Carl's 20th Anniversary #8690 - Graduated... 15,000 miles

[BadAsp427]

Spent a little time in the garage today and installed the License Tag Bracket/Light assembly. I first completed the modification as described HERE in Jeff Kleiner's thread from a few years ago. I still need to put the bracket extension on to actually raise the plate up into the light fixture. I don't have any metal stock laying around that I like for this so will have to pick some up. I will also most likely have to open the slot cut in the clear plastic a little bit more to allow for the tag to fit.

I'm still waiting, patiently, for SC DMV to send me my title. They told me six weeks and by gosh they are going to use all of the six weeks.

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[BadAsp427]

So yesterday, after being very patient with SC DMV and waiting the full 6 weeks + 5 days, I called them to check on the status of my title application. They had told me previously that it will take between 4-6 weeks and not to call until after the full 6 weeks. Funny thing happened; about 1 hour after my call, I get a call from the Title Department asking two simple questions. Questions answered, title issued. I then was able to go to the county tax office to pay my $16 county property tax, took that receipt to the DMV and just like that, plated and legal to drive... I just got back from about a 20 mile, stress free (IE not looking over my shoulder for the police) drive. Grinning the whole time. Even had a Mustang GT and a Camaro SS "rev" their engines at me... Just looked at them and grinned...

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[SSNK4US]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! I can’t wait for that day!!!

Kurt

[1932]

Yea that first ride on the highway is one of those never forget deals.

[cv2065]

So yesterday, after being very patient with SC DMV and waiting the full 6 weeks + 5 days, I called them to check on the status of my title application. They had told me previously that it will take between 4-6 weeks and not to call until after the full 6 weeks. Funny thing happened; about 1 hour after my call, I get a call from the Title Department asking two simple questions. Questions answered, title issued. I then was able to go to the county tax office to pay my $16 county property tax, took that receipt to the DMV and just like that, plated and legal to drive... I just got back from about a 20 mile, stress free (IE not looking over my shoulder for the police) drive. Grinning the whole time. Even had a Mustang GT and a Camaro SS "rev" their engines at me... Just looked at them and grinned...

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That's awesome on the Mustang and Camaro. Glad you are finally "legal"....

[BadAsp427]

As I said in my previous post, I'm all legal so I've been out enjoying the car... Worked on the Cruise Control setting and seem to have it pretty good. I put about 200 miles on it in the last 2 days... Many more fun miles ahead.

A friend of mine took a couple of photos for me while I was out driving around. (more photos coming from this stop) Thanks Wes!!!
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[PeteMeindl]

So yesterday, after being very patient with SC DMV and waiting the full 6 weeks + 5 days, I called them to check on the status of my title application. They had told me previously that it will take between 4-6 weeks and not to call until after the full 6 weeks. Funny thing happened; about 1 hour after my call, I get a call from the Title Department asking two simple questions. Questions answered, title issued. I then was able to go to the county tax office to pay my $16 county property tax, took that receipt to the DMV and just like that, plated and legal to drive... I just got back from about a 20 mile, stress free (IE not looking over my shoulder for the police) drive. Grinning the whole time. Even had a Mustang GT and a Camaro SS "rev" their engines at me... Just looked at them and grinned...

IMG_3952.JPG

Awesome! That's great news - what a journey!! I'm very impressed.

[cv2065]

Pictures look great Carl. Giving me motivation to get my engine in this weekend (Finally!)

[Pat427]

Congratulations! That's gotta feel good to get all the paperwork finalized.

[WIS89]

Carl-

Congratulations on getting legal! I am sure it is a much better ride now that you don't have to look over your shoulder as you say.

Boy, that County tax bite was crazy expensive, huh? I am shocked at how little that was; gotta love SC.

I look forward to seeing more pictures. Enjoy lots of pleasure filled miles!

Regards,

Steve

[BadAsp427]

Took a long ride down to Savannah to attend a Cars and Coffee and to visit with Dave (DadofThree) to discuss this years Hot Rod Power Tour. I put a total of 330 miles on the car putting my total mileage at over 600 now. During this drive my son rode along with me to see what he thought about riding for that long, to simulate the Power Tour we are planning to do in June. We started out in the chilly 45*/foggy morning, then hit some minor rain, had some hot muggy sun and then a pretty hard down poor.... Drove through it all with no major problems or unexpected results. The care drove and ran very good. Although I was expecting a bit better fuel mileage, not that this is a car to expect that....

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A shot of Dave's (DadofThree) Mk3.1 roadster "Pete" cruising along at about 70 MPH.
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And now, I have mine up on jack stands and will do a complete inspection of all of the suspension and other critical components. Change the Oil, Drain and Refill the Coolant, etc over the next few weeks. I also have a few other minor tweaks that I will make along the way.

I have to say, that I have really enjoyed the first 600 miles. I've found the BluePrint Engine's 347 Carburetor motor to provide awesome, responsive power. It really seems to like to run at or above 1800 rpm. I believe that I have a little carburetor adjustments to make to get it right on. While I have never ridden in another cobra to compare the ride, I find that the ride is as expected. Firm, but not teeth jarring. And when turning, it feels like it is on wheels and is very responsive to steering wheel input. I'm enjoying it so much that this morning before the thunder storm hit, I took it for a quick ride to downtown Charleston about 20 miles one way, but the return trip, well it was about 50 miles... Just sayin'

Ready for some TLC and checks....
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[cv2065]

Looking great Carl. Those white panels still looked pretty clean after your drive. Did you get some good honks and thumbs up along the way? Maybe some teens looking for some drag action....LOL

[DadofThree]

It was great to spend time with you and your son, Matthew, this weekend. It was also good to get out in the rain too. You have a beautiful car, and have done a great job!

(I see in my pic, my little co-pilot is peaking around the corner.)

[BluePrintEngines]

great thread! loving the pics and vids!

[Yama-Bro]

Looking good! So what kind of mileage did you get? Just curious.

[BadAsp427]

Looking good! So what kind of mileage did you get? Just curious.

Not 100% sure as I'm not sure of that I filled the tank to the same equal level both times, but about 13mpg. But again, I really don't think this was a good snapshot. I know more later...

[BadAsp427]

A couple weeks ago I ordered a no snap tonneau cover and received it today. After following the instructions emailed to me for measuring my car, the fit is perfect. This cover takes me all of abut 60 seconds to install and really seems to be for great quality and workmanship. Phillip & Kay Deal were super easy to work with they can be contacted at [email protected] and they will provide you with any information you need. The cover has a very soft backing on it to protect paint and uses a bungee cord that will clip to the end of the exhaust pipe to hold it down. Even with my cubby hole in the trunk, it will fit in the trunk without any problem. And if I have a lot of stuff in the trunk, it will lay across the top of the seats, under the shoulder belts with no problem as well.

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[BadAsp427]

So on 3/23/19 during a 200 mile drive to visit Patrick's Build (MechanicalKnowledgeNone) in Columbia I surpassed the 1000 mile mark on my Gel-Coat driver. I will say that ALL 1000 miles have been fun and exciting. I just started really driving it one month ago when I received my license tags. So for this post I thought I would share a few photos and also some knowledge learned along the way.

1st I'll start with some good knowledge that most new builders should keep in mind.
- Somewhere in the manual I read that after you drive your run/drive your car you should re-tighten the hose clamps. Radiator, Water pump, heater hoses, oil lines, etc. Well I've found that these should be checked more than just after one run. I've actually found they will need to be checked after each run until they don't get any tighter. Each time I came back in, usually the next day, I was able to easily tighten them a little bit more. And I'm not talking about wrenching them, I just use a nut driver/screw driver and get a little more. SO, why do I stress this first? The other day, after about 800 miles of driving, I was doing some tuning, specifically I was checking and tweaking the timing. I'm standing there watching and enjoying the sound of my idling engine when the upper radiator hose just popped right off of the thermostat housing neck. It did not throw water or steam everywhere, just popped off and dumped a bit of water on the water pump area. I was able to quickly turn off the engine.. Sure glad it did this while sitting in my yard and not 100 miles from home.

- Oil seepage, I've had a little here and there. Mostly from around the Oil Filter Relocate tubing and adapter on the block. ( I know Paul ) I have to say that at 650 miles when I changed my oil, it was very nice having the filter vertical while removing it and no oil dripping while removing it. I'm contemplating whether I'm going to keep it or try to fix the seepage. I will say that I did find the hose clamps here also need to be snugged up a little after being run awhile. So far this is the only Oil Seepage I've encountered.


I'm running the BluePrint 347ci Carburetor Engine with the TKO and 3:31 gears. I find that the sweet spot for the engine is at about 1800 rpm. What I mean is that it really smooths out. At 60 MPH in 5th I'm at 2200 +/-. Between 40-50 I usually will stay in 4th running right at 1800-2000 rpm. And on my trip yesterday to Columbia, I cruised at 60 for 90% of the trip and all of my stops were usually followed by a very exhilarating run through the gears up to 70ish before hitting the resume button on the cruise. I say this to preference that with all this, I averaged just shy of 18mpg, not that anyone really cares...

During the 650 mile oil change, I removed all of the brake in oil and refilled it with 7 qts of the BluePrint Engines recommended Rotella T4 15w40 oil. Also of course a new oil filter that was provided by the good folks at BluePrint Engines. With my engine, oil pressures are usually right at 55-60 during cruise and about 65 during acceleration. Idle pressure is about 40-45.

As far a performance; Using the options on my GPS Speedometer, I have done a couple of easy 1/4 mile and 0-60 runs. (I say easy because I have the rev limiter set at 5000 rpm and I do my best not to spin the tires) I've only done one 1/4 mile run and it gave me a 12.84 sec @ 110 MPH and my 0-60 was just over 4 seconds. It is crazy, it will hit the rev limiter so quickly. And during the 1/4 mile run, I actually ran it past the 1/4 mile distance and up to 115 as is registered on my Speedo's memory function. The car was smooth and just wanted to go more, but that was a one time run without more proper safety preparations. Oh, about spinning the tires. It can and will do that very easily, but I've been very good on the throttle control as at $420 each, I want to get all the use I can out of my rear tires.

As far as handling, and I preference this with the fact that I've not yet taken it to get the laser alignment or corner weights/ride heights professionally set, It drives like it is on rails and connected to the asphalt. It will change lanes when asked, instantly. And the Wilwood brakes are smooth and it stops on a dime... I just have to carry more dimes with me. I think that once I get a chance to put a pressure gauge on my brake lines and actually set the front/rear bias, It will be that much better.

The Ride is exactly what I expected, firm, but very smooth. Sure, I feel the bumps more than in my daily driver, but my daily driver feels like a boat compared to this. I do not feel any lean in the turns as I suspect the front/rear sway bars are helping with that along with the awesome Koni coil overs...

Ok, this has been a long post, but I've got a lot to say... it's just been amazing to drive. Oh, the heater and heated seats have allowed me to comfortably take it out in 40* weather and with the exception of the air on the back of my neck, I've been very comfortable.

Some Photos.
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[BadAsp427]

The other day I changed the oil for the first time. I was right at 680 miles and had the BluePrint Engine's Brake In oil in the engine. Today, I was able to get to the filter and cut it open to inspect it for anything that could be a concern. The Oil Plug is magnetic and it had some black magnetic sludge on it, but nothing of any concern. I was very happy with my findings... next to nothing. Here are some photos of cutting open the filter. I did find a couple very small metal particles that were magnetic and I'm assuming from the machining of the block prior to assembly. I did not see with the naked eye anything of concern, nor did I suspect that I would. The engine is running fantastic and is crazy strong.

To cut open the filter, you could purchase an oil filter cutter or as I have done on many filters from a drag car I used to work on, I use a hack saw around the top edge of the filter. It doesn't take much, clamp the filter in a vice and a few strokes of the saw all the way around. Then, a pair of vice grips on the filter lip and it will open up like a can of baked beans... anyway, you get the idea. Then using a razor knife/box cutter, just cut the filter media all the way around the top and bottom next to the filter frame work. Unfold the filter media and lay it out on the bench, stretch it out and inspect. You want to inspect the side that is toward the outside of the filter, not inside... Of course you can look on the inside as well, but that is the side the filtered oil comes out of so there will not be much, if anything, there...

Here are some photos.

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[Boydster]

Cutting open and inspecting the filter is a great idea. When I worked GA piston aircraft, we inspected every single filter at oil change time. A few owners went home looking for a new engine after just asking for an oil change.
I would suggest to anyone looking to start doing this... get the cut tool. An inexperienced person with a hacksaw can introduce metal shavings into the top of the filter and when found, suspect its coming from the engine. You can get them for as little as $30-40.

[BadAsp427]

Cutting open and inspecting the filter is a great idea. When I worked GA piston aircraft, we inspected every single filter at oil change time. A few owners went home looking for a new engine after just asking for an oil change.
I would suggest to anyone looking to start doing this... get the cut tool. An inexperienced person with a hacksaw can introduce metal shavings into the top of the filter and when found, suspect its coming from the engine. You can get them for as little as $30-40.

Here is one.

[BadAsp427]

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[BadAsp427]

I've been waiting for a good rainy day to complete a project on the interior, Cup Holders. I've had these for a while now and today was the perfect day to get the task completed. Took all of about 1 hour to complete.

I started the project by getting the car up high on the jack stands and getting under it to mark the cross bar. It was a tight fit, but I was able to get the sharpie to mark a small portion of the 3/4 tube. I was then able to extend that with a straight edge. These cup holders are just over 3.5" outside diameter. So using a 3 1/2" hole saw and a little massaging with the Drimal tool I have a good snug, friction fit. * If I have a problem with them blowing out while driving, I'm planning to get a couple larger hose clamps and put them on the underside of them. My trans tunnel cover only takes 4 screws to remove and removal of the shifter so it is very easy.

This is a LINK to the cup holders that I chose to go with.

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A couple more photos from yesterday's cars and coffee... Can't wait to get paint on this thing... FYI, I plan to get the knock offs on this next weekend. I'm just waiting to get the alignment laser checked. I don't want the shop to fool around with them if they need to remove the wheels for any reason.

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* So I found that at about 60mph, the cup holders would start to rise up out of the tunnel cover. Remember, they actually had a pretty good friction fit. During another exciting run up to close to 100mph, I had one of them fly up in the air and land between the seats. I will also confirm that there is a huge amount of air that will come up out of that hole. If your thinking of putting a vent in your trans tunnel, you will get a lot of air and it did not seem to be heated by the engine. It was the same temp as putting my hand up over my windshield. My fix to the problem was very easy 3 1/2" hose clamp.
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[Jeff Kleiner]

Looks nice Carl! Looking forward to getting you here...all in due time my friend so until then simply enjoy the heck out of it

Jeff

[BadAsp427]

Looks nice Carl! Looking forward to getting you here...all in due time my friend so until then simply enjoy the heck out of it

Jeff

Oh, I am.... Can't wait to meet you during the Hot Rod Power Tour... you still coming out? I'm going for the long haul!

[Higgybulin]

Great pics!!
Higgy

[DadofThree]

The car looks Great Carl!

[cv2065]

Looks great Carl! Looks like it was just freshly washed and waxed! You may have to pay Jeff a surcharge for all that super shiny carnuba on that bad boy! �� J/K

[BadAsp427]

Fyi

i've been waiting for a good rainy day to complete a project on the interior, cup holders. I've had these for a while now and today was the perfect day to get the task completed. Took all of about 1 hour to complete.

I started the project by getting the car up high on the jack stands and getting under it to mark the cross bar. It was a tight fit, but i was able to get the sharpie to mark a small portion of the 3/4 tube. I was then able to extend that with a straight edge. These cup holders are just over 3.5" outside diameter. So using a 3 1/2" hole saw and a little massaging with the drimal tool i have a good snug, friction fit. * if i have a problem with them blowing out while driving, i'm planning to get a couple larger hose clamps and put them on the underside of them. my trans tunnel cover only takes 4 screws to remove and removal of the shifter so it is very easy.

This is a link to the cup holders that i chose to go with.

Cup Holders 1.jpg IMG_5201.jpg IMG_5206.jpg IMG_5207.jpg

a couple more photos from yesterday's cars and coffee... Can't wait to get paint on this thing... Fyi, i plan to get the knock offs on this next weekend. I'm just waiting to get the alignment laser checked. I don't want the shop to fool around with them if they need to remove the wheels for any reason.

IMG_5193.PNG IMG_5191.PNG IMG_5192.PNG IMG_5194.PNG IMG_5195.PNG

* so i found that at about 60mph, the cup holders would start to rise up out of the tunnel cover. Remember, they actually had a pretty good friction fit. During another exciting run up to close to 100mph, i had one of them fly up in the air and land between the seats. I will also confirm that there is a huge amount of air that will come up out of that hole. If your thinking of putting a vent in your trans tunnel, you will get a lot of air and it did not seem to be heated by the engine. It was the same temp as putting my hand up over my windshield. My fix to the problem was very easy 3 1/2" hose clamp.
IMG_5272.JPG

[Jeff Kleiner]

Looks great Carl! Looks like it was just freshly washed and waxed! You may have to pay Jeff a surcharge for all that super shiny carnuba on that bad boy! �� J/K

Carl has been warned...repeatedly.

Jeff

[BadAsp427]

Carl has been warned...repeatedly.

Jeff

Nothing except glass cleaner. No wax, polish, etc. I promise!

[Fixit]

My fix to the problem was very easy 3 1/2" hose clamp.

Gotta love the K.I.S.S. principle... (Keep It Simple Stupid)

[BadAsp427]

I've been driving my Cobra now for about 2 1/2 months. I've put 1600 miles on it in that time. It is an absolute blast to drive. I've had several videos of me driving it from my point of view but I've never had a chance to watch myself driving it. Today, Easter Sunday 2019, I had the chance to take a drive with my son Matt and he was kind enough to shot some video as I did a few drive-byes. This thing really is cool and a blast to drive. Enjoy this quick video from today's fun.
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[GoDadGo]

Looking B-B-B-A-D-A-S-S-P As They Come!

Nicely Done For Sure!

Where do you have the rev-limiter set at?

[BadAsp427]

Looking B-B-B-A-D-A-S-S-P As They Come!

Nicely Done For Sure!

Where do you have the rev-limiter set at?

5000 rpm...... For Now!!!

[GoDadGo]

5000 rpm...... For Now!!!

I heard it pop and knew the sound.
I'm at 4,200 at the present time.
Thanks for sharing your video.

[Fixit]

I AM JEALOUS...

At a minimum I've got a 20 minute run through "Metro" to get anywhere even CLOSE to where I could romp on it. Your pre-registration sneak drives aren't a possibility - too many namby-pampbies between open space and my place.

[BadAsp427]

I AM JEALOUS...

At a minimum I've got a 20 minute run through "Metro" to get anywhere even CLOSE to where I could romp on it. Your pre-registration sneak drives aren't a possibility - too many namby-pampbies between open space and my place.

I'm fully registered.... I only got a couple little drives in prior... 1800 miles since Feb 1st... Having a blast...

[BadAsp427]

As some of you may know, I'm taking the roadster on a 2200 mile journey in June. I'm participating in the 2019 Hot Rod Power Tour, 7 days and nights of cruising fun... I'm also taking along BluePrint Engines. I've partnered with them while I'm still in GelCoat to promote their awesome company and save some people some money. So, in the fun of the Power Tour event, I've put a few decals on the car and thought I would share some photos with you all. If you are looking for an engine for your Factory Five, take a long serious look at BluePrint.

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[cv2065]

Decals really came together Carl. Looks great. You are ready to represent Blue Print Engines!!