RE: Thunder Road Cobra 289FIA

[L100NYY]

ewenm said:

L100NYY said:

jellison said:

Thank god for that not just me.

Most New stuff leave me cold, wider tyres, more power, tc, abs, yawn yawn - DULL.

I concurr.

I conquer (the modern masses with my unsilenced, rudimentary but so much fun V8).

[pointstohead]
I see what you did there!
[/pointstohead]

[RLK500]

That 289 is so nice. So much nicer than the 427 reps. kicking around. The chrome pipes and towel rails on the 427's are just naff, but that 289 is ace. Reminds me of Aiden Mills-Thomas's original 289 that he used to race, lovely.

[dinkel]

A 289 ticks my box too.

Spa6 2006:

Trust me, a 5 litre gives nuff pace.

Klassiekerrally 2007:

Late 60s rep.

[L100NYY]

That race 289 is Dink.

[fatboy18]

I prefer the 83 car behind its Left Hand Drive, poper!

Edited by fatboy18 on Wednesday 12th December 13:08

[jellison]

RHD for me (converting my 289) - Not a Cobra but a Cobra Killer

B89's are a shit load to make fast (the engine if full fia) - whereas a later 302 is pretty cheap (But not FIA).

[runt]

The great thing about all these Fo Mo Co 'small blocks' is their light weight/compactness; I admire the big block 427 FE, but in a Cob the steering will be heavy; the 351 Windsor is of the 289/302 family, but with a longer stroke accommodated in only a slightly bigger crankcase, so.. I went for a 351w with Eagle stroked crank for my Dax; 396 c.i. or 6.5 litres, 460 ft/lbs of torque, but doesn't corrupt the balance in corners, same light weight/compactness as those original 289 racers, with the Cobra valve covers it even looks the same underbonnet.

John; Boss heads for the Griff..?
Paul/runt.

Edited by runt on Wednesday 12th December 15:49

Edited by runt on Wednesday 12th December 15:51

Edited by runt on Wednesday 12th December 15:54

[jellison]

runt said:

The great thing about all these Fo Mo Co 'small blocks' is their light weight/compactness; I admire the big block 427 FE, but in a Cob the steering will be heavy; the 351 Windsor is of the 289/302 family, but with a longer stroke accommodated in only a slightly bigger crankcase, so.. I went for a 351w with Eagle stroked crank for my Dax; 396 c.i. or 6.5 litres, 460 ft/lbs of torque, but doesn't corrupt the balance in corners, same light weight/compactness as those original 289 racers, with the Cobra valve covers it even looks the same underbonnet.

John; Boss heads for the Griff..?
Paul/runt.

[/footnote]

Has to be the original HiPo Heads from the 289 (iron) as does the block for FIA papers.

Only 2 bolt main unlike the 302 / Windsor. You can get thicker HiPo Caps. Just flowing the heads by someone like Knight Racing can cost 5k! You can pay 20 for a full fia 289 (but 430+bhp - from +60 though 4.8).

Some people recon you can get 450 on 48 ida's but I have a Special Shelby 715 fully rebuilt as new. Anything over 400 will be fine for me in the UK races.

We think we can do it for alot less as we have the flow numbers we need.

There is stacks of cheating at events like SPA where an alleged Mustang weighing 250kg more than a Cobra or Griff can smoke it on the straights! (No scutineers though!). The Rich just lob in a stroker 347 for these type of events! Total bollox but what can you do.

[dinkel]

Please stop 'Tony Dronning' here Jon.

[dingocooke]

Back on topic, heres my old 289 Lemans (a post SVA Hawk)







This had a 351W squeezed in; lovely body work, shame about the lurid handling (351cu in plus live rear axle plus 205 x 15's = lots of sideways driving hehe)
More period inside than th ethunder road car as it doesnt suffer from the RAMs super wide transmission tunnel (my previous cob to the Hawk was a RAM; mind you that wide tunnel stops you picking up fat chicks though...)

Edited by dingocooke on Wednesday 12th December 18:13

[jellison]

dinkel said:

Please stop 'Tony Dronning' here Jon.

Not many on here will understand that.

I do just. Maybe Ray Bellming!

289 Cob will always be better than a Fat 427 Big block and in most situations faster.

[runt]

Yep, 400 horse sounds 'adequate'..! Those intrepid 'sixties Cobra pilots used to say that the 427 was no quicker on most circuits; and less extravagant cornering was called for..than the 'chuckable' 289.

Just been 'surfing/researching' 'anorak' style and.. the firing order on 289/302 and..428 FE is identical!
Slightly different on the two 351; Cleveland and Windsor, MARKEDLY different on Chev 350; which is why Ford sound better!

John, Cheng is cheaper than Knights..!

[dinkel]

Since this is a Cob-topic:


Most have a 350 CID or a RV8 in on their 427 badged Cobs.


Is it so hard to find a 427, 428 or 440 to drop in?


Anyways, they always turn heads. Either good or bad reps.

Without words:




Feck me!

[dingocooke]

Theres quite a few big block cob reps running in the UK now, the main things stopping people going BB are, cost to buy, cost to run, and as Paul (Runt) intimated, balance; its a lot easier to get a good balanced car with a small block yank V8 than a big block; note I said easier; not impossible!!!
Mind you, if youve been in a BB car, you understand why it was done; no substitute for cubic inches as tha man said...
Of course the Chevy/versus Ford arguement will run forever, but Shelby wanted to put a Chevy in 'his' car originally, buy Chevrolet weren't interested; the rest as they say, is history and now the period correct fans (me included) insist on a Ford in their fakesnake; the more pragmatic out there go for the Chevy; you get more hp for less money with a Chev too...anyways, IMHO an 'ugly' cobra replica is probably prettier than a whole raft of modern sportscars!!!

[stephen300o]

dingocooke said:

IMHO an 'ugly' cobra replica is probably prettier than a whole raft of modern sportscars!!!

For me though, got to have wood rim wheel, eight cylinders and not have cream high back seats and an auto box. Keeping authentic classic.

Edited by stephen300o on Wednesday 12th December 21:29

[runt]

Yep, the great thing about this whole scene though is that as a kid growing up in the sixties I never imagined I'd get NEAR an AC Cobra of my own; to sit behind that Moto Lita wheel, look down that reptilian hood and fire up that explosion of V-8 noise is surreal, I don't mind what people do in their interpretation, each to his own, I'm into authenticity like Steve Dingo, but plenty to be done to my car yet (period dash etc)one can go on and on!
Luckily Dave at DB Replicas was prepared to deviate from mainstream Dax spec to give me the car I wanted, I could have had a FE big block but though they are breathtaking, things like heat dissipation also enter the equation, not good in a jam on the A12..

Paul/runt.

[dinkel]

runt said:

. . . I could have had a FE big block but though they are breathtaking, things like heat dissipation also enter the equation, not good in a jam on the A12.

Paul/runt.

Or in a jam at Tooley Street!
See the pic on page one posted by Phil. We were out in the creamy white 460 CID RAM Cobra and got stuck in an early morning TS packed with party peeps. Not good for the V8! We had to turn off the lump every now and then with the needle crossing the 100C mark. I guess Wayne and myself never did more swearing per feet that morning! Man were we going step by step. Lunatics trying to vomid in our lap and all that . . . That's were Phil got out of the 4.5 and snapped us. After a good 20 mins we were off and the Cob soon felt way more happy.

Every time I get a mail from Wayne he appologizes for that moment: no need! It's wonderfull to cruise London in a Cob like his: torque in the tunnels!

[jellison]

Runt - might have to talk to cheng regards flowing the heads.

Mind I still think Mini Miglia guys at the best, they get 140bhp from a 1275 mini lump.

[L100NYY]

dinkel said:

Please stop 'Tony Dronning' here Jon.

[racingsnake]

Floats my boat.
Less is more with cobs.