The test drive is packed with excitement and some trepidation. You get to actually drive and enjoy the car you’ve been diligently building over the past several months, but at the same time, you need to be keenly aware of what the car is doing. You need to identify any problems, particularly serious engine, transmission, and suspension problems that need to be resolved for your safety and the car’s health. At the same time, you need to become acclimated to driving your new car.
Ease your Cobra out of the garage and make sure that the clutch is engaging and disengaging properly. With our fire-breathing 427-ci stroker mill making a glorious noise even at idle, we glanced at the gauges in the dash and acknowledged that all was well so far. We coasted out of the garage and tested the brakes on the driveway. Thanks to the electronic fuel injection, the Mk4 started up easily. It stops sure, short, and straight.
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When you’re on your first drive, it’s a good idea to stay within a few miles of your home and perhaps rumble around your neighborhood for the first 15 minutes. If you encounter problems, you’re not far away and can be easily rescued. You need to get accustomed to your roadster. Most Cobras have a curb weight of around 2,500 pounds, with powerplants that produce from 300 to 700 hp. This power-to-weight ratio makes these Cobras super cars, so take your time and be careful. You don’t want to mangle your new roadster on your first drive.
To finish our car, we selected one of the finest automotive paints in the business, House of Kolor. Our hues of choice were Galaxy Gray with some specialeffect metalflake mixed in for the Le Mans stripes, Re-entry Red team stripes, and Strattos Blue. Since a ton of Cobras have white Le Mans stripes, we opted to go understated, with a carbon fiber–like mix of the Galaxy Gray. The Reentry Red stripes signify the Internet automotive magazine that my business partner, Ben Moment, and I have created. Many original Cobras were painted a midnight blue, or more specifically, a Ford paint hue called Caspian Blue. Our shade of House of Kolor Stratto Blue is a modern interpretation of that Caspian Blue Ford hue from 1965 and 1966. When you build your Cobra replica, create the car of your dreams. We prefer the look of the original size 15-inch Halibrand style knock-off wheels, so that’s what we ordered from Factory Five Racing. You may like the look of 17-inch rolling stock better. If so, you have more selection when it comes to choosing high-performance radial tires for street or track.
On the QMP Racing Engines engine dynamometer, our 427 Dart Manufacturing aluminum block V-8 engine topped with Dart pro-CNC aluminum cylinder heads made 516.7 hp and 492 ft-lbs of torque. Original Cobras had aluminum bodywork and cast-iron engines. Ours has fiberglass and aluminum bodywork and an all-aluminum engine. Hence, our Factory Five Racing Mk4 Cobra roadster replica should have a significantly lower curb weight. What’s more, the engine produces almost 100 more hp than the 427 cast-iron lumps of yore.
With four exceptions, our cockpit comes standard in the Factory Five Racing Mk4 Roadster Complete Kit. The leather seats are custom as is the steering wheel bezel, which we modified from an aluminum alternator pulley wheel. The gearshift lever was obtained from Modern Driveline. It’s a Hurst 7-inch straight lever that we shortened by 2 inches, so we wouldn’t run into the dashboard with it. As mentioned previously, the Lokar chrome emergency brake handle and system is also a much-needed modification.
The Mk4 Complete Kit includes the four round taillights, like the originals had. Well, we should say that most of the original 427SC Cobras came equipped with the round taillights. Some of them came with one large rectangular light on each side. An old automotive enthusiast rumor was that the 427SCs that had the rectangular taillights were equipped with the less powerful 428-ci V-8 engines. Whether that rumor is true or not, we prefer the look of the four round taillights.
As you drive, listen to the engine carefully. Shift through the first three gears and make sure that the transmission is properly selecting the gear and staying in gear. Listen to the rear end; make sure there is no clunking. Feel how the suspension is operating in the corners and over road bumps. It should drive in a straight line, providing smooth yet firm dampening, track predictably through corners, and brake securely.
Check the speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge, amp meter, and in particular the temperature gauge. Make sure the engine temperature is within the normal operating range. If it’s too hot or cold, you may have a thermostat issue, there might not be enough coolant in the cooling system, or the engine may be losing coolant. Make sure the climate controls, as well as the heater and air conditioning (if equipped), are functioning properly.
After running the car for 15 minutes, pull into a filling station, perform a visual inspection, and check all fluid levels—engine, transmission, power steering, and so forth. Look for anything that appears unusual or out of place. Look under the hood and under the car for leaks. If there are no leaks, proceed to the next phase of the shakedown test.
If you can find a large, wide-open parking lot, such as one at a mall or industrial park, use it with discretion to ascertain the running condition of the car. Away from other cars, check the steering again by cranking the wheel from lock to lock. Accelerate to 40 mph and brake aggressively but do not lock the brakes. You want to bed-in the brake pads, yet not glaze them over, and at the same time verify operation. If everything is in good working order, you can proceed to the freeway.
On the freeway, accelerate hard (but not insanely fast) through the gears, once again listening to the engine, transmission, and differential. At this speed, you need to be sure that the chassis feels solid, the car is tracking straight, and the suspension is performing correctly. There should be no vibration through the steering; no clunking, thumping, or other abnormal sounds from the suspension when encountering expansion cracks, potholes, or road ripples.
If you do encounter steering issues or suspension noise, these may be attributed to an unbalanced tire, a flawed or out-of-round wheel, a faulty ball joint, or other suspension issue. If you quickly identify and remedy the problem, that’s great. But if you need help sorting out the suspension, take the Cobra to a tire service center or alignment shop. A short test drive by a professional will be a great help. As mentioned previously, we’re glad that we had the alignment experts give our chassis a professional and thorough going over before we attempted our first drive.
When all systems are fully functional, it’s time to conquer your favorite road, road course, or quarter-mile.
Our Maiden Voyage
On our maiden voyage, the Mk4 performed like a champ. The QMP Racing Engines Dart aluminum 427- ci stroker mill with the Dart Pro CNC aluminum cylinder heads seems to have endless torque and horsepower. There’s no way we could test the limits of this powerplant on the highways and twisty country roads of America. She’ll need to be exercised on a closed sports car racing circuit someday soon. But for now, the engine produces a lusty idle. It’s loud enough to set-off three car alarms going 15 mph up and down our dual cul-de-sac street once.
To our knowledge, we’ve constructed the only FFR Mk4 roadster that has a Tremec T56 Magnum 6-speed manual transmission. We’re very pleased to say that this bulletproof trans shifts easily and precisely. Having that 6-speed Hurst shifter by our side and the gearbox attached to it, we feel as though we’re piloting a much more current sort of race car than a replica of the world’s fastest production sports car of the 1960s.
The manual rack-and-pinion steering on our FFR requires a little muscle at slow speeds, but the steering is precise and gives great feedback. Likewise with the actuation of the cable clutch pedal; a strong left calf muscle is needed to engage/ disengage that third pedal, as is the application of the brake pedal for the other calf.
I suppose there’s something special about piloting any sort of race car, which is what the original Shelby Cobra 260, 289, and 427SC were. The feeling that I get every single time I drive our Cobra is one of swelling pride and accomplishment. Dad and I have constructed a beast of a car that handles better and is faster than 95 percent of the cars on the road! From a fiberglass body on the chassis, 62 aluminum panels, 22 boxes of parts, another 25 to 30 boxes of engine and transmission components, a pile of money, endless enthusiasm, and perseverance, we crafted a Factory Five Racing Mk4 Cobra roadster replica that offers stunning and reliable performance and is absolutely beautiful to gaze upon or pamper with yet another coat of auto wax.
It seems we do have the Blacksmith gene after all. Perhaps you do, too. You simply need to have a yearning desire to create something with your hands, your brain, your bank account, your spouse’s approval, your unending persistence, and a commitment to excellence.Of course, it also helps that you have this particular book to assist you in your creative endeavor.
Are you ready to take your journey? You’re sure to have mostly triumphs and maybe a few mishaps in your Cobra replica building adventure. When you create the sports car of your dreams, you’ll be doing something that most haven’t done before.
Written by D. Brian Smith and Posted with Permission of CarTechBooks
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