Colorado 289 build

Hello All!

My 289 kit is on order and set for June 2025! I am really excited to receive the kit and go through inventory, as I have promised my wife to check off some honey-do items before I can even think about lifting a wrench.
I stumbled across FFR about 18-years ago, but it was beyond my financial wherewithal. Fast forward to ~2.5 years ago and I come across an FFR on YouTube, I was hooked again. Last year, I was lucky enough to have a work trip out in Connecticut and added a day to check out FFR in the real. The whole team was incredible and Dave Smith was an absolute legend – taking the time to see if I was alright and talking me into a tour of the manufacturing / warehouse with Mad Dog. The operations are amazing and I would suggest making the trip out there for the tour for anyone who can.

On to build spec and general questions for any who care to comment – I would really appreciate any input as I would consider myself a noob. I have spent countless hours pouring over the forum, internet, YouTube, but don’t have any actual experience in building / riding / driving Cobra. The goal for the car is to have sufficient street manners and reliability to daily drive on any day above 50 degrees (we have a fair amount of those in Denver, even during early winter). I also hope to get a handful of autocross and open track days (High Plains Raceway) every year.

Build Specs

Hydraulic Clutch – Any thoughts on internal throw-out bearing vs external slave (Forte)? Sounds like McLeod makes a nice internal unit and I worry somewhat on the external components exposure to rocks/debris/etc.

IRS

Manual Steering – with ePowerSteering. Any thoughts on electric power steering and/or ePowerSteering? I like the idea of the adjustable assist while being able to increase the camber for more stability / bump steer / etc and save some of the HP loss. How difficult would it to add electric steering after the fact with time to decide if I need/want power steering at all?

289 style gauges w/ precut dash – Is there any other gauges/lights/information/etc. I should consider adding for a car I intend to put miles on?

Vintage Low-Back Race Seats

Powder Coating

289 Petty style Roll-bar – FFR did not seem to think there would be an issue with interference for shifting, etc, but I may consider a 427 style roll bar.


15 inch FFR Halibrand style wheels - 235/60R15 Front and 295/50R15 Rear – Looks like my options are either Goodrich or Cooper Cobras – any thoughts? I don’t plan on purchasing rubber until the build is closer to completion for obvious reasons

Gordon Levy 15inch wheel Wilwood kit (4-Piston) with hydraulic parking brake.

USRRC trunk (no bumps) – I’m still not 100% I made the right call on this, such a tough decision.

FFR Extras
Wind Wings
Sun Visor
Trunk Gas Strut
Vintage Wiper
Oil Cooler Kit – I know this adds an extra layer of potential failure – but too awesome to pass.
Front and Rear Sway bar
Assembled Side Louvers

Headers/Exhaust – I plan on scouring the forum for someone selling a set of FFR headers which I plan to have customized with the exhaust to be under the car (CSX 2345 & CSX 2537) as opposed to on the outside as FFR have designed them. Two reasons – I have heard the j-pipes steal a lot of horsepower and I plan on having my kids ride in the car and would prefer to decrease the chances of a snake bite causing the family to rethink the charm of road going race car. I also plan on doing something like Boig/Gas-N to save everyones hearing. Does anyone know if there is significant horsepower loss with this?

Drivetrain
Engine
302 Block – To reiterate – my goal is decent street manners with reliability and longevity at the forefront with about 450-500 HP and 425-450 lb. ft. OEM SBF 347 or aftermarket (Dart or Ford Performance) SBF 363. Do I need an aftermarket block with mostly street driving? Would all forged internals and internal balancing increase reliability and longevity? I also plan on running Forte’s direct throttle linkage.

Fuel/Air Delivery – with lots of planned driving and thin air (5,800 ft above sea level) I will be going with EFI. I like the Edelbrock PF4 system but have heard it could have some clearance issues with the 289 and the Super Victor intake isn’t necessarily the best for street driving a it is designed with a higher rpm band in mind. I have considered the Holly Terminator xMPEFI, but my shopping places it close to $1k more expensive than the PF4 system. Throttle body injection is an option too, but I’m not as crazy about it with the brains so close to the heat and the potential issues with the RFI. I have researched and quoted (loosely) from Levy Racing, Prestige Motorsports For Performance (per website). I’ve also thought about BluePrint, but wish they had a 363ci option. Am I glossing over anyone I should consider or other considerations for the engine I am missing.

Still maybe – Coyote – Since I plan on having a customized header/exhaust system anyway… I like the idea of a modern engine with more reliability (thoughts on reliability vs EFI 302?). My main concerns are the fabrication to the bay and/or engine mounts (no idea what and how difficult this could be), maintenancing a DOHC, super wide engine after installation, and ruining the charm of a 289 build with the look of new (dare I say ugly) engine.
TKX transmission with front shift relocation kit.
Aluminum flywheel – I was thinking of this but have heard this could be a pain for street driving – any thoughts? Should I go light weight chromoly?

Other extras (by supplier):
Forte
Seat Heaters – Is it very difficult to add wiring, etc. the harness that comes with the kit?
Triple Reservoir

Summit
Flex-Wave 105390 – There will be many days over 90 degrees and the extra cubes has me somewhat concerned about cooling. I have also heard this unit is significantly quieter than the FFR unit.
Canton 2qt coolant overflow – I have heard the FFR supplied is often not enough for pushrod stoker engines.
Locking Header Bolts
PTFE fuel hose 6an – is 6an large enough for supply and return lines with EFI?

Breeze
Dead Pedal
LED Light Kit
Brake Balancer
Radiator Fan Shroud and Cowl Cover
Upper and lower radiator mounting brackets (any thoughts on the need to use these)
Adjustable Throttle Pedal
Cockpit storage cubby

Finish Line
Oil Cooler Mesh
Extra hood prop rod?
Oh S*** Handle
Clear Turn Signal covers (not sure I need these with the Breeze LED light kit?)

520 Speed works
Roll bar boltless kit
Transmission Tunnel Aluminum
ePowerSteering

Michael Everson
Seatbelt Trim Plates
Dash Steering Hold Plate
Windshield Post Trim Plates

Other
i.e. 427 drop trunk – sidenote I really enjoy his YouTube channel and think it will be very helpful.

All Star Performance Radiator Protector

Metco drive shaft safety loop

Boig Cooling Tubes (Upper and Lower)

FFR Metal – thicker firewall

FK Bearings Rod End – As I understand these are much nicer/quieter than the FFR supplied ones – thoughts on the necessity of these?

Fat Mat Heat Insulation – doesn’t look like this is included in the kit...


In-tank electric fuel pump – any thoughts on what works for the tank that comes with the kit for a 500ish HP SBF?

Drop Solid Motor mounts – 1.25” drop mounts – will this create an issue with oil pan falling beneath the frame rails? Oil pan suggestions?

Herculiner undercoat

Wheel well liners – do I need anything for this to prevent damage? Any thoughts on what to use?

Brake line – is the stuff that comes with the kit fine, do I need to upgrade to NiCopp?

Rock Guard brake line protector

Other Ideas:

Battery relocation to above IRS center section or behind passenger side (if the fuel neck doesn’t interfere) for weight distribution, will have to see what can be done once the car is here – any thoughts on placement?

Footbox ventilation – Random Werks has a great idea here for a bilge blower behind the seat to avoid hot air rising up from the pavement – TBD if this will work with my low back racing seats

Am I missing anything that would make a daily driver insanely better?

I also plan on doing the body work myself and maybe the painting (or least the primer).

What tools are imperative to make the job easier/faster/better?


Thanks everyone, super excited for feedback and to get the car here and the build started. I'm targeting between 24-30 months from delivery, considering I have a honey do list that can't/won't take a rain check.

Can confirm that there is zero interference with the 289 bar. Passengers have said it helps with ingress/egress.

Double check the fit of the boltless mount on the 289 bars. I bought one and it didn't fit. Granted this was a few years ago.

Cooper cobras have worked well for me, the extra sidewall really completes the look.

The Boig pipes knocked about 10dB off the stock pipes. Mine was the prototype for their quiet-er pipes.

Be careful with standard 427 upgrades, additional tweaking may be necessary to get then to work properly. It can be done, just requires a little extra thought.

One other thing, I installed the oil cooler and found it unnecessary, and a potential source of leaks. I disconnected it but left the cooler in place.

Looking forward to seeing your future progress, like some on here, I will be making a future build myself. Still learning as much as poss.

FK Bearings Rod End – As I understand these are much nicer/quieter than the FFR supplied ones – thoughts on the necessity of these?

I have the rod ends on ALL of my arms ( NO poly bushings on the car anywhere) and they are probably the
best suspension upgrade I have ever done, and I will be duplicating them on a new build.

I will also recommend doing a ball joint upgrade to complement the rod ends....I have QA 1 BJ's.

You are welcome to see and feel the results on my car if you want.......I am in Fort Collins.

There are quite a few Colorado builders out here We have a NoCo Cobra/Coupe group (John S. (Coordinator)) that meets every month or so. Make sure to reach out to Derald or myself and will get you added into our text messages/FB group if you’re interested? All the best on your 289 build! Looking forward to following along…

Doug

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Originally Posted by cnutting

One other thing, I installed the oil cooler and found it unnecessary, and a potential source of leaks. I disconnected it but left the cooler in place.

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Thanks for the input,

I'll have to check with 520 to see if the boltless works on the petty style. I've been checking with the vendors on parts to see if the fitment will be all right as I know the body is a bit more narrow and have been told the tins are little different. FFR Metal noted the firewall shouldn't be an issue. I still need to double check most of the other pieces.

Thanks Derald,

This is helpful - do you know brand/part numbers for the rod ends and part number for the QA1 BJ's?

I'm down in Parker and would love to get a chance to come to one of the NoCo meetups. I just submitted a request to join the NoCo club. I have seen Cobras here and there at Cars & Coffee, etc, but haven't yet seen a Factory Five (289 or otherwise).

Great to see another 289 build. I will share that I have a Coyote in my 289 and have come to love it. I too was on the fence about the looks of the Coyote but I'm in a very small minority of opinions when I show the car. Everyone seems very excited to see that engine in there, especially the younger crowd. The performance and drivability are 10 out of 10. There were a few nuances to installing the Coyote in the 289 which weren't that difficult to address. The engine fits well because it fits in the MK4 chassis. The key is telling FFR that you plan to put the Coyote in the car so they can send the right pieces. The exhaust is the only real difference. I got the FFR coyote headers and modified the side pipes to work. Fortunately the flanges are the same. I ended up cutting a notch in the body similar to what is needed for the 427 side pipes. I had thought about creating a S bend offset but there isn't much space to achieve this. The notch is more rounded because it doesn't have "4 into 1" pipes. I took quite a bit of time slowly trimming the body to get this to fit well. I also needed to add a 3/4" thick spacer between the header and side pipe on the drivers side to shift the pipe out to match the passenger side. The stock side pipes themselves are ear splitting with the Coyote. I cut the center section out of the side pipes and added auger style baffles in front of and behind the glass packed portion. I tested it with 3 baffles and ended up adding 3 more for a total of 6. With the baffles, the idle is neighbor friendly but it still roars when you get on the gas. I still managed to win loudest exhaust at the second car show I attended. While I had the exhaust in three pieces, I used flat exhaust clamps to hold the pieces in alignment while I worked out the rotation of the mounting tab and the turn-out. I also cut about 1.5" off the end of the turn-out so it would be even with my rear wheel flares and tire. The best benefit to the exhaust mods is that I have significantly more ground clearance than I would have with the original setup. I'm running with 3.5" clearance from the pavement to the frame rails which is where it looks best with the 17" wheels and tires. I clear most speed bumps but am very cautious as I approach. I haven't had anyone call me out on the modified setup yet but I'm sure I'll eventually be called out by someone who knows the finer details about the USRRC/FIA. Even with the Coyote, I'm surprised how often I'm asked by car people if it is "real".

Pm sent