Terry Ife has built his own Cobra car from scratch
Have you ever had one of those moments when you see something and think... I could do that ! Well that’s what happened to me whilst flicking through the TV channels one evening. I came across a programme called A Car Is Born, which was about building your own kit car. From that moment I was hooked – but I didn’t stop at just watching...
I paid a visit to the Exeter Kit Car show in November 2002 and decided I wanted to build my own. At the show I chose which manufacturer to go with and a few hours later I had put a deposit down on a replica Cobra.
First to arrive was the galvanised chassis (in February 2003). I then had to source a donor vehicle for spare parts and found one in the small ads of the Midweek Herald – a Ford Sierra. I bought it from a lady in Honiton who was so upset about selling her car, I didn’t have the heart to tell her I was about to roll it over on its roof and strip all the parts off that I needed.
The parts from the manufacturer kept on coming – boxes of all shapes and sizes – it was like Christmas! The plan was to build the car in about one year, which looked like an easy target as, after about six weeks, I already had a rolling chassis with front and rear suspension fitted, brakes in, steering working. Then my back decided it had enough of the gruelling schedule and gave out. So a rest was on the cards for a few months – including a holiday in the Maldives – which gave me the brownie points I needed with Mrs Ife to continue the build when we got home.
The next job on the list was to find an engine for the Cob. Enter Andy from CMC in Honiton. He pointed me in the direction of a chap from Ottery St Mary who had a Ford 351 Cleveland for sale (this was a 5.7 litre V8), so I gathered up all the boxes of bits (the engine was already stripped down) which suited me as I wanted to rebuild the engine anyway. It’s one of my favourite parts of the build. Once that was done and the gearbox attached, I moved onto the wiring – what a nightmare that turned out to be!
It was one of most difficult parts of the entire project. When you receive the wiring harness, there are no clues as to where any of the wires go, just a very basic wiring diagram. I got there in the end, but not without a few teething problems like the horn going off when I turned the lights on!
If I ever needed inspiration to push forward with the build, it came the first time I started the engine. Wow! What a sound! However, time had run away with me and I was now well past my original plan to finish the car in one year. Nevermind, I now had the incentive Ineeded to get it onto the next stage.
The body work went well, until I had to make a choice on the colour. I finally went for the red, which was sprayed by Tony at T&T Coachworks in Feniton. He did a great job – thanks Tony!
Before I knew it I was booking the SVA (Single Vehicle Test) test. This is like an MOT on steroids! Previous to the test I had the car checked over by Stephen of the Tipton Garage to make sure I had not missed anything and that it was safe to drive it to the test.
To my delight it passed first time.
Now I just had to get it registered and on the road. By the time everything was completed it was September and nearly three years since first seeing that programme on the television. I have only been able to drive my Cobra a few times, as winter closed in, but I can’t wait until next year! With this in mind, if you are tempted to follow in my footsteps,don’t put it off – do it right now!