I had my unfinished car on display at the 2016 Texas Cobra Club meet this year. I have brought it in its current state every year since I started it back in 2011. Steve and Jason from Hurricane were at the TCC again this year to enjoy the meet and festivities. Steve had asked I post on the Hurricane forum how I have done things during my build. He said they might be very helpful to the other guys that are currently building their cars. So, I will use this thread to post some of the things I have fabricated, reworked or have added to my car. There won't be any particular order in how I post stuff up, just whatever I'm thinking of at that time. It may take awhile to get everything posted. Plus it will give me something to do during these 100 plus degree days when it's too hot to be out in the garage.
Attached is a couple of pictures of my car at the TCC this year in front of the Hurricane trailer and with the company car.
John Shelton gets credit for the red rag wheel stop!!
Russ
I made brackets to hold the fans for the fresh air system. They are made from 1/16" aluminum as shown in the pictures. I just riveted them to the 1"x1" engine compartment braces. I used some 3/16" snow mobile rivets that are steel and have a pretty heavy duty head. I think the Ace Hardware stores carry them or eBay. I actually found them down here in south Texas at a discount store. We have only seen pictures of a snow mobile around here as it hasn't snowed since 1985. I tapped a 10-32 screw into the inside hole and a screw/nylon locking nut for the outside hole on the fan motor. That way they can be replaced if necessary when the car is finished. The 4" hose clamps were made from some 6" or 7" hose clamps. I just cut the worm part off and used the strap. Used a Whitney punch to punch the holes, a pair of pliers and my hands to bend them to shape.
BTW, I don't have a fully-equipped machine shop in my garage. Those brackets were made with a hacksaw, belt sander, drill press and a cheap harbor freight sheet metal brake.
I did powder coat the brackets. That was a "bennie" at my work before I retired this year. They could have easily been painted.
Russ
Russ, good to see your build stuff. I can relate to the no machine shop comment. You have to be creative when fabing some of this stuff. I didn't even have the harbor frt. brake. Would have been nice. I'm in San Antonio at present so I understand the heat! Keep the pics coming.
Sam
Most Hurricanes have the Girling reservoir cans and Wilwood master cylinders. Mine is no exception. A lot of guys have used flexible -AN stainless lines with a barbed adapter to transition from the flex line to the plastic adapter on the master cylinder with a short piece of rubber hose. I decided to run mine with 1/4" steel hard line. The parallel hard lines look nice and tidy. Used a standard -AN fitting for the reservoir cans then a short rubber hose (same hose that came with my Wilwood master cylinders) to connect to the master cylinders. I made some brackets to hold the hard lines parallel. They are made from two pieces of 1/4"x3/4" aluminum rectangular stock. Just clamped the two pieces in my vice and drilled 1/4" holes where the two pieces meet. Put a piece of short tubing to hold the two aluminum pieces in line, turn it 90 degrees and drilled the holes for the mounting screws. I used 10-32 stainless screws to mount the clamps to the engine compartment sheet metal. Again dressed things up with my 2" belt sander. Clamps can be made with a hacksaw, drill press and belt sander. See pictures.
You can make a bulb on the end of the 1/4" hard line with a double flare tool. Just clamp the hard line in the flare tool clamp extending it out about 3/32" extra and start the first step of the double flare. It will bulge the hard line (makes a bubble). Makes a perfect end to put a rubber tube and clamp on. Took me a couple of times to figure out how much to flare the first step to get the bulge or bubble.
There is no pressure on the reservoir lines as it is gravity feed for the brake fluid. I just used some spring type clamps for the rubber hose. You could easily use worm clamps.
Russ
Here's a picture of the bubble you can make with a double flare tool on steel tubing. Perfect for inserting rubber tubing and a clamp.
Very nice work Russ. and I like the "bubble"
Grounding can be a real issue if it isn't done right. Anyone that has chased electrical problems know that you can lose a lot of hair when it is related to poor grounds. Ground problems seem to be prevalent in cars up in the "rust belt" too due to the salt on the road.
Therefore, I decided to make sure everything was properly grounded when wiring my car so hopefully I won't every have grounding issues. Here's some things I did to ensure positive grounding.
1) I put a jumper from the main battery cable where it attaches to the motor to the frame using a piece of #2 wire. Same wire Hurricane supplied for the main battery cables. Drilled a hole in the motor mount.
2) I put some jumpers between the dash support and the frame on each side. Used #6 wire. See picture.
3) I put grounding studs on the frame to provide ground points a places where there were a number of ground wires. These were just stainless 1/4" bolts welded to the frame with star washers and nylon locking nuts. See pictures. I put three on the 2"x2" support behind the dash. One in the center and two on the sides where the engine compartment supports tie in. I ran individual ground wires to the headlights, marker lights, horns, fan, etc. to make it easy to connect to them without having to splice the ground wires. A little extra wire but much easier to wire up.
4) I also put grounding studs in the trunk up against the cockpit for the rear lights, main electrical ground and battery. One on each side. Again, individual ground wires to the tail lights, license plate light, fuel tank sender, etc.
5) I tapped a hole for a 10-32 screw in the right rear quick jack mount to ground the fuel fill to eliminate static electricity. Removed the powder coating for a star washer.
My frame is powder coated. To ensure electrical contact for the dash support jumpers, I used a spot weld cutter to cut away the powder coating. Made a nice round spot for a star washer. Have to be careful as the spot weld cutter is designed to cut metal so just applied enough pressure to cut through the powder coating.
One of the pictures shows the 4 circuit fuse panel I added for the extra circuits like the fresh air fans, power outlet, etc. Nice compact unit that fit on the 2"x2" support behind the dash. Easy enough to get to the fuses.
Again, this is just the way I addressed grounding while installing the wiring. Other guys might have other ideas.
Russ
I decided to install a couple of courtesy lights in the foot boxes so you can see what's going on at night. Like the lights that come on around your feet in modern cars when you open the doors. Found a couple of LED marker lights on eBay that weren't overly bright. Wanted more of a glow. Can always add a resister to LED lights to dim them down too. Made a couple of sheet metal brackets out of 0.040" aluminum as shown in the pix. Installed a couple of 8-32 riv-nuts to hold the LED lights. Powder coated and riveted the brackets to the front of the 2"x2" main dash support as shown in the pix. Added a switch to the dash for control. Works pretty well.
Russ
Russ, to me it's the little "extras" that make the build fun. Keep the updates coming.
Sam
That is a really cool idea! Gonna have to institute that into my build as well. Our boat has some courtesy lights on the floor that are LED. I may try and find some like it (round 1 inch diameter). I also want to use the boats stainless steel cupholders in my tunnel to park my coke when I'm driving.
I used the SS cup holders on the tunnel as well. Glad I did.
Sam
Hurricane uses a standard GM ignition switch as part of their supplied parts. Unfortunately, it is designed to be mounted on a sheetmetal dash and the fiberglass dash is really too thick to install the nut on the front. There just aren't enough threads to get the nut started. Especially when the dash is covered in vinyl.
Therefore, I undercut the fiberglass dash in the back to reduce the thickness so the switch could be mounted. I have a Dremel tool with a router attachment. Took the router attachment apart and made a shoe out of some thin hobby plywood as shown in the pix to be able to set the depth. Didn't want to take too much of the fiberglass material off. Used the switch to mark where to remove the material, then used my Dremel tool freehand to cut the backside of the dash as shown. Worked very well as it allowed the switch to extend through the dash enough to be able to screw the nut on.
As a side note, it doesn't take much to remove this switch. With the exposed terminals/wires, someone could easily "hot wire" the ignition with a couple of jumpers. I would suggest installing a hidden ignition kill switch somewhere to prevent this from happening.
Again, this is how I did it, others may have done it differently.
Russ
Russ, it is hard to tell from the pics, but my ignition switch had "flats" on both sides of the switch and the hole in the dash was round that the switch mounts into. There had been complaints that the switch would move over time as you used the switch to start the car. Several of us fiberglassed flats on each side of the dash hole to match the flats on the sides of the switch so the switch could not move in the dash hole. Yours my be different, but wanted to pass this on.
Sam
Sam
If you look at the top picture and the bottom picture you can see the flats to keep the switch from rotating. The hole that Hurricane drilled in my dash was small enough to be able to cut (actually with a file) the correct "double D" hole. I also fiberglassed in the hole (if you want to call it that) they cut for the steering boss and cut a nice round hole for that too. Other than that the holes for the gauges and switches were surprisingly pretty good.
Russ
I think Double D's are good.
I totally agree.
Russ, are you going to use the key switch to start? I use it for power to the "run" side and use the push button to start.
With the car complete it would be easer to push it off than to get under that dash to "hot wire" and with you GM style starter it will be equally as hard from under the hood.
Still a kill switch is a good idea. Our car might have one.
Mark
I use my key switch to start and I use the push button for the horn.
My comment about the ignition switch is all you have to do is twist off the nut on the dash and the ignition switch drops down exposing the wires/connections. No need to get under the dash. Everything is right there. Jumper wire from the battery post to the ignition post and then short over from the battery post to the starter post and it does the same as turning the key. Starts right up.
My MSD ignition module has an ignition kill feature built in. Just add a switch.
Yeah, these cars are easily pushed or towed. No steering lock or transmission lock.
BTW, "Double-D" was a term from the electronic industry for the hole for RF connectors that had two side flats. You could buy a knockout punch that was identified as double-d. Bobby has the right mind set for the Cobra crowd.
Russ
Quote from: Russ Rittimann on August 24, 2016, 06:02:19 AM
BTW, "Double-D" was a term from the electronic industry for the hole for RF connectors that had two side flats. You could buy a knockout punch that was identified as double-d. Bobby has the right mind set for the Cobra crowd.
Russ
Yeah, thats what I meant...
The throttle linkage that Hurricane provides works although I decided to make some new parts for mounting and also the throttle pedal bell crank. See pictures below. The new throttle pedal bell crank was made from a 3/8" shaft collar with a piece welded on for the linkage. I used set screws that I also drilled "dimples" in the shaft for positive engagement plus I put a cotter pin through the bell crank and shaft for safety. I didn't like the fit of the bell crank on the shaft so I drilled it out and put a bronze bushing to tighten it up.
I also made the mount for the engine and for the footbox. I had seen the heim joints attached directly to the footbox and also to the firewall and everything was at multiple angles and didn't look "engineered". The brackets for the engine mount that Hurricane supplied would work but it was multiple pieces bolted together and again I didn't like the look. You can see the brackets that Hurricane provided in the pictures. So I made my own out of aluminum. Again, it didn't take a bunch of machine tools to make the brackets. A hacksaw, belt sander to dress things up, a drill press and a vice. I also shortened the heim joints so they didn't stick up so tall.
I have looked at multiple original Cobra throttle linkage setups and Shelby just added brackets or heim joints where they would fit. Not sure I saw two that were the same.
Anyway, the pictures below show my throttle linkage. Works quite well.
Russ
More throttle linkage pictures.
Very nice!
Very nice work Russ.
I'm thinking of changing to these parts. I know some of you are still waiting for the parts. these arms look a little more like the origionals I think. and if you want to use a cable you still have that choice, after all it is YOUR car. build it however you like it.
Russ, That is some really nice work. Jason, I definitely prefer the solid throttle connection to the cabled type. That is one of the "original" pieces that really turned me on to the Hurricane.
Jason -- Those bell crank arms will certainly work. If I had one of them, I certainly wouldn't have made my own. Might consider replacing mine with one of those.
WRT solid throttle linkage, here is a couple of pictures of the linkage of an original CSX that was at TCC this year. The accelerator bell crank, bell crank shaft assembly, linkage and heim joints look extremely similar to what is supplied by Hurricane. The footbox bracket was just bolted to the side. The motor bracket look like it was just bolted to an available bolt.
I had the same thoughts as Aaron, there are a lot of features of the Hurricane that are similar or near identical to the originals and that made it easy to select Hurricane.
Russ
some pictures of the origional (red car) and what I was told is a continuation (Blue) that was in texas last year.
One of my pictures didn't load. Probably same picture as Jason took. Here it is.
I added a small panel under the dash back behind the dash support tubes. This panel holds a couple of switches and also a power outlet for a 12V compressor or cell phone charger. Sheetmetal panel riveted to the 2"x2" main dash support. Powder coated the panel. The switches are purposely aligned behind the dash support tubes so I can find them easily enough without looking. Could have put 4 switches as there was room on the panel.
Here are a couple of pictures.
Russ
Something I noticed after looking at the previous pictures that may help someone later. I put the dash support tube assembly above the strap where the assembly is bolted. This will allow the assembly to be unbolted raised up to clear the holes in the cockpit tub transmission tunnel then rotated and removed. The dash support tube assembly needs to be removed when you install the carpet so you only have to cut the holes and not cut from the edge of the carpet over to the holes.
Hope this may be of benefit later to others.
Russ
Most builder/owners put their battery on the shelf in the trunk in the center up against the cockpit tub. I did the same. I used an Optima Redtop Size 78 side post battery that fits the GM cars. I was concerned the top posts might be exposed and could easily be shorted. Not good. I found a battery tray/hold down on eBay that was designed for the Optima 78 battery and added only 1/4". This worked perfectly and gave me about 1/4" clearance from the top of the battery to the 2"x2" main support that goes across the trunk compartment. Just enough room to tilt the battery and put it in the holder. Had to remove the rear clamp (the one you see when you have the trunk lid open) to get the battery in place. Also just enough room to tighten the screws on the front clamp with a fine tooth ratchet.
I drilled and tapped for 5/16" bolts for the rear bolts for the battery mount. I made a bracket from 1/8" steel for the front two holes, welded some nuts to the bottom and fiberglassed it to the bottom of the trunk insert. Covered it with some rattle can bed liner. That way had threaded holes for all four mounting bolts and the bracket could be removed for carpet installation, etc. See attached pictures.
Used some 3/8" stainless button head screws for the battery terminals. Had to shorten the screws a bit so they would tighten up on the cables/terminals. And of course some anti-seize on the threads for the stainless bolts.
Thought I would make some covers from plastic and glue them to the battery to protect the terminals. Nope, the 1/2" thick plastic I had was HDPE and the battery is something similar. None of the glues I have including PVC would touch the plastic. So I made some from some previous top post battery cables I had left over. Not the best but does protect the terminals from shorting.
There are some other batteries that are smaller. Optima batteries have always been good and looks like they cured their production problems when they moved manufacture to Mexico.
Here are some pictures.
Russ
Were probably going to end up with something that look more like the throttle linkage Russ made with the welded arms on the cross shaft. those arms I can buy can only accept a 3/16 or #10 rod end. I'd like to see something a little larger. any thoughts?
CSX 3281
Mark
HM 2006
Best I can find right now.
(http://i1060.photobucket.com/albums/t459/TMark390/550_zpsxyio4ts1.jpg) (http://s1060.photobucket.com/user/TMark390/media/550_zpsxyio4ts1.jpg.html)
Mark
Right now the rod on the cross shaft with welded arms is 1/4". I think 3/16" would be too small and allow too much flex or twist. I'm not sure if the arms you can purchase can be drilled out to 1/4". They are not that hard to make from stock strap steel and weld to the shaft. Should be pretty straight forward once programmed into a CNC machine. Simple jig to weld them up consistently. I had no issues with the welded assembly I received.
In fact all of the shafts on the throttle assembly are 1/4" (both the cross shaft and the linkage rods) supplied by Hurricane and also what I see on original CSX Cobras.
Russ
OK, following Mark's lead, here is my current odometer reading. My car is currently drivable at the go cart stage and now with the body installed waiting on final paint. No registration yet so I only drive it up and down my 200 foot driveway and turn around in the cul-de-sac. But, I have made a major milestone -- one whole mile 200 feet at a time.
Russ
holes for the cross shaft are 5/16. the holes for the stud of the joint are the 3/16 ones i was refering to.
My mistake. I should have gone and measured them. It's been awhile since I installed the linkage.
-- Russ
Russ that's just on those arms I bought. I think they are too small. I'd like to stay with the 1/4" joints. congratulations on your first mile.
Snapped a new picture of what mine looks like. Combination of kit from Hurricane and parts I made.
(http://i1060.photobucket.com/albums/t459/TMark390/593_zpsdlooaibk.jpg) (http://s1060.photobucket.com/user/TMark390/media/593_zpsdlooaibk.jpg.html)
Mark
Russ,
I am impressed by ingenuity and workmanship in your build. Will be following this and other current builds closely. I can see that the Hurricane forum will be a great reference for my build. I will be following your lead on the fresh air duct/fan mounting. Thanks for taking the time to document your build experience.
Congratulations on the the first mile.
Russ
Russ, nice job on the throttle linkage. I'm in the process of designing a similar set-up. Where did you find the throttle spring return bracket you have bolted to the intake manifold? Was it supplied by Hurricane or did you use another source?
Dan -- I made the bracket. It's just a piece of aluminum bent into a 90 deg with a couple of holes drilled in it. It was an afterthought after I had made the main support bracket (the one that holds the heim joint) that is bolted to the intake manifold. I think I made if from .063" aluminum.
Russ
Russ -- Attached is the sketch I made when I was making the brackets for the fresh air fans. It is a .pdf file so you will have to double click it to get it come up. Doesn't work like a photo.
BTW, I have a 30" bench top metal brake from Harbor Freight. You have to clamp the sheet metal with C clamps. To be able to make that tight 1/4" bends in the brackets, I used the ram out of my arbor press (from Harbor Freight too) to clamp down on the sheet metal. I was 1" square hardened steel bar that fit in between the 1/4" bends. Probably 1/4" bends are about the limit on that kind of brake.
I powder coated the brackets before I installed them.
Hope the sketch helps.
Russ
Russ, are all the rods used in your linkage 3/8" in diameter?
Dan
The rods in the linkage are 1/4" all thread with a stainless sleeve slipped over the rods. On each end there is a nut to lock the heim joint and another to lock the sleeve. I cut the all thread first and got the linkage working the way I wanted. Then cut the sleeves to cover up the all thread. Seemed to work quite well. Hurricane supplied the rods, sleeves and heim joints with their linkage assembly.
Russ
Mine are steel rod and I cut the 1/4" threads myself.
Mark
An update on my throttle linkage -- WRT the bracket I fabricated for the engine side of the bell crank mechanism, it was supported on one end and was cantilevered out pretty far to where the heim joint is. It flexed a bit so I added an additional support to the intake manifold. The additional support (see bracket in red circle in picture) stabilized everything and eliminated any flex. Much better.
Russ
Nice job Russ. You're fabrication work is very professional looking. Thanks for clarifying the all-thread w/SS sleeve set-up. I hadn't thought if it before, it's clearly a more economical approach vs. buying solid SS rods. I've got everything on order I need to start the project once the car is off the road for winter. I found some very good pricing on the all-thread and sleeves on Amazon, free shipping to boot!
Thanks Dan. The all thread was fine thread to fit the heim joints. Not something you find at Home Depot or Lowes. I buy a lot from McMaster-Carr. Mark just made his own rods by threading it himself. I probably would have done that if Hurricane hadn't supplied the all thread with the linkage setup. Glad you found it through Amazon.
Russ
Got the fuel fill tube installed finally. Since I have some time before my car goes to final paint (late November) I decided to fit a lot of things now that normally would be done after it comes back. Of course I'll remove things so they are not in the way or will get screwed up during final body work and paint.
See pictures on the fuel fill assembly. The fuel fill cap screws in from the top of the body into the bung below that then connects to the tank. Remember I have a Gen II car with the aluminum fuel tank. Here's what I did to get things connected up:
1) Cut 1-1/2" off the fuel fill cap/bung
2) Cut the near 90 deg section of the pre-bent 2" exhaust pipe extension supplied by Hurricane and discarded the 45 deg section as shown in the picture
3) Cut a short section of the supplied 2" fuel fill hose to connect the fuel fill cap and the pipe extension. The two pieces butt up against each other.
4) Had to buy a 1 ft section of fuel fill hose to connect the tank to the pipe extension. P/N Gates 4663K. O'Reilly's had it in stock as p/n 23932. A bit pricey - $26.99/ft and not any cheaper online. This allowed enough flex as the alignment was a few degrees off.
Installed a length of wire braid to ground the Lemans quick fill cap, fuel cap bung and the pipe extension. Will use wire connectors and clamps to secure the wire braid to each metal piece. Grounds to a 10-24 screw on the rear quick jack mount.
Russ
Russ, great solution! I wish I had thought of this for my install(Gen I). I had a hell of a time getting the connection using the pre formed pipe supplied with the kit. I had upgraded to the alum. tank which was different from the poly tank originally supplied. This would have been way easier.
Sam
I have the Finishline windwings and side mirrors with polished aluminum brackets. Both have holes that mount to three of the screws that mount the side post to the windshield frame. At least they all line up and the concept sure sounded good. I was concerned with mounting everything through the holes in the side posts into the windshield frame as the screws are pretty short, they thread into soft brass and the concerns that pop up on the forum about cracking the windshield glass if you turn the screws in too far. Although not a lot of weight, everything is supported by the screws into the windshield frame.
After doing a bit of research, the screws that screw into windshield frame only turn approximately 2-1/3 turns before they bottom out. With a 10-24 screw with 24 threads per inch, this is only about 0.097" that the screw is threaded into the windshield frame.. Not even one diameter of the screw. From an engineer's standpoint, in my opinion this isn't enough threads to support everything that would be supported with the 3 screws involved.
Therefore, I decided to mount the windwings and side mirrors using other than the windshield frame screws. I had posted on the Hurricane forum if anyone had concerns using the frame screws and had a couple of responses where the guys windwings were mounted with through bolts into the side support frame (thanks guys!!). Wasn't absolutely sure how the side mirror brackets mounts. The instructions with the windwings said use the frame screws or alternatively drill holes for the through bolts. No instructions for the side mirror support brackets.
In summary, I decided to drill through bolts (10-32 bolts supplied with the windwings) toward the rear of the side support frame for the windwings. Need to allow room for a washer. The side mirror support brackets had holes that were supposed to mount to two of the windshield frame screws. If I tried to reposition it for through holes, nothing lined up or I would have to make a new bracket. So I decided to move the bracket upward a bit from the original screw holes and drill/tap 10-32 holes to mount it to the side support frame. Used 10-32 screws to get the maximum number of threads into the side support. Since the bracket is 1/8" and the side support is 1/4" then 3/8" length screws worked perfectly.
Here are a couple of pictures of the installation. BTW, the holes for the visors were already drilled and tapped in the windshield top frame so no issues there. I have seen some comments on the forums that if you aren't careful, you can crack the windshield if you tighten them too far.
Hope this info helps others in how to mount the windwings and side mount mirrors.
-- Russ
A couple of years ago I bought a Ford big block type expansion tank with the proper flange for a small block to fit my 351W engine. The small block flange is "clocked" differently than the big block and has a fitting for the bypass hose. Bought the tank from a radiator shop in New York (classicradiator.com or caparadiator.com - same place and good guys to work with). I have recently seen the same tank kit for sale other places. Really nice tank. Of course I had it chrome plated before I had the body on my car. So when I got the body on and test fit it the hood wouldn't close as the tank stood too tall and proud. To make a long story short, I had to modify it twice to get the tank lowered enough where the hood would close without hitting the tank. Found a local radiator shop that did the unsoldering/resoldering that was a real craftsman. Much better than if I had done it. Had to modify the steel mounting bracket that holds the flange/tank to the point where there isn't much left. If I lowered it any more, the bolts would have to go through the tank. Now trying to decide if I really need to have it rechromed.
Attached are pictures of the tank as I received it, after I modified it the second time and finally installed.
Russ
One of the things I did that I would highly recommend is to make the dashboard assembly removable after the body is installed and the gauges/switches all installed in the dash. When I wired the car the body wasn't installed so I could get behind the dash assembly from the top for easy access.
First was to cut the lip off the dash at the top so you can slide the dash downward during removal. Otherwise it would hit the dash cowl and you couldn't get it off the dash support on the "birdcage". Second, during wiring, I added several Molex connectors for the wiring going to the gauges/switches so they could be disconnected. That part was pretty easy as there are several little groups of wires and it was just a matter of adding a multi pin connector with pins that go wire to wire (or color to color). I didn't worry about the wires for the light switch as you can just take the nut off that holds it to the dash.
The only real issue is the "choke" cables that operate the fresh air dampers and the capillary tubes/bulbs for the mechanical oil temperature and water temperature. I just made sure the grommet they go through was big enough for the bulb/nut.
There were a couple of reasons I wanted to be able to remove the dash assembly. One was that I am taking it next week for final body work and paint. I didn't want the gauges/switches to get screwed up with sanding dust or what ever during the painting process. Second was if I ever needed to fix the wiring or add any electrical items I wanted to make sure I could remove the dash to be able to access everything without lying on my back trying to access stuff up side down. I'm way too old for that.
Anyway, in preparation for taking my car for painting, I removed the dash today. Had to remove the steering wheel, upper steering shaft and steering boss so the dash would slide down. Everything work just as I had planned. Dash came out without issue and didn't take much time at all. As a added benefit, when it comes time to install the windshield wipers in the cowl and the hood hold down brackets with nuts behind the firewall after painting, everything is easily accessible. I would have hated to try to install things blindly with the dash installed.
I highly recommend that anyone building their cars consider making their dash assembly removable. Here is a picture of the car with the body installed and the dash removed. Easy access to everything.
As a side note, I'll point out the dash support tubes. Note that I have mounted the assembly with a bolt to the bracket on the "birdcage" with it on top. That is so when it comes time for carpets, I can remove the support tubes by removing the bolt and pulling them up, cut holes in the carpet and reinstall the assembly. Otherwise, I would have had to cut the carpet all the way to the edge to go around the tubes. Just a little recommendation that might make it easier.
Russ
Russ, really like the idea of the molex connectors to disconnect the wiring. Wish I had thought of that. I also made the "support tubes" removable for the same reason and it worked well for the carpet install.
Sam
I also made my dash removable with connectors. I ran my speedo cable as well as the capillary tubes/bulbs for the mechanical oil temperature and water temperature down through the dash support tubes so I had fewer holes through the firewall. Also thinking that it wold give me a little more slack in case I just needed to drop the dash and not necessairly remove it.
The only problem with my removable dash, is that I can't remove the top dash screw because the cowl covers it :o
Fortunately, I haven't had the need to remove my dash . . . yet.
Matt
I have heard and seen plenty of complaints about the standard tail light assemblies that have the 1187 bulbs. The light intensity is pretty minimal when installed on the cars and when in direct sunlight you can't see the stop lights. The safety issues go without saying. I know some owners have replaced the 1187 incandescent bulbs with halogen (heat issue there) and LED bulbs. That has helped some. ERA has a diagram for making a reflector to direct more of the light to the outside instead of illuminating the inside of the trunk.
I had seen on one of the forums about LED tail light assemblies that are a direct replacement for the standard tail light assemblies. There is one that is UK compliant as apparently they have to have amber turn signals. I found another one on eBay that uses the entire tail light assembly for illumination instead of just half like the standard tail light assemblies with the other half the reflector. These are approximately $100 for a pair including shipping.
I bought a pair of the tail light assemblies from eBay. P/N STL 1012LED made by United Pacific Industries. Says they are an exact replacement for a 1963-67 Cobra and have 38 LEDs in each. Three wires - white=ground, red=stop/turn, black=tail. They are fully sealed.
Hooked up the standard tail light assembly and the LED tail light assembly to a battery. This was in the middle of the day on my work bench with a window above the workbench and multiple fluorescent lights also above it. So plenty of ambient light. See attached picture. There is no comparison in the light intensity of the LED tail light assembly vs the standard one with a 1187 bulb.
I don't have my car right now as it is being painted or I would try them installed.
The only complaint I have is they claim to be an exact replacement. They look identical for all practical purposes. The mounting studs are centered whereas the mounting studs on the standard tail light assemblies are offset. Will require drilling a new hole to mount them. Not a big deal. The mounting studs are metric. I was able to find some nylon locking nuts are Lowes.
BTW, Greg "What's His Name" just put a pair of these on his Hurricane and the light intensity is so much brighter in comparison that from a safety standpoint it is a no brainer.
Russ
Wow, I like the looks of that. I made reflectors for mine, and just have 1187 in now, I did try some LED replacements and they did not seem any brighter so stayed with the incandescent for now. May have to look into what you got there Russ - Good find.
Mark
Do a search on eBay for "cobra tail lights". They will come up. I was very impressed with the increase in brightness.
Not sure the link will work properly on the forum.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1963-67-Shelby-Cobra-LED-Tail-Light-Assembly-Set-/322183840510?hash=item4b03a742fe:g:0v0AAOSwYSlXh3fr&vxp=mtr
Russ
Update on progress. Went to the painter yesterday to check progress on my car. He has the car in the paint booth and has sprayed the color on the body and panels. See pictures. It is midnight blue metallic/pearl. Will have billet metallic (silver/grey) stripes. The pictures in the booth and from a cell phone don't do it justice. I am told I should be taking it home by the end of the month. Can't wait. The painter has had it since before Thanksgiving doing the body work.
Russ
Russ, looks good. Can't wait to see it with the stripes.
Sam
Russ,
Body work looks good too. The color looks similar to the original color on my brother-in-law's 67 Mustang. I'll bet the pearl makes brings out the body lines in the sun. Can't wait to see more pictures when you get it home.
Russ C.
Here's a couple of pix with the stripes. Supposed to pick it up from the painter next week.
Russ
Russ, looks great. You'll be on the road soon.
Sam
Looks amazing! Won't be long now ...
Wow! That is awesome!! Can't wait to see it done.
Nice color combo, bet it does really shine / sparkle in the sunlight. Can't wait to see it in person.
I agree with dawger, the stripe color goes well with the base. The finish is very nice. I'm looking forward to seeing it the sunlight.
So do you still have a little trip planned this weekend? ;D Really jealous that I am not going to be able to come down with the girls.
Becky is gone this weekend. I'm at home. Yeah, too bad you can't make it. I'm sure it will be mayhem with that many women in our house.
Look what showed up in my garage yesterday. Painter had it since before Thanksgiving (6 months). Well worth it. Body work and paint are flawless. All the panels fit perfectly.
I have plenty to work on now.
Russ
Russ, looks great. Keep the pics coming.
Sam
You are gonna have one FUNTASTIC summer, my brother!! Its been a long time coming. I remember my first trek I made down there to check out your kit before I pulled the trigger on my purchase so many years ago. I'm hoping mine will be ready next, some time in 2018.
Here's some updates on my build. I'm in final assembly after getting my car back from the painter. The best thing is now when I install parts, I GET TO THROW THE BOXS AWAY!!!!
Here's my quick jacks. I used stainless bolts on my chrome quick jacks. Some have used all thread and chrome acorn nuts. Both work. My chassis had weld nuts for the quick jacks so I just screwed the bolts in and put a locking nut on the backside.
The stainless tubes extend from the rubber grommets 1" in the front and 1/2" in the rear. Thanks to Bobby Worley for the measurements he made on an original for the correct length.
Here's the headlights. These use the plastic Wipac headlight buckets. I know in the past the headlights protruded out a good bit and made the headlights look "bug eyed". I believe the headlight buckets were metal. These fit pretty well as shown.
A warning -- I made the assumption that the headlight buckets fit with the screw for the trim ring at the bottom. Nope, it's 5-10 degrees rotated. When I installed the bulb it was rotated and the lettering on the bulb wasn't level. Had to redrill the holes to rotate the buckets. Not an issue as the buckets covered the old holes just fine. So I suggest you fit the bulbs to determine the proper rotation before drilling the holes.
Also, make sure the wires for the headlight go the proper terminals. There has been discussion on other threads on this forum about the proper terminals and what is in the manual is incorrect. There is a US version of the headlights with one terminal configuration and also a UK version that is different. If you
use standard headlights, then use the US version and if you use the Lucas headlights then it uses the UK version.
I used 10-32 x 3/4" stainless screws with flat washer and nylon locking nuts to install the headlights and the marker lights.
Here's pix of the headlights installed and the wiring on the backside.
Here's the hood scoop installed.
I used various length 10-32 stainless button head screws with flat washer and a jam nut type nylon locking nut. The jam nut type or thinner that the normal nylon locking nuts. The reason for the various lengths is the hood varies in thickness and wanted to make sure there was a thread or two sticking out of the lock nut. I use 3/4", 7/8" and 1" long screws.
BTW, my painter didn't paint the bottom of the hood scoop. Oops. Had to take it back to him and let him put filler and paint the bottom side. As soon as you open the hood you see the bottom of the scoop.
Here's the roll bar with plates and grommets. Used 8-32 x 1" stainless oval head screws with flat washer and nylon locking nuts.
Russ, thanks for the update. My car came with the old "bug eye" head light buckets and I had to change them for the Wipac buckets as well. I also did the same as you on the quick jacks and hood scoop. Like you said, final assembly is fun and you can throw the boxes away. Keep the pics coming. It won't be long now.
Sam
Russ,
Your car looks great. The stripes compliment the base color well. Thanks for the tips on the head light buckets and jacks. Our body/painter requested that he mount the headlights, so I will be passing that information to him. Yes, it does feel good to see those boxes go away. I have condence the remaining material into two smaller boxes. One for th body guy and the other for when the car comes back. Please continue to update us on the project. Thanks for sharing.
Russ C
Thanks Russ. Yeah, I chose that color combination 6 years ago and haven't deviated.
Here the side vents after I got them installed. I made some brackets from 1-1/4" angle, drilled some holes and put riv-nuts in the brackets. I had the body guy glue the brackets/vents in as an assembly with panel/seam adhesive. He used some extra long vice grip clamps that he had modified for the extra length. Worked really well. Better than I could have done. Removed the vents so he could finish up the body work. I used some 10-24 x 3/4" stainless button head screws to hold the side vents in place. That way they can be removed if needed. Here's some pix.
Looking awesome - Cannot wait to see it outside (in person).
Mark
Here's some pix of my car after I got it running again and moved it outside. The sun really brings out the color.
Still have to install the interior (carpets, thresholds, etc.) and some sheet metal pieces in the nose and inside fenders.
Getting a lot closer to having it on the road.
Russ
Russ,
The car is looking great. The stripes make a good contrast with the dark blue. Did you use the ERA stripe layout?
Russ C
Russ, looking good! Won't be long now....
Sam
I used a pretty simple stripe layout. I had the stripe info from ERA, FFR, Superformance and one other.
6-7/8" at the nose carry down to bottom of oil cooler scoop
7-1/2" at the front cowl (under windshield)
7-1/2" at the rear cowl
6-7/8" at top of trunk lid carry down to bottom of trunk
1" between stripes
No pin stripes
BTW, I pushed my car out on the driveway to get it started again after sitting for about 9 months. Primed the oil and filled the fuel bowls in the carb. Started right up. Drove it back into the garage. Sure was nice feeling to be able to drive it again.
Russ
Yippee - fun stuff there (did you really only drive it 40'?)
Mark
Nope. Actually only drove it 20'. Only drove it back into the garage that day.
Here's a pix of the engine compartment. Had bought those pentop wanna be FE valve covers when Ford Racing came out with them. Finally got them installed. Sure like the FelPro gasket that Ford recommends using. Metal frame with rubber compound molded on. No cork gasket here. Should seal really well with the aluminum valve covers.
Russ
Another gremlin popped up. Installation of the windshield wipers has been a "can of worms" using Mark's terminology. First had to sand the chrome bezel pieces as the angle of the shafts that stick through the body are not 45 deg. Sanded the angle of the bezel pieces so they fit flush with the cowl. Had to also sand the pieces of rubber tubing that fit under the cowl to the same angle. Plus had to make some new gaskets from a black plastic coffee can lid since the ones supplied now were too short for the new angle. Thanks to Mark for the suggestion to use the coffee can lid.
Got everything installed and the transmissions tightened up snugly on the cowl and I thought everything was fine.
Waited until I got the battery installed before I installed the wiper arms/blades to see which side they parked. The wiper arms are bent to park on the passenger side. When I turn the wipers on, the parked on the drivers side. So, I put the arms in the vice and used a large crescent wrench and bent them for the opposite side. No problem, except I didn't notice that the drivers side parked on the drivers side and passenger side parked on the passenger side. So instead of both arms operating in parallel, they were operating towards each other like the wipers from the '50s. What the heck???
Seems during the installation of the wiper mechanism when I had the dash out, I had removed the passenger side transmission. When I put it in, I somehow reversed the transmission so the instead of the cable on the bottom, I put it on the top. Oops. Now the dash is in and access is minimal at best. I've got the pull the passenger transmission out and turn it over (spin it 180deg) so it will park towards the drivers side. I can get to it without pulling the dash as there isn't much on that side except my MSD ignition box. Just have to pull that so I can get my grimy hands up under the dash to get to the transmission assembly.
Here's a pix of the backside of the transmission assembly installed on the cowl.
So the purpose of this post is to make sure both transmissions are oriented the same or the wipers will work in opposite directions. Also, depending on which side you want the wipers to park, you can change that just by rotating the transmissions by 180deg. There is a procedure for changing which side the Lucas wiper motor will park by taking it apart and rotating a gear by 180deg. Unfortunately, if you already have your dash installed and body on, the removal of the wiper motor is almost impossible. It can be done if you take the dash out so you can get to the transmissions and tubing assembly. But that is many man hours. Also, you can change the angle on the wiper arms by bending them the opposite direction if your careful. The arms are made of stainless.
Hopefully, this post will keep others from making the same mistake I did and also the options you have concerning which side the wiper mechanism you want it to park.
Russ
Quote from: Russ Rittimann on August 10, 2017, 05:47:17 AM
Nope. Actually only drove it 20'. Only drove it back into the garage that day.
Here's a pix of the engine compartment. Had bought those pentop wanna be FE valve covers when Ford Racing came out with them. Finally got them installed. Sure like the FelPro gasket that Ford recommends using. Metal frame with rubber compound molded on. No cork gasket here. Should seal really well with the aluminum valve covers.
Russ
Those are the valve covers I ordered with my engine. Love 'em!
Russ,
Thank you for the wiper parking tip. Now that I think about it, mine is currently parking on the left-hand side. Our body/paint guy will be taking the body off one last time after the first primer cote to rhino line the underside of the body. I will make the needed change to the wiper motor assembly for right-hand parking at that time.
Russ C
Here's an update on my wiper mechanism. Got the passenger side transmission assembly turned over so it looks like the picture above. Had to remove my MSD ignition module and had plenty of access. Unfortunately, it was still way up under the dash and had to use a mirror to see. It ain't so easy when you get older.
Fortunately, didn't have to get to the driver side as it would require removing the dash due to all the gauges, fuse panels and wiring.
Do yourself a favor and throw the fillister head screws that attach the plate that holds everything together on the transmission assemblies. These are the ones that come from Lucas. They almost have a slot to get a flat blade screwdriver in. It was a real pain to get them removed especially way up under the dash. I replaced them with 10-32 socket head screws (thought at first they were 5mm). Used a small drop of superglue to keep the split lock washer on so I could get them started up side down. Used a allen "T" wrench to tighten them down.
Now both sides are in synchronization. Both side park also on the driver side. As I said before, had to bend the wiper arms for parking on the driver side.
Hopefully, I will only have to use the wipers once when I get my car inspected for registration. In Texas if you register it as an antique auto you don't have to go through annual inspection.
Russ, when I moved here to Texas I registred mine as an antique and didn't have to do any inspection at all and no annual inspection.
Sam
Sam -- Sent you a PM
Russ
Installed the emblems. Used some #4010 3M clear mounting double sided mounting tape. The package says it is good for indoor and outdoor so should work just fine for the emblems. Nice sticky stuff. Ground the mounting nibs off the emblems first. This tape is crystal clear and thick enough for the edge on the side emblems so it sticks to the body. Not the foam type. The tape is 1" wide so works well with the side emblems. Used 2 widths for the round emblems. Trimmed the edges with a pair of scissors angled over so it undercut the edges. Seems to work great.
My wife says my car is officially a Cobra (alright a replica) now that it has the emblems on it.
Used the ERA instructions on placement.
Russ
Looking good, ready to tackle the interior??
Mark
Russ,
My Wife and I had a discussion the other day on if we should drill holes for the badges. We chose to go with the same solution as you did. Our stripes will also be white, so the clear adhesive will work well for us too. I'm not sure if the dimples on the hood and trunk lid are for placement of the holes for the badges, but they were not centered.
You Cobra is really coming together very nicely. It won't be long now.
Russ C
Mark -- made a templet yesterday to make the door thresholds out of 3/4" MDF instead of the aluminum. Will cut them out today and cover them with carpet. I believe you did something similar out of plywood. Chose 3/4" so it gave some width to the thresholds. Will make some brackets so the MDF thresholds attach to the body mounting bolts. Might run a couple of trim screws thru the fiberglass at the threshold to hold the tops securely.
Got all the carpet pieces out so I know where they go. I had done that a year or so ago and found out I was missing a couple. Hurricane provided those. I have a list somewhere of the number of carpet pieces that are required. I have also asked Jason if Hurricane ever finished up the floor mats for the Gen II cars. He hasn't responded if they have them or not. They should as the carpet pieces for the bottom of the footboxes would work just fine. Just need a heel protector and maybe the Hurricane logo embroidered into it. Might make my own without the logo. There is someone that makes custom Cobra floor mats if you send them a drawing with the dimensions. They embroidery the Cobra logo into them.
Russ -- You won't see the clear adhesive of the tape. I undercut the circular emblems by tilting the scissors and the rectangular emblems are plenty wide for the 1" tape. I believe the dimples were where they original car emblems were. My dimples are long gone.
I went to Cobra Restorers who made custom mats for me. Picture below. I cut a template of the dropbox and sent it to them. They embroidered the cobra logo and bound the carpet. They've held up well.
My original set had a heal pad but it really was no use. I learned I had to add a shield on the clutch side, my foot was wearing a path on the carpet. I took a piece of stainless and bent it to match the curves then screwed it to the dropbox metal.
After using them for awhile, I learned I needed to anchor them to keep them from sliding. Put a large grommet in the center of the back edge and turned a mushroom shaped stool and bolted it to the box so the rear of the mat was retained from sliding forward
Paul
ps: my door sill is a 3/4" wide extruded aluminum tile edge that I formed to fit the opening and the small D-lip slips down over the edge of the carpet.
Thanks Paul. Really looks nice.
Guess I could use a shoulder screw to hold the mats since I don't have a lathe. I do have a grommet tool.
Russ
Update on HM-2005 build. I made some foam pieces to fill the gap between the cockpit tub and the body at the door opening. They just slip down over the bolts. I sealed them from the top with black silicone. Can't get to them from the bottom. Should keep any water from making it up between the body and cockpit tub.
Installed the door pockets. Pretty straight forward. Used 3M 77 Super adhesive to attach the carpet piece. I found some black trim screws instead of the silver ones at a Ace Hardware that has a great selection of bolts and hardware. They blend in better. These are the sheet metal type that screw into the fiberglass. Since the door hinge sits on top of the door pocket, I trimmed the door pocket on the edge where the fabric is doubled over and sewed so it only sits on one thickness. Kept me from having to readjust the door fit.
Installed the front inner fender sheet metal. Had to make cutouts for the fresh air ducts and the wiring harness. Since it would be a pain to get to the bolts for the header/side pipes to change the gasket, I decided to make the pieces removable. Used some 10-24 nut inserts (riv-nuts) and screws. Put Locktite on the screws to keep them in place.
Russ, looking good. What is your ETA for getting on the road?
Sam
Made some pieces to go under the door sills to give them some width instead of just the aluminum pieces. Made them out of 3/4" MDF board. Made some metal pieces that go under the body bolts to keep them in place. Painted everything black and will cover with carpet. Also made some metal pieces that go up the door posts. The cutouts are for the adapter that a friend made to mount the door strikers. For some reason the adapters from Hurricane did not work on my door posts. My posts were too close to the doors. My door posts have a bit of a tilt so they didn't allow the strikers to fit the door latches. My friend also made me some wedge spacers (3/16" to 0" wedge) using a 3-D printer. The printer uses a very hard plastic. Worked like a charm to get everything aligned. You can see the adapters/strikers in the last photo. The metal pieces up the door posts will also get covered in carpet.
Spent the last couple of days installing the carpet padding. Fun times getting the padding stretched over the rear fender wells. Also, getting it installed on the firewall and sides of the foot boxes. Would certainly help if I had rubber arms and I was a couple of decades younger. Used 3M 77 Super adhesive to get it all glued down. The adhesive works much better if you can apply it to both surfaces. I like the 3M 77 Super better than the 3M 90 even though the 3M 90 is supposed to hold better as the spray nozzle works better.
Also, I found the carpet padding is tough stuff. Hard to cut with heavy scissors, razor blade or a sharp utility knife. Found that aviation tin snips work great. The tin snips cut at the tips and make for intricate cuts when needed.
Anyone know why the premium carpet instructions have you gluing the carpet pad to the carpet for the two floor sections that go under the seats? Not sure what that will buy you. I am going to glue the padding to the cockpit tub like all the other pieces and then install the carpet.
Next will be to get the carpet installed.
Sam -- I've never had an ETA or schedule. I started on this project in 2011 so I've been working on it for 6-1/2 years. I'm really in no hurry. I'm hoping I can get the interior wrapped up soon and get everything ready for inspection. Have to have the inspection so I can get it registered. I'll finish up the carpets in the trunk and other stuff later. I expect to be driving it and have the bugs worked out by the time of the next Texas Cobra Club meet in March.
Russ
Russ,
Nice job on maintaining the excellent workmanship as you finish with the details on the home stretch. I like your idea on finishing the metal work around the door strikers. Great work on the carpet padding too.
Russ C
Here's a tool that I have found to be most invaluable. Used it to roll out the vinyl dash covering, the adhesive heat shield on the front of the foot boxes/firewall, the adhesive heat shield material I put in the cockpit and most recently the carpet padding. I will also use it when I get to the carpets. I stole it out of the kitchen drawer. I was told by Mark that this is a pastry roller. It took awhile for my wife to find it in the garage but fortunately she forgave me since she doesn't bake much any more.
Large flat roller for flat surfaces and the smaller curved roller for irregular surfaces. Highly recommended.
If you don't have one, I would certainly get one to install all the adhesive type materials.
Russ
Here's a close up of the adapter for the door striker. Like I said, for some reason my door posts were right next to the edge of the door and the adapters supplied by Hurricane just wouldn't fit. Helps to have worked in a really high tech company that has this capability in-house. Same with the 3-D printed wedges.
Mounts with a couple of 5/16" socket head bolts then the striker mounts with oval head screws. Has an oversized hole so there is a bit of adjustment but for the most part had to have the door perfectly in place to locate the 5/16" bolts. Doors shut about as good as your going to get with these vintage latches. A little lube helped too.
Russ
Thanks Russ. Appreciate the comments. Being an engineer has its drawbacks. Everything has to be done to 3 decimal places. I guess that's because that's the accuracy of my dial calipers.
Russ
Russ, sounds like you are on the same schedule as I was. Took me about the same time to get mine on the road. You are doing great work. I may have to come visit you. Also, I'm available if you need some help or an extra set on hands. Just let me know.
Sam
Russ, nice piece for the door striker. I remember the mounting for my latch striker plate (Gen 1 car) was a little wonky.
TCC 18, Amen to that. But how come I'm at almost 1000 miles and still working on things? Interior is really looking good there Russ.
Mark
Quote from: mandmGuys on September 22, 2017, 09:01:19 AM
TCC 18, Amen to that. But how come I'm at almost 1000 miles and still working on things? Interior is really looking good there Russ.
Mark
If an absolute miracle happens, i'll be driving HM2008 at TCC18 as well .... in gelcoat. I'll be on a full burn starting this fall/winter.
Thought I would post a picture of some of the tools and some tips I used for installing the carpets and padding.
The chalk was used to mark the carpet. Especially on the top since it is black. You can use a sharpie on the back and on the padding.
The small awl was used to find the holes in the fiberglass where I needed to cut the carpet and padding.
The putty knives were used to push the carpet and padding deep into the corners and also to stretch the carpets.
I found the best thing to cut the carpet and the padding was the aviation tin snips. Scissors, utility knives and razor blades just didn't work.
I used the large sharpened tube to cut the holes in the carpet and padding for the dash support. It is made from a piece of 1/2" EMT. Used the awl to find the top/bottom/left/right edges of the hole then made a "X" cut in the carpet/padding. Drove the tube thru the hole rotating it. This opened up the fibers so the tube fit thru the hole and also the dash support tubes.
I used the small sharpened tube to cut the holes for the seat/seat belt bolts. Made from a piece of 3/8" steel fuel line tube left over from making my fuel line. Stuck the awl up from the bottom where the mounts are located. Marked with chalk then drove the sharpened tube thru the hole rotating it until the tube would stick thru the hole. Again this opened up the fibers in the carpet/padding so the bolts would stick thru. Tried using a drill bit but that was a disaster as the bit caught the fibers and they twisted up on the drill bit.
For the shoulder belt holes in the rear, I used the awl to locate the slot in the fiberglass and then just used a utility knife to cut the slot in the padding and carpet. Cut the padding first and then the carpet after I installed it. Just the cut with the utility knife was enough to get the shoulder belt thru the slot.
Hope some of these tips help when you guys install your padding and carpet.
Russ
Quote from: Russ Rittimann on October 06, 2017, 06:29:21 AM
Thought I would post a picture of some of the tools and some tips I used for installing the carpets and padding.
Your forgot the rolling pin you stole from Becky's kitchen....
Big milestone yesterday. Was able to get my car titled and registered in Texas. Texas changed the rules a couple of years ago. They specifically changed the rules for titling hot rods and replicas. They are now classified as assembled vehicles if you are applying for a title for the first time.
It's great to have license plates (although temporary paper) and be able to drive on the roads legally. Been waiting on this moment for 6-1/2 years. Yahoo!!!
Russ
Congratulations Russ! Did you register as an antique so you don't have to get an inspection each year? There is a cruise in tonight from 5pm -8pm at the Aye Chiwawa mexican restaurant located at the intersection of Hwy 281 and Hwy 46 right next to the Wall Mart. Come on up. I'm planning to go.
Sam
Under the current Texas rules, you can't register a new title for a replica now and get antique plates. Mine is titled as a 2017 Assembled Vehicle under the Custom Vehicle - Replica category. By getting the Custom Vehicle plates, I am exempt from the yearly inspections. You can get vanity Custom Vehicle plates but they are only 6 characters. I did have to get a safety inspection from a ASE Certified Master Mechanic that is over and above the yearly $7 inspection. When the vehicle is sold, it will have to go through another safety inspection before the title can be changed.
If you have an existing title, either Texas or another state, it falls under the normal rules and you can get normal plates or vanity plates and also you can get antique plates or classic vehicle plates as long as the title states it is 1965 or 20 years or older.
I'm still sorting my car out and not comfortable going any long distances yet, especially at night.
Russ
Interesting change in the rules. Mine fell under the existing title scenario so I was able to get antique plates. I understand the sorting issue. Put it on your calendar for the future. The cruise in is the second Tues. of each month. This will be my first time, so will let you know how it goes. I went to another one last Sat. a the McDonalds that is just a little bit further up 281. It was the last one of the year. They have it from March to Oct. each year. Also, FYI, there is a car show on main street in Boerne this Sat.
Sam
I have the Sube Cobra replica seats and the Sube seat adjusters. I had made some 3/4" x 1-1/2" rail adapters to adapt the seat adjuster bolts to the seat/seatbelt mounts on the Hurricane chassis. The width was correct but the spacing for the bolts was different. These were also to space the seat adjusters above the carpets so they wouldn't dig into the carpets and not adjust. I mounted the rail adapters directly above the carpets with the lap belt portion of the harness under the rear two bolts. At least that was my initial installation.
When I snugged all the bolts down the seats and seat adjusters would not move. What I found was that by mounting them directly on top of the carpets and with the lap belts sticking out the side, when the bolts were tightened down it twisted the adapter rails which caused the seat adjusters to bind. The rail adapters just did not sit flat.
My fix was to cut the carpets where the bolts mount the rail adapters to the frame and put some 1/2" washers as spacers so the rail adapters essentially were sitting directly on the cockpit tub. The lap belt mounts were large enough that they sat flat as well. I cut the carpets with a hole saw rotating in reverse and at slow speed so as not to catch on the carpter/padding fibers. Worked very well to cut a circular hole in the carpets for the washers. You can see in the picture where I have cut the holes for the left side rail adapter. The right side is still mounted directly to the carpets.
After I reinstalled everything the seats now move as they are supposed to as the seat adjusters are no longer binding. This will make my wife happy now as she has not been able to drive my car as she is 5'3" and needs the seat moved forward a good bit.
Russ,
I also have the Sube seats and sliders. I like your idea of using 1/2" spacer washers and the 3/4" x 1-1/2" rail to mount the sliders further back without binding. Can you tell me where you got the 3/4" x 1-1/2" rail adaptor?
Russ C.
I bought the 3/4" x 1-1/2" raw stock on eBay. Sellers have a lot of short drop offs for sale so you don't have to buy 10' or 20' lengths. I've bought steel and aluminum.
Here's a couple of pix of the rail adapters. The large holes are for the 3/8" bolts that go thru the cockpit tub and frame. I cut a 3/4" hole in the top for the heads to sit inside the channel. The 5/16" threaded holes are just the long threaded spacers you get at Home Depot or Lowes. Drilled a thru hole and welded the spacers on both sides. Then ground everything flush. Welded end caps at each end. I powder coated the rail adapters after I finished machining everything.
I put 3/4" plastic caps at the holes in the front to cover the 3/8" bolts. The pictures don't show the caps.
The 3/4" thick rail adapters were to space the seat adjusters up off the carpet so they didn't dig in and bind.
Hope this helps.
Russ,
Thanks for the details. I purchased the tubing and plugs on Ebay. Very nice design.
Russ C.
Jason at Hurricane send me new seat frame brackets to update my frame to accept the newer Sube Sports seat bolt pattern. (They are now making the frames using thew new brackets).
I cut out the old mounts and welded in the new pieces. The Sube Sport seat sliders fit perfectly. I havent tried them with the carpet and padding yet.
Bob,
Looks like with the new design the seats will be moved more toward the center of the car. My seat backs are about an inch from the doors. I think if my seats had been moved toward the center, the seat would have set further back in the cockpit tub. No problem here. I'm vertically challenged.
I will be using Russ R's design and move the holes in the rails outward to move the seat sliders toward the center of the car.
Nice job on getting the mounting tabs moved.
Russ C.
It looks like with Bob's new seat mounts, the four bolts for the sliders are essentially in the same place as mine. I had to use 5/16" button head bolts for the seat sliders as the head sits down in the "U" channel of the sliders. The holes in the frame mounts are like 1/2" so when directly mounting the sliders to the frame, you will need some washers on the bottom. You have to move the seat all the way forward and all the way backward to get to the bolts. The bolts are still difficult to get to. I have a small ratchet that accepts 1/4" hex bits for the back and a long "T" handle allen wrench that fits the front.
By the time I got the seats figured out, I had already permanently mounted the cockpit tub. It would have been difficult for me to weld in some new seat mounts to the frame with the cockpit tub mounted.
BTW, I had to bend the adjuster bar that you pull up to adjust the seats. It sat right down on the floor even with my adapter rails. Couldn't get my fingers under the bar. You have to be careful how much you bend it as it hits the front of the seat if you bend it too far. It's made from tubing so be careful as you don't want to kink it.
Bob -- you will need some washers or spacers to space the sliders above the carpet. Otherwise, the slider rail that mounts to the seat will dig into the carpet and the seat is not going to move.
After driving my car for a good bit now, every time I opened my trunk I got a whiff of fuel vapors. I checked everything including the seal on the fuel gauge sensor and replacing the worm type clamps on the fuel fill tube with "T" bolt type clamps which provided more clamping force.
I finally figured out where the fuel smell was coming from. There was a notch in the trunk liner tub up around the fuel vent to allow it to fit around the bracket I welded to hold the fuel vent. See picture below. This resulted in a direct opening into the trunk and the fuel vapor escaping from the vent was making its way inside the trunk.
I cut a piece of 1/8" polycarbonate (Lexan) and glued it to the frame support with urethane structural adhesive then sealed it with black silicone.
Problem solved.
Russ,
I have not had a chance to get my car on the road yet so I have not had an oportunity to check for gas fumes. Car is not registered and a Nebraska State Patrolman lives just down the street from me. ;D
I did something similar to seal up the gap in the trunk tub next to the tank vent.
I extended the sheet aluminum used to bring the tub wall up to the body forward to cover the gap. I then fiberglassed the wheel opening side and finished it with bed liner. I also used bed liner on the underside of the body. Picture below is of the finished product.
Russ C.
Looks pretty much the mine looked when I was done. Since I had already welded the bracket to the frame, I had to come up with a way to close off the fiberglass. I haven't smelled gas fumes since.
What is the curved piece toward the rear cover up?
Russ,
For some reason the angled roll-bar brace on both roll-bars was very close, if not touching the corner of the trunk tub on both sides. I cut openings in the wall of the trunk tub on both sides to make room for the bars. Then formed steel and welded the covers. I will post pics of the trunk interior.
Tonight I will get park light power to the license plate lamp. The tube inside the trunk lid goes to the opening for the trunk latch handle. With the new trunk lid design for taller US license plates, they moved the lamp higher on the trunk lid and added a bulge where the license plate lamp resides. However, that does not leave much room between the bottom and top trunk skin to get two #16 wires from the trunk latch access opening to the hole behind where the lamp attaches to the trunk lid.
Russ C.
Interesting that the roll bar brace(s) was that close. Mine was no where near the trunk tub. The formed steel cover looks nice.
I had to cut a semicircle notch in my license plate as it was interfering with the trunk handle. I also notched the bolt holes a bit to raise the license plate just a bit so it was flush with the bracket at the top. I guess I have the old style trunk lid. Wasn't aware they changed it. I had no problem snaking the wires down from the hinge to the license plate light. There was enough spacing for the thickness of a single 16 gauge wire. There was no tube. I snaked the wires from the hinge to the latch and then up to the light.
After driving my car for 300 plus miles, I found gravel in the cockpit area behind the seats where my rear tires were picking it up and it was making it through gaps in my rear inner fender wells. I had planned to install inner fender liners but had not gotten to it. Some builders have installed custom bent aluminum panels to enclose the inner fender wells.
After looking at my inner wheel wells, it was obvious the gravel was coming from the gap where the rear cowl lip on the cockpit tub is supposed to seal against the cowl area on the body and also on the bottom of the fender area. There is a "D" gasket that was glued to the lip on the cockpit tub to proved the sealing. In the area around the fender area, the lip deviated from the contour of the fender and was no where close to sealing. Big gap right into the cockpit.
I decided to fix the cockpit tub cowl lip so it conformed to the fender contour and sealed properly. In the picture below, I cut the lip in Area 1 and spaced it about 1/2" with foam pieces to the fender contour. I then fiberglassed the triangular piece that resulted in cutting the lip. The picture is after I glued in some high density polyurethane foam and contoured it with an angle die grinder with sanding disk. Just a matter of applying fiberglass matte and resin over the area. I used 4 layers of matte and resin. Now the "D" gasket (you can see it in the picture where I pulled it out) will fit the 1/2" gap and seal as it is supposed to.
While I was at it, instead of custom cutting/bending some aluminum panels to fill the inner fender liners, I decided to just fill the gaps with the same foam, fiberglass matte and resin. Those are shown in Areas 2 and 3. I only attached the new fiberglass to the existing fiberglass of the cockpits tub. I masked off where the new fiberglass contact the metal seat post or frame. Also where the cockpit tub meet the body. This will allow the fiberglass to flex a bit when the frame flexes. Again, 4 layers of matte and resin as I found this results in about 1/8" thick fiberglass composite patch.
After applying the fiberglass, I coated everything with rattle can truck bed liner. Matched the existing coating pretty well although the texture is not as aggressive. Applied a large bead of black silicone to all the joints.
The final result is shown in the picture below.
Just a different approach to filling the gaps and sealing the rear inner fender wells. Seems to have worked well. No more gravel in the cockpit area.
Russ,
Hurricane addressed that issue beginning with my car HM-2018. They extended the "wings" on the back of the cockpit tub up to meet the underside of the body. I think mine was a prototype. The may have improved upon it with later cars.
Russ C.
Nice! Glad they made that mod. Looks like the openings to the cockpit next to the door posts still need to be closed off. Might be as simple as how they trim the cockpit tub so it fits closer to the door posts.
Hurricane keeps making their car better and better.
Finished installing the carpet in the trunk. There are 5 pieces of carpet for the trunk. Since I couldn't find any installation instructions for the trunk, here are the sequence for installation I used: 1) install the two side pieces. Align with the side tops and then wrap them around behind the rear wheels. Glued these pieces down. Don't trim the extra for now. 2) install the center floor section starting at the battery shelf. I only glued the carpet on the battery shelf to allow the rear to be pulled up to get to the fuel level sender. The carpet has been custom sewed so it fits snugly and flat. Have to cut around the roll bar and fuel inlet tube. 3) install the two pieces behind the wheel wells. Glued these down. Now is the time to trim everything so it fits nice and neat.
Here's a pix of the final result. With the installation of the trunk carpet, I'm essentially done with my car.
Russ,
You finished your car and it is a beauty. What a huge accomplishment. All that enjoyment during the build and its only going to get better with every mile you drive you car. Thank you for sharing your expriences with each post. Now you can start posting over in the Finished Kit Pictures section. Congratulations!
Russ C.
Thanks.
Hope my experiences can help others with their build. Mine was one of the first cars from Hurricane in Lake City so there were some challenges. I like that Hurricane is making the car even better from the changes you have said they made to yours. I've never regretted buying and building a Hurricane.
BTW, drove it Thursday. It was in the 50's and clear.
I told my wife I should get some license plates that say "Beast" because there is nothing tame about a Cobra. Not the steering, brakes, suspension, raw horsepower - nothing!!! Respect it or it will bite you big time.
Quote from: Russ Rittimann on January 26, 2018, 03:30:56 PM
....
Here's a pix of the final result. With the installation of the trunk carpet, I'm essentially done with my car.
Thanks, this answers one of my questions - should I get top or side post battery? Looks like there is no room on the top at all!
Can't wait to see your "Beast" in San Marcos, two months to go!
I decided to go with the side post battery. I bought a billet battery hold down. With the battery and hold down, it just barely fits under the 2X2" support that is above the battery shelf. In fact, I tried installing the hold down on top of the carpet and I could not get the batter in place. Had to cut around the carpet and set the hold down directly on the fiberglass shelf to get it to fit.
In the picture you can see there isn't much room above the batter to the 2X2" support. This is without the carpet.
Others have used a top post and they fit fine. The posts sit in front of the 2X2" support. Not sure the size they used. I decided on the side post as I was able to put some covers over the terminals so nothing gets shorted.
Can't wait for TCC. Looking forward to being able to drive my own car finally.
Quote from: Russ Rittimann on January 30, 2018, 06:26:18 AM
I decided to go with the side post battery. I bought a billet battery hold down. With the battery and hold down, it just barely fits under the 2X2" support that is above the battery shelf. In fact, I tried installing the hold down on top of the carpet and I could not get the batter in place. Had to cut around the carpet and set the hold down directly on the fiberglass shelf to get it to fit.
Wow that *IS* tight!
You can see there is room for top posts in front of the 2X2" support. I think Mark McKinnis used a top post although it might have been shorter battery case. The covers I used on mine were left over from a top post battery from my Jeep. They would work to protect the top post terminals/cables.
I decided to put a spare tire in my trunk. I acquired a P155/60R15 tire mounted on a 15x6.5" Shelby American rim. This was one of the silent auctions at the TCC a couple of years ago and the buyer didn't use it so I bought it from him.
Mounted a couple of footman loops up against the battery tray shelf and secured the tire with a 1-1/2" strap so it wouldn't move around.
This tire is 24" diameter and just fits in the Hurricane trunk space. Any larger diameter and the trunk lid wouldn't close. My billboards are 26" diameter so the difference from the ground to the axle is only 1". Since I have independent suspension all around the difference in diameter won't be an issue. This tire will get me home. I have my lead hammer and a small scissor jack in the trunk.
I also hedged my bets and have a combination portable air compressor/fix a flat from Griots and a tubeless plug repair kit in my trunk. If I need the room, I can take the tire out and still take care of a flat.
Here's a pix of the tire in the trunk.
Russ
Russ,
That is sweet. I've been thinking about that same thing. Pretty tough to get Tow Mater to come out into the Sandhills of Nebraska with no cell coverage. The vultures would be finished before anyone finds us.
Have you thought about some type jack?
I will be looking for a pin-drive compatible wheel.
Quote from: Russ Rittimann on February 20, 2018, 05:54:51 AM
I decided to put a spare tire in my trunk. I acquired a P155/60R15 tire mounted on a 15x6.5" Shelby American rim. This was one of the silent auctions at the TCC a couple of years ago and the buyer didn't use it so I bought it from him.
Russ
Did you get that from WhatsHisName? I bid on it, and he outbid me. Also, did you check to see if it fits on your 5-pin adapters?
Yes, I got it from Gregg Herdlitchka. He was going to make a clock out of it and hang it on the wall but never did it. I got it when I borrowed his tires/wheels to pass my safety inspection to get my car registered. I tried it then to make sure it fit the 5 pin drive Vintage adapters.
I bought a small scissor jack from eBay that collapses down to almost nothing. Has a removable handle.
I bought a couple of tool bags from Harbor Freight (blue Hercules brand) to put things in. Small enough to fit in the openings on the sides in the trunk.
Saw pictures of you and your bride out and about. Could tell you were smiling even from the side. Congrats.
It will be along while before that smile starts to diminish. Lovin' every minute of it. She enjoys it too. Guess I'm gonna have to let her drive it.
Gave a presentation out at my old work on Wednesday since it was half finished when I retired. Also took the car out there for show and tell. Had probably the largest turnout ever for our Motorsports group. A lot of gearheads and racers out there. One guy has a FF5 that he is re-converting to a street car from a spec racer.
Russ