Sunday 16th November
Well a quick update on the Sporting Bears Event today at the Classic Motor Show.
My car was one of two Cobras there, the other being a Bright Yellow Rover powered machine. There were a whole host of other exotic, super and classic cars there too.
Rides in Cobie were advertised at £40 each with ALL money going directly to the charity.
During the day I did 12 rides raising just shy of £500 and using a tank or so of fuel in the process!!!
This is a great cause and the look on the passengers faces when they heard the roar of the 6.3 V8 was priceless. A young lad form South Wales summed it up perfectly when he just turned and looked at me with a huge grin and said "Wow!! Thats Proper is that. Proper!!"
NEC Classic Motor Show November 2014
Delighted to be taking Cobie to the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show at the NEC on Sunday 16th November and to be providing Charity Rides with Sporting Bears
About Sporting Bears...
The "Bears", as we are affectionately known, are a dedicated group of classic car and sports car enthusiasts with one primary aim - to raise money for children's charities through our own social and touring events, and to support other charitable events. It is to the club's credit that annual subscriptions support the club overheads thus allowing all monies raised from events to be directed towards the selected charities. Since the Club was formed in 1989 we have been very active and have raised over £1,000,000 for children's charities in the UK.
Hoping that as many as possible will book a ride and raise money for these good causes. Fingers crossed for good weather...
About Sporting Bears...
The "Bears", as we are affectionately known, are a dedicated group of classic car and sports car enthusiasts with one primary aim - to raise money for children's charities through our own social and touring events, and to support other charitable events. It is to the club's credit that annual subscriptions support the club overheads thus allowing all monies raised from events to be directed towards the selected charities. Since the Club was formed in 1989 we have been very active and have raised over £1,000,000 for children's charities in the UK.
Hoping that as many as possible will book a ride and raise money for these good causes. Fingers crossed for good weather...
New Project - Peugeot 205 1.9GTi
With the Cobra build complete, my build buddy Ali and I have been working a new project, albeit it on a very low key basis since February 2014 - this time for something entirely different... A Peugeot 205 1.9 GTi Re-Build.
I have a blog running showing progress, if you enjoy reading this blog why not take a look.
http://keitht68gti.blogspot.co.uk
I have a blog running showing progress, if you enjoy reading this blog why not take a look.
http://keitht68gti.blogspot.co.uk
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| Peugeot 205 1.9GTi - Tired and in need of total re-build |
Prescott Revival (2)
Meant to upload these photos when I posted the GD ones at Prescott Revival...
Not really a huge fan of the Marcos but these were two really nice examples. One a classic coupe and the other a prototype Marcos Spirit 220 which new Marcos owner Tony Brown was proudly displaying.
Not really a huge fan of the Marcos but these were two really nice examples. One a classic coupe and the other a prototype Marcos Spirit 220 which new Marcos owner Tony Brown was proudly displaying.
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| Classic Marcos Coupe |
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| Marcos Spirit 220 Prototype |
Prescott Revival
Sunday 10th August 2014
This weekend is Prescott Revival arranged by the Marcos Owners Club. Had been planning to take the C~obra and had pre-booked 6 runs up the hill.
As seems to new typical of the Britsish weather it was torrential rain all through Saturday evening and Sunday morning. It seemed pointless to take a rear wheel drive, open top high performance car so I took a modern Golf GTi Mk7. This meant I could at least have some fun up the hill.
Was good to see some other GD'ers braving it though, with Andy, Darren and David in their T70's and Charlie with BAM. Managed to get some decent photos of the guys - must figure out how to start posting to Facebook!!)
This weekend is Prescott Revival arranged by the Marcos Owners Club. Had been planning to take the C~obra and had pre-booked 6 runs up the hill.
As seems to new typical of the Britsish weather it was torrential rain all through Saturday evening and Sunday morning. It seemed pointless to take a rear wheel drive, open top high performance car so I took a modern Golf GTi Mk7. This meant I could at least have some fun up the hill.
Was good to see some other GD'ers braving it though, with Andy, Darren and David in their T70's and Charlie with BAM. Managed to get some decent photos of the guys - must figure out how to start posting to Facebook!!)
Classic Le Mans 2014
I had decided some weeks ago that I would like to 'dress' the car in period race decals for the trip to Classic Le Mans.
I finally sorted out a design layout (getting hi-res images was challenging) and on Monday this week my local supplier, Signs Express, put all the transfers onto the car.
The result, in my opinion, is fantastic but judge for yourselves...
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| Classic Le Mans here we come... |
Classic Le Mans - Car Prep (3)
As promised, Andy sent out a new steering column last week which SH Autos swapped for the original one. With the old column out of the car it was easy to see just how bad it was. The run out on the spindle was horrific, the bearing shot and generally beyond repair. If only we had checked this more thoroughly first time around. Note to other builders: Double check every component before final fit.
Anyway, the new column was fitted and the car put onto the 4 Wheel Laser Alignment ramp. With updated settings from GD (the old ones suggested positive rear camber not negative!) the car was set up as advised.
Unfortunately the weather wasn't great so I was unable to get out and properly road test the new set up until a couple of days ago. The result I have to say is outstanding - this car does actually steer and handle like a modern car now (apart from at very slow speeds due to the lack of power assistance).
Most of the other little jobs that needed doing before the Le Mans trip have now been completed too and were hoping to be blessed with good weather.
Anyway, the new column was fitted and the car put onto the 4 Wheel Laser Alignment ramp. With updated settings from GD (the old ones suggested positive rear camber not negative!) the car was set up as advised.
Unfortunately the weather wasn't great so I was unable to get out and properly road test the new set up until a couple of days ago. The result I have to say is outstanding - this car does actually steer and handle like a modern car now (apart from at very slow speeds due to the lack of power assistance).
Most of the other little jobs that needed doing before the Le Mans trip have now been completed too and were hoping to be blessed with good weather.
Classic Le Mans 2014 - Vehicle Prep (2)
Along with the steering issues, the list of jobs needing to be sorted before the Le Mans trip are:-
- Bell housing cover to be refitted
- Change oil & filter
- Fit mesh to oil cooler and brake ducts
- Fit document holder and and fire extinguisher to transmission tunnel
- Investigate knocking behind dash
- Make and fit side screens
- Sort problem with gauges giving high readings
Given time available, I had to call on Adrian at SH Autos to give me a hand with these items as well as the steering.
As at today the side screens have been made and fitted, the oil and filter has been changed and the bell housing cover re-fitted.
As the Le Mans trip is a classic/historic event, I thought it would be nice to 'dress' the car in period race livery. With some help from my Marketing Manager (who is a complete whiz on Photoshop) we have come up with the following concept.
Classic Le Mans 2014 - Vehicle Prep (1)
Having gone to Classic Le Mans in 2012 and then the 24 hour race in 2013, I was keen to head back to CLM this year with the Cobra.
Since the car went back to the factory to have the suspension set up, I covered a further 1000 miles or so and I still wasn't happy with the handling and more specifically the steering. The steering is very heavy and the wheel doesn't return to centre after cornering which is quite concerning.
There are a number of other little jobs that need finishing off before heading down to France, so I took the car to my local garage, SH Autos in Bromsgrove and let Adrian, the owner of the business, take a look as he had previously helped out when I was having build issues.
After a few days in the workshop, the fault, or rather the series of faults, have been identified. Firstly, the pinion gear on the rack hasn't been made particularly well and it is quite notchy. We took the rack over to Kiley Clinton who confirmed this but they did say it shouldn't affect the steering as much as it does.
The next thing that was identified as a weakness was the UJ's in the two part linkage between the column and the rack. These were adjusted and lubricated but will probably be replaced with a better quality replacement.
With the rack back in and the car up on ramps it was clear that at every revolution of the steering wheel the rack showed huge resistance. Further investigation pointed to the centre bearing that support the connecting linkage. With this loosened off the rack would operate freely. The dilemma this presented that the linkage and centre bush needs to be tight but this stops the steering operating correctly. Further investigation revealed what we assume to be the route cause of the problem however.
The steering column is a modified Vauxhall Vectra column. Where the spindle comes out of the column it isn't running true and this causes the resistance through the centre bearing.
Just spoke to Andy and he is sending a new column out overnight so hopefully this will rectify the problem.
Since the car went back to the factory to have the suspension set up, I covered a further 1000 miles or so and I still wasn't happy with the handling and more specifically the steering. The steering is very heavy and the wheel doesn't return to centre after cornering which is quite concerning.
There are a number of other little jobs that need finishing off before heading down to France, so I took the car to my local garage, SH Autos in Bromsgrove and let Adrian, the owner of the business, take a look as he had previously helped out when I was having build issues.
After a few days in the workshop, the fault, or rather the series of faults, have been identified. Firstly, the pinion gear on the rack hasn't been made particularly well and it is quite notchy. We took the rack over to Kiley Clinton who confirmed this but they did say it shouldn't affect the steering as much as it does.
The next thing that was identified as a weakness was the UJ's in the two part linkage between the column and the rack. These were adjusted and lubricated but will probably be replaced with a better quality replacement.
With the rack back in and the car up on ramps it was clear that at every revolution of the steering wheel the rack showed huge resistance. Further investigation pointed to the centre bearing that support the connecting linkage. With this loosened off the rack would operate freely. The dilemma this presented that the linkage and centre bush needs to be tight but this stops the steering operating correctly. Further investigation revealed what we assume to be the route cause of the problem however.
The steering column is a modified Vauxhall Vectra column. Where the spindle comes out of the column it isn't running true and this causes the resistance through the centre bearing.
Just spoke to Andy and he is sending a new column out overnight so hopefully this will rectify the problem.
Factory Visits to GD and EDA
Thursday 27th March 2014
After passing IVA, Andy said to me that I needed to put about 500 miles on the clock and then bring it back to the factory to be set up properly once everything had time to settle down.
I was keen to get this done as I haven't been entirely happy with the handling up til now, particularly under powerful acceleration as the car seemed quite 'twitchy' and a bit like a high power front wheel drive car with a bad dose of torque steer.
I had discussed this with Andy and he was confident this would be resolved quite easily... and as usual he was right!!!!
Having had several consecutive days of early Spring sunshine, it was no surprise that on the day of the factory visit the forecast was horrible!!! So, arriving at the factory with the car on the new Brian James Race Shuttle and one eye on the weather, the trailer was unloaded and Andy was straight out with his various gauges and spirit levels.
First off damping was adjusted slightly on the front suspension. Then the rear alignment was adjusted, adding a fair bit of toe in. Next, rear ride height was dropped about 10mm and damping adjusted. The final tweak was then to set the rear camber angles correctly as there was a quite a bit of variation between left and right wheels.
Having made these adjustments, it was off up the road with Andy at the wheel. As a passenger, the car seemed stable and responsive through the various bends and roundabouts and was pulling up in a straight line under braking.
Andy then asked me to drive the car to see how it compared. Literally a mile up the road I could tell that the changes had make a huge difference. The car now went in the direction it was pointed, it didn't twitch under acceleration and it didn't follow the camber of the undulating roads as it had previously.
We got back to the factory just before the heavens opened and loaded the car back on to the shuttle for the short ride up to EDA in Castleford to have the carb set up. Ken rang just as I was leaving to say he had been called away to Donington, but 'Dyno Den' his colleague would be there to sort out the carb issues I had been experiencing.
Arriving at EDA, Denis decided to change the plugs and increase the plug gap to .040" from .025" before looking at the carb. This didn't seem to make too much difference so the carb was swapped for a brand new one. Float levels were checked and adjusted and vacuum was set up. Several tweaks later I headed back home hoping that the slow running problems were now a thing of the past - unfortunately I am still getting lumpy tick over and uneven performance sub 2000rpm particularly when coasting. A further trip back to Ken is required.
After passing IVA, Andy said to me that I needed to put about 500 miles on the clock and then bring it back to the factory to be set up properly once everything had time to settle down.
I was keen to get this done as I haven't been entirely happy with the handling up til now, particularly under powerful acceleration as the car seemed quite 'twitchy' and a bit like a high power front wheel drive car with a bad dose of torque steer.
I had discussed this with Andy and he was confident this would be resolved quite easily... and as usual he was right!!!!
Having had several consecutive days of early Spring sunshine, it was no surprise that on the day of the factory visit the forecast was horrible!!! So, arriving at the factory with the car on the new Brian James Race Shuttle and one eye on the weather, the trailer was unloaded and Andy was straight out with his various gauges and spirit levels.
First off damping was adjusted slightly on the front suspension. Then the rear alignment was adjusted, adding a fair bit of toe in. Next, rear ride height was dropped about 10mm and damping adjusted. The final tweak was then to set the rear camber angles correctly as there was a quite a bit of variation between left and right wheels.
Having made these adjustments, it was off up the road with Andy at the wheel. As a passenger, the car seemed stable and responsive through the various bends and roundabouts and was pulling up in a straight line under braking.
Andy then asked me to drive the car to see how it compared. Literally a mile up the road I could tell that the changes had make a huge difference. The car now went in the direction it was pointed, it didn't twitch under acceleration and it didn't follow the camber of the undulating roads as it had previously.
We got back to the factory just before the heavens opened and loaded the car back on to the shuttle for the short ride up to EDA in Castleford to have the carb set up. Ken rang just as I was leaving to say he had been called away to Donington, but 'Dyno Den' his colleague would be there to sort out the carb issues I had been experiencing.
Arriving at EDA, Denis decided to change the plugs and increase the plug gap to .040" from .025" before looking at the carb. This didn't seem to make too much difference so the carb was swapped for a brand new one. Float levels were checked and adjusted and vacuum was set up. Several tweaks later I headed back home hoping that the slow running problems were now a thing of the past - unfortunately I am still getting lumpy tick over and uneven performance sub 2000rpm particularly when coasting. A further trip back to Ken is required.
Trackday - Donington
Sunday 16th March 2014
Had a phone call from Chris Morgan, a race instructor friend of mine on Thursday evening saying he was involved with a track day at Donington on Sunday and he wondered if I fancied taking the Cobra for spin... Really? It took me about a nano second to say YES!!!
The track day was being run on the full GP circuit and Im a big fan of this track although I have never driven around it before. As I wasn't able to get on track til the afternoon session, I wanted some sighting laps before taking the Cobra out - there was some seriously fast kit on track including M3's, Clio Cup Cars, Caterhams and the like and I didn't want to be getting in the way - I got Chris to take me out in his mate, Pete Edwards, Clio Sport. With a couple of laps completed it was back to the pits to warm up AC62COB, affectionately known as 'Cobie'. And then it was me in the driving seat with Chris sat next to me giving me the racing lines to get the most out of both car and circuit.
With a few laps under my belt, I was beginning to feel more confident and was happy to take the Cobie out with Chris by my side, replaced instead by a couple of friends. Will from work and my co-builder Ali had come with me and were desperate to get out on track.
I had been advised previously that it makes sense to trailer your car to a track day - I never really got this until Sunday afternoon when, after an adrenaline packed session came to a close it was time to head home. The last thing I wanted to do was drive Cobie back down the M42 for an hour. Next time the Race Shuttle will be attached to the Range Rover and we will enjoy a more serene return.
Had a phone call from Chris Morgan, a race instructor friend of mine on Thursday evening saying he was involved with a track day at Donington on Sunday and he wondered if I fancied taking the Cobra for spin... Really? It took me about a nano second to say YES!!!
The track day was being run on the full GP circuit and Im a big fan of this track although I have never driven around it before. As I wasn't able to get on track til the afternoon session, I wanted some sighting laps before taking the Cobra out - there was some seriously fast kit on track including M3's, Clio Cup Cars, Caterhams and the like and I didn't want to be getting in the way - I got Chris to take me out in his mate, Pete Edwards, Clio Sport. With a couple of laps completed it was back to the pits to warm up AC62COB, affectionately known as 'Cobie'. And then it was me in the driving seat with Chris sat next to me giving me the racing lines to get the most out of both car and circuit.
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| Cobie in the pits waiting to go... |
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| Some last minute tweaking |
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| Lights are green which means... Go! Go! Go! |
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| Pulling away from Type R on the Straight |
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| Returning safely and in one piece |
Will was the first to brave it and we had a good few laps seeing lap times falling but as confidence builds as does exuberance and with that comes danger. On my penultimate lap with Will, having exited the Melbourne Hairpin safely, I built up a fair bit of speed heading to Turn 11, Goddards (the last turn before the start finish straight), and I left it a bit too late to brake. Standing on the middle pedal for all my worth, all four wheel locked up and I got into a bit of a wobble. Fortunately my season karting has given me some valuable experience on track and I was able to get the car back in a straight line and through the turn without coming off circuit. This could have been pretty nasty as there isn't much run off on this slow turn.
After that it was time to return to the pits to calm both myself and Cobie down and to do some vital check on engine oil and brake disc temperatures. All ok there, in fact Chris suggested I wasn't trying hard enough as the brakes were still way too cold to be effective.
Feeling all sensible again it was time to take Ali out on track. A half dozen or so fast laps followed and apart from a mild drift at the Esses there was no drama. Back once again to the pits.
Chris then suggested that I let pro-driver and instructor, Pete Edwards take me out in Cobie so he could give me some feedback on its set up etc. Somewhat reluctantly/apprehensively/nervously I agreed. I gave Pete a safety briefing - its an expensive car, theres no insurance, its still being run in, I need to be able to drive it back home, etc , etc - and we were off. I soon discovered that unlike being a passenger in other track day cars its much more scary being a passenger in my own car. Also Cobie has nothing to hold onto which makes life more interesting. Approaching the Melbourne hairpin for the first time with Pete at the wheel I was beginning to think oh well 1 lap out of 3 nearly done, soon be back safely in the pits when the unexpected happened... yup you guessed it, Pete lost it on the exit putting Cobie in a 360 spin, off the track and onto the grass, ending up about 4 feet from the wall. Impressed... I was not!!! Two slower laps followed and Cobie was back in the pits - safe but shaken.
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| Look closely and you can see the grass in the oil cooler following the 'off' |
On arriving home, seeing how dirty my pride and joy had got, I did wonder if I had treated Cobie badly by subjecting it to such harsh driving. But, its a 400+ BHP super car that was built for speed. The best place for speed is on a race track so...
When's the next track day??
Hood
The final major item required to finish my build is the fitting of the hood and tonneau cover.
I took the car in my new race shuttle to Intertrim at Telford on Monday and was able to go and collect it yesterday. As the sun was shining, I couldn't resist driving the car back on trade plates and wow - what a satisfying feeling.
Hood up, no side screens, bright, cold, dry afternoon the sound of my big V8 roaring through the lanes and B roads back home - roll on the summer and lots of hot sunny days.
This was the first time I had driven the car on public roads for more than just a mile or two up the local lane and there is still a bit of adjustment needed to the suspension set up in my opinion. The car still seems a little stiff, particularly on the front end and seems to skip over the bumps in the road rather than absorbing them. Also, there seems to be a rattly noise coming from the diff/rear axle under low revs which will need looking into.
My other dilemma following the driving experience was the steering wheel. I have gone for a Mota-Lita wooden rim and it looks a million dollars but it is very thin and so different to a modern wheel. I might end up swapping this for a leather trimmed wheel on track days and long drives.
Really pleased with the work done by Graham and his wife at Intertrim and certainly recommend them to any body else needing trimming work. While the car was with them I asked if they could fit a piece of carpet to the rear bulkhead inside the boot. I have always felt that this made the boot area look a little unfinished. Graham duly obliged and cut and fitted a piece for the princely sum of a tenner in cash!!
Speedo and Tacho Swap
Saturday 15th February
Well the dash is back out and the speedo is to be sent back to Speedy cables. Why? Well, I didn't calibrate it properly and when I test drove it a 20 mile run put 800 miles on the clock!! As I'm not planning on doing much more than 3,000 miles per annum I wanted it setting back to zero.
I had hoped that I would be able to get the dials out and swapped over without removing the dash but they were fitted really tightly so end the end it was another (and hopefully for the final time) dash out job! This is certainly something worthy of warning other builders about as it is impossible to reset the odometer without returning it to the supplier.
Well the dash is back out and the speedo is to be sent back to Speedy cables. Why? Well, I didn't calibrate it properly and when I test drove it a 20 mile run put 800 miles on the clock!! As I'm not planning on doing much more than 3,000 miles per annum I wanted it setting back to zero.
I had hoped that I would be able to get the dials out and swapped over without removing the dash but they were fitted really tightly so end the end it was another (and hopefully for the final time) dash out job! This is certainly something worthy of warning other builders about as it is impossible to reset the odometer without returning it to the supplier.
Saturday 22nd February
The dash is back in a looking good with the new instrument set up. The steering wheel has been realigned and the indicators cancel correctly.
Another job that needed sorting after IVA was the horn - I had asked Andy to look at this when he prepped the car but it must have been over looked and the tester didn't even the horn at IVA. The way I had it wired meant it worked on the push back position but not in the self return position. There were some mods that were needed to be done to the relay wiring which I had overlooked during the build. Essentially there is a thin purple wire that is looped across two relay terminals which needs to be cut and then an earth fitting to terminal 86 (not terminal 85 as per the build notes)
Headlamps
Sunday 2nd February
Swapped the headlamps today for Lucas P700s
I once saw a GD at the factory with these fitted and I was blown away by them
Nice Rear End
As Total Kit Car magazine had requested to do a shoot using my car, fortunately for me Andy agreed to tidy up a few of the jobs I had scheduled to do.
So off came the fog and reverse lights, the Q-Jacks were fitted as were the Wind Wings and Side Louvres/Grilles.
I hope readers will agree the rear end is rather sexy now...
So off came the fog and reverse lights, the Q-Jacks were fitted as were the Wind Wings and Side Louvres/Grilles.
I hope readers will agree the rear end is rather sexy now...
Total Kit Car Magazine
Friday 24th January
Andy at GD has just sent me this link to Total Kit Car Magazine website
Its a short intro to the feature they are doing on my car in the next issue
Fame at last!!!
Post IVA Alterations
Having got the car through IVA, there were always a number of changes I had planned to do as well as completing a few little jobs that I simply didn't get around to finishing off.
In summary the alterations are:-
And the outstanding jobs are:-
In summary the alterations are:-
- Swap Speedo and Tacho positions - really feel that the tacho needs to be closer to the driver.
- Remove fog and reverse lights - the original cars never had these and I think the car looks much neater with clean lines at the rear
- Fit grilles to wings
- Fit wind wings
- Fit Q Jacks to Rear - originally I had planned to fit to front and rear but on reflection I think the front looks just fine
- Swap headlamps for Lucas P700s - nothing wrong with the standard lamps but I think the P700s ooze class and add a real period feel
And the outstanding jobs are:-
- Fit hood and tonneau cover - to be done by Intertrim
- Source and fit carpet to rear bulkhead - there is a section of the boot that is uncarpeted that I want to cover
- Fit 12v power supply - will come in handy when travelling to Classic Le Mans to charge SatNav and the like
- Remove in-line fan thermostat (this has never been connected), re-position electric fan controller and add over ride switch
- Fit mesh to brake and oil cooler ducts
- Fit battery brain
- Fit tracker
- Fit stone guards to rear arches
- Set up suspension
- Fit wheel spinners
- Source and fit sump guard - I have asked Andy to come up with a sump guard for me. The Morosso sump I have is very low and is quite exposed and with the amount of speed bumps on our roads I think this could be a great safety device
- Apply GD decals
- Re-fit gear box bell housing cover plate - this was removed when setting up clutch and whilst ins't entirely necessary, I am happier with it in place than not
- Fit document holder to transmission tunnel
Post IVA Photoshoot
Saturday 18th January 2014
Today was another massive day in the story of this Cobra build. Andy had advised me last week that Steve Hole, editor of Total Kit Car Magazine, was visiting the factory and wanted to do a feature on GD and what they had in build. Andy told him about my car and said it was a good example of an old school Cobra and Steve asked if I would object to him doing a photoshoot and write up on my build.
As you can imagine I was delighted with this news and needed no encouragement to agree. I arranged with Andy that he would strip back all the nasty ugly IVA bits and bobs and make the car look pretty in time for the shoot.
When I walked in to the factory and saw my car gleaming I couldn't hold back the smile - it looked every bit as good as I hoped it would when I first set about my build - better in fact because it has been built to my exact specification, by me and my good mate Ali and there isn't another car anywhere in the world that is the same as this. It truly is unique and I love it.
Sadly, when I arrived at the factory, the rain was pouring and the sky was black and the chance of a photoshoot seemed impossible but after a cup of coffee and a good old natter with Andy and Steve about the build the rain stopped and we were able to get a few photos taken. To add to my pleasure, Steve was really complimentary about the car and said if the images come out ok he wants it to feature on the front cover of the Stoneleigh issue of the magazine and he also asked if I would object to having the car on the stand for the weekend. Andy also told Steve that he would gladly have my car as his factory demo car - high praise indeed from the main man himself.
Steve has promised to send me copies of his professional images, but for now heres a few I took myself.
Today was another massive day in the story of this Cobra build. Andy had advised me last week that Steve Hole, editor of Total Kit Car Magazine, was visiting the factory and wanted to do a feature on GD and what they had in build. Andy told him about my car and said it was a good example of an old school Cobra and Steve asked if I would object to him doing a photoshoot and write up on my build.
As you can imagine I was delighted with this news and needed no encouragement to agree. I arranged with Andy that he would strip back all the nasty ugly IVA bits and bobs and make the car look pretty in time for the shoot.
When I walked in to the factory and saw my car gleaming I couldn't hold back the smile - it looked every bit as good as I hoped it would when I first set about my build - better in fact because it has been built to my exact specification, by me and my good mate Ali and there isn't another car anywhere in the world that is the same as this. It truly is unique and I love it.
Sadly, when I arrived at the factory, the rain was pouring and the sky was black and the chance of a photoshoot seemed impossible but after a cup of coffee and a good old natter with Andy and Steve about the build the rain stopped and we were able to get a few photos taken. To add to my pleasure, Steve was really complimentary about the car and said if the images come out ok he wants it to feature on the front cover of the Stoneleigh issue of the magazine and he also asked if I would object to having the car on the stand for the weekend. Andy also told Steve that he would gladly have my car as his factory demo car - high praise indeed from the main man himself.
Steve has promised to send me copies of his professional images, but for now heres a few I took myself.
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| Mean and Menacing |
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| Reflections |
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| Cute Ass? |
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| 6.3ltr V8 455bhp EDA Blueprinted Engine |
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| Ready to Rumble... |
IVA Day
Monday 13th January
This is probably the biggest event in the build process - its IVA day. The day my car is either deemed road legal or not.
I was fairly confident that the car would pass as Ali and I had done a good job of checking everything we could think of and giving Andy a list of the jobs we needed him to finish off along with his usual pre-IVA checks.
The test was booked for 1:30pm and I had arranged to meet Andy at the test centre. That way the car could be transported there using Andy's covered trailer and therefore arriving without getting wet and dirty as it had done when I took it up to GD the previous week.
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| Andy from GD unloading my car for IVA |
These things include...
Additional silencing to the exhausts
Rear reflectors
Rear fog lamp
Reverse lamp
Steering wheel can't have wooden rim
Additional head restraints
Removal of seat adjuster bar
Rubber edging strip to various components - door handles, seat harness brackets, etc
Changing the boot lid handle
Side vents need to be blanked off
Andy has an IVA kit which he puts on the car which would really spoil the look and feel of the car if the final road going version needed to retain these items. Ive added some images to give an idea of what I mean.
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| Exhaust silencers |
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| Temporary steering wheel |
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| Side vent blanked off |
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| Additional head restraint |
The Actual Test
The test takes place at an approved VOSA centre and the car has to pass a series of individual tests that take place along a long 'production line' type setup.
The first stage was looking at the interior and checking to make sure there were no sharp edges, making sure all nuts and bolts were covered and doing a visual inspection of the whole car. I first started to worry at this point when the examiner asked why there weren't Nylocs on the steering rack nuts and bolts. Fortunately they have been fitted using threadlock so it was ok but will make a note to swap these over at a later date. Pass!!!
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| Checking interior of car far sharp edges etc |
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| Speedometer Test |
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| Emissions Test |
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| Emissions Result |
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| Emissions Result |
At this point headlamp alignment was also checked which caused another scare. The one headlamp was on main beam and the other on dipped beam and when the main beam stalk was pulled they would swap over. Fortunately we were allowed to swap the wiring over (a simple case of the bullets being on the wrong way) and another pass!!!
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| Steering, exhasut and lighting checks |
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| Brake Test |
And after all of this....
MY CAR HAS PASSED IT'S IVA AND IS READY TO BE REGISTERED!!!!
801 days after attending a car show in Florida and starting to dream of building my very own Cobra the dream is now real :)
Pre IVA
Spoke to Andy today who confirmed he had completed the pre-IVA jobs on my car that I had been unable to get finalised.
Andy also kindly sorted out the handbrake which I couldn't get to adjust properly. Turns out I had fitted the adjuster collar on the wrong side of the handbrake lever as can been seen in the photos below. This was a bit of a pain as it meant the drivers seat had to come back out!
The only thing needing doing now before the big day is to get the starter motor sorted. The one supplied by EDA doesn't engage properly with the flywheel no matter how I have shimmed it. Ken supplied an alternative unit a few weeks back but it looks identical and I have been having the same problems. Hopefully Andy can sort this out once and for all.
Andy also gave me some exciting news. Steve Hole, from Total Kit Car magazine is visiting the factory on Saturday 18th Jan and he is going to do a little feature on my car!!!
And to add to the excitement Andy has confirmed that he and a couple of other guys want to join me and a group of mates at Classic Le Mans in the summer.
Andy also kindly sorted out the handbrake which I couldn't get to adjust properly. Turns out I had fitted the adjuster collar on the wrong side of the handbrake lever as can been seen in the photos below. This was a bit of a pain as it meant the drivers seat had to come back out!
The only thing needing doing now before the big day is to get the starter motor sorted. The one supplied by EDA doesn't engage properly with the flywheel no matter how I have shimmed it. Ken supplied an alternative unit a few weeks back but it looks identical and I have been having the same problems. Hopefully Andy can sort this out once and for all.
Andy also gave me some exciting news. Steve Hole, from Total Kit Car magazine is visiting the factory on Saturday 18th Jan and he is going to do a little feature on my car!!!
And to add to the excitement Andy has confirmed that he and a couple of other guys want to join me and a group of mates at Classic Le Mans in the summer.
Rear Number Plate Lamp
Having sorted the wiring inside the boot for the rear number plate lamp, I wanted to fit the rear number plate to the car.
I had seen a great little bracket on Ryan's car when I was at Blyton and I decided to copy his idea.
Basically, the bracket mounts behind the number plate lamp and then the number plate is bonded to the bracket. This way the number plate sits square to the car and doesn't have to be bent to the shape of the boot and the boot doesn't need drilling.
To make the bracket, I had a small piece of aluminium lying around and I started by drawing around the number plate lamp as a template. I then cut this section before making the two 90deg bends that are required to suit the shape of the boot.
I had seen a great little bracket on Ryan's car when I was at Blyton and I decided to copy his idea.
Basically, the bracket mounts behind the number plate lamp and then the number plate is bonded to the bracket. This way the number plate sits square to the car and doesn't have to be bent to the shape of the boot and the boot doesn't need drilling.
To make the bracket, I had a small piece of aluminium lying around and I started by drawing around the number plate lamp as a template. I then cut this section before making the two 90deg bends that are required to suit the shape of the boot.
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| The bracket has to be folded twice at 90 degrees to fit the shape of the boot |
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| Fitted behind number plate lamp using same fixings |
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| Fitted |
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| And with the number plate mounted |
Number Plate Bar
Having fitted the front number plate bar, I got a piece of MDF and cut this to the size of a standard UK number plate.
I then stuck the number plate on to the MDF and on the reverse side I marked a centreline and then used P Clips to secure the assembly to the bar.
Originally I had planned to use a stick on number plate on the nose cone.
The advantage of this is that it would allow more air flow to the rad and I thought it would look cool but when i positioned the stick on plate I thought it looked better this way - still can always change my mind later.
I then stuck the number plate on to the MDF and on the reverse side I marked a centreline and then used P Clips to secure the assembly to the bar.
Originally I had planned to use a stick on number plate on the nose cone.
The advantage of this is that it would allow more air flow to the rad and I thought it would look cool but when i positioned the stick on plate I thought it looked better this way - still can always change my mind later.
Update
Sunday 5th January 2014
Guess its time for an update as I've been pretty quiet on the blogging front of late.
Whats the reason this time for the lengthy absence? Well quite simply I haven't done a fat lot on the car until the past few weeks.
With hindsight, rushing to get the car drivable for Blyton was a mistake because since then I have hardly done anything as most jobs needed stuff that had been completed for Blyton to be removed to allow other jobs to be finished off and then re-done. It has felt like a bit of an anti-climax to be honest particularly as holidays followed Blyton then before I knew it late autumn was upon us and cold, dark damp nights are hardly the most enticing weather to get working in the garage.
I applied and paid for my IVA back in September and there was some confusion with my application regarding the engine performance figures I had supplied to VOSA and also they said the engine needed to be certified by an approved inspector prior to IVA and the certificate was to accompany the car. This was something of a shock as I was led to believe that Ken at EDA could provide all the evidence that would be needed to verify the date/origin of the block. As is typical of many government agencies the red tape in getting this sorted delayed things several weeks. Anyway, following these delays I decided that I would wait to IVA and register the car until early 2014 so in the event I ever sell it, then it will be a 2014 car not a 2013.
The engine inspection was arranged and passed (although I am still awaiting the certificate in the post) and the performance data clarified and a test date of 13th January 2014 agreed.
I have now arranged with Andy at GD that I will drop the car up there on Tuesday 7th January and he will do the final IVA prep and I will then accompany him to the test in Nottingham on 13th. The car will then stay with Andy for some final fettling of panels and fitment of hood and tonneau before I register it, hopefully on 1st March. This will then entitle the car to a '14' plate but I plan to register on my own 'AC 62 COB' plate that I bought a while back.
Over the next few days I will do my best to update the blog with all the little jobs Ive been working on to get the car ready...
Guess its time for an update as I've been pretty quiet on the blogging front of late.
Whats the reason this time for the lengthy absence? Well quite simply I haven't done a fat lot on the car until the past few weeks.
With hindsight, rushing to get the car drivable for Blyton was a mistake because since then I have hardly done anything as most jobs needed stuff that had been completed for Blyton to be removed to allow other jobs to be finished off and then re-done. It has felt like a bit of an anti-climax to be honest particularly as holidays followed Blyton then before I knew it late autumn was upon us and cold, dark damp nights are hardly the most enticing weather to get working in the garage.
I applied and paid for my IVA back in September and there was some confusion with my application regarding the engine performance figures I had supplied to VOSA and also they said the engine needed to be certified by an approved inspector prior to IVA and the certificate was to accompany the car. This was something of a shock as I was led to believe that Ken at EDA could provide all the evidence that would be needed to verify the date/origin of the block. As is typical of many government agencies the red tape in getting this sorted delayed things several weeks. Anyway, following these delays I decided that I would wait to IVA and register the car until early 2014 so in the event I ever sell it, then it will be a 2014 car not a 2013.
The engine inspection was arranged and passed (although I am still awaiting the certificate in the post) and the performance data clarified and a test date of 13th January 2014 agreed.
I have now arranged with Andy at GD that I will drop the car up there on Tuesday 7th January and he will do the final IVA prep and I will then accompany him to the test in Nottingham on 13th. The car will then stay with Andy for some final fettling of panels and fitment of hood and tonneau before I register it, hopefully on 1st March. This will then entitle the car to a '14' plate but I plan to register on my own 'AC 62 COB' plate that I bought a while back.
Over the next few days I will do my best to update the blog with all the little jobs Ive been working on to get the car ready...
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