My Cobra Build Site

I received some great feedback on the blog from George over at ffcobra.com, and it occurred to me that since I’ve gathered a ton of links to different threads, websites, and vendors, all categorized. I’m going to just copy and paste them here below, but you can also grab the html file to import to firefox if you want from my website, Cobra Bookmarks.

Good luck!

Engine Compartment

Chevy crate engines, 335HP 350 Chevy Crate Engines, Street Performance Engines
350 Chevy Bolt-On Power Mods
Putting A 350 Chevy Motor On The Dyno
Model 327
T56 Early GM
Valve Covers – Small Block Chevy 327 – Black
Valve Covers – Small Block Chevy
Chevy
327 build parts & calcs-please advise/double check – FFCobra.com
– Factory Five Racing Discussion Forum
My SBC into Mark III engine mount measurements and pics. – FFCobra.com – Factory Five Racing Discussion Forum
Aluminum Fan Shroud
CHEVY BIG BLOCK VALVE COVERS
Proform
DIE-CAST ALUMINUM BIG BLOCK CHEVROLET VALVE COVERS : JC Whitney:
Auto Parts & Accessories
S/B Chevy Header Flange, 1-3/4 Inch
http://www.strokerengine.com/secbudget383.html
Phoenix Engine Rebuilders 602-866-8044 Power 1 Engine Home
400hp 350
Google Image Result for https://www.autozone.com/images/cds/jpg/small/0900823d80217562.jpg
Utah Cobra Club – Technical
Breeze Automotive Factory Five Racing
Breeze Automotive Factory Five Racing
Quick Time Performance Products
Ford 302 V8 Engine Buildup- Car Craft Magazine
Weiand 8020 – Weiand Intake Manifolds – JEGS
Carburator conversion question, please help. – FFCobra.com – Factory Five Racing Discussion Forum
5.0 Engine 300-350 HP – FFCobra.com – Factory Five Racing Discussion Forum
Edelbrock 7122 – Edelbrock Performer RPM Cam and Lifter Kits – summitracing.com
www.CobraStuff.com – cobra heat shields
85 Mustang Duraspark distributor – Google Search
Headers for GT40P heads? – FFCobra.com – Factory Five Racing Discussion Forum
VALVE SPRING UPGRADE KIT, SMALL BLOCK FORD WITH OE STYLE CAST IRON HEADS MUSTANG
ROLLER CAMSHAFT, TRACK HEAT, 5.0L/5.8L STAGE 1 MUSTANG
Mustang
Distributors & Covers at LRS – Same Day Shipping!
How To – Aerospike Mod – FFCobra.com – Factory Five Racing Discussion Forum
Exhaust
Collector Components, Stainless Steel Collector Components, Turbo
Stars & Bullet Components
How To – Super Port Your J-Pipe! – FFCobra.com – Factory Five Racing Discussion Forum
Randy's
Headers
Colored header and exhaust wrap, black, red, blue, orange, silver, and green.
Headers/Cam Combo
Performance Distributors – High Performance and Racing Ignition Systems
Tri-State Cylinder Head – Chevy, Ford, Small Block, Performance, Aluminum Cylinder Heads
COMP Cams 1235-16 – COMP Cams High Energy Rocker Arms – summitracing.com
Is
a Little Extra Power Worth $500-1200? – FFCobra.com – Factory Five
Racing Discussion Forum
Audio/Video
My 350z Carputer Install – MP3Car.com
Dual XDVDN8190 Navigation receiver at Crutchfield.com
Building
a Factory Five Roadster » Blog Archive » Powering Up the Car
Best sound and heat barrier??? – FFCobra.com – Factory Five Racing Discussion ForumSecretaudio Vintage Car Radio .com
Google Image Result for http://www.wholesalediy.com/images/AL-7005BL.jpg
Wholesale In Car DVD Players at Discount Price! Buy Cheap Car DVD Players Now!

Security

Keyless Security for Motorcycles from DigitalGuardDawg
Keyless Security for Motorcycles from DigitalGuardDawgInstallation of a kill switch – FFCobra.com – Factory Five Racing Discussion Forum

Paint/Body

www.CobraStuff.com – cobra heat shields
Finish Line Accessories – Side Pipe Heat Shield
JET-HOT Coatings Header Coatings Page
Polished Gelcoat? – FFCobra.com – Factory Five Racing Discussion Forum
Cling
on "Do Not Touch" decals..Where do I find them? – FFCobra.com – Factory
Five Racing Discussion Forum
More
Hardtop…
VHT SP-106 Flameproof Coatings
front
battery relocation w/ffmetal box – FFCobra.com – Factory Five Racing Discussion
Forum
Body
Work Progress Photos – FFCobra.com – Factory Five Racing Discussion Forum
Paint
Colour Galleries
6
Day body work and Paint. – FFCobra.com – Factory Five Racing Discussion Forum
Welcome To Autobodystore.com

Interior

Carbon
Fiber Seat HeatersJEGS
61510 – JEGS Classic Style Engraved Shift Knobs – JEGSHERBS
CUSTOM COBRA DOOR PANELS
http://www.warmseats.com/How
to Sew Leather on a Standard Sewing Machine | eHow.comDifferent
Idea For Rear Cockpit Bulkhead Door – FFCobra.com – Factory Five
Racing Discussion ForumNEW
DASH 2 on Flickr – Photo Sharing!Switch
Labels and Plates – Auger ResourcesRivets
to short for rivet gun? – FFCobra.com – Factory Five Racing Discussion
ForumPerformance & appearance
products for Cobra enthusiastsHeadlight
Switch Location – FFCobra.com – Factory Five Racing Discussion
ForumF5
Heater/Defroster – FFCobra.com – Factory Five Racing Discussion
ForumShow
Me Your Trunk Lights! – FFCobra.com – Factory Five Racing Discussion
ForumHow
to properly set a clutch stop? – FFCobra.com – Factory Five Racing
Discussion ForumIgnition
SwitchesSwitches
for Cars
Compact
Push Button Switch-Ron Francis Wiring
Examples

February2005
Gregs '65
Shelby AC Cobra Build (FFR) – Polishing all visible aluminum panels – Worldisround
photo
BowtieCobra.com
Factory
Five Muscle Car Restorations Cobra kit car build
Factory
Five Racing Roadster –
Front
3/4 shot – FFCobra.com Photo Gallery
CIMG1287
– FFCobra.com Photo Gallery
Old
posts (garagefreak) – FFCobra.com – Factory Five Racing Discussion Forum
Cobra4Me.com
– Sergio's SuperSite
Superformance
Shelby Cobra Photo Gallery by Dickson Ly at pbase.com
Google Image Result for http://www.hotrodscustomstuff.com/Prod-Show/TFshifter/shifter-3a.JPG
YouTube – Dream A Little

Vendors

Mk3 Roadster
Forte's Parts Connection (508) 875-0016 – TREMEC DEALER, FACTORY FIVE COBRA PARTS, FORD RACING PARTS, FFR MKI and MKII, MUSTANG PARTS, TRANSMISSIONS, T-56, T-5, TKO, TR-3550Breeze Automotive Factory Five Racing
Factory
Five Cobra Car Covers and Accessories Store by Car Cover World
FFMetal.com
– Welcome and Products
FFCobra.com
Factory
Five Racing, Inc. Wilwood Pedalbox Instructions
Advertising on FFCobra.comModular Mustang Racing

Wheels/Tires
Set
of 4 New 17 x 10.5 / 17 x 9 Chrome Mustang Bullit Style Wheels
Full
Rear End Pricing? – FFCobra.com – Factory Five Racing Discussion Forum
Anthracite
Deep Dish Bullitt Wheel 94-04 (17×10.5) at AmericanMuscle.com – Free Shipping!
Sumitomo
HTR Z
ABS wiring in a carb'ed car – FFCobra.com – Factory Five Racing Discussion Forum

Tools

FREE
SHIPPING — Hobart Handler 140 MIG Welder — 115 Volt, 140 Amp, Model#
500500 | Wirefeed Welders | Northern Tool + EquipmentFlexovit®
8" X 1/16" X 5/8" A46RB50 Aluminum Oxide SPECIALIST®
Type 1 Reinforced Cut Off Wheel For Use With Circular Saw On Stainless
Steel – Airgas.comM&R
Racing Equipment – Used Parts
Mods

Authentic Touches
61-3-213.
Certificate of title — custom vehicle, street rod, kit vehicle, or specially constructed
vehicle.
FINALLY
GOING TO PULL TRIGGER — PLEASE HELP – FFCobra.com – Factory Five Racing Discussion
Forum
What
are the mods to make the car more driver friendly? – FFCobra.com – Factory Five
Racing Discussion Forum
Fresh
Air Vent Kit from Cobra Earls – FFCobra.com – Factory Five Racing Discussion Forum
Dead
Pedal Kit
HELP!!
question for the very beginning of the build process. – FFCobra.com – Factory Five
Racing Discussion Forum
Driveshaft
Safety Hoop? – FFCobra.com – Factory Five Racing Discussion Forum
Driveshaft
Safety Hoop? – FFCobra.com – Factory Five Racing Discussion Forum
Powder Coating Tips

Suspension

Gordon's 5link setup for dummies – Pictures – FFCobra.com – Factory Five Racing Discussion Forum79-93 5 Lug Ford Fox Body Mustang Conversions79-93 Quick Ratio Mustang Manual Rack
North
Racecars Brake Solutions
Whitby Motorcars – SAI – $300
HOW TO: Clean up and paint ugly rotors (56K beware) – Mustang Forums at StangNetRear Coil Over Suspension 1994 Mustang GTProducts » Suspension Components » MMR » MMR Rear Coil Over kitVintage Performance Motorcars
Maximum-Cars.com – 1994 Ford Mustang GT Information and High Resolution Images.
Cobra
Arrival
For Sale: FFR 3.1 Roadster # 6407 Un-finished kit and donor parts in Green Bay WI – FFCobra.com – Factory Five Racing Discussion Forum
Huge
Summer Special Going on Now!
Paint

Starfire Acrylic Enamel Auto Paint – Gun Metal Gray – 1 Gallon: Trinity 1945 – Automotive Paint, Auto Paint, Car Paint SuppliersDIY painters and stripes – FFCobra.com – Factory Five Racing Discussion Forum
Frequently-Asked Questions about Automotive PaintingThe DIY Paint jobDeVilbiss dRd HVLP Auto Paint Gun – Dr. D Spray GunStreetRodPainter.com – Ken's Custom Auto BodyRestoration Shop – Quality Automotive Paint

I’m about 2 1/2 weeks from picking up my kit, and I’ve been searching hard for all the little goodies I need to complete the car. The ffcobra.com forum and the corral.net forum are great sources for used parts.

So far, I’ve picked up some quad shocks for the rear, a Cobra oval air cleaner, and today, my Cobra valve covers showed up for the 5.0L. I’ve gotten some great deals from the guys, and everything has been top quality, for roughly half of retail. Lots of stuff to still get, so I’ll keep looking.

The other good parts news is I made 100% profit on my transmission purchase after a little clean up and paint, so I’m just about dead even for sold vs. bought (well, not including the kit money, of course!)

Pics of the valve covers:

I thought I’d start a post to archive some of the detailed build information I’m finding.

Power vs. Manual Steering:

I’m still researching this. To do a full new setup from Breeze, I’d be looking at something like $800. All new stuff, but wow, that’s a lot of money.

I found information that going with either a 15:1 or 18:1 Manual Rack will be pretty close to power steering, but not quite as good.

I also found the following information on a cheaper PS install:

I have built 5 FFR cars (Mark Ames)

All were built with manual steering. 18-1 is about the best compromise in terms of feel and response.

My last car was 15-1 and Jon A commented it was twitchy. It was but I was well used to it.

I have just sold the car and the new buyer requested that I install power steering.

I installed a stock mustang 87-93 setup using the ac delete mount bracket. I also cut the spring as suggested in several threads.
The result is about the best feeling setup I have had.

The second benefit is that it is cheap to do. A reconditioned rack was just $80, the high pressure line was $28 and the low pressure was $18.
Adding in a used pump and the mount bracket and I was done for about $200.

The smaller spring mod gives a great feeling, definately easier at slow speeds, but if anything less twitchy at high speeds.

In short…go power as above or 18-1. manual

I’m actually kind of irritated that I missed this entirely, I could have saved myself some time and money.

There is a partially completed (barely started actually) base kit out of WI that a guy is trying to sell so he can put the funds towards their Korean child adoption. The kit is almost exactly what I would have ordered, plus a bunch of options and even an engine stand and hoist (which I’ve been looking for.)

The only downside/decision point for me is that it includes a pretty hard not to use 5.0L SBF and T5 transmission.

The kit itself stands to save me some substantial money and even some time gathering donor parts, and he’s got lots of upgrades with it (new brakes.) It’s not all there that I want, but it’ll get me close, and save me a ton of money.

It’s pretty hard for me to justify not using the Ford just out of principle, although I’d like to. I figure I can drop some money into the Ford (not a lot) and get 300hp out of it (plenty), and then once I get tired of it, I can build up an SBC 350 like I planned originally. This also eliminates some issues with the motor mounts and headers too.

I just got off the phone with Bryan, and it’s a done deal, or will be I guess. I’m buying his kit. I’ll be canceling my order with FFR, which will cost me $250, but to save more than $5000, I think it’s worth it.

Now, I get to start shopping for 302 Ford Parts. ;->

Well, after spending a few days searching for suitable donors and trying to decipher all of the necessary information on what donor parts are actually required, what donor years give you the parts you need in the right configuration, etc., I came to the realization today that I still know very little.

What I do know is that it seems that I should no longer keep looking for a donor. Since I don’t need the engine and transmission, a donor won’t give me much in the way of value, and the extra parts won’t really have enough value to make it worth it.

Here’s some of the stuff that I learned about donors for FFR kits, I thought I’d put it here for archiving and if someone else is looking.

What years started disc brakes on the rear? – 1994

Can I use a V6? Yes, but it’ll have a weaker 7.5″ rear end, not advisable

Can I use a 4cyl? No.

Any reason not to use a 94+ donor? Yes, the axle width is wider, which will mean more limited wheel options (backspace) or you will need to change the axles.

Will the stock rear end have the right gearing? For most applications, no, the stock 3.08’s and less gearing will want to be replaced to 3.55’s or 3.73’s at least. This will help the relatively mild stock motor get a little more punch and put more power to the road, so to speak. As horsepower increases through add-ons and upgrades, wheel spin could be come an issue with the 3.55’s, etc., and it will likely prove useful to go back to using 3.27’s or 3.08’s to ensure the rubber continues to meet the road effectively.

What Year is the best of all worlds? 87-93 5.0 Mustangs, they have the 8.8″ rear end

I’m going to start researching individual parts now, and see what I can come up with.

Some 302/5.0L Stock Engine Build Up Info I found (thanks to Oldtymeflyr):

Go with a 85 Mustang Duraspark distributor, rebuilt it might go $50.

Recently there was a discussion comparing intakes, the Edelbrock Performer worked better than the RPM manifold.

Cams, with a E303 cam, an early Performer type intake and with a set of stock GT40P heads, I am right at 300 RWT. Also, I run a vacuum Holley 600 and 4 into 4 exhaust.

My thoughts are do a little work on a cheap set of GT40P heads, pick your cam right and you should be a little over 300 RWHP.

Some More Donor Info:

From 66fstbk:

I wouldn’t do a “single” donor. Just get the parts you want from a couple different vehicles. You can do it very affordably if you shop at the right yards.
98′ T-Bird IRS Complete with posi and discs $250 (requires IRS FFR option)
95″ spindles and brakes in excellent condition $100
04′ fuel tank with plastic shiled and filler tube like new $100
95′ 5.0 engine and trans 74k mi. $1,000 (only needed shortblock and trans, did not need rebuild)

If I had purchased a 87-93 it would likely have needed an engine rebuild, would not have used front hubs or brakes, rear end (because I used IRS). So there was no point of a single donor for me.

True the kits were origionally designed for Fox single donors but a lot better parts from different year cars plus the age of these donors make this a less and less optimal solution every with passing year.

From Sergio:

I’ve used a 1991 donor to build a FFR MKI and a 2003 SVT Mustang Cobra to build a FFR MKIII .

I think I am qualified to say that the Best Donor for these cars is The Terminator (also Known as the 2003/2004 SVT Cobras.)

87-93 donors come with stock 225HP while the 03/04 cobras make 420HP stock.

While you couldn’t probably use a 03 Cobra as a donor for a MKI (unless you do tons of modifications), you can use any 87-2004 Mustang V8 to build your MKIII, except that (thanks to me), Factory Five modified their literature to read: You can use any V8 Mustang from 87 to 2004 (except 03/04 Cobras).

The 03/04 Cobras can be used as donors as I have proven, with some sensible modifications, a handful of others have done it too now.

Since I’m a big audio guy, one of the things I want to do well on this project will be the AV stuff, but I don’t want it to look out of place.

I really want to use a touch screen LCD with my backup camera and GPS (even if I never use it.) This presents a “look” problem as it would likely look pretty out of place in the old school interior.

My solution brainstorming session today came up with an automated hideaway option that might work. It’s basically a motorized LCD screen receiver behind a plate/door in the dash. I’d need to do some metal work (which I’m doing anyway to get a nice console to dash theme going), and also some bracketing, but this might work.

Here’s the design.

I found a nice local guy here that had a 4-speed on Craigslist. I’m pretty confident I’m getting a great deal. I had him open up the case, and the gears are looking very nice. I’m going to pick it up tonight, and should get a nice tranny for $200 that’ll drop right in. It’s missing the bell housing, but not a big deal there. It’s pretty dirty, but with a little cleaning and maybe a coat of Krylon, we’ll be doing well.

Finally got my paperwork from FFR with a “Required Date” of 4/25/09 (at my request.) I received my $1700 shipping quote from Stewart Transport (oh the joys of living in the middle of nowhere!) The good news is that they’ll drop it right in my garage for that price, and I don’t have to pay a crating fee. I considered driving to MA to go get it, but the time required at 70+ hours is just too high. So, now, I just wait and do research I guess, and maybe hit the salvage yard for some suspension parts.

After doing lots of research and thinking through the motor and tranny options, I’ve decide to go fairly traditional with a Chevy 350 Small Block and a Saginaw 4-Speed. I’ve love a Muncie, but they are roughly 2x the cost. I’ve found one locally that might do the job.

I’m leaning towards this motor, which is a 350 with 400+HP and 400ft/lb torque. That would definitely do the job, and I’m pretty sure I’d never wear it out.

Year One Crate 350

Looks pretty promising, and has a 12 month warranty on it. We’ll see how it turns out.

Now…guess I better start thinking harder about the shop! Here’s a pic of it as well.

It’s 12′ tall on the right side and 10′ for the rest. I need the 12′ so I can put the lift in there…

More soon!

As I’ve gotten started, I’ve been learning a lot, and having spent more than a year just researching the kit and the build process, I’ve gathered a ton of valuable information. I’ve also been researching colors, interiors, engine options, etc.

I thought it would make sense to put this information here on the build site to not only give others a chance to use the information, but to give me a place to archive it as well.

Engine/Drivetrain:

This may not be the best way to start off my build site, but hey, it’s MY build, so I can do whatever I want, right? All you die hard blue-oval fans might want to just skip this section all together, and move on to less controversial topics.

I’ve grown up on Chevy’s. I was really into Chevy heavy metal in my earlier years, and I’ve owned 2 different 1967 Chevelle Malibu’s. I loved the both, and have always really liked the Chevy power plants.

I’m really not one of those all Chevy’s are awesome and all Ford’s suck kind of guys. I pretty much love all well-made cars, from every manufacturer and every part of the globe.

That being said, since I know what I’m getting into with a Chevy engine, I’ve decide to drop one into my FFR kit. I feel fine about it since it’s a kit car and since it’s mine to choose what goes into it. In the old days of the kits, you’d have to do some frame modification and fabrication to make this work since the FFR Roadster is built around Ford options, but thanks to guys like Mike Forte, it’s become a little easier since he makes custom adapters for the motor mounts. I’ll still have to make my own headers to fit the 5.0L j-pipes, but there are lots of options and guides out there.

To discuss non-ford power in the FFR, visit this forum: Non-Ford FFCobra.com Forum.

I’ve decide it still would be right for me to drop an Auto tranny in here, so I’m going 4-speed. If I can find a decent deal on a Muncie M21 or M22, I’ll be going that direction since they are bullet-proof. If not, I’ll probably be looking at the Saginaw 4-speed instead. I’m not dragging this car, and those are a pretty good proven tranny and should do the job to handle what will be a sub-400hp and torque car.

I’m hoping to find a nice SBC 327 I can drop in here, it’s a nice high rev motor that should make the Roadster an absolute joy to drive. Second option is a SBC 350. Either of these would get me into the 300-375hp and torque range without a ton of money and parts.

Suspension Options:

This was where I was pretty confused with ordering. There are several options when placing the order for the FFR base kit. It was a little unclear to me what you get with each kit, what you still need, and what it all means and costs.

Here’s a summary of what I found out:

1) IRS – Independent Rear Suspension is all the rage nowadays, and is supposed to offer the best balance of handling and ride comfort. Most modern sports cars come with IRS from the factory. This is an option for FFR kits, and not a cheap one at $2000+. I was excited to learn that you could find a full IRS rear end from an SC Ford Thunderbird (1989) that would fit into the FFR for under $500 usually. That excitement quickly faded, however when I realized that this only got you so far, and you still needed the IRS option added to the base kit to make it work. Still a cheaper option than others out there, but not important enough for me to go that way.
2) 3/4/5 Link Options – These are the other options out there. Talking to the FFR factory guys, the 3-link gives you the best bang for your buck and seems to be a good option to order from FFR. 4 Link is the standard solid axle choice for the Mustang and OEM applications. 5 Link is a new setup, and is supposed to be a great alternative to IRS. Gordon Levy has them for about $1600, and I’m still looking at it for an option.

Since I’m trying to keep my initial cash outlay down, I just went with the basic 4-link OEM setup, and I can use the rear end out of the 87-04 Mustangs to get it done. As I see it, I won’t be track racing this thing, and the ride quality isn’t all that big of an issue (they stink, their load, and bumpy anyway.) If that doesn’t work long-term, I can go looking at the 5-link instead.

Interior:

I’m really into custom interior stuff, to the type of fabrics chosen to the Audio system and little features that make things cool and unique.

Some ideas I’m tossing around:

1) Using a double-din Nav-type stereo with the full screen display, hidden behind a panel of some sort to make it look nicer.
2) Integrating a rear-view/backup camera and feeding it into the display. I have this on my suburban and love it, and it should help to add some better rear visibility, which these cars suffer a little from.
3) Bass Shakers in the seats – the interior of the car is pretty limited, so fitting a 12″ sub will be impossible. I use the LFE’s in my home theater chairs, and they work great, so this will be a relatively simple way to handle the system’s bass.
4) Behind-the-Seat shelf – I saw this on ffcobra.com and it looked great (J Persons), plus it gives a place to mount some speakers (in each rear corner firing across,) and possibly the system amplifiers.
5) Tan Interior – I really like the Orange on Tan look, and will likely be replacing the supplied black interior with a tan one, and hope to recover the black vinyl seats with some nice tan leather ones, and hoping I can pull off doing my own upholstery. We’ll see how that turns out.

Still lots of planning to do, and I’ll keep updating the blog. In the meantime, here are some inspirational pics.

FFR Car I really like the Orange Color of (House of Kolor Tangelo Pearl sprayed over white base coat):

This is Mike M’s Car.

Interior Pics: (This is a 67 Chevelle Vert, I really like the integrated center column and painted dash, plus the tan leather):