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COBRA III
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Dashboard
Since I have basically decided not to go with the "original" look with a leather covered dashboard, I decided on aluminum. I have seen brushed aluminum, aluminum with swirls- like from a wire brush and drill, and also aluminum panels that are covered in leather. Another option would be to leave the dash area alone, and just have it painted the same color as the car. I have also seen dashboards made from wood. I wanted to do something different, so I started with a piece of 1/8" thick aluminum, made a template, and traced the template on the aluminum, then cut it out. I then polished the front side to a mirror finish, covered it with about 7 coats of liquid mask, then let it dry overnight. I then put a small pen mark every inch across the top and sides, then used an X-Acto knife to lightly scribe along side a straight edge. After peeling off every other square, I sandblasted it with fine sand before removing the other squares. I have the pilot holes drilled for the Auto Meter Ultra-Lite guages drilled, and can now cut out the holes for them. |
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Steering Wheel
With interior space being a concern, and to make it easier to get in and out of the car, I decided to go with a quick release style hub which will allow me to remove the steering wheel to get in and out. After looking at many websites for an adapter, I found a 5 hole adapter that would bolt right to the quick release hub. Grant wheels have 5 holes, so thats basically what made me decide to go with a a Grant wheel. The center cap had the spring loaded horn button which cannot be wired with a quick release style hub. I removed the center cap, removed the convex "Grant" logo, and disassembles the center cap. I did away with the spring, and epoxied the outer black ring and horn button together, so that the front side is flush. I ordered a Cobra logo from Finishline, and stuck it in the middle of the horn button. |
Pedal Box
I went with the Shell Valley pedal box. The first thing I did was disassemble it and strip the black paint off. My plans were to paint it POR-15, then primer it and paint it, but I had a little trouble with the POR-15. Basically everything I have used it on was bare steel. There was a little paint or primer left on the pedal box before the POR-15 was applied, and it really stood out. I ended up just stripping the whole thing (once again), then giving it multiple coats of primer, along with the pedal arms. I sprayed them with black metallic, then clear coated them. The master cylinder was also painted metallic black, and the clutch resevoir was polished and clear coated. |
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Pedals
The only bad thing about the Shell Valley pedals is that they use a bland basically square piece of metal for the pedal itself, with a rubber pad that says VW on them. Sorry, but I have a problem putting something in a Cobra that says Volkswagen on it. I opted for the aluminum "AC" pedals from FinishLine. The pedal bosses were machined to accept the 1/4" steel pedal arms, then cross-drilled with a 1/4" bit for the 1" bolts that will hold them in place. The pedals were then sanded smooth before using a toothpick to paint in the grooves and around the AC logo. They were then clearcoated to reduce oxidation and to preserve the black paint. |
Radiator
Not much to say here, as it's pretty straight-forward, other than the top bracket being temporarily mounted to the radiator. The top and bottom bracket both need bolted to the frame. It's basically just setting in there for mock-up. I've got the engine block sitting in the frame, with the water pump on, so I can now figure out the lower radiator hose. Also, I am trying to come up with some design of some kind of a shroud that will help deflect more air into the front of the radiator, rather than letting some air run around the sides, top, and bottom. |
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Just another shot...
of the radiator. The back side is protected with cardboard, as it's a fun job sliding it in and down in an awkward position by yourself. Theres not much room either. The original Cobras had their radiators slanted backwards at an angle. I am assuming it's because of available room, as I cant see any benefits from having the air restricted. At any rate, the radiator will be almost straight up and down. |
Footbox and Pedals
The pedal box and accelerator pedal has to be positioned almost perfectly to allow room for all pedals. I mounted the pedal box first, then decided where to put the gas pedal. The pedal requires a long hole cut in the top of the footbox, where it attaches to the linkage. I also had to mount it where the linkage would not interfere with the steering column, as it comes through right there on top of the footbox. Also, even after ordering the dropped footboxes, I eventually pretty much decided to not use them. But after getting the pedals installed, there was not too much room between the bottom of the pedals and the floor. The hole is cut, the dropped footbox fits, and will be glassed in as soon as the weather warms up some. |
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Blocksanding...
I would actually feel more comfortable painting the car than I would doing the bodywork, but a few buddies have talked me into blocking the body. The guys I work with will eventually be doing the filling, sanding, etc., but I'm trying to block it to see where I stand. It's going to need some work, but the amount of overall bodywork is mediocre compared to some manufacturers bodies I have seen. Still have not totally decided on paint color, and this seems to be definitely one of the hardest decisions to make throughout the whole process. Midnight Blue with Ivory stripes...Silver with White stripes...Medium Grey with Charcoal stripes. I probably won't decide on the color until the body is in the spraybooth, or so it seems. |
Edelbrock Performer RPM heads
The old cast iron heads worked just fine before, but after really considering everything that should be done to them- like hot tanking, magnaflux, hardened exhaust seats, new valve guides, valve job, new valves, etc., the added expense for the Edelbrock heads was more than justified. With the edelbrock heads, I should save 34 lbs., have Cobra Jet sized valves, and they are ready to bolt on...almost. The casting seems to be nice, but they do need some clean-up work. I went with stage 1 heads from Keith Craft which basically consists of dual valve springs, mild work on the ports and bowls, and a 3-angle valve job. On the day they were shipped, it wasn't an hour after I opened the box that I was disassembling one of the heads. I am gasket matching and doing a little port work. Head number one is done. |
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Headers
Finally got the headers. The headers are from Shell Valley. They look pretty damn good, but will need a little work before being ceramic coated. Once I get the Cobra here from my Dads house, I can bolt the head to the block, test fit the headers to the sidepipes, and drill the holes for the sidepipe mounting bolts. I am still trying to decide if I want to go with the slip-fit on the header / sidepipes, or have a flange welded to both the sidepipes and headers with a gasket between them. |
Sidepipes
The left side is now mocked-up. I will leave it in place until I have the head, header, and sidepipe installed on the right side, so I can compare the fit side to side, before drilling holes for the sidepipe bolts/grommets. |
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As for getting it ready to start the bodywork, I really don't have too much to do...I still need the windshield, and need to install a few things I already have on hand, such as door latches, hood latches, and side louvers. The hole that the left sidepipe comes out of, and probably the right side also, will need filled in some on the backside, as the gap between the body and the sidepipe are large. Other than that, the bodywork phase is going to be pretty straight forward. |
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