking to Bill from Southern Automotive, he convinced me that I could resolve my clutch issues by changing to a push type clutch slave cylinder from the wilwood pull type. The pull type should work but he said they are just not heavy duty enough to handle his set up but that they are great for circle track cars, etc. Luckily, I had to push type slave cylinders in my stock so I could at least try a couple of different fitment options.

Bill includes a kit with his engines that includes a bracket, hydraulic line, push rod and mounting bolts to make it all work.

The mounting location is behind the block and scatter shield. You will see two bolt holes here:

These holes don't exactly line up with the holes on the clutch slave cylinder. This is why Bill supplies a plate to adapt it to the mounting holes.

While I mocked up my new setup, I removed the old pull type. As you can see in the picture below, my set up didn't work so well......look at the bend in that bolt! This was gusseted and everything! Should have used Grade 8 bolts like I have everywhere else on the car.

Now that I removed the old system, I took the extra long bolt that Bill sent me and threaded it through the bell housing and out to the backside where the slave cylinder will mount. This will be the stud for the lower mounting hole.

After I placed the into location, I noticed that Bill's setup doesn't work on Hurricanes. There is a frame gusset that doesn't allow enough space for the slave cylinder (others had warned me of this but wanted to make sure myself). As a result, I took my other slave cylinder and "egg shaped" the top hole so that the mounting holes on the slave cylinder itself could fit the holes/stud on the block. I also took a moment to drill a hole through the bell housing for the return spring.

This mounting position places the slave cylinder closer to the block giving more than enough clearance.

I plugged up the old pull type mounting holes through the frame with some rubber grommets to keep water out.

I am still having issues with the clutch fork. It isn't centered right on the fulcrum. It is a two man job to help get that into position....would be much easier on a rack! Need to work on that one later.

2007-10-14T17:00:00.000-04:00

Back to the blog;
I took some time off the ole cobra. Was messing around with rewiring my harley, bought a 71 triumph chopper and having a blast with my son, Grypon. Anyway, I did do some stuff. I went and had my roll bar powder coated at Best Blast of New Jersey. They did a really great job. A real young guy runs the business with his wife. Poor guy had all his equipment stolen too...insurance company was jerking him around. I also got my seats upholstered too. They were originally black but I wanted them to match the dashboard. I think with the british racing green paint, these will really look nice.

This weekend, I jumped back into work on the car. First, I routed the fuel tank vent. I ran it through the wheel well and pointed it up along the wheel well corner. Second, I installed a Moroso Recovery/Purge tank for the radiator. I was debating where to install it. I actually found a space right next to the radiator. Both relief valves are right next to each other! I also put in coolant for the first time (was running just water) since the temp here in New Jersey has fallen 30 degrees in one week. Don't want my block to freeze!! Need to actually increase the mixture. Finally, I still can't get my clutch fork to work. Throwing around some ideas on the Hurricane board. I have 6 things to complete before putting the body on the cobra:

1.) Get the clutch to work!
2.) Oil cooler: I found this cool oil thermostat that I need to configure but should allow me to take advantage of an oil cooler without running too cool. This will be an all day affair as I also have to figure out the oil cooler shroud, etc.
3.) Install foam seal on all the body mount surfaces
4.) Check to make sure the reverse gear for the reverse speedometer works!
5.) seal exhaust leaks frim headerto side pipes with copper permatex
6.) insert vortex baffles into side pipes

I won't be able to touch the cobra for 2 weeks as my parents are coming to town to see Gryphon and to attend his baptism.

pics below...click each one for a larger image.

2007-08-24T13:27:00.000-04:00

I have loud gasholes
New Jersey law does not allow open side pipes even though there is no law that I can find that prohibits exhaust loudness. Well, my pipes are technically "open" right now on the Cobra. I have been trying to find a way to make my pipes "legal" without hacking apart my pipes. I think I have found a way. I got the idea from a post on FFCobra.com . Basically you take a Vortex 3.5 inch "cone" and insert it into the exit of the pipe. This should quite the pipes down (but only a little) and technically, it is no longer an open pipe. I will also use this time to use some copper silicone to seal off the header slip joints (I mention in a previous post that I have an exhaust leak). So this means I will have to take the sidepipes off one more time before final install. Remember how painful that was?

2007-08-24T13:20:00.001-04:00

The results are in:

So the cobra doctor is done with the analysis. Guess what......my clutch is NOT stuck. It seems that my pull type clutch slave cylinder is not strong enough to dissengage. I am going to switch to a push type clutch assembly like the one shown at the side (thanks to Paul...check out his blog too). I have a push type cylinder from Southern Automotive and the spring. I just don't have the clutch linkage rod. I have ordered one from Summit Racing. So next weekend, I hope to get an new clutch slave cylinder config into the cobra and hopefully I can take the car out for a spin....down the driveway.

2007-08-22T12:02:00.000-04:00

Finalizing Electrical, Reverse Speedo Adapter, New Expansion Tank and Clutch Saga Continues:
When I last wrote, my high beam indicator was coming on regardless of the mode of light (high vs low beam). Turned out I needed to put a diode in the wiring in the headlight lead. This fixed it perfectly. So now I have a high beam indicator which will make the jersey inspection team happy.

As I was doing all kinds of crazy things to free my clutch, I noticed that my speed-o wasn’t working. I found out that I needed to procure a reverse gear. See, the speedometer is backwards in the cobras. As a result, you need to have a gear that the speedometer cable inputs and changes the direction of the revolution. This gear also inputs into the back of the gauge. I had thought that this reversal happened in the gauge itself (since the backwards gauge didn’t come with this unique gear…stupid me).

The expansion tank that originally came with my engine had a bunch of pin hole leaks. When I got the car up to temp, it was spraying out all kinds of places. Southern Automotive sent a replacement ASAP. So far, my customer experience with Southern Automotive Engines has been very good.

Ok…and now onto the clutch. I couldn’t get it unstuck. Southern Automotive had some great suggestions and so did the forums from Hurricane and Club Cobra. I had to resort to sending off the Cobra to my local mechanic. Basically, they will take out the trans, and bell housing to access the stuck clutch. They will pry off the clutch from the fly wheel and reinstall (that is if there is no damage). It was heart breaking being not able to fix this myself. I figured it would be to hard to get my car high up enough off the ground to work safely underneath and pull the tranny, bell housing, etc. It just seemed easier to do it on a lift. Oh well…I will have to just get over it. Now I have empty nest/garage syndrome. Since it was raining, I had to cover the dash, electrical and engine in plastic to protect it. I took some pictures this morning of the cobra going off to the “cobra doctor.” Hopefully the doctor calls with good news today!

One other potential issue popped up. The oil temp may not be reading now. I run the engine on the weekend and I noticed that the oil temp wasn’t moving (oil pressure is there). Granted, I only run the engine for about 5 mins so maybe it hasn’t had enough time to heat up. There is a lot of oil in there!

Pics below:

2007-07-08T20:02:00.000-04:00

The MAN CRIB & Closing Up Some Throttle/Choke & Electrical Gremlins:

As some of you know, new born babies need a lot of attention. My wife Eva and I have been splitting duties. After he is fed/changed I take over. I thought that maybe I wouldn't get a lot of garage time after Gryphon's birth. Then I started thinking: hmmmmm, Isn't my garage like a crib to me? My man crib? Well, my work bench was big enough for a bouncer so Gryphon spends time with his old man in the garage now while Eva grabs some free time.

This past week, I was closing up some issues with the throttle and choke. I got a holley choke cable and a new throttle cable end from Lokar. The new parts worked great with the mods I made to the turkey pan. I installed the choke right next to the ignition. This is a round about way to route the cable; it isn't perfect as on occasion I get some bind but for most of the time, it works. I have a couple of more ideas to use to nail it down.

This weekend, I also needed to close out the rear wiring. I was having some really strange issues with my tail and licence plate lights. They would work when the headlights were off but nothing would work when the headlights are on, etc. Anyway, it turned out that the major problem was the ground wire in the rear light branch harness wasn't grounded very well. Instead of taking out the fuse box and taking it apart to find the ground, I decided to run a ground in the trunk. Works GREAT. I also wired the tail lights wrong which was a quick fix with the weather pak connectors. Now all the lights work great. The grounding issue also caused my fuel gauge not to work. Now I have a gas gauge that works! That took a lot of my mind as I didn't want to take the gas tank out and put in a new sending unit, etc. The only thing left to fix is the high beam indicator on the dash. It turns on anytime the headlights are on; regardless if they are on low or high beam. Not sure why this is because the light is only triggered by the high beam wire. I am asking for some tips on the hurricane builders board.

I am also working on freeing up my clutch. Seems almost everyone who has had their new engine sit for over a year has had their clutch stick which didn't allow them to disengage it to select gears. There are a few techniques that I can use before I have to take the bell housing apart (which I would like to avoid)
1.) Start the car in gear with the clutch depressed...hopefully the torque breaks it free
2.) put the car on jack stands. Start it in gear, depress the clutch then slam on the brakes! The sudden stop should break the clutch loose
3.) With the car not running, take a car/truck and push/pull the car while it is in gear and the clutch depressed
4.) Get a stronger "push type" clutch slave cylinder (I have a wilwood pull type) and try the above steps again.

If the above doesn't work, then I need to take it to a shop. The good news, however, is that once I am done with the high beam indicator light and the clutch, I am ready to put the body on the car!!! I have, however found that the headers leak at the junction at the side pipes. I will most likely either use permetex or exhaust clamps to seal them up.

A couple of pics below:

2007-07-05T12:24:00.000-04:00

Added another generation to the family: Gryphon Khan Smith

On June 27th, I was honored with the birth of my son, Gryphon Khan Smith. He came as a healthy 7 lbs 2 0zs. I have spent the last week enjoying every moment of my son. I never knew changing diapers could be so entertaining! I have even found a way to get him in the garage with me! Just roll the bassinet out to the garage and I can work on the car with Gryphon! I just can't wait for him to get a bit older so he can use those small hands to reach into tight places to secure the occasional wayward nut, bolt and/or screw. OK, I will enjoy him for more than just those reasons. I think projects like working on cars can help build a relationship with your kid. I know some of my fondest memories of my dad were working on projects like the "El Cheapo Jeepo" which was a 2wd jeep from Acapulco Mexico that was painted pink and white....turned it into a stunning jeep! We also had my brothers Bronco that we worked on a bit as well (I got the crappy job of scraping out the headliner glue from the roof). I hope to share some quality garage time with Gryphon in the years to come.

Here are some pictures of the family!

2007-06-26T06:50:00.000-04:00

IT'S ALIVE!!!!!!!

Wow...that 428 FE sounds sexy. I mean...in a manly sort of rumble kinda way. It is the sweetest sound I have ever heard...also in a ground pounding, earth shaking, take your kids into the house kind of way.
Let me recount how I got here. When I last left off, I was having issues with the starter. I was on starter #2 and I was still hearing and awful noise when I tried to turn over the engine. After hours underneath the car (inspecting every inch of the fly wheel), I found out the issue: the starter was not aligned. It seems the top mounting stud for the starter was loose. The threads more specifically were loose where the stud was tapped through the bell housing. I had to tighten up the threads to get it to align right. I also opted to go with a mini starter. WOW....I highly recommend it. So much easier to install and you can just tell the quality difference. Anyway, the car was turning over, I started to get gas to the carb (primed the fuel line with my mity vac) and the car sputtered but wouldn't come alive. I was a bit apprehensive. My lovely wife, however, had a plan for me. For father's day, she gave me a gift of two hours with a local mechanic who works on another guy's cobra. I decided not to temp fate and take advantage of his expertise. The mechanic (Tom Dench) came over and supervised. Seems my carb has a manual choke and mine was closed (I had no idea...I am still learning). It fired up right away. It was nice that he was there because things happened (like massive plume of smoke off the headers and block) that would have freaked me out. This was just oils, paints, etc heating up and cleared up soon after. Anyway, the first start illuminated a couple of areas that I need to address:

Clutch is not disengaging: For some reason, we can't get it to come loose. I will have to call Southern Automotive for some quick advice then I will trailer over to Tom's shop to get it up on the lift as we will have to pull the tranny and bell housing to get to the clutch...oh and pull the starter again....
Expansion tank in coolant system leaks...a lot: The black expansion tank that sits upon the engine is old school; made of brass and soldered together. Well, there were several pin holes and seems that leaked when the system built up pressure. This makes me wonder if they even pressure tested the unit before selling them. Anyway, any old skool radiator shop should be able to fix it good as new. I am going to call Hawthorne Radiator here in New Jersey
Throttle & manual choke linkage clearance issues with the turkey pan: You will see some pics below that describe the following. Basically, the linkage of both the throttle and choke do not allow for the cables (throttle and choke) to operate freely. I had to cut some holes in the turkey pan. Some purists might cringe at this but it is the only way to make it work right. Again, this is a driver, not intended to be a looker.
Weak throttle cable end: I couldn't believe it. I paid really good money for a throttle cable from Lokar and the stud on the throttle cable end that connects the cable to the throttle linkage sheared off while reinstalling the nut. This was with hardly any torque mind you! Clearly a defect. And the killer is that they don't sell the cable end separately
Gas Level Gauge not registering fuel level: This might suck. It is either the gauge or the sending unit. If it is the gauge, then no big deal. Will just get another one. If it is the sending unit, well, I have to open the gas tank again and it is full of gas! Two things I will see before ripping anything out will be to fill the tank with more than just a couple of gallons of gas to see if it registers and if that doesn't work, check to make sure the connection is still good (which requires removing the trunk pan).

But the MOST exciting thing I am waiting for is the arrival of my baby....TOMORROW!!! I am have so much energy waiting for the arrival that I felt, heck, I will do another entry! I can't wait to meet this kid (don't know if it is a boy or a girl). Wish Eva and I luck!

2007-06-12T14:43:00.000-04:00

Engine woes:
In my previous post, I mentioned that my engine ran for a bit...but since then, I have been living a tale of woe. Here is the story:

I took my turkey baster, gave the carb about a bulb full of gas and she started to sputter to life.....very exciting! It ran for a few seconds and then ran out of fuel (a thirsty beast it is). I gave it some more fuel out of the turkey baster....started to sputter to life again, ran for a few seconds and ran out of fuel. Figured that the fuel wasn't into the bowls yet so I did it one more time to see if she would run again and then came a sound that turned my stomach when I turned the key....

What did it sound like? It sounded like when you turn the key when the motor is running although my engine was stopped. I didn't dare turn the key again. What was that sound? Did the starter not totally disengage or something? Should I just wait and try again? It was turning over completely fine about 30 different times during my engine prep stage. Maybe I had a bad battery? That is often the culprit for starter issues. It was late at night and I figured I would sleep on it.

The next morning, I charged up the battery to see if the starter would make that awful sound again......It did... I went to the Hurricane Owner's forum and got great advice. I also deemed that it was time to call up the engine builder, Southern Automotive, for some advice. BTW: Southern Automotive has AMAZING customer service and tech support. I have called them with so many stupid questions...well...I am surprised they don't hang up on me. Susan always gets me in touch with a technician immediately when I call. Amazing.

Anyway, Southern Automotive walked me through a triage protocol for my situation. The good news is that they said the sound is horrible but the engine is probably fine (or at least I hope so).
Here were the steps that they suggested :
1.) Check to see if the starter is loose: The torque can wiggle the starter out of alignment and could need a "refresher tightening." I should see if it is loose, if it is, tighten and test the starter. If all is tight and sound persists, next step-
2.) The teeth on starter could be out of alignment on flywheel: Take a 15/16th socket and turn engine 1/4 of inch clockwise. Try starter again. If sound persists, next step:
3.) Remove starter and inspection of gearing: First, check the teeth on the flywheel. Sometimes the teeth are not beveled enough and block the starter gear. Also check for damage or missing teeth on flywheel. If not, inspect the starter gear. Check for damage and missing teeth. If no issues with either flywheel or starter, could be issue inside starter. Southern Automotive indicated that this issue is hard to test for and that a new starter might be in order.

Before I conducted the above protocol, I bought a new battery just in case my Optima was damaged (I forgot to post that I blew my entire ignition system by hooking up my battery backwards when I was in a rush! I had to buy a new one and reinstall!). Anyway, I wanted to make 100% sure that I had all I needed to conduct the protocol right.

I followed Southern Automotive's (SA) procedure. It turned out my starter self destructed (see pictures below). You will see that the gear split and the casting around the gear has a stress crack all the way around. When I inspected the fly wheel, it looked completely fine. No damage at all (but I didn't rotate it). I brought my starter back to the auto parts store and they replaced it no questions asked (except for a dirty look and a stupid question...but I'll let that be). This past weekend, I was able to install the new starter. I had also purchased a new battery from Sears and made sure it was charged. I made sure the starter was securely tightened, etc. When I went to start it, the motor was turning over...but it sounded like I was crushing rocks....almost like the gears were not meshing right (Which is possible if the gearing on the starter didn't match the gearing on the flywheel) Now one of four things is happening:

1.) I have another lame starter
2.) I am having alignment issues with the starter and the flywheel
3.) I don't have the right gear on the starter that works with the flywheel (184 teeth)
4.) Something major is wrong with the engine (Now like I said above, the engine moves. When I put the car in gear and roll it, the engine moves. Everything should be fine but I am not knowledgeable enough to tell. I am doing this by myself and learning as I go)

I called SA again to get some more advice. They told me that they have had bad batches of starters from Palladium (the maker of my starter) before and quite possible I received another bad one (they are all refurbished BTW...hence why they cost $50). The tech suggested that I consider a mini starter with a higher torque rating. I bought one today from Summit Racing. Before it comes, however, I will go through this list (suggested by Bill, Ryan and Burgs on the Hurricane Forum) to see what I can hear/tell:

1.) Remove the "new" starter and check for damage...do I see something similar? .
2.) Rotate the engine from the big bolt on the front pulley and make sure everything is free and not making the noise (note: will most likely take out plugs so I don't get compression, etc).
3.) Rotate the entire engine and inspect all the flywheel teeth:
4.) Check the clutch and throwout bearing position: is the bearing OK and still on the fork in the proper position?
5.) Check Transmission: Is sound coming from there?
6.) Check for debris in bell housing
7.) Why I am at it, check the OIL level :) Kidding. It is fine but I want to keep checking everything.

If all the above checks out, I will install the new mini starter. If I get a sound yet again, I am going to call in a professional. The Hurricane Owner Forum has been awesome but it is too hard to describe in writing. I am PRAYING that there is nothing else wrong with the engine.

Wish me luck

2007-06-05T20:55:00.001-04:00

One Year Anniversary: A moment of reflection from an ordinary man....a man with so little to say....

I would like to start off this entry by singing the song "Memory." OK, I will spare you my vocal stylings but it has been ONE YEAR since the cobra made its way into my garage and into our hearts. Sorry...one more cheesy bit there. But it has been a significant year for me on every level. The decision to start this project was spawned by some major life changes. Within a period of six months (pre cobra) I got married, quit my Microsoft gig in Seattle, took a gig in New York with a start up, sold our house, moved across country, bought a house, moved in, etc. With all these changes, I knew I needed a stress reliever in my life. A place of escape as I dealt with my first executive job, new town, state, coast, timezone, etc. I have always loved cars and always wanted to learn more about them. I would classify myself as a novice but I knew I could learn. But I also knew I had to learn on my own because the town I moved to in New Jersey is full of stuffy investment bankers who don't even know they have a garage, let alone how to hold a wrench, etc. Luckily, motor heads run in my family so I felt confident that I could tap some hidden gene to help me through an auto build project. Heck they do it all the time on TV. How hard could it be?
And the answer is, it hasn't been all that hard. Very challenging but completely awesome at the same time. For the most part, I am building this car on my own except for the times Russ and Dan came to help (thanks guys). Other than that, I am toiling out there in the garage on my own steam. But the biggest help has been on the Hurricane Motorsports build forum. Those guys are a life saver. I owe them all a case of beer. Always an answer to a question, always some inspirational words to get you past a problem. And they never make you feel dumb.

The build has only been a minor part of my life in the last year. My wife and are working on my favorite project right now. The birth of our kid. We don't know the sex so we call it "Cletus the Fetus." Our little bundle of...uh...something is coming June 27th, 2007. So during this build, my wife has had her own build which she has done a much better job than I! Anyway, I went strolling through the blog and wanted to pull out some memories; some great, some crazy, some tragic. Memories like on Russ' first visit, putting in the engine for the first time. My wife helping me putting in the engine on the second time. The torrential rain storm with water cannoning out of the downspout. Snow storms. Sleet storms. Killer bugs. Killer birds. Flooding basements. Neighbors house burning down. Freezing out in the garage with Russ and Dan. Family bugging me to update the blog, etc..... Man oh man...so many memories. And one final memory that is cobra centric. Last Saturday at 11:35 pm...my car ran....for 10 seconds.. Then I discovered I had a fuel system issue, an issue with the starter..but this was after I replaced the entire ignition system after frying it. Enjoy these pictures that show the car in its current state on this anniversary day.

2007-06-02T08:08:00.000-04:00

Lights, Camera, Action: Wiring up the light recepticals and smoke testing the electrical system
I want to make it easy for me to remove the light recepticals and/or the body by installing weather pak connectors from Painless Wiring. These connectors are great. You don't have to worry about your connections getting wet and they are easy to install, easy to connect/disconnect. I highly recommend them! As you will see below, I have wired up the blinkers, headlight buckets and rear tail lights.

I conducted my smoke test on the wiring. Everything works great. Fan, wipers, headlights, front parking lights, front blinkers, horn, inttrument lights, rear blinkers, starter...except.....I have the weirdest thing going on with my rear lights...

First, my rear brake lights do not come on when the headlights are on. I also have NO parking lights in the rear either but the blinkers work just fine. There are not many rear wires so I am sure I can figure it out.

I am ready to start the motor for the first time. Wish me luck.

Click on the thumbnails below for larger pictures:

2007-05-06T11:25:00.000-04:00

Oil Temp Sensor, Wiring Fan & Horn wire/install:
Wow....I am waiting for the locust to show up. Not only have we had a flood here in NJ but on Thursday, the house next door burned down. They are good friends of ours so we have been helping them and their four kids cope while they figure stuff out. We have had just crazy stuff going on that is really keeping us busy here. Regardless, I have been able to get some items done on the car.

Oil Temp Sensor:
As I previously wrote, the plug in the oil pan was being a pain in the butt. Only after two broken wrenches, a bruised finger and a ripped finger nail was I able to get that SOB out of the oil pan. I finally had to buy a really big allen wrench and use a pipe for leverage. As you will see in the photo below, the socket driver doesn't have much room to move between the pan and the frame rail. The allen wrench I used allowed for the leverage and the space to get it done. Stupid me...I forgot that the pan was full of oil and as soon as I got the plug out...gush....OIL! But not in the Jed Clampett sort of way... Anyway, the sensor installed without a hitch!

Wiring Fan:
This was an easy task. I made sure I understood which (+/-) combo would pull/push the fan by hooking it up to my car battery. Once that was determined, I wired it up! The manual has you splice the fan ground out for the horn set up.

Horn install and wiring:
This was pretty easy to install as well. The pictures pretty much tell the story below. The only weird thing is that I have some extra wiring for the horn in the harness that I can't account for. Once I do the smoke test with the wiring, I will be able to track down what is going on.

Next steps will be that wonderful smoke test I am dreading. I need to finish wiring the wipers and fan as well before I do the test. I will most likely wire the lights too just to makes sure the whole system works. After that, I will start the engine then if that works....put the body on! Then it will be off to paint, etc.

click thumbnails below for larger picture.

2007-04-15T17:39:00.000-04:00

Passenger Side pipe, Brake Bleeding and Radiator Install:
In this post, I will be covering the last month or so of work that I have completed to the Cobra. During this time, we have had some crazy weather (like 2 feet of sleet, super cold weather and today...massive rain!)

Side pipes:
I am happy to say that the exhaust system is installed on both sides now. It really took some finesse to get the 4 header pipes slip into the four side pipes. I almost wish that it had some headers that had a collector but that wouldn't look very original. I just hope that after the engine runs for a bit, that the pipes will be convinced to stay in their current position.

Bleed the brakes:
I was able to use two cool new toys: my Mitty vac and my new air compressor! The bleeding has been fine. I have had to chase down a couple of leaks. The leaks were a result of me not tightening the brake lines enough. I was careful not to over tighten the lines during install. So far, I think I have it all chased down. I have been using cardboard underneath all the brake line connections for "tattle tale" use. Also keeps fluid off the floor. One of my girling reservoirs was leaking as well. I think the hose clamp wasn't tightened all the way. I tightened it again. If that doesn't do it, then the seal at the bottom of the reservoir can is loose. I will probably do one more bleeding of the brakes just to be sure everything is tight.

I still need to bleed the clutch slave cylinder. Will need to do that before I start the engine.

RADIATOR INSTALL
Once again, Hurricane's kit exceeds my expectations. What an excellent radiator, fan, etc they provide. Very high quality. Installation of the radiator was a BREEZE and I have nice aluminum all around it as a shroud. What slowed me down was an issue with the lower radiator hose and the driver side oil line that goes to the oil cooler. Both hoses wanted to go through the same small space. Additionally, I didn't follow the manual instruction with the lower hose. I tried a couple of different options but settled on a hose from "Cool Flex." The space to the lower radiator is TIGHT with many bends. You have to contend with oil lines, brake lines, the x-brace and the steering rack. I rectified the oil line issue by replacing the straight AN fitting with a 90 degree AN fitting. This gave me all the room I needed for my rad hose. The hose is very close to the brake line and it makes me nervous...only thing making me feel better is that the hose does bend. I will most likely keep moving it out to gain more clearance from the brake line.

Up next: I still need to get my oil temp sensor into the oil pan; the plug has been stuck from months now but I have been soaking it with penetrant. I need to "smoke test" the electrical systems...let's hope their is no smoke! I have to wire the fan, horns and install some weathpak connectors for all the external lights, etc...and the afore mentioned bleeding of the clutch and brakes....guess I am going to be extra busy.....I forgot to say that during all this, I have a remodel on the house, baby proofing the house (expecting in July) and have been on 4 business trips. Busy time.

Click thumbnail of photos below for a larger image:

2007-02-25T20:54:00.000-05:00

Alternator Regulator, Sensors and Side Pipes:
I am going to stop apolgizing for late blog entries. I guess I am just lazy or don't have enough time. This update actually covers about the last 3 weeks which not a lot has been competed actually. It is so darn cold in the garage that I tend to only last an hour or two before losing feeling in my important parts.
Let's first start with the alternator regulator. Didn't know I needed this but had to rewire the alternator. Basically this is an external regulator that I installed on one of the dash frames. I ran these wires out into through the firewall and up to the block, under the spark plug wires and to the alternator. I them loomed them up to keep them nice and tidy. I also ran the wire for the distributor as well. Once this was completed it was time for running the gauge sensors.
I had to order some parts to complete this step. I went with a steel braided oil pressure line from Jeg's for this application. The first kit I bought was a plastic tube. Something about plastic tubes, hot oil and hot headers don't mix. I just don't want a fire under the hood. I also ran the speed-o cable, and water temp sensor to the block. I bound all my wires (alternator, distributor and water temp) into a neat harnes on the right side of the engine. I am having a heck of a time, however with the oil temp sensor. My Canton oil pan plug is stuck. I need to put a sensor here and it will not budge. I have tried heat, cold, penetrating oils, etc. I am going to have to reach out to Southern Automotive to see if they can help me.
Also on the build, I had my friends Russ and Dan come to visit. Dan is back from Afganistan where he timed his life through meals in the day. Everything was judged by when the next meal woudl be. Anyway, we were all working on putting the side pipes on the car. We tried everything but couldn't get them on. We were defeated. After a week or so of feeling down, I decided to clean out the inside of the pipes to remove any excess coating that I had applied. I am happy to say that I have both driver and passenger side pipes mounted.

So what's next? I still need to bleed my brakes, put in the radiator, wire up some switches and plumb up the oil cooler.....then it is time to start the car for the first time. Boy, does that make me nervous! Pictures below. Click image for a larger view.

2007-02-07T21:47:00.000-05:00

Dashboard and Instruments:
I am really, really, really behind in my blog. I suck; I know. I have actually got a lot of stuff done but will have to catch up in my writing. For this installment, I am going to cover the dashboard and instrument installation.

The kit utilizes a fiberglass dash shell that contains predrilled holes. The steps are basically to cover the dashboard with the supplied black vinyl material, install the instruments, wire the instruments and then install the dash in the car. I ended up with a broken speedometer which was stuck at 120 MPH....man, the car is fast already! I replaced it though.

I want to note that I am doing something different. I have decided to paint the car “British Racing Green” or otherwise known as “BRG.” As a result, I wanted to take some cues from vintage English cars and change the seat and dash materials. My In-Laws are actually fine leather craftsmen (3 generations) that create fashion accessories out of exotic leathers. Ok, I am not going exotic but I do have their knowledge to pull from. Therefore, I wanted to create a leather that had a nice cognac color (which is funny as I am enjoying a nice cognac at the moment). I started out with a piece of light yellow pigskin (they laughed at me as it was the cheapest in their stock of skins…next to the alligator and ostrich). Again, I want this car to be a driver and I want tough skin in the car. I want the skin to get a nice patina as well. Anyway, I tanned the skin with a nice oil and pitch mixture which tinted the skin a shade darker than I was envisioning but since these pictures a have been taken, the color has slightly changed. But I ran into a problem that was a blessing then a problem again. Here in New Jersey it has been ridiculously cold. My garage is not heated nor insulated…thus bad weather provided me with an opportunity to work in my nice, warm basement. However, I actually installed the dash in the car but have since taken it out as the 0 degree weather caused the beautiful leather to pucker like a butt hole (I know as I have been to prison….joking!). Luckily, after bringing it in for the night, the leather now looks flawless! What this means is that I need to stretch the leather more and I will do so in the cold.

The pictures below outline the assembly process of the dash to the final product. The wiring was actually quite time consuming but not much to elaborate on. Click on a thumbnail for a larger picture:

2007-01-16T20:32:00.000-05:00

Engine Power Branch:
This so far was the most complicated wiring for me (that is until I hit the dashboard). I won't know how well I did until I turn the key for ignition :) I am using an old skool firewall mounted starter solenoid. Most starters have a built in solenoid. Because the engine is so big and the engine compartment is so small, this configuration actually works out better for me as it is much easier to manage all the wires that map to the solenoid (see last picture for a call out for all the wires). This is also the stage where I mount and connect both the coil and the ignition system. As you can see below from the pics, MSD provides clear schematics with all their products. I also decided to mount my coil on the back of the engine. Most folks mount the coil on the front but I wanted to keep it unobstructed. It also eliminated a couple of wires from running over the block. Cleaner I guess. Anyway, everything is hooked up and the guys on the hurricane forum reviewed my picture with the wire hook ups and said it was all good. Next for me is all the wiring for the dash and gauges. Pictures below. Click a thumbnail for a larger image:

2007-01-16T20:23:00.000-05:00

Rear Electrical Branch:
I haven't written in a while due to some business trips. I have actually got a lot done but will write them in installments. This time, I am going to talk about the rear electrical branch. This branch provides power to the rear brake lights, fuel sending unit, license plate light and blinkers. I routed the wires along the cockpit tub and out to the back. All wires are wrapped in a protective loom. I also drilled a hole through the rear of the cockpit tub and put a rubber grommet in place as not to cause chaffing.....just like on my wedding night! Anyway, once out to the back, I had to splice in and solder sub branches for the license plate light, brake lights, and grounds etc. Pretty straight forward. Pictures below. Click on thumbnail for larger picture.

2006-12-29T11:27:00.000-05:00

Windshield Wiper Assembly:
New Jersey state law requires that all cars have windshield wipers. This car does not have a top...at all. It was never designed to have a top. Basically, you just have a body and a sheet of glass. So if it rains, the wipers will do me little good. The rain will be hitting my face. Regardless, I have to put these useless wipers on the car to "check the bureaucratic box" so to speak.
This assembly was pretty easy to do. Consists of the motor, the drive cable, the arm assemblies and some aluminum tubing. Basically I needed to fab up the outer housing for the drive cables and assemble the arm sub-assemblies and out housings to the major assembly. I had to cut some tube to specific lengths and the flare the ends of the tubes. In assembly, these flares allow for the arm assemblies to stay into place.
The kit also comes with a muffler bracket to mount the wiper motor under the dash. I have been reading about this installation and everyone hates the muffler clamp. I can see why. I have seen many different approaches to mounting the motor but I needed something different. The reason is that I also need to drill holes in the body for the wiper holes. Since I don't want to do this yet, I needed to think up a mounting system that I can adjust later. Basically I went to the hardware store, bought four bolts, some angle iron and some hose clamps to create my version of the mounting bracket. I added some insulation stripping to the angle iron, drilled holes on both pieces and then used the bolts to "tension mount" the assembly onto the 2X2 dash frame. This allows me to move the entire wiper assembly right and left should I need to move it. I can also change the angle of the motor by bending the "L" bracket. I really won't know how slick this approach is until I mount the body. Wish me luck! Click image below for larger view

2006-12-29T11:09:00.000-05:00

Electrical System: Part 1 of 5- Front Light Branch
I will be honest. The electrical system is intimidating to me. Luckily, Hurricane provides a wiring harness from Haywire that is pretty much idiot proof. I am very impressed with the completeness of this wiring kit. Every single wire is labelled as to where it is to go. This label is printed on each wire casing about every 4 inches. How great is that?

There are 5 main electrical systems that I can figure out. These are front light branch, rear light and fuel branch, instruments, engine power branch and engine monitoring branch. All of these go into a fuse panel I will be putting under the dash.

For this installment, I will discuss the general prep and the front light branch. For general prep, I basically had to drill two holes through the firewall. This will allow three electrical branches to go out into the engine bay (front light, engine power and engine monitoring branches). Once I completed this, I do a rough layout of the wires to their respective places and place the main harness in the dash. I then proceeded to wire the first branch for the front lights. I have to say at this point that I was freezing my butt off. My garage is not heated and nor is it insulated. Wires don't like to bend when it's this cold. But I digress. I ran the front light branch down the driver side upper frame. I had to split some of the wires for the passenger side lights. I didn't want to mess around with wires coming apart so I soldered every split I made and covered in heat shrink. All the wires were secured in a loom and attached to the frame. click image below for larger view.

2006-12-11T08:32:00.000-05:00

Remote Brake Fluid Canisters:
This weekend I wanted to finish out on the brake system with the installation of the remote brake fluid canisters. The Wilwood kit comes with plastic remote canisters which are great, but I just didn't like the aesthetics of them. I was reading another build site by Ryan Cassidy (which is basically I site I use as a supplemental build manual...much better site than mine), and he had an entry about some Girling style black canisters that he used which are much more period correct. He has great instructions on where to get them, how to fab up the holders, etc. I basically followed it verbatim. Anyway, below you will see a picture of the Girling black can next to the Wilwood plastic one. Wow....how much cooler is that black can? You will also see that the cans match all the black paint on the engine accessories. Almost military like in a sense. The mounts for the cans were easy enough to fab up as well. Just went down to the hardware store to pick up some aluminum strip. I spent about 45 minutes mocking up a potential mount. Once I got the right length, right bends, etc. I created an assembly line in my vice. I would do sets of bends for each mount right next to each other so I could assure consistent angles. Worked like a charm. I riveted these mounts to the firewall. I won't go into detail as Ryan's site is very exhaustive and you can read it there. The last picture below shows the whole engine compartment. To me, when I look at it, I get just as excited as a woman gazing into a Tiffany's box. Except for me, the diamond is that awesome motor surrounded by the beautiful aluminum box! Click on the image for a larger view:

2006-12-10T13:34:00.000-05:00

Sealing Oil Lines and Heat Shielding the Brake Lines:
I had to pull the engine out again....yup. Thank God I didn't put the crane back in the basement. See, I forgot to seal the oil lines that come out of the block. Because my oil lines are so close to the frame, I need to raise the engine 1 1/2 inches to remove the lines. Anyway, you need to apply teflon tape to your threads so that they don't leak. As you will see below, I am all sealed up now. Man I can be an idiot.

I also received my heatshield. I wanted to apply some heatshield to the brake lines and to the bottom of the master cylinders because they are so close to the headers. These headers put out a lot of heat (Even though I had them cyramic coated). I will be using high temperature brake fluid so this work was probably over cautious. Regardless, an ounce of prevention....
Anyway, I got to use my fun new saftey wire tool that twists wire. I bought this tool for the saftey wire that will use on my wheels. This tool basically grabs the wire then spins like a top, forming a really strong wire. I think hippies use something like this to make jewelry...probably fly fisherman too. Click the images below for a larger view

2006-12-08T08:40:00.000-05:00

Inner Fender Installation:
This week, I installed the aluminum inner fenders into the engine bay. This requires riviting and affixing brackets to the frame. I started with the passenger side. This installation was a BREEZE. As you will see in the pictures, there is a tight fit with the headers but just enough room where I am not worried about any rubbing. Great engineering on Hurricane's part. The driver side was a different matter. The spot that you have to manipulate this large piece of aluminum is very crowed with items like the master cylinders, steering shaft, remote oil lines, etc. I had to use some "persuasion" to get the panel finally in place. Some damage to the fender in the form of scratches, dents and bends occured. I mostly fixed these issues with the magic of scotch brite pads, my rubber mallet and a block of wood. The scotch brite was to remove scratches and give me that cool brushed look. The rubber mallet and wood allowed me to reshape and remove dents in the metal. All the visual spots are untouched. The other parts will be hidden by the body later but the work actually came out OK. I had to reroute on of the remote oil filter lines as you will see in the picture. I am going to create a hose crade out of some wire for this hose so it does not rub on the steering shaft. As you will see in the pictures, the tolerances are very tight on the driver's side. Check out how close the steering shaft next to the panel. It has just enough room to rotate. Fun stuff. Click pictures for a larger image. Enjoy!

2006-12-06T08:16:00.000-05:00

Throttle Cable and Gas Pedal Installation:
Here is another delayed posting for your enjoyment. The installation of the throttle cable and gas pedal was relatively easy. Lokar was the source of all the parts. They have a pretty sweet set up if you ask me. As you can see in the pictures below, the space to work in the pedal box is incredibly tight. As a result, I had to alter the gas pedal by bending the top of the assembly. I did this so I could drill a hole for the throttle cable on the left of the steering shaft. This took a couple of tries as I had to get just the right amount of bend. Once I found the right angle, I marked and drilled holes to mount the gas pedal on the foot box wall. One think I learned is that with the foot box being as tight as it is, it will be necessary for me to wear racing shoes which are very skinny when driving this car. I had my work boots on and I felt like my feet were those of giants as there is no way you are not going to accidentally hit the brake and clutch at same time, etc. Hey...this is basically a race car. It isn't for comfort! Anyway, once I got through the foot box with the cable, I ran the cable over the steering shaft (also used a tie against the master cylinder to make sure it didn't interfere with the shaft) and secured it on top of the foot box making sure I kept sweeping curves in the cable. You will see i put some fuel line around the cable that is near the spark plugs. I didn't want the braided cover to saw through a spark plug cable and causing problems. The cable very easily went through the back of the turkey pan (That is the metal pan that the carburetor sits in on top of the manifold). I then had to install the Lokar throttle linkage onto the side of the carburetor. I have to say that this would be much easier without the turkey pan as it is a tight fit (see pics). It is so tight that I had to alter how I connected the actual cable to the linkage. The cable is supposed to terminate on the "turkey pan" side of the linkage. As you will see in the pic, I terminated on the other sided near the carburetor. I was worried that this might bind the linkage but it didn't. I just didn't see a way for the linkage and the termination assembly working without binding against the turkey pan. I tested the movement with my altered version many times and it seems to work great. As always, pictures are below. Click on the thumbnail to see a larger picture.

2006-12-05T09:10:00.000-05:00

Master Cylinder Install:
Apologies for the late entry. I actually have a few projects done that I will enter separately. For this entry, I am going to cover the Master Cylinder Installation.

First off, the Wilwood master cylinder kits are awesome. These are such a no brainer. The instructions are very clear and they provide multiple set up options for your application. The hardest part regarding this installation was the widening of the holes I drilled through the foot boxes so that the cylinder push rod can connect with the pedals. At first, I was mad at myself for not drilling bigger holes as I almost did but changed my mind at the last second. I figured you can always go bigger later. Well, I had to go bigger. Not by much, mind you. Anyway, I used my dremel to widen the holes and it took many test fittings. I also found out that my foot box fiberglass is much thicker than I think others. The reason I say this is that the mounting studs for the master cylinders that I put in the pedal assembly (see previous post) didn't allow for all the recommended washers during the install of the cylinders. I instead relied on copious amounts of red heavy duty threadlocker to make up for the lack of recommended hardware. The Hurricane kit utilizes a remote brake fluid reservoir that will mount on the inner fender (which is installed later). As a result, I used the remote reservoir option on the kit which requires you to install these tops on the master cylinders which will connect via a hose to the remote reservoir. The instructions inform you to heat up the tops when installing to avoid cracks. I whipped out my wife's trusty hair dryer to do the job. Worked great! After I installed everything, I set adjusted the pedal height and brake bias (front rear). The pedals work great. The final part of the install was routing the hard lines for front, rear and clutch up the pedal box and up to the master cylinders. As you can see, these are very close to the headers. That means lots of HEAT. I will most likely use a high heat brake fluid but I want some extra protection. I have ordered some heat shield that I will be placing on the bottom of the master cylinders and on the hard lines that run closest to the headers. I also used some split fuel line to wrap parts of the hard lines that might rub against other metal. Don't want any pin holes due to our friend friction! Pictures are below. Click pictures to expand.

2006-11-24T09:33:00.000-05:00

Steering Shaft and Wheel Install:
Guess what I did? I slammed a steering wheel into my face. Yup..I decided that I needed to give myself a bloody nose by being completely stupid. I will cover more of this later in the post.

The install of the steering shafts and collars was pretty straight forward. Most of the time was spent on the shaft alignment and securing all the bolts with loctite. Making sure all your steering bolts are secure is very important as it would really suck if they came apart while you were driving. I also had to drill a 2" hole in the firewall which is always fun. I routed the steering shaft through the remote oil line that goes from the block to the filter. I am not sure if this will be the best path but will know once I get the engine bay aluminum installed. Part of this assembly required a temporary install of the turn signal switch and the steering wheel. Well...here is where the face beating starts. After I installed the shafts, I decided to reward myself with a couple of beers and was going to leave the fitting of the steering wheel to the next day. After those few beers, I decided to see what the steering wheel would look like on the shaft. It went on with a little bit of effort (the splines on the shaft and the steering wheel are tight...as you would imagine). Anyway, when it was time to take off the wheel, I sat in front of it and started to pull off the wheel. Well our good friend "friction" was in attendance this evening and its date was "stupidity." When these two friends come together, our other friend "pain" can come to the party. Anyway, as I am putting lots of strength to pull of the steering wheel, our friend "friction" decided to "let go" of the steering wheel and then all of the sudden, a steering wheel is in the middle of my face (I had an image of Curly from the three stooges with a pie tin full of whip cream come into my mind afterward). Within an instant, my glasses where flying off my head and my nose went numb. I picked up my glasses and there was an imprint of my eye lid on the lens. I blew my nose and some blood was present. I was laughing pretty hard and for some odd reason wish that I had been video taped as I am sure it was very, very funny. It was pretty late so I don't think my neighbors saw. When I told my wife, Eva, what I had done, she just shook her head and laughed at me...then petted my head. I think that is called pity.

Up next: gas pedal install, master cylinders and more acts of super human stupidity!

(Click on images for larger view)

2006-11-15T16:47:00.000-05:00

Put the Pedal to the Metal but Becareful Not to Switch the Oil Lines or KABLAAM!!
In this post, I will cover the installation of the pedal assembly into the car and the installation of the steel braided oil lines for the block, remote oil filter and remote oil cooler.
First, I will cover the oil lines. Right out of the gate, I am worried. Southern Automotive informed me that if I mess up the oil line routing, I could instantly blow up the engine. OK, no pressure.... But seriously, it isn't like the engine can get a hemroid if the oil blocks up. NO...it will blow up. BOOM! Luckily I got a great picture (see below of engine on stand) from Southern Automotive with the following flow instructions:
1. Oil comes out of the block through the block adapter (hole facing toward the driver's side front fender)
2. Oil goes from the block adapter up to the lower inlet of the remote oil filter.
3. Oil circulates through the filter and exits out of the top of the filter and goes to the remote oil cooler.
4. Oil travels through oil cooler and returns to the block through the front opening of the block adapter.
I also found a great diagram on the Hurricane Forum for the hose length. This was key for me as I needed to assembly the braided hoses with the fittings into the proper lengths (see below). Basically, I ordered my AN fittings and a very long uncut braided hose. I bought some braided hose cutting sheers and went to town. I also found a GREAT website with step by step instructions on how to create these lines with fittings found here http://www.bakerprecision.com/aqp12a.htm . Boy did my hands get messed up doing this. See, when you cut the end, you put tape on it so that the steel fibers don't spread. You take the tape off just before you are ready to install the fitting. Well, those little fiber ends are sharp. I must have stuck my fingers about a hundred times...and that was just the first time..that is right; all of 'em are sharp. I wised up and started wearing gloves. Necessity is the mother of all invention. I only had to re-install a fitting once. I wasn't happy with the fitting and decided to do it right or not do it at all.
Next up was the pedal assembly installation into the car. This was fairly easy and the manual from hurricane covers it beautifully. I basically had to retrofit some studs on the pedal assembly to elongate them. These studs run the the firewall where the master cylinders will hook up. I have to say this Wilwood assembly is pretty sweet. I am glad Hurricane has them as standard for their kit. Everything fit together nice. I did, however, take some time to test fit but so far, so good. I also installed the bracket for the brake light switch. That went in fine. The switch was installed as well but will be wired up in a later stage.
Up next will be the steering linkage, side pipe installation and master cyliders! Pics below
(click on images for larger view)

2006-11-05T13:27:00.000-05:00

Final Cockpit Install?? Who knows
I was preparing to complete my final cockpit install this weekend. Before I did this, I realized that this would be the only time for me to have easy access to the engine...and god forbid I need to take it out again. I was reviewing some of the next projects, like plumbing to the remote oil filter when I saw a problem; the oil filter blockoff on the side of the engine block where the AN fitting for the hose was really close to the frame.....so close that I can't screw in the 45 degree fitting....not without lifting the engine that is. A few posts back, Eva and I had put in the engine....for what I thought would be for good. As a result, I took apart my engine crane, hauled it down stairs for the next project. Let me tell you , this is not a light tool. I could see no other way so I hauled it back upstairs, reassembled and hooked it to the engine. Mind you , I only need to lift this engine up a slight 2-3 inches to get this fitting in place. Once the crane was together, I got the engine up, fitting in place and back down into the mounts in under an hour. It was the crane that took most of the time. Knock on wood, that will be the last time the engine comes out.
Now on with the cockpit tub. In the previous post, I found an issue with the toploader linkage and the trans tunnel. I confirmed with Hurricane Motorsports that I indeed cut out some reliefs to clear the linkage. I did this fairly easitly with my dremel and jigsaw. I also found that the gear shift will be severely left on the tunnel. I think I will have to heat up the shift handle an make two bends; one to get it toward center and one to readjust to right shift angle. I also installed the parking brake at this time. The manual says to do it at a later stage but I just can't see how to do that with the tub fastened into place. Thank god I did that! It was a pain in the butt. I also rivited the tub around the foot boxes and installed four cockpit mounting bolts and torqued them down. I also drilled 8 holes for the seats to mount. Remember the posts with the fuel lines, brake lines and battery cables? Check out the pics and you will see that the moutning tabs are RIGHT next to those items. I accidently nicked the batter cables in two places but didn't cut through the casing. I added extra electrical tape just for fun.... For next steps, I am going to caulk the foot boxes, install the upper frame and plumb up the remote oil filter. Pictures below.

2006-10-30T08:56:00.000-05:00

GOULISH BUILD WEEK...It was for the BIRDS!!
The New Jersey area was struck by a rain storm this weekend called a "Noreaster." Basically tons of rain. Anyway, I was working on the car and I hear very loud 'WHACK!'...Then I hear another one..then another...then it sounds like it is raining golf balls! I slowly peak my head out of the garage and I see the oddest sight! My neighbors ancient tree (full of acorn looking nuts) is getting swarmed by hundreds of birds. The birds are ripping off all the acorns and dropping the nuts on the ground (much to the squirrels delight). These nuts are just slamming his car and roof. Weirdest thing as it looked like the movie "The Birds." This wouldn't be the first thing to haunt me this past week. My goals this past week were to prep the cockpit, install the aluminum firewall and mount it to the frame. My first task was to apply hurculiner to the bottom of the cock pit and trunk floor. I even fabed up my own paint stirring tool using a bent up coat hanger and my drill (NO MORE WIRE HANGERS!!) Some folks choose to the do the whole underside. I chose a more selective approach; masking off some areas like the trans tunnel but applied to underside and wheel wells, etc. This process was very easy. The hurculiner product is very simple to use and it went on without a hitch. The second job was to mount the heat shield and aluminum pannels to the firewall. I had to purchase a rivet gun and tin snips for this part of the job. This went along very well. I could have done more "fit and finish" with the aluminum panels but I am really trying hard to keep this car a "driver" instead of a trailer queen. This means I don't want it to look perfect. I will take some scotch bright to the aluminum panels as well to get that "race" look. My lovely wife was my assistant again to help me mount the tub. Things were going fine until the point the tub didn't sit totally on the frame. I looked underneath and my shift linkage on the toploader transmission is too wide for the trans tunnel. I will most likely cut a relief in the tunnel and fab up an aluminum cover and rivit it on. This could be a blessing in disguise if I ever have to access this linkage again. Will help me avoid taking off the body and cockpit tub. I am checking with Hurricane before I do this. Will write more once I find and execute a solution. Pics below!

2006-10-23T08:54:00.000-04:00

Driveline, Safety Loop and Battery Cables Revisited:
My driveline arrived from Denny's Driveshafts. I have to say that Denny has his stuff in a pile. It was so easy to measure the proper dimensions and submit my order. The guys there are super helpful as well but the directions on their website are second to none (http://www.dennysdriveshaft.com/). I highly recommend this shop. They ship everywhere around the world. Anyway, The driveshaft just slipped right into place. But this was after a minor oil spill in the garage. I used all the cat's dirt to clean it up. Poor cat had to hold tight until we got more cat litter. Anyway, the next item on the agenda was to assemble, mock up, fab and install the driveline safteyloop. These are a must as you realize you have a large steel shaft spinning and several thousand RPM right next to your butt. I like my butt and don't want a drive shaft in it. I ordered a universal driveline saftey loop from Jegs (http://www.jegs.com). I just trimmed it a bit and drilled some holes to fit the bolts that hold up the rear of the trans x brace (remember that fun thing?). I can't believe how nice everything installed. The last thing I had to do was revisit the battery cables. I installed these previously but I had to take out the whole thing....Yup....start from scratch. Why you ask? Well...I needed to figure out my grounding set up before I could move to the next step of installing the cockpit tub on the frame. I decided to take a controversial set up that some will like and others will skoff at. I needed to make two grounds: one on the frame and one on the engine block. Most people do this right at the frame next to the engine. If you haven't guessed already, this 428 is huge and it isn't really easy to get a drill to the frame. My goal was to make both access to the frame and the block grounds as easy as possible. I will need to clean them on occasion to keep the system healthy. So I drilled and tapped a portion of the frame above the rear axle. This required me to make a cut in the negative battery cable and install two terminals. One cable goes into the trunk while the other travels back up the frame and attaches to the block. I bought a side mount batter terminal, drilled it out and installed a bolt to the side of the block. It is right under the header (but far enough back from the heat) so that I can get to it if needed. For next steps, I will be preparing the cockpit tub for installation on the frame. This will include hurculiner, aluminum and heat shield. More later

2006-10-15T19:59:00.000-04:00

Engine is finally FINALLY in...time to get back "on manual":
I have been a bit busy so haven't been able to write. I was in Seattle last weekend visiting my family. But before I went, my lovely wife Eva helped me install the engine for the final time. Poor woman...she came out in the garage Saturday morning offering me more coffee then she found herself on the transmission end of 900 pounds of engine on a crane. I couldn't have done it without her though. It fit in the frame like a glove....or more like the gooey innards of a clam in the shell. Man....these guys that thought of shoving such a HUGE engine in a tiny car were totally, certifiable insane. NUTJOBS.....what does that make me?
Anyway, once the engine was in, I was able to start working on items that are not in the build manual that Hurricane sent. I sent out my exhaust headers and side pipes to Jet Hot Coatings to get a black satin ceramic coating to cut down on temperatures in the engine bay. They came back in great shape. I also ordered my driveline. I should get it tomorrow. I also did a final install of the clutch master cylinder, fueline to the fuel pump, radiator expansion tank, the remote oil filter and the front rims and tires. Once the the drive shaft comes, I will install a driveline safety loop, some radiator hoses, the remote oil cooler and lines and speedometer cable into the transmission. Oh...and I have to install the termination of the battery cables on the starter and ground (TBD on ground location). Then finally, I will put a coat of hurculiner on the bottom of the cockpit and trunk tubs. Once that is done, I will start the marry road of electrical wiring, etc. Pics below for your enjoyment! Don't forget that if you click the picture, it will show you a bigger picture:

2006-10-01T17:21:00.000-04:00

Prepping for final engine install:
I finished the install of the engine this morning but there was some work I finished this week that I would like to cover here before I write that entry.
xbrace-
The new x-brace came in raw metal without the holes drilled for frame mounting. This means I have mock up the brace, drill the holes and paint with POR 15. I have some pics below that show you the difference between the new and old braces. You will see that for the toploader, the trans mount holes need to be about 3-4 inches forward from the old brace. I bought a new drill press and used it to drill out the holes after mock up. I mocked it up again in the frame with the motor just to be darn sure this would work...this time.. Magic. I went ahead and painted it with POR 15 (note: remember to use rubber gloves with this stuff...will stay on you for a couple of days if you don't. I removed the engine and performed the final install of the finished x-brace.
Fuel Filter Install-
I researched a couple of fuel filter options and settled on a billet one from Summit Racing. Mind you, I am not building a billet trailer queen. As you will see as this build goes on, I am building a driver. No frills and pretty little tu-tu crap. This fuel filter however, was very slender and provded the best fitment to my frame. I will be laughing as I go down the road knowing I have this little diamond of a fuel filter and mount hidden away....
clutch slave cylinder-
I got some great tips from Hurricane regarding a slick way to install the Wilwood slave cylinder. Guess another hurricane customer named Tom figured this out. Basically, he mounted the slave cylinder by using a bolt and some piping to create a sturdy, extended mount. This allows for a parallel install of the clutch slave cylinder to the clutch fork. Pics below show this process. Worked great and was fairly easy to do.

As previously stated, other work has been completed (front rims/tires mounted, engine mounted, etc). I will take some pictures now that I have some batteries! Look for posts later.

2006-09-21T17:18:00.000-04:00

9/21/2006: Back in the saddle
After 6 weeks of being stuck in the middle of the engine install due to an incorrect x-brace and transmission mount, I am finally working again on the car. Turns out the x-brace and mount that was sent to me were for a different engine/trans combo. So the engine is back out, I am working on items for the final installation. I also have ordered my drive shaft, getting my headers and side pipes coated and installed my fuel filter. I will be finalizing items on:
1.) Engine: Remote Oil Filters, Headers, Trans Mount
2.) Frame: Fuel Filter, Rear Brake Lines, Front Tires/Rims, X-Brace drilling/painting/installation, clutch slave mount fabrication
3.) Final Engine Install: Engine/Tranny mounted to frame, hooking up fuel line to engine, oil filter, paint scratches on the frame, hook up clutch slave mount

Look for more updates now

2006-09-04T11:52:00.005-04:00

Waiting is the hardest part:
I am still waiting for a new x-brace from Hurricane Motorsports. I guess they have been really busy. I am bummed because I have missed the week I had taken off to work on the car and this labor day weekend. I can't continue with the previous list until the engine in in the right place. I am starting to work ahead on some other parts of the car like:
1.) Hurculiner the underneath of cockpit tub and trunk
2.) POR15: some of the POR has come off due to work. Need to touch up.
3.) Locate a powder coating facility in NJ for side pipes, headers and roll bar.
Hopefully I will get xBrace this week. Would love to get the engine buttoned up next weekend and start with the cockpit, pedals, etc.

2006-08-18T10:32:00.000-04:00

Engine Install: Part 1 of ?:
This part of the build has been the most challenging thus far. This is mostly because the manual doesn't cover the install (since many different motor and transmission combos can be put in). My buddy Russ flew all the way up from Atlanta to help me get the transmission mounted to engine and the drive train into the car. During his visit, we were attacked by a freakish cicada. There is a picture below of it stalking us. It was great to have Russ there. Nothing like bonding over 900 lbs of engine/trans on the end of a crane. Anyway, we kind of succeeded. I have hit some issues which will probably require me to install/uninstall drive train a couple of times before it is set. Here are the issues I have hit thus far:
1.) clutch fork length: This fork provide is very long and interfered with the frame, fuel and brake lines. I had to cut off about 1 inch off the end. Thank god for my trusty dremel and some cut off wheels. Highly recommend the quick change package dremel has.
2.) Transmission mount and xbrace compatibility: I have bought 3 transmission mounts thus far (two of the same accidentally). The mount works great with the tranny but not on the xbrace in the frame. Working with Hurricane Motorsports to get to the bottom of the issues since other's have the same engine/trans combo in their hurricane cars
3.) Clutch Slave Cylinder- "to push or to pull..that is the question!": I actually have two clutch slave cylinders to choose from. A guy named Tom on the forum created a REALLY simple mounting solution for the Wilwood pull slave cylinder set up. It also makes it easy to work on. No pics yet as I can't mock up the location until the trans is mounted.
4.) Fuel and Brake line placement: I am probably going to have to move these lines. It looks like they clear now but want to be sure. I believe I will have to at least move the fuel line at this point. Again, can't tell until I get the mount situation sorted.
5.) Junk Yard Tires: Russ and I went all over new jersey looking for a set of crappy mustang wheels and tires so that we could have a rolling chassis. The set I bought worked great on the front but were too small in diameter to clear the rear brakes. As a result, I bit the bullet and mounted my nice wheels on the back. This required cutting the lug studs down by an inch or so. They look MEATY. See pics below.

So all in all, not to bad thus far. Just been waiting for parts and stuff. I am not worried about getting a solution for the trans mount. Mike at Hurricane has been very responsive and I trust he will help me figure it out. Once that is done, I need to:
1.) Fill trans with oil
2.) Attach clutch fork boot
3.) Mock up and attach clutch slave cylinder
4.) Plumb clutch slave cylinder line(s)
5.) Locate fuel and brake lines
6.) Plumb fuel line to mechanical fuel pump on engine
7.) Attach remote oil filter
8.) Mount coolant expansion tank
9.) Tighten engine and trans mounts :)
10.) Measure and order driveline
11.) Install driveline

I figure I will have the engine/trans out at least 3 more times. Wish me luck.

2006-08-02T09:23:00.000-04:00

FUEL CELL AND BATTERY CABLE INSTALL:
First off, it has been CRAZY hot here in the NE. My garage has been more of an oven than a workspace. It sometimes gets up to 100 degrees! Needless to say, I haven't been spending much time in the garage out of fear of heat stroke. I did manage to finish the install of the fuel tank and battery cables. Both were pretty basic.
The fuel tank came with two steel straps. You have to reshape these straps for the installation by inverting them from their stock form. It is smart to do this install with two people but I it was just me in the garage for this step. Anyway, I would install the strap, look for snugness, go back to bench, modify, go back, test fit again, go back to the bench, etc. Once I had one strap fitting perfectly, I could use it as a template for the other strap. This technique worked great and the install went off without a hitch. I also connected the fuel tank to the fuel line
The battery cables were really easy to install. The battery for this car is located in the trunk. This requires you to run the cables from the rear of the car up to the engine compartment. You want to keep the ground wire (BLACK) next to the frame rail. If the wire gets rubbed through, the ground is touching the frame, not the hot wire which could cause issues. Pics below.

2006-07-25T08:36:00.000-04:00

Biblical Build Day: Build a car or a boat?
During the day on Saturday, I witnessed the most disgusting weather I have ever seen. It was about 90 degrees, 200% humidity, thunder, lightening....oh...and don't forget the torrential rain! It rained so much that the rain off the roof was shooting out of a drain pipe about 4 feet from the house! The back yard flooded and the water started to breech the garage. I manned the wet/dry vac and stood my ground. Luckily, we survived. No wonder they call this kit a "hurricane."
This weekend, I concentrated on putting in the emergency brake and fuel tank assembly. The e-brake was a simple install. You want to make sure that you route the cables in a fashion that doesn't restrict the cable movement. This means, no sharp bends, corners, etc.
The fuel tank was interesting. Hurricane supplies you with a brand new fuel tank with everything you need. You do have to do some mods on the tank however. Basically, you move the the spout from one side of the tank to the other. They give you a block off kit to plug the holes on one side and you make new ones on the other side. I installed the fuel level sender unit and it was done. This week I need to see if I can get the tank installed and the battery cables installed so that I can install the motor!!!!

2006-07-18T08:37:00.000-04:00

Heavens to Murgatroid!! Let's STOP this crazy thing!!
This past weekend, I finished off plumbing the brakelines. I have to admit, I wasn't really looking forward to this part as I have heard horror stories about bending lines, making flares, etc. Luckily for me, Hurricane Motorsports sends you all the lines pre-bent. As a result, the install was pretty much a snap. I have had some feedback regarding my fuel line placment vs. the brake line. I have my fuel line above the brake line. I have seen some people in the Hurricane forum put the brakeline below and some above. It looks like either works (at this point anyway....sometimes you eat your words later when you find out that you now have a blocking problem, etc.). I have pleanty of space between the lines. The only possible issue (but doesn't look like it yet) is where the fuel line and brakelines terminate/exit at the front engine mount. If there is an issue, this is where it will be at. But in all seriousness, I doubt this will be any problems.

2006-07-12T13:28:00.000-04:00

ADD FUEL TO THE FIRE!! INSTALLING FUEL LINE:
To install the fuel line, I had to remove the fiberglass cockpit tub. During this, I removed the aluminum off the firewall as well so it would not get hurt. The uninstall was a breeze. The tub is so light but very strong. The tub is now outside the garage under a tarp where the spiders will have their way with it. I will keep it out for the next few weeks as I install fuel lines, brake lines, fuel tank, engine and trans…that’s right…engine and trans!! But I digress.
On Monday, I installed the fuel lines. This was pretty straight forward. The fuel line is aluminum so you have to bend it to your will into the correct route. I will be adding some rubber fuel line over certain parts of the aluminum fuel line where I think there is a possibility of rubbing. Nothing sucks more than a hole in your fuel line….fire is not kind to a car....even fire engines. For the rest of the week, I will be inventorying all the parts for the brake line install. I am looking forward to this step. Although, I just found out I have some afterwork business meetings that might not allow me to do this inventory until the weekend.

2006-07-12T08:51:00.000-04:00

The Buck Stops Here:
I had to STOP for a second and take a BRAKE from writing the blog (I slay me!!) as I bunkered down and worked on finalizing the front end. I had a bearing size issue for the spindle. My outer bearing was too small in diameter for the spindle and I replaced it with the right size one. Once that was compete, I could move on to put on the brake mounts, rotor hats and brakes themselves. The install was pretty straight forward. So straight forward that I thought it was too easy and had to confirm with the folks on the Hurricane forum. I still need to trim the steering rack ends as I have about 2” extra length. Going to work on that one after I get the motor in to make sure I don’t hack off too much. Now that the rotors are installed, I can mount the wheels and tires. I have some parts on order that will allow me to do this. Then I will have what is called a “rolling chassis.”

2006-07-04T11:13:00.000-04:00

ORGANIZATION PART II: My work bench finally came on Friday and I spent some quality time getting it all put together. What a HUGE difference it is having such a great work bench. I ordered it off of Amazon.com (of all places). Actually, Amazon has surprised me. I have ordered all kinds of tools (spring compressors, gear pullers, etc) , grease, etc off of it with great prices. Give it a whirl. Anyway, I sure wish I would have set this up before I started the build. It has been priceless.

2006-07-04T11:05:00.000-04:00

ROTOR INSTALL: My plans for this weekend included the installation of the front rotors and the front brake system. I was thwarted however. Everything was going swell...bearings were packed with grease, and the inside bearings fit like a charm. The outside bearings were an issue. They don't seem to fit over the spindle! After conversing on some of the build boards out there, the consensus was that I have the wrong bearings for the outside hub. The diameter is just too small. I have to touch base with Hurricane Motorsports to confirm if there was a mix up. Until then, I just have to sit back and wait....oh...and I lost a grease fitting for the ball joint. Need to order one of those too. The only thing that bums me out is that you don't get too many 4 day weekends with which to build and I only got about half done of what I wanted to achieve this weekend.

2006-07-04T10:40:00.000-04:00

Steering Rack Install: The steering rack is a mustang II rack an pinion which is really nice. The install was pretty much uneventful until I got ahead of myself in one step. I was mocking up the tie rod ends to fit into the spindle mounts. These rod ends actually self press into the spindle and you can't get them out unless you have a pickle fork or a hand press. I had to pick up a hand press from sears to get it to come out. Good thing too as I hadn't centered the steering rack. I am going to wait to intall the tie rods into the spindle as right now they look a bit too long (which means I will need to trim them). However, with the weight of the engine, they might be just right.

2006-06-27T16:29:00.000-04:00

"Wife: Honey....what the hell is this in the freezer?"
"Husband: My balljoints?"
"Wife: YOUR WHAT??!!!
You sick minded people, I am talking about balljoints that you use to build a front end of a cobra! See...balljoints are a tricky thing. Often times they are VERY tight when they are screwed into the upper and lower A-Arms. Therefore, you need a little fire...and a little ice. In order to get them in, you need to freeze your balljoints over night and use a torch to heat up the receptacle on the a-arms. One shrinks, the other expands and BLAMO!! You can put them together. Another side benefit is that it makes an incredibly strong attachment between the two parts.
View pictures here:

This weekend, I will be installing the steering rack, front rotors and brake calipers!