HG's Dream Car Build - Shelby Cobra Kit

[fatbass]

Sanding requires a day of psyching myself up beforehand, especially for that nasty fiberglass.

I catch your sig line every time you post and then I ran across this LOL...

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by LS short box

Your project is looking good. I help at a body shop a couple days a week and mostly do block and color sanding on hot rod projects. I can tell you know one is standing in line to do block sanding.

Thanks, exactly. That's OK, it's my project, my responsibility.

Originally Posted by fatbass

Sanding requires a day of psyching myself up beforehand, especially for that nasty fiberglass.

I catch your sig line every time you post and then I ran across this LOL...

Something like that lol.

Not much to report, scuffed a door. Need to find out if the seam on the upper inside is supposed to be sanded smooth. Nothing in the manual. I bought the shifter ball I wanted and it has different threads than the shift lever, which isn't really a problem because I need a shorter one anyway. I might just machine this one and put the correct threads on it.

This basic style is the first one I really remember seeing as a kid. My dad had a 67 GTO with a 4 speed when I was in like 1st grade and had that regular white ball with the black etched in pattern. Perfect. Always wanted that and here it is.

Also got a couple samples of paint to try out. I'll share that once I spray something to test it on. Something round with a light and darker base or sealer under it so I can see if it matters. Lots of flake in them. Not like bass boat flake, small. Just a LOT in it.

[72c20customcamper]

Car is coming out beautiful sanding is the worst part of the job but the most important.

Can I ask as to why you’re going to use epoxy primer ? When we did fiberglass cars we used polyester primer /filler as a base then a good sealer prior to paint . This Avanti we painted 30 some odd years ago and it still looked great when I sold it .

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by 72c20customcamper

Car is coming out beautiful sanding is the worst part of the job but the most important.

Can I ask as to why you’re going to use epoxy primer ? When we did fiberglass cars we used polyester primer /filler as a base then a good sealer prior to paint . This Avanti we painted 30 some odd years ago and it still looked great when I sold it .

I'm far from an expert on this or any bodywork really. It's recommended on various sources. I think the epoxy acts as a sealer over the body which can have a couple different resin types. It bonds very good and any fillers you use bond well with the epoxy. I'm sure the way you did it works fine too. In part I'm using it because I have some. Lol

Cool car, top choice for the salt flats racers

[72c20customcamper]

Originally Posted by hgs_notes

I'm far from an expert on this or any bodywork really. It's recommended on various sources. I think the epoxy acts as a sealer over the body which can have a couple different resin types. It bonds very good and any fillers you use bond well with the epoxy. I'm sure the way you did it works fine too. In part I'm using it because I have some. Lol

Cool car, top choice for the salt flats racers

Was just wondering that’s all if you already had the epoxy then it makes sense we used featherfill then a sealer -thinned epoxy primer - but either way works

[hgs_notes]

Today I tried installing the alternative to the speed dial. It's just 4 wires, no problem. Went for a test drive and there was no change. Very disappointing.

Tomorrow I'm going to call ford performance and see if I can get some answers to solve the stalling and backfire issues.

Also, last week I picked up another paint to test. It's an OEM color but not common. Once I get them all sprayed on a panel I'll post up what I got and see if any of them are what I want.

I've been waiting for delivery of a coolant fitting and found out that my order was lost, so I had to order another. So that isn't fixed yet.

[hgs_notes]

Got in touch with the Ford Techline and hopefully have the solution. They sent me another install instruction for the speed dial with a wiring diagram that I didn't have. I need to trace a couple wires in the harness and make sure they go to the correct pins, then direct wire the transmission VSS wires into it. I'll have to temporarily disconnect them from the dakota digital set up to try it. He said this should correct the problem but I will still likely need a custom tune for my set up because the default tuning is specifically for a mustang engine using the factory supplied air box, etc.

Also asked him why Ford no longer sells the speed dial when it is still required for the first gen coyote set up and he said the manufacturer Ford used to build it went out of business. He did say that the one I bought from MDL is supposed to be a good alternative though.

Anyway, fingers crossed that this fixes the problems.

[hgs_notes]

SUCCESS!!!

At least as far as the stalling issue. Still some popping from the exhaust on compression braking. Eventually I'll have to get the car into a tuner to get it optimised.

I replaced my leaky coolant fitting and it's holding for the moment too.

Here's a list of things that still need sorted out:

*Now I need to get the VSS to the dakota digital gauges since I disconnected it to go to the engine ECU
*Find a gauge lighting power wire, the one I thought it was doesn't work
*Narrow the rear end a bit to tuck the tires better
*Bump stops on the rear end to keep the tires from rubbing the body
*Transmission leak
*Coolant overflow tank install
*Wheel alignment, getting uneven wear on the front tires
*Bodywork, paint and interior, eventually

[LS short box]

Again far from an expert but at the body shop I help at after body work to get everything straight two coats of epoxy primer. Then a block with 180 grit dry. Then 320 on a block dry. Then 320 on a soft pad DA. Then sealer and base coat/clear coat.
In regards to paint colors many moons ago a body guy gave me some I think was good advice. He said drive thru local car dealerships and pick out a color you like. Do this because if you have to repair the paint in the future matching the paint is much easier.

[hgs_notes]

I might have the paint color picked out. I'm going to see if I can look at 1 more option yet but of the ones I've tried I have a favorite. What I have been looking for is a dark teal, something that looks dark blue until the light hits it and the greenish tones come through. Tropical Glitz ads have been popping up on my social feeds since before Christmas and they had a couple colors that looked right so I ordered a couple samples of Bikini Bottom and Cosmic Teal. I also tried to get a sample of the Aston Martin formula 1 team color but I think they mixed up the wrong code because it looked like seafoam green. Aston Martin had the color as a special edition on a production car and I even found one for sale that had the VIN listed so I could get the correct paint code. I'll post a pic of the car for reference.

Yesterday I painted the 3 colors onto a fender that I had painted grey primer then painted white across the top part. This is because paint with a lot of candy or pearl looks completely different over grey vs white. I'll post some pics of those results.

[hgs_notes]

The front of the fender is the Bikini Bottom one and in the lead right now for preference. The middle section was Cosmic Teal and over the white paint was too green. Over the grey primer I liked the color but not sure I want the multi-color flake. It was also more difficult to spray and coverage wasn't good.

But I had more of each color left over so today I mixed them in equal parts and gave that a try on the rear section of the fender. It sprayed well, covered in 2 coats. The color is good over the grey and over the white, similar to the Bikini Bottom on it's own. But it seems just a little more green to me in the light which made it look like the 98 mustang I used as a donor.

I'm going to see if a local HOK dealer might have samples to compare. Tropical Glitz is also a HOK dealer.

I took pics inside and outside. It's as close as I can get it to how it really looks. It doesn't come over well with the camera unfortunately. The last pic is the inspiration. It's a rendering. I've got bronze wheels and dark grey pipes.

[fatbass]

I like all the colors on that fender and would be happy with any.
It's going to look sharp regardless of what you pick.

[hgs_notes]

Not much progress lately. Busy work schedule and distractions. I did get my sidepipes back from Race Coatings the other day and they look great. I might have to get paint on the car sooner rather than later, lol

I'll post some pics of the distraction. It's a 1993 cushman UTV-Max, 48V electric. Our old cart has been increasingly frustrating with repairs to keep it going. Mostly electrical. It's a mid-year model that isn't easy to find parts for. So what do I do? Find another one that is probably even worse to get parts for. It's pretty heavy duty for a golf cart which is why they don't call it one. It needed the brakes bled and the fwd-rev shifter fixed. After 3 attempts I think I finally got that done. The brakes were an easy 10 minute job. The wife wanted the seats recovered. The originals were pretty good but she had some money and wanted to pimp it out a bit. She also bought a bluetooth speaker for it.

Time to get back on the cobra. Work is finally slowing down, more time at home. I'm going to get the hood scoop mounted next I think.

[hgs_notes]

Getting the hood done. You mark the hole from the underside and cut it based on that. Then flip it over to mark where the scoop goes. Doesn't really make sense when you discover how far out of square things are on the body. For instance, it says to measure 19" from the front edge of the hood to mark a line across the hood where the front of the scoop lines up. When I checked the marks measuring from the back edge they were off by 1/4" only 1 foot apart. The line was obviously crooked compared to the hole in the hood.

My hood is only cut down enough to fit into the opening. I don't have the gaps set yet. I'm going to do that before I actually attach the scoop. I marked the centerline of the hood but that can change depending on me shaving the sides down for the gaps. I could take more from one side or the other to shift the hood one side or the other. I need to mark the centerline on the hood opening in the body so I have a reference point. I know the hole in the hood is ok because it's based off the inset of the inner hood panel. I think I'm going to seal the area between the layers around the opening before I actually attach it also. I think they figure the rivets holding the scoop on will pull the panels together and that's good enough. The manual says to rivet the scoop in place but I might look for options on that. Maybe stainless screws.

I'm kind of disappointed with the scoop. I think it's just plastic. Kind of cheap.

And something a little out there but whenever I think of a hood scoop it reminds me of the Ted Nugent song Wango Tango talking about a Maserati. It's 3:40 into the song...
Now what you gotta do, I'll tell you what you gotta do
You got to pretend your face is a Maserati
It's a Maserati
It's a Maserati
It's a gettin' hotty
It's a Maserati, Maserati, Maserati
It's a fast one too man, that thing's turbocharged
You feel like a little fuel injection honey?
I'll tell ya about it, I'll tell you about it
I'll check out the hood scoop
I gotta get that hood scoop off, shine and shine and buff
I gotta buff it up, buff it up, buff it up, buff it up, buff it up,

Enjoy...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-2Q_dH7f88

[Grounded63]

If you go to the HOK website. You can go to explore colors, search based on color and effect. Which will bring up examples shown on speedforms, with the corresponding hok paint code.

https://www.houseofkolor.com/kolors/?ref=topnav

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by Grounded63

If you go to the HOK website. You can go to explore colors, search based on color and effect. Which will bring up examples shown on speedforms, with the corresponding hok paint code.

https://www.houseofkolor.com/kolors/?ref=topnav

I did better than that by going to a dealer for HOK and looked at the samples.

Finally got some progress on the dash. As I've mentioned before I want a wood dash. At first I was just thinking about something nice like a classic British sports car. Maybe some exotic wood. Just something different than a vinyl covered piece of sheetmetal. Then a friend told me about a new laser cutter he had access to that can basically carve wood into an image that is 3d. It's not just etched, the laser cuts the wood changing power to change the depth of the cut. What came to mind was snakes. If we could find the right image or have someone create one of snakes coiled up and then have the laser cut it into the wood. It took him a long time to figure out how to really use the machine but last week he was able to run a test.

The image he chose was a black and white Pic showing a snake coiled up. The image needs to be grey scale for the laser to work with. It turned out great. He ran the same image twice, next to each other and he stained one in black. I think it loses some depth and detail doing that but it was my idea. I asked him to try a different image that I sent him that after being converted to grey scale would have more variation. It turned out fantastic. He tried a couple things like lightly sanding it, wire brushed, stain and varnish. The original board right off the cutter was my favorite but it has to have something on it to seal it and protect the wood.

So here is a sample that we will be cutting the dash from. This is mahogany with varnish only. Also posting some pics of the earlier attempts.

[fatbass]

That will be one unique dash. Perfect for a Cobra.

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by fatbass

That will be one unique dash. Perfect for a Cobra.

Yep, and I’m planning more interior pieces for the wood also, like an arm rest, the speaker box that fits under the dash, on the transmission tunnel, etc. I finally finished the scuffing stage of the sanding on all panels. I have the hood pretty well fit. I noticed the trunk lid is still too wide so I need to work on fitting it better. The doors will get done when the body is back on the car.

Slight change of plans in that I’m going to do the filler work next then primer it. I ordered paint, clear coat and black sealer for it the other day. $1000 total can’t complain about that.

Added a pic of the autocad getting done to laser cut the dash shape. The ends aren’t right but he wasn’t finished yet. It’ll be right. He’s going to cut on paper first and send it to me to see how it fits. Then make adjustments as needed. I might bring the car up there to install it in case we mess something up, he can run another one or whatever.

[hgs_notes]

Time to see if my mudding skills are adequate. It's been a few years.

[CG]

Still progressing on this?

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by CG

Still progressing on this?

I am but has been slow because I’m making improvements to my shed. Hopefully it will be a much better work area. It’s 36 x 97 with 13’ high walls. The posts are getting rotten in the ground in some areas so I’m putting some concrete in around the sides to support it and replacing the big slider doors with roll up garage doors. The side I’m doing now had to be jacked up about 6” where the door was. Getting concrete delivered this Friday. Winter is right around the corner. Had our first frost this morning. I bought a big 3 point mounted snowblower and then bought the tractor it was connected to. My case tractor would probably work but it’s a diesel and doesn’t start when it gets below about 10f. The new tractor is gas and I know it works well with the snowblower. And it has a cab which is mandatory when blowing snow. The snowblower needed new bearings and the drive chain. I’ve been busy but not so much on the cobra. Oh also had the rear axle on my 71 rebuilt with new 3.73 gears. It drives better now with the OD transmission.

The first couple pics are on the front wall that I paid someone to do. The other pics are my work. I’ve done some small concrete work before but paid for the privilege to learn how they would do this particular job. The plan is to get around the whole shed so it’s well supported. Then pour a slab in the front section to work on and get a car lift installed.

The cobra body is now back on the chassis. The bucks didn’t support it good enough for sanding. I’ve Got a little bit more sanding to finish up then I’ll do the next layer of filler on a broader area to get the final shape right. Then back to the doors and hood and trunk lid for final fitting.

[hgs_notes]

Pics of my new tractor and snowblower.

Also some spacers my son machined for me. These replace the long bolts that are for mounting the rear bumper and hold the body in place. I had to pull the body hard to get it over those bolts, which was going to be worse to do after painting. Now the body slips on fairly easy.

[hgs_notes]

One more pic. A laser cut dash. Not full scale, he was testing it on scrap. Getting closer to doing the real one though.

[4u2nv]

Originally Posted by hgs_notes

I did better than that by going to a dealer for HOK and looked at the samples.

Finally got some progress on the dash. As I've mentioned before I want a wood dash. At first I was just thinking about something nice like a classic British sports car. Maybe some exotic wood. Just something different than a vinyl covered piece of sheetmetal. Then a friend told me about a new laser cutter he had access to that can basically carve wood into an image that is 3d. It's not just etched, the laser cuts the wood changing power to change the depth of the cut. What came to mind was snakes. If we could find the right image or have someone create one of snakes coiled up and then have the laser cut it into the wood. It took him a long time to figure out how to really use the machine but last week he was able to run a test.

The image he chose was a black and white Pic showing a snake coiled up. The image needs to be grey scale for the laser to work with. It turned out great. He ran the same image twice, next to each other and he stained one in black. I think it loses some depth and detail doing that but it was my idea. I asked him to try a different image that I sent him that after being converted to grey scale would have more variation. It turned out fantastic. He tried a couple things like lightly sanding it, wire brushed, stain and varnish. The original board right off the cutter was my favorite but it has to have something on it to seal it and protect the wood.

So here is a sample that we will be cutting the dash from. This is mahogany with varnish only. Also posting some pics of the earlier attempts.

What a fantastic idea you had there , you won't see another one like it , I like that .