HM-2005 Build Thread

[mandmGuys]

Mine are steel rod and I cut the 1/4" threads myself.

Mark

[Russ Rittimann]

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

[Dan]

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! 

[Russ Rittimann]

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

[Russ Rittimann]

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

[s_reynolds]

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

[Russ Rittimann]

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

[Russ Rittimann]

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 

[Russ Rittimann]

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

[s_reynolds]

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

[MFE III]

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 
Fortunately, I haven't had the need to remove my dash . . . yet.
Matt

[Russ Rittimann]

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

[mandmGuys]

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

[Russ Rittimann]

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

[Russ Rittimann]

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