John289
03-29-2022, 04:22 PM
After many years of wanting to and daydreaming about starting this journey of building a FFR replica the
the time has come. I must give credit to my wife, a few months ago she said, "I think you should build that Cobra you've
always wanted to do, I think it would be good for you!" So, I struck while the iron was hot.
In my youth I had a 68 Plymouth Barracuda Notchback with a 318 and a hurst 4 speed. More recently
I had a 65 Triumph TR4A, it had a Massey Ferguson engine with Zenith-Stromberg carburetors and a rigid axel,
and even though it had the suspension of a skateboard I loved driving it as often as I could, for New England anyway.
The fond memories of putting my daughter’s car seat in it and heading out on a fall day, are still burnt in my mind.
When she was five or six, before we went for a ride, I’d ask her where I needed to put the oil, and she’d point and say the dashpots.
I wound up selling it to a gentleman in Belgium UK, she still gives me a little grief over it.
I’ve always loved the Cobra, and many years ago when I learned about Factory Five Racing the thought of building a replica was
intriguing. Although I’ve had various cars, bass boats, and campers over the years and have done and still do as much of the
maintenance and repairs myself that I can, I have no illusion this will be anything but the most challenging project that I’ve done.
But I truly believe it will be the most rewarding on many levels.
So, on March 4th I placed an order for a 289 FIA Roadster with the following options with a delivery date of 12/17. Thanks to Mike
DiGiorio for the help and follow-up with my changes and emails.
289 COMPLETE KIT
POWDERCOATING ROADSTER CHASSIS
‘87-'95 STRAIGHT TUBES, STAINLESS
28 SPLINE 11.25" DRIVESHAFT
BODY CUT-OUTS
BOX 9A BLACK VINYL SEATS
FRONT LOWER ARMS - STANDARD WIDTH
3-LINK DELUXE REAR SUSPENSION
FFR 289 GPS GAUGE SET W/KIT
HYDRAULIC CLUTCH MASTER CYLINDER KIT
COMPETITION SIDE MIRROR
1.50" ROLLBAR GROMMET SET
15x8/9" 5 LUG HALIBRAND REPLICA WHEELS
WIND WINGS
SUN VISORS
ROADSTER WIPER KIT
ROADSTER HEATER/DEFROSTER
CENTER DASH SUPPORT COMPONENTS
289 FIA STYLE (BUMP) TRUNK
POWER STEERING COMPONENTS w/COMPLETE KIT
Yesterday, with the help of Mike Forte at Forte's Parts Connection, thank you Mike! I ordered the following package.
Ford Boss 302 with all parts to complete engine
Holley Sniper EFI kit
Cobra air cleaner and valve covers
Tremec T-5 transmission
Hydraulic Clutch kit
Moser 8.8 rear end with 3.55 gears and 11.65" disc brakes
Mechanical throttle linkage
Forte's DeWitts Degas Harrison Surge .5 tank kit
AC Pedal pads
I am also looking at additional options from Breeze, **********, Mike Everson, Russ's Roadster Shop, Acton Enterprises, FFMetal,
among others. Luckily I live in some cases, less than an hour or hour and a half away from most of these companies, so I may
darken their door every now and then for parts, information, and also to save on shipping of course ha.
I put a couple spreadsheets together to track the total build cost as well as the parts that will ultimately be used and another
one to keep track of vendors, parts, and information links.
I feel that this will a good setup for the intended use, cruise nights, car shows, going out for dinner, and some
occasional spirited driving. Sorry for the long winded first post but I know when I read others I like to see the story and
parts that people chose. I've learned a lot so far and undoubtedly they'll be many questions throughout the process.
Comments and insight are always welcome and appreciated!
Thanks for reading and I hope to meet some of you in the forum or at the Factory Five open house on 6/11!
John Webster
the time has come. I must give credit to my wife, a few months ago she said, "I think you should build that Cobra you've
always wanted to do, I think it would be good for you!" So, I struck while the iron was hot.
In my youth I had a 68 Plymouth Barracuda Notchback with a 318 and a hurst 4 speed. More recently
I had a 65 Triumph TR4A, it had a Massey Ferguson engine with Zenith-Stromberg carburetors and a rigid axel,
and even though it had the suspension of a skateboard I loved driving it as often as I could, for New England anyway.
The fond memories of putting my daughter’s car seat in it and heading out on a fall day, are still burnt in my mind.
When she was five or six, before we went for a ride, I’d ask her where I needed to put the oil, and she’d point and say the dashpots.
I wound up selling it to a gentleman in Belgium UK, she still gives me a little grief over it.
I’ve always loved the Cobra, and many years ago when I learned about Factory Five Racing the thought of building a replica was
intriguing. Although I’ve had various cars, bass boats, and campers over the years and have done and still do as much of the
maintenance and repairs myself that I can, I have no illusion this will be anything but the most challenging project that I’ve done.
But I truly believe it will be the most rewarding on many levels.
So, on March 4th I placed an order for a 289 FIA Roadster with the following options with a delivery date of 12/17. Thanks to Mike
DiGiorio for the help and follow-up with my changes and emails.
289 COMPLETE KIT
POWDERCOATING ROADSTER CHASSIS
‘87-'95 STRAIGHT TUBES, STAINLESS
28 SPLINE 11.25" DRIVESHAFT
BODY CUT-OUTS
BOX 9A BLACK VINYL SEATS
FRONT LOWER ARMS - STANDARD WIDTH
3-LINK DELUXE REAR SUSPENSION
FFR 289 GPS GAUGE SET W/KIT
HYDRAULIC CLUTCH MASTER CYLINDER KIT
COMPETITION SIDE MIRROR
1.50" ROLLBAR GROMMET SET
15x8/9" 5 LUG HALIBRAND REPLICA WHEELS
WIND WINGS
SUN VISORS
ROADSTER WIPER KIT
ROADSTER HEATER/DEFROSTER
CENTER DASH SUPPORT COMPONENTS
289 FIA STYLE (BUMP) TRUNK
POWER STEERING COMPONENTS w/COMPLETE KIT
Yesterday, with the help of Mike Forte at Forte's Parts Connection, thank you Mike! I ordered the following package.
Ford Boss 302 with all parts to complete engine
Holley Sniper EFI kit
Cobra air cleaner and valve covers
Tremec T-5 transmission
Hydraulic Clutch kit
Moser 8.8 rear end with 3.55 gears and 11.65" disc brakes
Mechanical throttle linkage
Forte's DeWitts Degas Harrison Surge .5 tank kit
AC Pedal pads
I am also looking at additional options from Breeze, **********, Mike Everson, Russ's Roadster Shop, Acton Enterprises, FFMetal,
among others. Luckily I live in some cases, less than an hour or hour and a half away from most of these companies, so I may
darken their door every now and then for parts, information, and also to save on shipping of course ha.
I put a couple spreadsheets together to track the total build cost as well as the parts that will ultimately be used and another
one to keep track of vendors, parts, and information links.
I feel that this will a good setup for the intended use, cruise nights, car shows, going out for dinner, and some
occasional spirited driving. Sorry for the long winded first post but I know when I read others I like to see the story and
parts that people chose. I've learned a lot so far and undoubtedly they'll be many questions throughout the process.
Comments and insight are always welcome and appreciated!
Thanks for reading and I hope to meet some of you in the forum or at the Factory Five open house on 6/11!
John Webster