FirstCoastCobraClub

What Ken said!

Thanks guys , I have to admit it’s pretty dramatic to see them sitting side by side like that…

I'm jealous! Very nice!!

Thanks Sidney.

BlackSnake wrote: Thu Dec 05, 2024 8:43 pm Time for an update of sorts. The coolant leak appears to be under control after installing the t-bolt clamp. I’ve run the motor on several occasions getting up to full temp, which looks to hold steady at 185.

I’ve run several laps around my neighborhood to verify everything functions as it should. Suspension and steering seems to track well, brakes are solid. Engine runs well, no hiccups.

Backed it into the garage for the first time, which will make it easier to take out, not so much jockeying of vehicles required vs nosing it in. Backing up is always a challenge in this thing, rearward visibility is almost non-existent. Backup camera helps immensely, but I still don’t have a good feel for the car’s perimeter. The cobra is much easier to maneuver by far…

Next step is to get it back out on the open road and start laying down some miles…

The five point race harness is a real PITA, think I’m going to replace them with simple three point system like in most production cars…getting too old to be inconvenienced…

That’s looks awesome Mike!

Thx Will, but I think I declared victory on that WP hose too soon. I’ve noticed its still weeping.

I’ve had the car out a few times, and it’s running okay, making good power. Lots of sorting to do. Tracks straight, but there’s a bit of hysteresis in the steering due to slop in the wheel’s quick disconnect. It’s annoying, not sure yet what I want to do about it.

Water temp sat at 180 for a few miles and then climbed to 200, probably due to low water level. I had to run the fans to hold it there. I drove down to I-95 and decided to turn around out of fear of a possible overheat, since the fans weren’t bringing the temps down. On the way back, I started to hear what sounded a bit like belt squeal, it got louder with higher revs. Not sure what it was. When I got home, I got a whiff of coolant, but nothing was leaking under the car. Maybe a bit of coolant got onto a belt? IDK, belts are not loose. Got to get more miles on it to get things sorted.

Anyway, I jacked up the car and put a few more turns on the clamp. I think I’ve tightened it as far as it can go. I have the next size smaller t-bolt clamp, which I can try if it continues seeping…

Nice day today, so I took the car out for more shakedown miles (36 to be exact). It’s going to take some time to get used to the dogleg shift pattern, a bit confusing when you’re focused on more than just shifting.

The coolant leak seems to be cured for now. Coolant temp consistently shows 200 on the gauge while moving, without the fans on, so I think I’m okay with that for now. Summer driving may change my mind.

Oil temp got up to 230 degrees, which is Ford’s recommended maximum for this motor. The spec sheet for this motor recommends an oil cooler, so I guess I’ll look at adding at least one.

It was comfortable driving today, with no AC on. I’m going to wait until I get a few more miles on it before I get into carb tuning, the motor behaves well enough for now.

The ZF transaxle did not come with a data plate on it, so I have no idea what the ratios and final drive are. Based on driving impressions and comparison to the cobra, I’d assume it has standard Pantera gearing, which would be .705 5th gear and 4.22 final. It won’t be a low rpm highway cruiser like the cobra.

Anyway, that’s it for today.

Woohoo!!!

The adventure continues! Great work, Mike

Finally had a break in house and yard projects, so thought I’d get the GT out and continue sorting it. The motor starts and idles pretty well at this point, and the carbs seem to be reasonably well tuned at all RPMs. I’m getting used to the oddball shifting pattern, and the gearing.

The temp gauge settles around 185 once the thermostat opens, but then runs up past 200 and requires the fans to hold it there. I thought maybe I had the distributor too far advanced, so I backed off the advance and reran it with no change to temps. Not sure what’s causing this, possibly a gauge or wiring issue?

Another issue has been the ZF vent fitting. I noticed early on that gear oil was pumping out of the vent fitting after a drive, so I connected the vent to a catch can. It’s been reported that overfilling the transaxle will cause oil to push out of the vent until the correct level is reached, which I figured would happen at some point.

Now, after driving the car 100+ miles, I’ve noticed oil spewing from the catch can filter. After draining the can, which was full, I figured I’d better see just how much oil was in the ZF.

Well, it was far more overfilled than I thought. Correct fill volume for a ZF in the flipped configuration is approximately 3 qts from empty. I emptied more than four qts, not including all of the spillage…unreal. I’m just glad it didn’t get past the input shaft seal or I’d be pulling the clutch out…PO strikes again…

Of course, no one local carries SAE 80W-90 GL4 gear oil, so ordered some from Summit.

Anyway, that’s it for now.

Bought some new Halibrand style Vintage wheels for the GT. Boxes were sitting on my porch when I got home yesterday. They’re not “wine glass” Halibrands, but still very nice!

Opened one of the boxes for a peak and man, they are pretty…like pieces of jewelry! Nicely packaged too, they even put a mini-pool noodle and hair net on the rim. I also like that the hub is drilled for both 4.5 & 4.75 PCD!

Now I need to decide what to put on them…

Avon (now Nova) CR6ZZ DOT race tires are best tire for the GT, but not yet available, maybe Spring ‘26? Cost is high, $2,300/set less shipping and mounting. Tread wear 80, VR speed rated to 149mph.

Nanking CVR-6 built to match Avon CR6ZZ specs by Roger Krauss Racing. Also high cost, $2,036 less shipping and mounting.

BFG Radial T/A $1,088 mounted at Discount Tire, no shipping cost. 400 tread wear, speed rated to 122mph.

Cooper Cobra Radial GT $886 mounted at Discount Tire, no shipping cost. 440 TW, SR 122.
Note: no 205/60 available for front, would have to get 215/65 to be close.

Hankook Kinergy ST $634 mounted at Discount Tire, no shipping cost. 680 TW, SR 118.

Leaning toward BFG. I need to find a machine shop to fix the PCD problem on the BRM style wheels. If I can get them repaired, I’ll put new Avons on them once they’re available.