As I began work on my body spider, I noted the front lip was extremely wavy – It looked more like a Pringle than a flange. And as I sat it on the aluminum chassis, this was very apparent and just wouldn’t work. The cobra builds don’t have a similar item, they don’t match to a flat surface so the molding isn’t as critical. Not so much on the GT40 I placed wax paper on the aluminum and added short glass filler to the voids so it sat flat. But with that, I noticed two problems. Where it was added in, the lip varied fromRead More →

When I picked up my build, I found that the fiberglass people had been very generous with the flanges.  I determined that 3/4″ flange was a good place to start, it is unlikely one would need a longer flange. I cut a short piece of wood, making it 3/4″ thick and about an inch long. I radiused one edge so I could put it on the flange and use a marker on the outside to generate a trim line You’ll notice the pile of trimmings – and this only represents half of what was cut off. In other pictures on this site, you’ll see wideRead More →

Building a GT40 is a little different than that of a Cobra. They are typically delivered partially assembled. You’d think you’d just take it from there and finish, but that is exactly the wrong thing to do. The position of all the components is based on the wheelbase and tires of the vehicle. You are advised to document all the assemblies with photos since you are going to take it completely apart before you can begin to finish it. You’ll note on your initial inspection, the generous use of washers as spacers. This is fine to get the rough alignment but I choose to replaceRead More →

I am not afraid of a little research to make sure your project stays true to form. I saw this throughout my two Cobra builds. The process and end result is pretty well documented on the inner-webs. I did come to learn Dig deep and long enough, you will find an answer. There are a lot of experts out there, at least they think they are. And their answers are a little less than perfect. I can’t begin to fathom the job of building the originals without use of the internet. So putting together a GT40 is only slightly different than building a Cobra? NotRead More →

Delivery / Pickup A phone call to Fran Hall at RCR caught me a little off-guard. I was calling to see what the status of my build was – He said come pick it up next Friday. How’s that for notice? I scrambled to change my calendar around. It would be tight, next Thurs/Friday is the week before Christmas, the weather didn’t look good, but after a years anticipation, you just have to do it. A nine hour drive with a trailer to Detroit, an overnite in a local motel and waking up to about and inch of snow on the ground.  And now, a 9Read More →

The considerably smaller owner market means there are even fewer online build documentations. These are a few of the ones I have referred to. GT40 Supercharged Jason Ferraro’s RCR build Australia Ruffian GT40 Chris Ashton’s highly modified Superformance Southern CaliforniaRead More →

How many small blocks are there? When I decided to build a GT40, my experience with Ford engines was primarily Big Block FE’s. While there are multiple configurations of the FE, there is essentially one engine with some minor differences. Easy enough I thought that same logic would apply to the small blocks. Boy, was I wrong! The 289/302 has entirely different front dress arrangements, not just a couple but 11 at last count. And some couldn’t even be identified by year or model – it depended what Ford may have had on the shelf when the car ran down the line. Nothing seemed constant.Read More →

HM2023 Induction

These are snippets to help you in your process of choosing which  path and whether you want to go there or not. Just little points to remember. History Pursuing higher performance on a given package, a few small block cars were outfitted with Weber 48IDA carburetors. The results were spectacular. Although Webers were originally fitted to the MarkII GT40, they were soon replaced with Holley four-barrels. To our knowledge only one big block car was fitted with Webers (CSX3033) however it was an after production change-over. The car was originally delivered with the dual four barrels. But legend often overwrites history. The eight direct pathRead More →

While working on the steering, I decided to incorporate the self-cancelling turn signal mod. Update to current design The kit includes a VW turn signal lever. It has the self-cancelling mechanism built into it, it only needs an actuating cam to make it happen. But whoa, little buddy, it requires a little more attention than that. The cancelling cam is a 3/4″ shaft collar, with a couple bumps on it. I placed two welds, 135º apart and then sanded the profile. The PDF file shows the finished dimensions. You need to be fairly accurate in making this. Too small and it won’t cancel properly, tooRead More →

What cobra should I buy/build? I always answer this question with an explanation of the cars history and asking what are you trying to do? Do you want a good resale value, as cheap a build as possible or what?  As you become familiar with the hobby and the vehicle, you learn there are four tiers of cars available to you. Original Cobra: unless you have an unlimited bankroll, this is probably out of your range. At today’s market, 427 cars are going to run you 1-2 million, depending on their pedigree and condition. Continuation & Kirkhams: Often these are one in the same, ShelbyRead More →