It's DONE!! Say hi to Jolene

[skidd]

I named my car after the Dolly Parton song Jolene.... My wife is jealous of nothing. . . except perhaps this car. ;)
Anyway... as of Today.. IT'S DONE!!
Just a few hours ago, I took a step back and said "No more parts to put on.. is it done? .. uh.. woh!! IT'S DONE!!".

Feb 2015, bought the first part. The motor.
Oct 2016, the base kit arrived.
March 2017, First Start
July 2017, First GoKart
Dec 2017, Street Legal (gel coat)
Drove it in gel coat most of 2018
Dec 2018, Started Bodywork
March 2019, Sprayed the colors
April 20 2019, DONE

Relevant Threads
Body Work (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?30841-please-critique-my-(already-started)-bodywork-stages)
DIY Self Canceling Turn Signal (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?24625-DIY-SolidState-Arduino-Self-Canceling-Turn-Signals)
Roll Bar Head Rests (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?28195-Classic-Bucket-Head-Rests)
Gas Strut Trunk Props (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?28194-Trunk-Prop-with-Gas-Struts)
Budget Removable Wipers (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?26986-Budget-Removable-Windshield-Wipers)
Miata TopTunnel parking brake (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?25590-Miata-Parking-Brake)

*edit a few nicer pics added on post #40*
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?31959-It-s-DONE!!-Say-hi-to-Jolene#40

*edit more pics added*
All the Pics here (https://www.ludicrous-speed.com/zp/Shanes%20Cobra/)


https://www.ludicrous-speed.com/zp/cache/Shanes%20Cobra/PhotoShoot/IMG_6547_595.jpg
(https://www.ludicrous-speed.com/zp/albums/Shanes%20Cobra/PhotoShoot/IMG_6547.JPG)


https://www.ludicrous-speed.com/zp/cache/Shanes%20Cobra/TheBuild/IMG_20190420_182916_595.jpg

https://www.ludicrous-speed.com/zp/cache/Shanes%20Cobra/TheBuild/IMG_20190420_170106_595.jpg

https://www.ludicrous-speed.com/zp/cache/Shanes%20Cobra/TheBuild/IMG_20190420_195613_595.jpg

https://www.ludicrous-speed.com/zp/cache/Shanes%20Cobra/TheBuild/IMG_20190421_144906_595.jpg

https://www.ludicrous-speed.com/zp/cache/Shanes%20Cobra/TheBuild/IMG_20190421_145213_595.jpg

Timelapse

https://youtu.be/W0cgHytJD38

[Sigurd]

Nice looking car

[bobl]

Congratulations! Great job. Just in time for some really nice cruising weather.

[wareaglescott]

congrats and enjoy many miles!

[GoDadGo]

Congratulations From The Dark-Dart Side!

[cv2065]

Congrats!! Looks like you'll get some nice cruising time before the scorching summer!

[Jeff Kleiner]

Attaboy! Enjoy it :)

Jeff

[GT Trooper]

Congrats!

[Bob Cowan]

"Done". That makes me laugh. ;)

Great looking car. Just in time for summer cruising, too. :)

[RJD]

Sweet ride! Congrats.

[seagull81]

Congrats. The car looks super.

[Mark Eaton]

Bravo! How about some more photos?!

[Straversi]

Congratulations, but seriously, one photo! Come on man, she’s a beauty. Show that girl off.
-Steve

[Boydster]

Sweet! Good lookin machine.

[wallace18]

Congrats!

[ronsdream]

Very nicely DONE. :rolleyes:
I love the name. Just in time for an Easter Sunday cruise.

Happy Driving and show that girl off.

Ron

[jrcuz]

Sweet, Congrats!
JR

[caesarmascetti]

fantastic, enjoy it. Where did u get the rollbar headrests?

[skidd]

fantastic, enjoy it. Where did u get the rollbar headrests?

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?28195-Classic-Bucket-Head-Rests

[skidd]

"Done". That makes me laugh. ;)

Great looking car. Just in time for summer cruising, too. :)

I forgot to install the door limiting straps. Doing that now... Guess I wasn't done yet!! Ooh.. yeah, and I have designs for a cockpit shade I'm still working on. Still need an alignment too... Huh!! Never really "done" am I? ;)

[Walt]

Very nice, and they are never done!
Walt

[Bob Cowan]

I forgot to install the door limiting straps. Doing that now... Guess I wasn't done yet!! Ooh.. yeah, and I have designs for a cockpit shade I'm still working on. Still need an alignment too... Huh!! Never really "done" am I? ;)

No, they are never really done. Because we're gear heads and wrenchers, and what would be the fun of having a finished car to just drive around?

[WIS89]

Congratulations, she looks great; however, like the others, let's see some more pics!

With "...auburn hair, ivory skin, emerald green eyes, and a soft voice like summer rain..." Jolene deserves more pictures, man!

Enjoy your new ride and the hard work that went into her.

Regards,

Steve

[skidd]

Thanks for the props guys! And.. yeah.. uh.. sorry for the total "tease" with a lack of pics... more added.

[rsw81]

Congrats! She's beautiful and your wife should be jealous! What head rests are those?

[steno]

All done... for now! Congratulations!!!

[cgundermann]

Very, very sweet! Have fun with her now!

Chris

[caesarmascetti]

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?28195-Classic-Bucket-Head-Rests


thanks man

[Dewey McBride]

Very nice! Love the rims.

[Tacojoe]

Nice car- did you keep the GT40P heads? I build a 2001 Exploder motor and i'm a big fan. Only big mod was a Trickflow TFS1 cam (221/225 @ .050)- love the sound & power band

Well done!

[skidd]

Yep.. still rocking the GT40Ps. And an e303 cam. She gets up and moves pretty nice. I'm not at all disappointed with the power, or the lope.

[Tacojoe]

Just looked up the specs on the e303 / that's a mighty fine street cam my friend. Love these explorer motors because they are so cheap and nobody wants them!

[skidd]

That 99 Exploder motor was the first part I found for my car. Over a year before even ordering my kit.
I'd been snooping around Craigstlist for months and months... just watching for deals on parts I knew I'd need.. motor, trans, axle.. etc.
I found a guy selling that complete 99 Explorer 302 with 98k on the clock.. for $500. Included all accessories too. some of which I kept for my build.
Brought it home, pulled off everything I didn't need (intake, headers, ECU, Wiring, sensors, valve-covers, etc) and sold the extra stuff on CL.
After which I had a good Long-block for only $75. Turns out the Explorer intake and other bits are good upgrade parts for FoxBody guys.
Bought a re-boxed Weiand Stealth intake, upgraded valve-springs, that e303 (used), valve covers, 600cfm carb, '85 distributor, chevy 4-pin HEI ignition conversion.. and voila!
I was off to a good start for my uber-crazy budget goal of $25k total on the road.
Craigslist, RockAuto and eBay were pretty instrumental... I found excellent deals on some of the major parts.

- $140 for the Stealth Intake on ebay
- $200 for the carb on eBay
- $65 for the aluminum valve covers
- 2005 T5Z and Fox BellHousing on CL for $300
- SN95 8.8 axle already with 3.55 gears; calipers; PBR front calipers, SN95 spindles; fox brake boosters; and more little bits $350 on CL (used the calipers for core-charge returns on RockAuto)
- complete '98 Fuel tank $70
- '98 pedal box with new(ish) clutch cable $20 on CL
.. you get the idea ...

FYI.. I tracked every expense of my build.. yeah... despite the plethora of "No.. don't do it, you'll regret it".. I did it anyway.
+- a few hundred at most, I came in at just a hair over $27k. Bwooyeah!!

And the only thing I regret.. that I would have done different was to have F5 powder-coat the frame.
Painting it myself was just not worth the effort and cost savings given how (meh) it turned out.
I mean, the paint will suffice for my needs.. but.. powder coating would have been worth it.

[Yama-Bro]

Looks great, man!

[Tacojoe]

Skidd - that is a solid SOLID deal for a T5Z - NICE - even if I didn't need it, i think i would have picked it up for that price! I landed about the same as you on price ($29k or so) i think we have very similar builds. Longer term (for me) - i have an 89 5.0 block i plan to stroke to 347. I don't think the car needs it, but if i'm doing a full engine build, why not right? :) Right now, i just love driving this thing - such a joy - on the weekend i typically stop for coffee and take it on a 40-50 mile cruise in the country - can't be beat. I've had 4-5 motorcycles over the years too (VTX1800, CBR600, Nighthawk, SV650) and for me, i would still take the Cobra over any one of these on a sunny day

[skidd]

That's why I love living in South Texas. I can pretty much drive it all year round. And I do.. I commute to work in it, take it to the grocery store, pick up the kids from school (1 at a time). Every chance I get.

P.S. Added a timelapse youtube video to the first post. Kinda long, but.. oh well.

[Tacojoe]

Great video! Ok full transparency- my favorite part was seeing the Easter bunny in the front seat

[Rome]

Gorgeous, congrats!

[John4337]

Looks great, enjoy the drive

John

[skidd]

Found myself I nice country road.. stopped and snapped off a few nicer shots of Jolene.
Enjoy!


https://www.ludicrous-speed.com/zp/cache/Shanes%20Cobra/PhotoShoot/IMG_6534_595.jpg
(https://www.ludicrous-speed.com/zp/albums/Shanes%20Cobra/PhotoShoot/IMG_6534.JPG)


https://www.ludicrous-speed.com/zp/cache/Shanes%20Cobra/PhotoShoot/IMG_6555_595.jpg
(https://www.ludicrous-speed.com/zp/albums/Shanes%20Cobra/PhotoShoot/IMG_6555.JPG)



https://www.ludicrous-speed.com/zp/cache/Shanes%20Cobra/PhotoShoot/IMG_6539_595.jpg
(https://www.ludicrous-speed.com/zp/albums/Shanes%20Cobra/PhotoShoot/IMG_6539.JPG)



https://www.ludicrous-speed.com/zp/cache/Shanes%20Cobra/PhotoShoot/IMG_6547_595.jpg
(https://www.ludicrous-speed.com/zp/albums/Shanes%20Cobra/PhotoShoot/IMG_6547.JPG)

[wareaglescott]

snake in the grass!! Great pics

[Just puttering]

It looks like the POM winner to me!!! Very nice...

[Desert Snake]

The video is fantastic and your paint looks spectacular.

[John T]

Looking good. I like the grey color, and I really like the black roll bars and side pipes.

[Steven K]

Great colors.

[skidd]

Looking good. I like the grey color, and I really like the black roll bars and side pipes.

Don't forget the black side vents and quick Jacks too! Thanks, Yeah, I was pretty happy how the blacked out bits worked with this color combo!

[WIS89]

Thanks for posting the extra pics; she really looks great! I bet you get lots of comments from folks who admire how she looks.

You did a really nice job, and I am very impressed with the budget numbers you finished with. Periodically, you will see people post that it can't be done, but you have demonstrated that it can.

Congratulations again on a great car! I hope you get to enjoy the heck out of her!

Regards,

Steve

[Jkviper]

Looks terrific, enjoy your ride!

[Megascott]

Snake in the Grass is my favorite. The timelapse build video is a classic, definitely one of my favorites as well. Nice work.

S.

[Duke66]

She's a beauty!
Enjoy!

[Bob-STL]

https://www.ludicrous-speed.com/zp/cache/Shanes%20Cobra/PhotoShoot/IMG_6539_595.jpg
(https://www.ludicrous-speed.com/zp/albums/Shanes%20Cobra/PhotoShoot/IMG_6539.JPG)



https://www.ludicrous-speed.com/zp/cache/Shanes%20Cobra/PhotoShoot/IMG_6547_595.jpg
(https://www.ludicrous-speed.com/zp/albums/Shanes%20Cobra/PhotoShoot/IMG_6547.JPG)

These are just plain BAD!!!

[skidd]

These are just plain BAD!!!

Those are my 2 favs too.