Cobra out of storage !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

photographic.devon@archant.co.uk — Thu, 08 May 2008 16:45:00 GMT

Summer is here and it is time to take the cobra out of mothballs again, well hopefully anyway !! First off there are a couple of things to do, firstly get the car back on terafirma, that is to get it off of the axle stands that it has been on over the winter and make sure tyre pressures are correct. The reason that you put the car on axle stands when it is going to be tucked up for the winter isthat it saves the tyres from going out of round which can happen as all the weight has been put on one part of the tyre for a long time ! Next check that the brakes have not siezed up, i always leave the handbrake off when the car is resting for a long period as this avoids the rear shoes becoming part of the rear drum. Give the battery a good charge, the battery should be disconnected whilst the car is not being used as this helps to avoid the battery building up sulphur deposits and ruining the battery. Next check oil and fluid levels, start up and let the engine get up to temperature if everything looks ok take it out and apply the brakes a few times to get rid of any rust that has built up on the brake discs and your away !!!!![:D]

DIY motoring

photographic.devon@archant.co.uk — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 10:26:00 GMT

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!

Cobra Build

Cobra out of storage !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DIY motoring