Jesse builds another Cobra #11,061 - First body work shots

[Nigel Allen]

If you go with either of these colour schemes, you will need to buy a KTM motorcycle to put alongside.








Cheers,
Nige
(KTM rider and orange enthusiast)

[Blitzboy54]

My vote still goes to the Jeep Bikini Pearl, code PPT (note that there is also a Jeep Bikini Metallic, code PPE---they are NOT the same). You're right; AI doesn't get that right. Here's a more accurate representation:

As for "the safest choices and would give me the best resale opportunities", that kind of went out the window when you went for blackout wheels and trim, carbon fiber, chin spoilers and and tall seats! You want safe and the best resale opportunities I have 2 words for you..."Guardsman" and Wimbledon"

Cheers!

Jeff

Attachment 223666Attachment 223667

Thanks Jeff, If I go the blue/green route the Jeep is still my favorite. As far as the stripe spacing and whatnot that's just the limitations of the AI. I had always intended on traditional spacing. This little exercise is really just an inexpensive way to play with the color combinations.

The resale point is a fair one. Like I said, I may just have too much time to think about it.

You could probably hear that orange before you see it, so of course I like it. A good cartoon color for a cartoon car. Colors like Titanium Gray seem to me like trying to make it a luxury car when a Cobra is on the opposite end of the spectrum.

FWIW, I've had a couple of orange cars & trucks and while I loved them I found orange was a bit like yellow, people either love it or hate it. And more hated it than loved it so selling was difficult. I like orange but my wife hates it. Not sure why, maybe because she's from Oklahoma and Texas usually whips them in the Cotton Bowl?

I like loud. Honestly the louder the better. I agree orange is not for everyone, but I love it.

I like your point about the grey, although truth be told my wife really likes that one. She definitely has influence on the final decision.

[cv2065]

That Bikini Pearl with black stripes and orange pins would be cool. The Titanium Grey with black stripes and orange pins is also nice. The blue/green stuff and you're starting to look like a Miami Dolphins show car.

I think you have to accent a bright color like orange with a darker offset unless you just go balls deep with the orange body. I think about resale as well but go with what you love. Just my 2....

[Blitzboy54]

1 or 2 would be my vote Jesse, not that you are asking me... lol

Car looks good. I hope to have something similar soon enough but in an MK3 format.

I 100% asked you

That Bikini Pearl with black stripes and orange pins would be cool. The Titanium Grey with black stripes and orange pins is also nice. The blue/green stuff and you're starting to look like a Miami Dolphins show car.

I think you have to accent a bright color like orange with a darker offset unless you just go balls deep with the orange body. I think about resale as well but go with what you love. Just my 2....

Sage advice.

[PMD24]

My gut says for resale, out of the colors you've shown the grey would probably be what most buyers would choose. Just a guess though. I think about resale as well. I'm already thinking about my next build!

Pat

[Mike.Bray]

truth be told my wife really likes that one. She definitely has influence on the final decision.

You can do what I did. Sit your wife down and be firm with her that this is your car and your choice of whatever color you want to paint it. And then go with the color she likes

[JTG]

You can do what I did. Sit your wife down and be firm with her that this is your car and your choice of whatever color you want to paint it. And then go with the color she likes

That reminds me of a quote from a friend of mine.
"Marriage is all about compromise. My wife wanted a cat. I did not want a cat. So we compromised. We got a cat"

I have a feeling you're right about this, and may have no say in the color of our car when it comes time for that decision. I'm ok with that, she's an artist and has a great eye for color.

[Mike.Bray]

Women see colors better than men do, they have more cones in their eyes.

[Blitzboy54]

Women see colors better than men do, they have more cones in their eyes.

Luckily real suspect taste in men (at least in my case)

Mike I have been giving you cartoon comment some thought and that resonates with me. To Jeff's point go big or go home is what I have been going for so no reason to stop now. The wife and I have agreed to boil it down to a 2 horse race. To help I found some side and rear pics. These are incomplete but fills out how they would look. I was able to weed out the grey with this exercise. I like the 2 loudest combo's the best.

[Jeff Kleiner]

Jeff

[rickshank]

I like the last one. Also don't want to disagree with Jeff as I want to schedule with him

The "plain" orange is pretty good as well.

[Mike.Bray]

Now you're talking my language! I wanted red but my wife loves blue. Well, a blue Cobra isn't a bad thing but we did agree that boring old Guards blue wasn't going to cut it. We did a ton of spray outs and ended up with a beautiful candy blue over a silver base. A blue you hear before you see. I'm pretty sure there's not been a single person looking at our car that hasn't commented on the color.

20240517_101400 (Medium) Rotated.jpg

[Jeff Kleiner]

...Also don't want to disagree with Jeff as I want to schedule with him

Feel free to disagree with me! My powers of persuasion regarding colors are usually pretty good and most of the time I'm able to talk guys out of doing colors that I don't really love but I have still painted a couple that I didn't care for. Now, if somebody was about to do something really stupid I might draw the line... As my good friend Ron Everitt said to my other good buddy Tak when he built his roadster..."Nice car. Don't phuck it up by painting it some stupid color"

Jeff

[gbranham]

So if I change my mind from Patriot Blue to Pepto Pink, you'll arm wrestle me for it, Jeff? Hah.

[Jeff Kleiner]

So if I change my mind from Patriot Blue to Pepto Pink, you'll arm wrestle me for it, Jeff? Hah.

Like this? Been there, done that.





Jeff

[TrackDay17]

Like this? Been there, done that.





Jeff

Looks like a car Barney the dinosaur would drive.

Jeff have you ever painted a Cobra in Grabber Blue ?

[Jeff Kleiner]

Looks like a car Barney the dinosaur would drive.

Jeff have you ever painted a Cobra in Grabber Blue ?

Mk4 my buddy Henry built (and later sold) a few years ago was not actually Grabber Blue but was so close that virtually everyone who saw the car thought it was!



Jeff

[Fixit]

Hey, I resemble that remark...

(I think that's my "Mary Kay" car... Jeff?)

[TTimmy]

I vote for number 2 - Silver with orange stripes.

Thinking of painting my coupe "70 grabber orange or calypso coral.

Good luck with the decision!

[Blitzboy54]

Jeff's powers of persuasion are pretty strong. He mostly had me convinced I should stick with the Bikini pearl right up until he showed me that pink.

Pepto to the rescue!

[Jeff Kleiner]

Jeff's powers of persuasion are pretty strong. He mostly had me convinced I should stick with the Bikini pearl right up until he showed me that pink.

Pepto to the rescue!

I'll consider that your final answer Jesse...



Guarantee you won't find another one like it at the Cars and Coffee cruise-in.

Jeff

[Jeff Kleiner]

I vote for number 2 - Silver with orange stripes.

Thinking of painting my coupe "70 grabber orange or calypso coral.

Good luck with the decision!

Yes!!! Grabber orange!





Jeff

[cv2065]

Yes!!! Grabber orange!





Jeff

I suddenly have an urge to make a giant glass of yummy Tang!

[Blitzboy54]

Quickjack and New Wheels

I have been a quickjack lurker for quite a while. I don't have room for a proper lift and putting the MK4 on 4 jack stands is SKETCHY at best. I have to lift the front, put the stands in, then lever the whole car up to get the back up. I hate it! I had one of the fronts started to rock out and and I had to hit it with a dead blow to get it to sit square. That was it. I need a new system.

I purchased the 6000TL (this replaces the 5000TL). My daily drivers are not that heavy but I help friends with their stuff so it's nice to be able to accommodate. The only real downside is the bleeder setup is not well thought out. You have to make a mess by design. Best just to do it then clean up. It has an allen head bolt instead of proper nipple. It gets everywhere.



First thing is I have to get my car out of storage. I almost drove it home, would have been epic but I can't with the salt so trailer it is.



Now why bring my car back to the garage just to lift it up on my new lift you ask? Well I got new wheels! I was able to drive quit a bit before tucking her away. Greg from KC mentioned with my front wheels poking out as wide as they are I might be tearing up my paint. I think he might be right. The other thing is I think with the front spoiler I want the car to ride lower. I think I have 2 looks working against each other so I am going to tuck the wheels back in and lower the body down quite a bit.

First I have to take the spacer out. I cut the studs and need to replace them. Paul gave me the PN for the Dorman part and they worked out great. I found a cheap tool I got on Amazon that's tapered for a lug nut and has a bearing. The manual has you do it all wrong. With an impact wrench they went in in seconds. I just popped the old ones out one at a time with a hammer and pulled the new ones in. Took 20 minutes..easy peasy. Hardest part was taking the brakes out and put them back in.

[Blitzboy54]

I was able to get the quickjack in where I had the jack stands and lift it clean off. I have to say I am really impressed. It sits SO HIGH. I have always barely fit under the car. This is real treat!





I went with a different style of wheel. I was torn when I ordered the first set between a split spoke or solid. I decided to go back to my original look. I think these will work with the color scheme and the body tucked down tight.





I am keeping the bump stops, just moved them down the shaft and will lower the ride height after paint as it barely clears a Uhaul trailer as it is right now.

[jengum]

What are you using for lift points with the Quick Jack system?

I may have missed it in your build thread but did you wrap the side pipes with some fabric? I noticed the band clamp.

[cv2065]

Love the new wheels Jessie. It's all come together so nice. Let's get some paint on it!!

[Blitzboy54]

What are you using for lift points with the Quick Jack system?

I may have missed it in your build thread but did you wrap the side pipes with some fabric? I noticed the band clamp.

I have it on the 4 inch tube for now. it was the best way to get it up with where I had the jack stands. I like the idea of them under the seat pan area better I think. Either way it puts the nose of the car about chest height which is awesome.

I did use a Kevlar wrap with SS zip ties. This is a temp solution so I could drive around. I was going to order shields but the company I was going to order from isn't taking orders anymore. Another lesson of these builds is a lot of vendors are boutique businesses. If you wait to buy something sometimes it's no longer available. I should have jumped at it.

[Jeff Kleiner]

So happy that you pulled those wheels in! I was pretty sure they were going to be a problem even with the ride height jacked up

Low is the way to go



Cheers,
Jeff

[Blitzboy54]

Chin Spoiler Gasket

I've been trying to figure out if I am going to make the front spoiler removable or not. My preference is yes, for no other reason than getting it on an off a trailer. The other option is to have it permanently attached and don't worry about the paint underneath.

If you look at some of the photos of the Backdraft spoilers on finished cars there seems to be a gasket material. I figured I would start there so I gave them a call. They told me they use "B601700 fender beading". I had not actual idea what that was but a quick google search and I was on my way. I ordered a roll



It's a soft rubber and very pliable. I cut some strip and marked where the screw holes line up. I also laid out a rubber washer on the 2 bottom bolts. This should give my non abrasive points of contact.



I installed it long then used a hobby knife to cut it to length. I like the way it looks. I think this is the route I will go.





The only change I have to make is the titanium screws I used on the top are 20mm in length and now too short with the rubber gasket. I ordered 30mm screws to replace them. I think I will also add one more screw to each side.

[Mike.Bray]

Nice details.

[Jeff Kleiner]

That looks really good Jesse! How about continuing it along the edge that runs along the oil cooler scoop as well?

Jeff

[Blitzboy54]

That looks really good Jesse! How about continuing it along the edge that runs along the oil cooler scoop as well?

Jeff

I'm not clear it will make all those bends cleanly. It will also need more bolts to hold it in place or some sort of adhesive. I'm still playing with it. I have had similar thoughts though.

[dbo_texas]

I'm not clear it will make all those bends cleanly. It will also need more bolts to hold it in place or some sort of adhesive. I'm still playing with it. I have had similar thoughts though.

Is it rubber or plastic? I wonder if you could heat it up a bit to deform it around the oil cooler chin. I really like the look of this... I might have to borrow it for my build

[Blitzboy54]

Is it rubber or plastic? I wonder if you could heat it up a bit to deform it around the oil cooler chin. I really like the look of this... I might have to borrow it for my build

Would be honored if you did. Imitation is the highest form of flattery they say.

[Blitzboy54]

Prep for paint

First thing I did when I ordered this car was call Jeff. I was in line to have him do my first one but the timing didn't work out. So I made sure to get a hold of as soon as I could and we talked about winter 26'. He gave me a call and unfortunately for Jeff he has to get some of his own work done and is unable to do as scheduled. Jeff was gracious as always and said he would be happy to do it but I would need to wait until summer or fall. My initial thought is "no problem", just drive it in gel coat this summer and take to out to Indiana later in the year. This was my plan for a couple weeks until I realized with the truck build I don't really have room for both in my garage. I would need to store the Roadster somewhere else and worse not be able to drive it very often. I called Ron Randall at Metal Morphous in CT (he did my first car) and he had a spot open. So I am going to take it to him on Friday. I think Jeff and I are both a little bummed about it but he is very understanding about the audible. It's on my short list to meet up in person one of these days. I want to thank Jeff for everything he does for this community and my builds specifically.

Now that I am headed to CT I need to prep the car. I stripped about 80% of it. I left the trunk and hood latches as well as the roll bars, windshield and louvers (the assembled units fit differently than the folding ones. I want to make sure the know what to shape it to)





I pulled the backup camera and tucked it up out of the way.



I also pulled the Lemans cap. I put a 2" Fernco cap on the filler hose with tin foil as a liner. The rubber will eventually start breaking down from the fuel vapors so best to have something between the fuel and the cap.



I have everything pulled and tucked away until she comes back.





And last I don't know what the weather is going to be like on the ride out, also it will be in a dusty shop for a few months. No harm in keeping everything protected. I will pull the drivers seat when I get there and bring it home with me. Plan to have some work done to the seat while she's gone. I would like to double the seat cushioning.




The plan is to drive her out late morning Friday with my buddies. We are going to stay over and have a dads night out. Lots to do out there. Pizza is top of the list. Will be home Saturday afternoon and as of right now scheduled to take possession of the truck engine on Sunday. May even drop it in so I should be back in business on that project soon.

[gbranham]

I also received that same call from Jeff, and I totally understand. Fortunately, I have the space to store the Cobra until Fall-ish when Jeff is ready for it, and I have my GT350 to drive, and I'm eying a 2020-2022 GT500 to add to the fleet.

Greg

[jengum]

Well...after seeing your first build in person I thought the paint job was pretty incredible! But I can't handle the suspense...what color combination did you go with?

[Blitzboy54]

Well...after seeing your first build in person I thought the paint job was pretty incredible! But I can't handle the suspense...what color combination did you go with?

Thanks Jen,

I am going with Jeep Bikini Pearl, black and Chevy Amplify Orange with a bit of a twist. Kind of like this (Jeff will rightly point out the stripes are not to scale but you see where it is headed).



This isn't the right shade, here is a pic of a guy at work that has a dressed up Sarah with a lot of black accents.



Instead of painting the scoop to match I am doing something a little different. I have a CF scoop from FFR. It matches the dash completely. I am going to carry the center orange stripe through the scoop but keep the rest exposed carbon fiber. I will then clear over the whole thing. I purchased black chrome button head screws that I will use instead of rivets. That will give it a unique look. Also if I hate it (I doubt I will) it can be repainted relatively easily. It would just need to be reshot in orange and black and it would look traditional.

The last thing up in the air right now is the chin spoiler. I can either carry the color scheme through it (plan A) or perhaps go with a solid black for contrast (plan B for now). I have some time to figure that out.

[Jeff Kleiner]

Spoiler---I vote plan A

Jeff