Time to say hello and join the party...

[Ray W.]

Why? Because I placed my order yesterday, and my completion date is Dec. the 13th! My name is Ray, and I live in South Carolina. I've been reading all the posts on this forum (and a couple others) for a while, and I'm blown away by the workmanship I've seen in the pictures that have been posted. I've already benefitted greatly by the knowledge being shared. When I was thirteen years old, I saw an ad for a kit car catalog and ordered it. In those pages I saw an ERA replica, and that was the first time I'd ever laid eyes on the body style I won't mention by name. The hook was set then, but it's taken a lot of years to get to this point.

I ordered the base kit and added these options:
Powder coat chassis
3 link rear suspension
pin drive front so I can run the nostalgic style wheels I like (in 17")
smith style gauges
stainless bumpers
wiring harness
wind wings
hood hinges
radiator

This is a budget build, using mostly new parts, but with a salvage yard engine. I have no interest in building a show car--just a good looking driver. I intend to do all the work myself, including body work and paint.

4.6 engine, under car exhaust, with an automatic transmission. Yes, I can hear the groans of displeasure--and I agree. Blame it on the guy who pulled out in front of me in the Chevy Nova, or on the farmer who planted corn up to the edge of the highway and created the blind spot in the curve. I broad sided the Nova at 55 mph on my Kawasaki--never even had a chance to hit the brakes… I was nineteen then, and my steel reinforced right leg in now over an inch shorter than my left. That led to more wear and tear on my hip joints, and now, at age fifty, I'm getting warnings every day. Though I can still handle a stiff clutch now, my crystal ball is telling me that it won't be pleasurable in the future--and I plan to drive this roadster until I'm so old I'm forced to give up my driver's license.

I know by what I've read on the forum that I'll be welcomed with open arms--and I thank you all for that in advance. I'm looking forward to being a part of this fraternity.

[Jeff Kleiner]

Welcome! You won't be catching any heat from me on your powertrain choices; I've long said that a 4.6 with automatic and undercar exhaust would be my choice for a long haul and daily driver :)

Jeff

[bil1024]

Congrats! Keep us all updated

[CraigS]

Welcome, you are in for a really great time!

[2FAST4U]

Sounds like a solid build plan

[rezell3d]

Welcome to the forum.

[rmiller64]

Welcome Ray your wait for delivery will be filled with many hours of building in your head. My first ride was in a stock 4.6 that scared the heck out of me.

[skullandbones]

Hi Ray,

Glad you got hooked like a lot of us have. I know what you mean about the body and joint issues. I had a hip replacement after many years of abuse in martial arts and skiing injuries. I will eventually probably go the auto route after my clutch leg gives out. Have you considered paddle shifter as a way of still using the manual mode, sort of? I love it in the Camero. The 4.6 is an awesome engine. You can't go wrong there. The only thing is giving up a little room but you can compensate for that. Looking forward to hearing and seeing your posts. Good luck, WEK.

[Ray W.]

Hi Ray,

Glad you got hooked like a lot of us have. I know what you mean about the body and joint issues. I had a hip replacement after many years of abuse in martial arts and skiing injuries. I will eventually probably go the auto route after my clutch leg gives out. Have you considered paddle shifter as a way of still using the manual mode, sort of? I love it in the Camero. The 4.6 is an awesome engine. You can't go wrong there. The only thing is giving up a little room but you can compensate for that. Looking forward to hearing and seeing your posts. Good luck, WEK.

Thanks, WEK. They say it takes bravery to grow old, and I believe there's a lot of truth in that. I have the paddle shift in my BMW 1 series coupe, and it's fun to play with on a twisty road. Unfortunately, there aren't many of those where I live. The shifting points programmed into the computer on that car are so spot on that I never feel the need to put it in manual mode during normal driving. I did put it to good use the last time my wife and I were in the Gatlinburg area. ;-)

[MPTech]

Welcome and enjoy your build!
I built a Base Kit and enjoyed selecting my components.
Just remember, the donor parts are 20-ish years old.
I installed new radiator, fan, fuel tank, wiring harness, new brake pads (HP) and rotors.
And remanufactured power steering rack and power brakes (M/C, booster, and calipers).

If it's helpful, here's my build plan: MPTech Build Plan (http://www.ffcars.com/forums/17-factory-five-roadsters/264052-mptech-build-plan-revision-9-counting.html)

[myjones]

Welcome
No heat from me either, drive what you want.
I am fully capable of driving a stick but I just prefer an auto and the freedom to choose a stall speed that makes me happy and puts me in the powerband instantly.

Hemi 33
6.1L hemi stroked to 7L yep that's a 3G 426 with SMPI and a 6pack of throttlebodies and a 3spd auto with a .69 OD

[riptide motorsport]

Welcome to the madness!

[chopthebass]

Welcome Ray. Don't see many builds with under body exhaust. Will you fab that yourself?
Auto is good! These cars weigh as much as a shoe, and pretty much with any engine/tranny combo it will go like sh*t off a shovel!

[Avalanche325]

Welcome Ray! I usually give people a hard time about automatics. All in fun though. The fact is, the baddest Cobras of all, the Super Snakes, had automatics. I like the paddle shift idea to keep you in control. Nothing wrong with a 4.6. They are a good dependable engine and quieter than the old school engines.
What part of SC? I grew up in Myrtle Beach.

[Ray W.]

Welcome Ray. Don't see many builds with under body exhaust. Will you fab that yourself?
Auto is good! These cars weigh as much as a shoe, and pretty much with any engine/tranny combo it will go like sh*t off a shovel!

Thanks. I intend to do the exhaust myself, and have done it on motorcycles in the past. I've actually been considering using 1"X3" thin wall for the exhaust under the car, and using the same tubing to double back, then double back again to create a muffler with very little back pressure. The area of a 2" circle is 3.14", and the 1X3 is 3.00", so it's not much more restrictive than 2" tubing. I had a 2000 Mustang GT with the 260 hp 4.6, so I know the engine. I'm looking forward to seeing what it can do in the lightweight roadster.

[Ray W.]

Welcome Ray! I usually give people a hard time about automatics. All in fun though. The fact is, the baddest Cobras of all, the Super Snakes, had automatics. I like the paddle shift idea to keep you in control. Nothing wrong with a 4.6. They are a good dependable engine and quieter than the old school engines.
What part of SC? I grew up in Myrtle Beach.

I moved to Myrtle Beach in Dec of 1981 and lived there ten years. Now I live in Manning, which is about equal distance from Florence and Sumter. The YouTube of Bill Cosby talking about the Super Snake is hilarious. ;-)

[CraigS]

Saying up front that I don't know much about auto trans, I'd do a bunch of research before doing a paddle shifter. I haven't driven any yet that I liked the way the paddles or buttons worked. Also, I am not sure how well an AOD can be made to shift, no matter the style of shifter, so a paddle could be a real waste of time. I would look for pics of original cobras w/ autos and think about duplicating the shift lever and console.

[Ray W.]

Saying up front that I don't know much about auto trans, I'd do a bunch of research before doing a paddle shifter. I haven't driven any yet that I liked the way the paddles or buttons worked. Also, I am not sure how well an AOD can be made to shift, no matter the style of shifter, so a paddle could be a real waste of time. I would look for pics of original cobras w/ autos and think about duplicating the shift lever and console.

Paddle shift was just an idea WEK was putting out there as an option, but it's not something I'm really interested in doing to the roadster. The transmission in my BMW isn't really an automatic, it's a manual with a computer controlled dual clutch. I would imagine it would be very expensive to make an AOD behave the same way with paddle shift, if it was even possible. I'm actually going with a C-4 with a manual valve body, so I can shift it when I want, or just leave it in drive and let it do the shifting. A built C4 is around a thousand dollars less than a built AOD. I've already purchased the bell housing to mate a C-4 to the 4.6. I like the idea of being able to adjust the shift points with a "tunable" modulator valve, and I don't like what a faulty TV cable can do to an AOD transmission. Of course, going with a C4 means giving up the overdrive, but if I go with a taller gear in the rear end, that won't be much of an issue. Many of the early V-8 mustangs that came with an auto had a 2.80 gear, and I've read that's no longer available. A 2.73 (according to the tremec gear calculator) should put me around 2500 RPM cruising at 70 MPH, with a top speed of around 155 MPH. I'm okay with that, since a 3.08 would put me over 3000 RPM at 70 MPH. I realize that I'm losing a little speed "out of the hole" with the 2.73, but I'm not building the car for drag racing. That said, I am planning a few performance enhancing engine mods. ;-)