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Thread: My attempt at a car show sign for in front of FFR#7074

  1. #1
    Out Drivin' Gumball's Avatar
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    My attempt at a car show sign for in front of FFR#7074

    I'm making a good-sized plexi car show sign for 7074 (optimistic that it's going to attend such things this year). The plan is for something a few feet high and a couple feet wide that is painted from behind with the same color as the car and that has vinyl lettering on the front.

    This is what I have so far... yeah, I know the print will be smallish - I'm thinking it'll be roughly the size of one of those roadsign historic plaques. The formatting things, like centering, indentation, bold, underlining, and bullets didn't really come out well, but at least you can see the text.


    No, really… it’s fake!

    1965 AC Cobra Replica

    From 1962 to 1967, Shelby American Inc. built just over 1,000 Cobras using rolling chassis/body assemblies supplied by AC Cars, Ltd. of England and V8 engines provided by Ford Motor Company. The car that AC provided was originally sold in the ‘50s as the AC Ace, which was powered by a straight-six engine made by Bristol. Instead of a six cylinder, Shelby installed V8s, starting with the 260, followed by the 289, then (between ’65 and ’67) the big block 427 and 428 (only about 300 big block cars were built). The Cobra, especially the early small block cars, went on to become a legend, winning many races and championships. These days, original Cobra values range from $500,000 to $1,500,000 or more, depending on the model and the car’s history. Check out a vintage race at places like Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI if you want to see one in its natural habitat – it’s amazing to see those cars still being run in anger! Like the originals, this car started as a chassis, body, suspension and other miscellaneous parts supplied by one manufacturer (Factory Five Racing of Wareham, MA), with the rest of the work being done by someone else – the owner.

    So, if it’s not real, what is it? Well, contrary what you may have heard, cars from Factory Five Racing are not a Cobra body on a Mustang chassis – the Mustang has always been a unibody car that doesn’t have a separate frame. Nor are they a tab ‘a’ into slot ‘b’ sort of project. In the case of this car, take one Factory Five base kit, toss a bunch of the parts in the basement, use a few Mustang bits as Factory Five Racing intended, then add in a whole bunch of other cool reproduction and custom made things for a relatively period-correct replica of one of the most well known cars of all time.

    • Chassis – fully welded steel with 4” round tube main rails (similar to the original ones by AC) with black powdercoat and aluminum monocoque panels (stressed) for interior, trunk, and engine compartment
    • Body – hand-laid fiberglass, including doors, hood, and trunk lid
    • Engine and Transmission – 347 ci Ford small block (apprx. 400 hp / 400 tq) and Tremec T5Z five-speed
    • Suspension –
    Front – adjustable upper control arms and tubular lower control arms with Koni coil-over shocks
    Rear – adjustable three-link, tubular lower control arms, upper link, panhard rod, and Koni coil-over shocks
    • Brakes – Ford four-wheel disc (Mustang GT front and SVT Cobra rear)
    • Wheels and Tires – Halibrand replica 15” with Avon radials
    • Paint – Ford 1965 Ivy Green / PPG code 43408 (Envirobase water-borne color) by KB Customs, Sugar Grove, IL

    But, isn’t it really just a bunch of old, used Mustang junk? Well, Factory Five Racing designs their kits to use certain Mustang parts (either new or donor), which allows the builder access to thousands of outstanding, affordable, and well engineered OEM and aftermarket parts – all intended to work together. But, just how much a builder uses from a donor is up to them. In fact, Factory Five Racing offers a “complete kit” that uses no donor parts at all. This car includes the following parts from a 1994 SVT Cobra (#831), all of which were rebuilt and modified – the rest of #831 is now living a happy life as a racecar.

    • Engine block, head castings, and SVT/Crane roller tipped rocker arms
    • Brake and clutch pedal assembly (modified pedal pads and brake lever geometry)
    • Fuel tank, lower cover, hangar straps, and fuel level sender
    • 8.8 Trac-Lok rear end (modified with shorter axles, brake caliper brackets, and mounting points)
    • Front spindles
    • Tremec T5Z five-speed transmission and bellhousing
    • Emergency brake handle and cables
    Later,
    Chris

    "There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
    Mk3.1 #7074

  2. #2
    Senior Member 68GT500MAN's Avatar
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    That is a lot of information to put on one sign. Most of the ones I see around here just have the main components listed (as you do) and who did the paint/interior. I bet you will still have plenty of questions after they read the board.
    Doug

  3. #3
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    Like your car, build it how you want, but I agree that it's too long.

    If you can shorten the Cobra history a bit and the FFR part too, then it would be easier to read and people will get more out of it. Instead of the parts listing, I'd just put the major components and performance specs.

    Most people at car shows just want to know stuff like:
    "What is it?"
    "How fast is it?"
    The gear heads want to know about the motor/trans/HP & Torque and maybe a bit about FFR.

  4. #4
    Senior Member cobrajj's Avatar
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    Here's a simple foam board I did. I'll do something nicer someday, but it answers most of the questions frequently asked.
    Mk3.1 Complete kit #6846 Delv. 12/20/08-- Finished 2/11/11, 89 302 EFI,T-5, 3-Link, 17" Halibrands, Nitto 555 245-315 tires, widened drivers footbox w/ dead pedal, extended passengers footbox,Sapphire Blue Met & Wimbledon White stripes,radiator stone guard shield, Build blog http://jimsffrcobrabuild.blogspot.com/

  5. #5
    cobra Handler skullandbones's Avatar
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    Way too much history to cover. If I were you I would say it's a Factory Five Racing version of a 1965 Cobra roadster. It has a dedicated racing chassis twice as stiff as the originals with modern running gear from a SVT Cobra mustang and aftermarket and customized components too numerous to mention. You could put the basis description of the engine, trans, rear, etc..... Then I would put your favorite mods that you did because you wouldn't have a sign big enough for all of them! That's what makes yours unique. The design of the sign sounds good matching the paint and 3 dimensional looking type. I'm sure you will do it justice what ever you decide.

    WEK.
    FFR MkIII 302 (ATK), EFI 75mm TB with custom box plenum chamber, 24# injectors, 4 tube BBK ceramic, cold air sys, alum flywheel, crane roller rockers, T5, Wilwood pedals, custom five link with Watt's link, 4 rotors, coil overs, power steering with Heidt valve, alum FFR rad, driver's crash bar mod, mini dead pedal mod, quick release steering wheel hub #6046

  6. #6
    Senior Member MPTech's Avatar
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    Sign!!?? We don't need no Stinkin' Sign. You've got a car to build! It's Spring time, get that thing on the road.

    Kidding Chris, but hurry up and finish!

    The sign was very informative, maybe too much for a sign though. I'd keep that detail information for the conversations.
    F5R #7446: MK4, 302, T5 midshift, 3.55 Posi IRS, 17" Halibrands
    Delivered 4/4/11, First start 9/29/12, Licensed 4/24/13, off to PAINT 2/15/14!! Wahoo!

  7. #7
    Senior Member riptide motorsport's Avatar
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    I agree with keep it simple, stick to the car itself.
    FFR Daytona Type 65 Coupe
    67 427 Cobra
    57' Belair
    72 Pinto Wagon ,306" 1/4 miler
    34 5 window coupe Ford
    2003 Mustang GT
    99' ZX9
    85 Goldwing

    All toys still in the Scuderia!


    Every Saint has a past..................every sinner a future

    Don't take yourself so seriously........no one else does.

    You never see a motorcycle parked outside a Psychiatrists office.

  8. #8
    Blue Oval Scribe Mustang Man's Avatar
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    As a lifelong member of the car show circuit (running shows, judging, and displaying cars) you have to consider the sign's job. If you do display something it should be small and tasteful and help with the basic questions. Having some huge sign with a ton of details ends up being a pain to lug around and if it is windy can potentially become a hazard to your car or your neighbor's car. Plus, today's attention spans don't work well with a wordy sign.

    The annual Lake Mirror Concours here in town provides signs for all cars (for a uniform look) but the signs are sized right, give just the right amount of info, and are a high quality paper printing glued to a foam-core stand.



    HTH...
    Mark
    Modified Mustangs & Fords Project Snake Charmer

    FFR5310 Mk 3 Roadster
    Tungsten Gray/Silver Stripes

  9. #9
    Senior Member 68GT500MAN's Avatar
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    Mark, that is a great idea. Can I steal it for use at a local show here in town? You need to get the boss to send you back out here to HB.
    Doug

  10. #10
    Blue Oval Scribe Mustang Man's Avatar
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    Be my guest Doug! It wasn't my idea, just one I liked when going to that show each year. I have my sign for my '66 Mustang I could snap a close up of it you like. Essentially it states owner name, city, and state, and then with the show application you are asked to provide XX amount of words for the sign. I think it is 250. Some write a nice little history, others just state the car's specs, etc. The overall graphics change every few years to match the artwork of the show's website and other materials.

    As for HB, I won't be out there this year, but as the new Brand Manager/Editor for Mustang Monthly now I'll certainly be doing a lot more travel and hope to get out to Ron and the gang at Mustangs Plus, especially now that the 50th is over and the man can "breathe" a little.

    Talk soon...

    Mark
    Modified Mustangs & Fords Project Snake Charmer

    FFR5310 Mk 3 Roadster
    Tungsten Gray/Silver Stripes

  11. #11
    Coupy's Mom MRSQSL's Avatar
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    It's very well written. I especially like how you explained how happy the donor is now that it's a race car. I agree, though, that it is too long for a sign. I love to read and I'll admit if I saw it in front of a car at a show, I'd glance at it and look away. There are so many blingy things trying to capture my attention and printed words just aren't going to interest me at that moment in time. My thought, however, is perhaps you could print up a bunch of copies and place them somewhere near the car so that the people truly interested can take a copy and read it when they get a chance. Then you could have a smaller sign with just the main facts like the guys above suggested.

  12. #12

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    IMHO, sign should be short and sweet...however, a nice build book with pics and all other info you want to share is great to have on hand for the folks who are interested in the finer details...Bat

  13. #13
    Senior Member TahoeTim's Avatar
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    To me the tone is defending it as a replica. Forget the naysayers and write that it was hand built by you! The general public doesn't care, they like the cool cars at the show. be proud!

    cobrajj has the correct sign, imho. Add how many hours it took to build and you will start a lot of conversation. My sign board had a picture of the kit to show how it started out. Stick a photo of the bare frame and the stack of boxes. I did a few shows including the first Huntington Beach Cruise that started at Knotts Berry Farm.

    The most important thing is to place the sign so it doesn't get kicked into your paint job. Also applicable to windy days.

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