Black is black...

Well noted Paul!

The wheels will be machined to allow more threads to protude beyond the spinner and Richard is already on the case with that - what you see here is a worst case scenario, as the wheels photographed are trial sited on spacers.

We're on the case with revised length pins and I'm in touch with Gerry to understand his costs. 

In truth, not much will happen in the coming weeks, as I'm on holiday from Sunday, but the car will be ready, on its new wheels by Mid August.

My Hali's have already been sold to fund this extra work...

Lee 

One final update from me; the doors have gone back on the car today, newly trimmed and with door pockets and leather grab handles.  I have to say they change the 'feel' of the car somewhat and it does appear much more civilised than it did previously, why might also be down to the fact that it's weather-proof now too*, though that's a relative point.

I might well regret all this sealing, as the hot air from the footwells now has nowhere to escape to.  

Still, that extra waft of heat will be appreciated when winter comes...

Until Saturday then...

lee

*below the waist, at least

Dear all, 

So after a period of some radio silence, the car is pretty much ready for the Revival this weekend and I am due to collect it this afternoon from its summer retreat.  The Sunbursts have now been fitted following a rather protracted period of machining, plus the header gaskets have now been replaced, along with anti rattle shims added to the brakes in attempt to quieten them down.  The clutch has also been adjusted, as have the selector rods to assist with hopeful easier engagement of reverse gear.  Mechanically, it's early days to see if these tweaks lead to a easier car to live with, so a good 380 mile trip on Thursday should demonstrate some positive results.

In terms of the cosmetics, I really am delighted with the result; as a Street specification car, it really won't be for everyone, with its overly narrow rear track, but it's a broad church at which we worship and most importantly to me, it's a highly authentic representation of how it would have looked when new.

It looks fabulous Lee. My only comment would be about the rear hub caps. I know that the Race and S/C Cobras didn’t have them, but it makes no sense for the street cars not to have had them and every picture I found of original 427 Street Cobras on Sunburst wheels has them. I also think it would look finished with them fitted.

Other than that, it looks exactly like it should. Congratulations and well done, it’s precisely what we look for in our members’ cars. 👍🏻👍🏻👌

I hope the run down to Goodwood and back goes as well as you hope for. We’ll expect a full report. 😉

Paul

Thanks for your kind comments Paul; it's really coming together now and finally I have (almost) squeal free brakes, a more co-operative gearbox and headers that don't tick like a Timex! 

Now, with regards to those rear hub caps, I'm afraid I am going to have to disagree with you as they absolutely weren't a consistent standard fitment on all Street cars.  My reference car was the early Black 427 Street sold by the Legendary Motor Company and on their website, there are a number of high resolution images of this car.  In terms of originality of specification, it's a benchmark car and it doesn't have them fitted.

To be sure, I then took the liberty of speaking with Randy Richardson over in the states, he's a Pebble Beach Shelby judge and an authority on Cobra originality;  his view mirrored mine in that they weren't a standard production fitment on early street cars up to chassis number CSX3200t.  It's clear that most later cars had them back in period and certainly most cars have them today, but I'm sticking with no hubs caps as my car emulates a very early production series Street car, which is most certainly correct.

A full report on the Revival is sure to follow!

Lee

Posted by: Lee Marshall

Dear all, 

So after a period of some radio silence, the car is pretty much ready for the Revival this weekend and I am due to collect it this afternoon from its summer retreat.  The Sunbursts have now been fitted following a rather protracted period of machining, plus the header gaskets have now been replaced, along with anti rattle shims added to the brakes in attempt to quieten them down.  The clutch has also been adjusted, as have the selector rods to assist with hopeful easier engagement of reverse gear.  Mechanically, it's early days to see if these tweaks lead to a easier car to live with, so a good 380 mile trip on Thursday should demonstrate some positive results.

In terms of the cosmetics, I really am delighted with the result; as a Street specification car, it really won't be for everyone, with its overly narrow rear track, but it's a broad church at which we worship and most importantly to me, it's a highly authentic representation of how it would have looked when new.

 

I think it looks stunning Lee. All credit to you for your diligence and ‘daring to be different’.   A great contribution to the eclectic mix!

Best regards, Martin.

So, 420 miles later and around £250 in fuel invested, the car is now safely tucked up in the garage following my 20th Revival meeting; covered in Sussex dust and looking all the better for it.

I'll collate an event report under separate cover, for a future edition of The Cobra, but I said in my previous update that the recent expenditure in the car would hopefully result in a Cobra that was easier to live with, so I thought I'd provide an update on whether that has become a reality.

Over the weekend, the car has remained utterly reliable, maintaining constant oil pressure and water temperature, despite a wide range of driving conditions that included some stationary time on the M25.  The fans kick in as they should and actually, the much anticipated worry around excessive heat in the engine bay and cabin have so far proved to be without foundation.

The chief sources of irritation centre around the brakes, which continue to squeal under slow speed braking and no amount of anti rattle shims, bad language or head scratching have yet arrived at a workable solution.

There remains an occasional squealing from the rear off side of the car, which can't yet be attributed to either brakes, or suspension.  It appears to be rotational, but is so very occasional, that it requires further investigation and a long test drive is on the cards, accompanied by a suitable grown up, to identify the source of the din.

These squeaks and squeals have now been joined by the left hand exhaust, which is both rattling at the front of the system at anything under 2000 rpm and additionally squealing when the car goes over bumps and a failed rubber exhaust bobbin is a likely culprit.  The new header gaskets are now much quieter, with no further ticking apparent, so that's progress.

So, the car is once again going back to Richard Hodson for more investigation; yes, this is all part and parcel of the 'sorting' process which I had hoped had been finally resolved with the last outpouring of cash, but sadly I was wrong and I'm beginning to think I had been naive in this respect.

Taking a positive view, the car is pretty much where it needs to be from a cosmetic standpoint and it is fundamentally reliable in day to day operation.  The response it got at the Revival was universally positive, with one very well known AC restorer commenting 'well of course, I can see this is a genuine CSX car', on which I had to correct him that it wasn't quite of Thames Ditton origin...

I knew this project would be something of a journey, but I would like the 'sorting' element to become a distant memory soon.  Do I love this car?  Yes I do and my absolute intent is to keep it for a very long time, but I do desire that it becomes easier to live with in the coming months, with those little areas of irritation finally banished, or I suspect that the seeds of disenchantment may begin to take root...

Martin,

Thank you; that's very kind of you to say.  It might now look 'right', but there's still work to be done to get it functioning perfectly too.  See my other update...

Lee 

Pleased to hear that you didn’t have any issues of any consequence.

These cars are always going to be high maintenance mistresses Lee and you’re possibly going to find that more than most because every issue, big or small is potentially going to cost you money to get it looked at. I’d start to get to know your car a little more intimately if I were you, otherwise it could get costly. 😉😁

Paul

Lee, what brake pads have you tried so far?

You’re right Paul - it’s going in one more time and then I’ll roll up my sleeves and get down and dirty (or more likely plead ignorance and seek solace from fellow Register members). In truth, when you separate the emotion from the facts, we’re actually almost there, but it’s those little things that cause the most annoyance!  Roger - it’s had two different sets of pads on it, one more aggressive and one more suited to the road - I forget which type exactly, but both have been equally noisy. Richard (my ace spanner man) is of the view that the issue is vibration related, rather than pad material, so we’re going to speak with Hi Spec, who manufacture the calipers to get their view on next steps. 

I strongly suspect that you will enjoy the ownership experience far more if you undertake at least some of the work yourself. If you always have someone else do it, all you have is the emotion and that can very quickly become negative when there are issues.

I don’t know what you level of mechanical knowledge is, but you’re very welcome to bring it over to my place and we can get it up on stands and I can give you a guided tour from front to back and highlight the maintenance points.

With regard to the brakes, I don’t really understand Richard’s distinction between vibration and pads. Brake squeal “is” vibration. The calipers are unlikely to vibrate if they’re properly mounted, so it only really leaves the pads. The crux is finding out why.

Paul

I agree Paul and I will take you up on your offer - in any event, it would be lovely see you and frankly, what's better than poking about under an old car on a Saturday morning, with a cup of tea close to hand?  Let's get something in the diary in the coming weeks before winter draws in.

Regarding the brakes, I am investigating substituting the current Hi Spec calipers for Girling ones, as I'd like the car to be as original as possible (plus I want the squealing issue done and dusted once and for all).  I am in the very early stages of discussion about this with Mr Brookes- this might not go any further than a conversation, but let's see as that would be my ideal outcome, subject to cost.

Lee

If you have Greenstuff (or any other colour 'stuff') they will likely squeal.  Try the appropriate Ferodo DS2500 or 3000 for your caliper style.

Posted by: Roger King

If you have Greenstuff (or any other colour 'stuff') they will likely squeal.  Try the appropriate Ferodo DS2500 or 3000 for your caliper style.

Thank you Roger - I will investigate and revert.

Having spoken to Mr Brookes regarding the Girling calipers, this might not be a workable solution at right now, as the disks, drive pins and rear uprights would also need replacement; something I'm not prepared to do at this moment in time, but may well consider in the future as part of a longer term view to get the car in a specification that's even closer to original.