Ask Dr. Cobra
Question:
How do I get my Cobra Replica Registered in the
State of Colorado?
Answer:
This is not a difficult or long process. It does take
the various governmental entities awhile to process the
forms. I have tried to make this as detailed as
reasonably possible to help you with the process.
These instructions are generally for the Denver
Metropolitan Area. They should work for other areas as
well.
Note: You will be making payment each time you need
something, Checks will work fine, I do not recommend
cash, you may need a record.
- The car does not have to be painted; you should
be willing to drive it on the road. Car has to be
reasonably safe and in roadworthy condition. Make
sure you have serial number from the manufacturer on
the car and that it matches your paper work. The
State Patrol will be looking for it on the frame, if
its not on the frame, you will have a lot of
explaining to do. Remember the more money you have
put into the car the more you are going to be taxed
later.
- Collect your major receipts. Engine,
transmission, body, tires etc. Put them in a folder
that you will be carrying with you.
- Go to your local county clerks office and get
the forms. They are generally:
DR2539, DR2408, DR2704 also DR2709 (a check list of
sorts)
If you want it titled as a 1965 Cobra put that in
the description, they will issue a current year
title, do it before you give the paper work to
anyone.
NOTE: you need a perjury statement on each of your
receipts. The perjury statement is on the state
forms just copy it all over the place and sign it.
If in doubt put it on the document. If you don't do
this they are going to say you need a bond. A bond
does not cost a lot of money but why go there? Use
the perjury statement and you will be okay.
NOTE: you will need two side, front and back
pictures of the car.
- Once the forms are understood and filled out you
need an appointment with the State Patrol. In Denver
you can call out at Camp George West and get a time.
During the week the wait may be half an hour. On the
weekend it could be a couple of hours.
Note you will need a way of getting the car to the
State Patrol, My Arapahoe County Clerk would not
give me a 30 day permit. I used a trailer. Other
counties the Clerk may give you a permit. You will
probably need insurance. More on that later.
- Make a copy of your forms because the State
Patrol is going to keep the clerks forms. You want
copies of everything.
- In a few weeks the State Patrol is going to send
you a letter that the paperwork has been approved.
You have to get the car to the State Patrol for them
to put the serial number on the car. I used a
trailer. The State Patrol in their letter of
approval to me said I could get a 30 day permit.
Nope, the county clerk was lost, she had the look of
a deer in the headlights, or that she had just got
beaned by a 120 mph fast ball, no help
there-absolutely none. The State Patrol will put the
sticker in the engine compartment, Some of the State
Patrol guys will ask you where you want it, others
won't, you can always talk about it with them, they
are going to put the sticker on anyway.
- Once the State Patrol has its tag on the car you
are ready to go to the Department of Revenue, Motor
Vehicle Office in Lakewood, its on North Pierce
Street.
Make sure that you have a copy of every thing!
DMV by my estimation does about 300 new registration
new built cars a year. They are not familiar with the
process. You want a clerk that is doing these titles,
ask at the front desk or ask a supervisor.
You will give the paper work to a DMV clerk, remember
that you need the perjury certificate, ask the clerk to
see if it is on every document that needs it, if it
doesn't, put it on the form,
The DMV at the Department of Revenue will keep to
paperwork for a while. Mine was 3 weeks, 8 weeks is not
unusual.
Work on getting insurance. If you have State Farm or
Farmers, in Colorado they will insure, other majors may
as well.
NOTE: This is a double note because you need to
check the insurance. If you are getting classic car
insurance or commonly known by the name of show car
insurance, read the policy. Ask a lot of questions. Most
of these policies only cover you on the way to a show,
at the show and that's it!!! No deviations to a
restaurant or to a motel if you are out of town! Be
careful! I cannot stress enough that you may not have
coverage. The insurance company is not going to cover a
million dollar claim if they don't have too. They are
not nice guys, if there is a way out they will take it.
Once you have the paper work from DMV and your
insurance take your paper work to your local county
clerk. They are going to tax you on everything you have
in the car. Get a 60 day permit, it will give you time
to do what you need to do next.
Emissions. Not that bad or tough. If you have a pre
1972 block State Health (Emissions) is going to apply
the emission standards of that time. After 1972 you have
to meet the applicable year standards. Generally if you
have a Fuel Injected engine, emissions is going to apply
those standards, i.e. cat and maybe an air pump, the
standards that you meet at the emissions station are
going to be tougher. If you have a carbed engine, and
you have it looking like a pre 1972 engine then you will
only have to have a PVC valve and if its old enough,
maybe not even that.
Make an appointment at State Health Emissions downtown
on Second Avenue. It’s a red brick building Give them a
call, maybe a couple of weeks wait.
Emissions is going to look at the engine to see what
standards it meets. They may look at the block numbers.
If the car does not have a serpentine belt or an exotic
ignition system or a fuel injection system it is
probably going to get pre 1972 standards regardless of
the year of the block.
They will punch your numbers into the state computer
system and give you a printout of the standards you have
to meet keep this form!
Meeting emissions is a matter go to a local emissions
station and having performed a sniff test of you are
carbed or a dyno test if you are a full FI emissioned
vehicle.
For carbed engines that means that they will stick a
sniffer up the exhaust and a tach on the engine and you
will have an idle test up to 1300 rpm and a higher idle
test at up to 2400 rpm.
For FI it’s onto the emission dyno.
When you pass, go to you local county clerks office
with your paperwork and the emissions approval and get
you license plates.
Then you can come play with the Mile Hi Cobra Club
Your friend,
Dr. Cobra
Special thank you to Rick DeWitt for the above detailed
help.
Question:
I am thinking of buying and/or building a
Cobra. Can you give me any advice?
Answer:
You have been bitten by the snake. Congratulations. You
will never be the same.
Dr. Cobra has lots of advice for you. Research before
you buy.
Come out to some of our events and ask lots of
questions. Even ask for a ride in a Cobra. You will not
know what you are buying until you do ride in one. I
would even advise you to ask for a ride for your wife or
significant other. Dr. Cobra has seen a lot of Cobra’s
with less than 1000 miles come up for sale because the
owner and his wife/significant other did not riding in
it. (This is a good way to buy a Cobra, if you find one
that you like)
Dr. Cobra also advises you to not buy a car until you
have researched the factory/manufacturer that builds the
kit. You are spending a lot of money on the kit. Why not
spend a little more and fly out to see who is building
it? You can make sure that they really do have a factory
and that they really are in business. While there, ask
for a list of customers your state to call and visit
with. Not just happy customers – all customers.
Dr. Cobra says to ask a lot of questions and do a lot of
research on what Drive Train you will be happy with. Not
very many of us need 1000 horsepower, but you also do
not want to be passed by very many Saturn’s while you
are driving a Cobra. Also remember that we in Denver are
a mile hi and get into the mountains quite often on our
drives. Fuel Injection is very nice.
You will also have to decide what you want your Cobra to
do. Track, Street, Cruises, Car Shows, or everything?
Dr. Cobra has found that you can not get a Cobra to do
everything and do it well. You have to give up
something. Think about it. Research
Do you have the building skills to build it yourself? Do
you want to drive something you built yourself? Does
your wife/significant other want to ride in something
you built your self? Do you have the money and tools to
build it yourself? Do you have the money to have someone
else build it for you?
Also, remember when Dr Cobra said he “has seen a lot of
Cobra’s with less than 1000 miles come up for sale
because the owner and his wife/significant other did not
riding in it “? This is an excellent way to buy a Cobra.
It might be the color you would pick, might not have the
exact engine/drive train you would pick, but you often
buy it at $10,000 less than you would spend on a new
car. $10,000 can go a long way towards getting it
repainted and upgrading the car to the way you want it.
The sooner you get your Cobra the sooner you can come
play with the Mile Hi Cobra Club
Your friend,
Dr. Cobra
Question:
Dear Dr Cobra,
What is real?
Is that a Real Cobra?
Is that Real?
What is a replica?
What is a kit?
Is that a Fake?
Your friend,
Lost in the woods.
Answer:
Dear Lost,
Dr Cobra has found that you must have patience with the
people who ask you these questions. Most of them do mean
well and only wish to be better informed. They are just
trying to ask if it is a real Shelby Cobra or a Replica.
What they are really asking is “Is this car an ORIGINAL
Cobra from the 60’s?” The answer is simply “No, it is a
REPLICA of an ORIGINAL Cobra” If someone asks me if it
is a kit, I say “No, it is a REPLICA of an ORIGINAL
Cobra” You can spend as much time with them as wish
after that answer.
Dr Cobra also tells them to check out our web site (
www.milehicobraclub.com)
if they are interested in Replicas and to check out (
www.shelbyamericancollection.org)
if they would like to see some Original Cobras.
If you have a Cobra Replica, please try to enjoy it and
enjoy the excitement that it brings to so many people.
Be nice to them. Many people are just not educated about
the whole Cobra Thing and are just trying to talk to you
about your beautiful car.
The path followed by every Cobra owner to get a car on
street is different varying from those that can afford
to plunk down a load of cash for a turnkey car to those
that painstakingly built there car over months or even
years on a shoe-string budget. One common thread evolves
- Everyone ends up with a great car that is a source of
pride and enjoyment. Whether hand-crafted and custom
built in a home workshop or off of an assembly line,
time and testing on the road and at the track has shown
that none are superior but all are special.
That's actually a pretty easy answer, depending on who
you ask. If you ask Carroll Shelby he'll tell you that
any of his cars that carry a CSX VIN# are REAL Cobras.
The truth there is that if it was built after about 1968
or so and has a fiberglass body--even though it has a
CSX#--it's a continuation car or even a Shelby replica.
Yeah, Shelby built it, but because it has a fiberglass
body, it's still a replica in my eyes. Then there's the
case of the Eleanor Mustang clones to which he has
attached his blessing...they curiously carry a CSX
number even though they were not considered Shelby
Mustangs in the '60s. His licensee buys old 65-69 cars
and is somehow able to attach new CSX VIN numbers to
them. How that happens legally I'll never know. Except
for Factory Five and Superformance cars (and his own),
which he in effect licenses, he calls replicas,
"counterfeit copies."
If someone on the street asks if your replica is real,
the easy answer is yes, it's a real car albeit a replica
of an original. My feeling is that once the car is built
it no longer a kit car, even though it started that way.
Replica is just as it implies, a copy of a typically
unobtanium original. The kit car industry is not the
only one that practices replica making. There are some
high-end replica builders who would never consider their
cars kits. If you listen closely at some show like
Pebble Beach you will also hear the word replica as it
applies to a car that was reconstructed from some little
bit of what was left of the original car. Those are
distinguished as compared to a completely original car.
My thinking is that above all, if a car gives its owner
pleasure, what difference does it make the label it
wears.
One of Dr Cobra’s pet peeves is “Car Snobs”. You can
tell them from the rest of us, because they only enjoy
their car because they think it is better than some one
else’s. They can own just about any kind of car (in
fact, Dr Cobra has meet some who do not own a car, but
have a friend who has a brother in law who knows this
guy who has an Original Cobra in his shed out back).
When you run into these people, you can have a lot of
fun with them. Remember, they are not smart. These
people are great to give answers like “Cobras are a lot
like boobs. Real ones are great, but fake can be great!”
or “If it bites....it is real.” Or “‘If you can touch
the car then it’s real.’ Or what ever answer you wish to
give.
Your friend,
Dr. Cobra
Question:
Hey Dr. Cobra,
I am getting closer to having to pick the engine
configuration for my Cobra. Perhaps there is someone you
can point me to that I may talk to about choosing a
block.
- Iron 427, vs, SA 427, vs Genesis....block choice and
registration and emission impacts.
- Induction choices...looking at TVM and webers
- Best local wrenches to talk to?
- Engine builders,,,,locally nationally?
I am sure I will have more questions, but that should
get us started....thoughts?
Your friend,
Engineless in Denver
Answer:
Dear Engineless in Denver
Boy oh boy, this free advice thing is getting to be
something. Dr Cobra is wondering if he should call his
buddy Dr. Phil and get a TV Show. Maybe the Speed
Channel is looking for someone. How about Danica Patrick
as a co host?
- Talk to Colorado Department of health first - Vic
Cooper (303-744-0127) at 2nd and Bryant about block year
and registration/emissions. Then look at cost carb to
pan for each engine. Block really depends on your budget
and goals.
- For the cost, a carb is often a much better choice in
terms of maintenance and the ability to repair the
system. Webers and TVM are cool looking but people often
struggle to make them work right at all throttle and
driving conditions. While some report success, others
have become very close to their local dyno and tuning
shop for repeated tweaking (which can get very pricey).
KISS is the key. A properly setup carb will work well in
Colorado for 1/5 to 1/10 of the cost of injection. Be
careful when dealing with the people that sell these
systems because they will paint a much different
picture. Webers look cool. But unless you're experianced
with them they can be a real bear to adjust and tune.
They can also be difficult to keep in tune.
There are a number of choices in EFI stack systems. Some
are inexpensive, and some are not. Check
www.momarefi.com It's a little expensive, but claims to
be one of the best. S&S Automotive (www.coloradocobras.com)
recently purchased Momar EFI, so they are manufacturers,
distributors, and tuners of this system.
- I would talk to Rob McQuarie at Blue Oval locally.
I’d suggest that you also may want to speak to Lou
Rivera, or Carl Wade at S&S. Knowledgeable, diligent,
and honest.
- For engine builders – George Anderson at Gessford in
Neb, Keith Craft, and Rob at Blue Oval. Dr Cobra has
heard that Gary at Colorado Custom Cylinder Heads on
South Platte River Drive does a good job. 303-761-9077.
Again, Carl Wade at S&S. I've also heard good things
about Coast High Performance. You also should check out
Phil Long Ford and Ford Crate Engines. Get GOOD cost
estimates in advance.
Dr. Cobra believes in the KISS theory. He happens to
like EFI on a small block. But the sound and looks of a
big block are great. And the torque of a big block is so
cool. Small block with EFI requires a lot more emissions
stuff.
Research your engine builder and make sure that he is on
the same page as you are. Several are listed on our web
site (www.milehicobraclub.com) and Dr Cobra recommends
them all. He has heard good things about each of them or
else they would not be on the web site. Call all of them
and go see as many as you can. Get the estimate in
writing. Get a firm due date.
This is a personal choice and you need to find one you
can work with. Your builder is going to be getting a lot
of your money so research him real well. Ask for
referrals. Ask the referrals how they drive their cars.
If you are getting a race engine built then talk to
racers. If you are getting a street engine built then
talk to cruisers. If you are getting a show car built
then talk to waxers.
Your friend,
Dr. Cobra
Question:
Who would you
recommend for having a car transported back to Denver?
Answers:
- Haulin Assets
Jeff Tunnell
720-810-3663
- Stewart Transport
Brice -
Scheduling
Collin - Owner
602-242-1800 or 1-888-737-4852
http://www.stewarttransport.com/
They carry 90% or all factory fives from Boston to
all 48 states. They are very good with their
freight, and know how to handle cobras. Based in
Phoenix
- Fed Ex bought out Passport transportation. I have
had many cars (very expensive) transported by them
and can normally have anything picked up within
several days. They have vans that cover the US and
Canada. They picked up my last GT40 within three
days and it was delivered in Southern CA within 3
days.
- I just saw this email and I have a great
transportation guy. His name is Gary Almond and his
number is 240 994 1343. He's a one man show so
there's no need to worry about stacking cars that
will drip oil on yours and moving it around on a big
truck during transport, etc. He's very reasonable,
too. I got quotes from him for two Ferraris and his
quotes were the best for both.
- I used DAS transport a year ago and was very happy
with their service and
scheduling.
Either go to ebaymotors.com or look them up on the
net.
Question:
How many 427 AC Cobras where originally produced?
Answer:
This info is from "AC COBRAS" by Rinsey Mills ISBN 1
85960 849 3
CSX3001-CSX3055 These are the S/C competition 427's.
They were the only 427's to truly use a side-oiler 427.
Also only cobra roadsters to have side exhausts.
CSX3101-CSX3358 These are the street 427's. motor is
actually a 428 police interceptor. undercar exhausts.
CSX3056-CSX3100 apparently these chassis numbers were
not used
dates are 10/23/64 Thru 12/28/66
Derald Rice supplied this information to Dr Cobra.
Question:
Do you have any suggestions as to Colorado insurance co's that will insure a Cobra?
Answer:
DR Cobra got a lot of answers on this question. First
of all - no one knows of a "Colorado" insurance company
that insures Cobra Replicas. Do not know of a Colorado
insurer. You must be asking if any of the national
companies insure Cobra Replicas in Colorado. The answer
is yes. Most do. Some do not.
DR Cobra has found that a lot depends on the agent you
talk to at most insurance companies. DR Cobra has also
found that most agents do not have a clue as to what a
Cobra Replica is. I think it is very scary to have your
insurance with someone who does not know what they are
insuring. When you have a claim, will they say "I did
not know I was insuring a 2500 lb car with 500
horsepower. No Air Bags. No 5 mile per hour bumper. No
way. We do not insure those. Sorry. Claim denied."
For this reason, DR Cobra recommends that you contact JC
Taylor (Another MHCC Sponsor). www.jctaylor.com or
1-800-345-8290. They know what a Cobra Replica is and
they insure them everyday. They also pay claims if the
Cobra Replica is wrecked. You might save a few dollars
at some other place, but how much is it worth to save a
few bucks when you do not know if they company you are
with will pay you when you need them.
If you want to visit with another agent, call Kevin
Johnson with Allstate at (303) 400-1356. Kevin is
another MHCC Sponsor and will get you on the right
track.
The following are not sponsors of the MHCC,but have been
recommended by some of our members:
Classic Auto Insurance (www.classicins.com)
Parish Heacock (www.parishheacock.com)
Condon Skelly (www.condonskelly.com) (800-257-9496)
Northeast Classic Auto Ins (800-866-6440) Mike Smith
American Hobbyist (
American Insurance (www.amig.com) Tammy Perto
State Farm
Allstate
American Family
Continental Western Group (303-430-0770) Ted Montanye
Midwest Classic Insurance (888-271-4000) Robbin Terry
Haggerty (I heard they no longer insure Replicas)
American National (800-CAR-BUFF)
Grundy (800-338-4005)
Have you ever noticed how many Insurance Companies use
the word "America" in their name? Wonder why. Just
makes you feel all warm and nice and safe - doesn't it?
Good luck on your search. Be sure and get agreed value
- not stated value. And when you need an appraisal,
call one of my best friends - Dick Thompson with the
MHCC and he will get you one.
Question:
I want Sheepskin seat covers for my Cobra - where do I find them?
Answer:
Try Rocky Mountain Sheepskin on E. Hampden. Or drive
very slow in Wyoming.
Question:
Does anyone know where to get rear trunk hinges for a legendary auto inc. cobra kit 1991?
Answer:
Try Paula at Finish Line (888) 436-9113 or
www.cobraaccessories.com
or Bob Kallio at Shell Valley (888) 246-0900 or
www.shellvalley.com. They are both sponsors of the Mile
Hi Cobra Club. Be sure and tell them you got their name
and number from the Mile Hi Cobra Club.
Or try Tony Branda or Mossmotors.com or Cobra Valley.
Most manufacturers use the same parts for stuff like
this.
If none of these can help you, you might post your
question on www.clubcobra.com
Question:
I am finishing up my Lonestar Cobra and with it I got a
hard top shell. I need some help on either making some
or where I can get the material or the finish windows
for it.
Thanks for your help
HardTop Cobra Guy
Answer:
- Hard Top Guy,
Dr Cobra got some Windwings made at Santa Fe Glass
on Santa Fe just south of 470. They made them out of
lexan and he really likes them.
- Dr Cobra,
Have him try Psasticare off of Santa Fe in
Englewood. They sell all types of Lexan, plexiglass,
carbon fibre, Kevlar, and fiberglass products. They
will also cut and shape the Lexan glass to your
specs.
http://www.plasticareinc.com/index.htm
But why does he need a hard top shell or windows???
This is a Cobra, not a Miata!
- He should just buy
mine for about $ 1500
Mike McCoulf at 303-680-9532
- You might also check
with Lone Star (877 ) 572-2277, ext.210
- Also check on
www.clubcobra.com. Either do a search or you might
post your question. Watch out cause they will want
to know if you like big blocks or small blocks. Then
the discussion will drift off if you should have a
top at all, and then if you should have a radio, and
then the heater and air conditioning stuff will
start. Good luck and we look forward to seeing your
car.
Question:
Does anyone know where to get strips painted on an
unstripped car?
Answer:
- I am having Eric at
Western Frame and Auto Body in Greeley paint our
car.
I went to 4 shops in Colorado and frankly was amazed
at the costs that were quoted. I was going to sent
the car to the Batman in California but then saw
Craig Hillman's car and I was convinced that a
Colorado painter can do a great job at a reasonable
price.
Eric did Craig Hilman's car and Craig's car looks
great. I have seen some of Eric's other work and it
looks great. A real craftsman.
His prices seem reasonable and in line with the best
California painters. His time for the work seems
prompt, too fast for me because I have about 2
months
more work to do on the car.
I think that this shop has potential to be a high
quality, reasonable cost shop for painting Cobras.
Renee is the office manager their number is
970-330-1992.
Rick DeWitt
303-781-1010
call Eric at barely legal. they have a great paint
person: 303-550-7763
- Hi Dr Cobra.
For the person that is looking for stripes on his
Cobra....before I ordered my car from Superformance
I was debating to go striped or stripeless so I
checked around and found (and talked) to a guy north
of Denver....I want to say he is in Brighton but not
100% sure...I saw some of his work and he has done
Cobra stripes before....his email is GEBH3 @aol.com
and his name is Hans....also, his website is
www.finelinerestoration.com .
He quoted me a cost of $3000 to $4000 for
stripes...I also inquired to another location near
Denver and his prices were the same...
Hopefully you can pass this on...
Tom.... (Stripeless in Windsor)
- John May in Northglenn is awesome. His # is
450-7454. Tell him I sent you. Doug Brown Phil Long
Ford
- Jerry Standers collision works Littleton 303
791-1900. Ask for Dan and tell him Geof Phillips
referred you
- Dr. Cobra,
I had my car painted in Greeley at Western Frame and
Body. I did not have strips
put on it, but was very happy with the work the Eric
did. I don't have the phone
number readily available, the office manager is
Rene.
Craig
Good luck in your search. Please send us pictures
(for the web site) of your finished car.
Question:
Do you know of any Cobra owners, or shops that have vast experience in
adjusting hydraulic lifters? Just installed a World Products 427, and the valves
(rocker arms) have to be adjusted with the motor running. I have detailed the
engine compartment, and have wrapped the headers, so oil flying everywhere would
be bad. Hopefully, someone out there has modified a set of tall valve covers,
has clips to stop flying oil, or some other interesting device to keep the oil
under control during this adjustment. That, and a good dyno tune is about all
that is keeping us from attending the next club event.
Answers:
- Hydraulic lifters are adjusted with the engine off
and cold. In the "olden days"
mechanical (solid) lifters were adjusted hot and
running. But I don't think anybody does that any
more. They should be adjusted hot, but not running.
Go to www.cranecams.com or
www.compcams.com
for detailed instructions.
For personal help, contact the guys at S&S
Automotive in Denver.
www.coloradocobras.com
----------
Bob
- Call Pantera Performance
in Castle Rock 303-660-9897
- Chip at EPS
Automotive on Evergreen is the man for this task.
303-674-6017. Doug Brown
- An alternative, but more
time consuming and cleaner, method is to adjust them by
feel. To do this set the #1 piston at TDC in its firing
cycle (plugs out makes it easier - you can use a plastic
straw to locate the piston position if necessary and the
rotor will tell you when you are close to #1 firing) and
loosen both valve adjuster screws and lock nuts. Take a
pushrod between your thumb and index finger and while
feeling the clearance (between push rod and adjuster) by
twisting the rod, slowly take up all of the slack with
the adjusting screw. Then add 1/2 to 3/4 of a turn
clockwise to the adjuster and tighten the lock nut
(while holding the position of the adjuster screw). Hand
crank the motor clockwise to TDC again and repeat for
#3. 351 firing order is: 1-3-7-2-6-5-4-8. In an engine
that has been previously run all of the hydraulic
lifters should be fully "pumped up" with oil and will
feel rock hard when you push down on the push rod.
Sometimes one will leak and feel soft (not a problem)
and you will be able to push the rod down about 1/4"
against the internal spring. You will be able to tell
the difference between the spring pressure and "slack" -
just take up the slack. This operation will take a
couple of hours but will allow you to begin an intimate
relationship with the interior of your beautiful engine!
Be careful not to over tighten the valve cover bolts.
(Like Dick Thompson did)
To keep from making a mess when adjusting my lifters, I
took an old valve cover and cut a slot in the top a
little bigger than the socket. It stops the mess unless
you have roller rockers, then the adjustments are made
with the engine off. Shelby
Call Lou
Dave
- Carl Wade at S&S
Automotive does a Dyno Tune for around $180.00. I am
sure he can adjust your roller rockers. Their number
is 303 750 2808. www.coloradocobras.com
Wayne
- How about Lou Rivera at
Lou's Cars. Lou is a sponsor and has done good work on
my car. I am sure that there are many people who can
vouch for him.
Rick DeWitt.
- Set em cold. Every
racer in the world sets em that way. run em three
times, just like the big boys downtown. Set em hot
if you aren't any good with a feeler gauge.
It works good for 6000 hp nitro cars.
Keith Hall
Question:
For the questions about the Paint Chip Repair and
the Clear Bra - here are a couple of ideas
Answers:
I know a guy who does a good job of installing clear
bras. He is a 3M trainer for the clear bra shops in
town. And has recently done 2 cobras in town.
Ben Long
303-994-1201
I purchased a Norton Chip &Scratch Repair Kit last
week from Crest Net Sales 1-888-478-2512 (PN NOR
37913). I saw this demonstrated on Dream Car Garage
last month. It contains all of the proper abrasives
to blend the paint repair spot into a new paint job
(wet sand paper, rubbing compounds, etc) for $25.
They sell full size kits to auto repair shops
(including the air tools for about $200) for chip
repair. You have to provide and apply your own touch
up paint, allow it to dry, then level it out with
the abrasives. I will do a write up on this in the
next few weeks.
Question:
I have an IRS out of a 1984 Jaguar XJ I wish to change
gears out to a taller combo, any hints or words of
advice, I have a reputable shop assisting but wondered
if you all had any experiences you needed to share.
Mick in Omaha
Answers:
Dear
Mick
Here are some answers for you:
Suggest his shop contact Brizio's Hot Rods in South San
Francisco....
area code 415? either his shop has someone or they have
it done....V
It's been a few years....
Jag rearends are pretty easy to work on, once you get
the pumpkin out of
the cage. If a person can setup a 9" Ford or a 12 bolt
Chevy rearend,
you can setup a Jag pumpkin, same process. Once pinion
depth, bearing
preloads and backlash are set always check the contact
pattern with
prussian blue.
That's the most important step when your putting plenty
of power through
it.
Getting the pumpkin out of the cage can be a little
tricky with all the
needle bearings at the pivot points, just disassemble
slowly over a
large metal tray. You can build some cheap metal rods
(match the thru
bolt diameter), the same width as the control arms, to
hold the needles
in place when you slide the bolts through, or very
carefully use the
heavy grease method to hold them in place. If you're
keeping the
original cage, inspect it carefully for cracks,
especially around the
lower flanges where the lower cover plate bolts on.
They're known to
crack there. Wouldn't hurt to reinforce that area.
Not sure what's best these days, but check into several
sources for the
the stub axle seals, these leak often. This is more
important if you
keep the inboard brakes. The main cause of stub axle
seal leaks is the
heat from the inboard brakes. Get the best material
seals you can get,
and make sure you have plenty of air flow, even separate
ducts, to keep
the rotors cool.
Long story short, if you can build a Cobra, you can
disassemble the cage
by taking your time. If you're not comfortable with gear
setup, take
just the pumpkin to a good shop and have it done, while
the gears are
being setup, fully disassemble the cage, inspect all
bearings, seals,
shafts and the cage itself, and get it ready for
reassembly. I'm sure
there are a few manuals running around the Internet that
would be
useful, just don't be afraid of all the special tools
they mention, most
everything can be done with common tools.
Question:
I would like to find out if any members have installed
the Momar injection system?
What other systems have members gone with?
I'm looking to do something because I'm tired of the
vapor lock and boiling over.
Please let me know.
Thanks,
Boiling Fuel in Denver
Answers:
Dear Boiling Fuel,
Holley build a nice TBI system that is easy to install.
I have installed these systems and it is as easy as a
carb. Steve Norman
Had Momar installed in Denver. Instead of 3 months took
6. They installed PLASTIC fuel line which promptly
sucked a hole into it. Momar is a good system - get it
done somewhere else.
Mike
I have the Momar system. It took a little time to get it
dialed in. But now it's working like a dream.
I used a strok