Valve Covers – Soooo many choices Choices – small block stamped Ford, cast Ford, aftermarket, standard height, tall height, Gurney, Eagle, Weslake, ribbed or smooth, polished-wrinkle-painted, modified vents? Where does it stop? I knew there is a height issue of the valve cover but learned it is on both sides.Continue Reading

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 similarContinue Reading

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″ thickContinue Reading

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 tiresContinue Reading

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 findContinue Reading

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 beContinue Reading

  What began as a way to document my Shelby Cobra build and share what I was learning soon evolved into a much deeper journey into Shelby history. As my knowledge grew, so did my appreciation for the people, engineering, and passion that shaped the Shelby legacy. The addition ofContinue Reading

If it isn’t broke, it may still need fixing Without a plan, you’ll never know where you’re going. The RCR GT40 is a very good kit, and built as it was originally designed, many users will be very happy with the results. However, there are a few design considerations whichContinue Reading

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 CaliforniaContinue Reading

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 toContinue Reading