1969 Torino(?) Cobra Rebuild

[Heo]

The wifes SL Mercedes is that height

[jayb]

I dont know  mayby a litle higher profile on the rear tire
and slight drop in the front...but thats me i like the stinkbug stance
How was the brakepedal with the "rat trap" and no booster?

Just took it around the driveway a few times (not registered or insured yet), but I would say that the brake pedal effort is overly high.  Its driveable, but it could be a handful in a panic situation.  I'll have to do something to get that ratio back...

[Heo]

Mmmm  The rat trap about double the ratio so
i guess you have to  remove the trap and mount
the master at the firewall as stock

[machoneman]

Too high at both ends. The top of the front tires should be equal to the fender's edge (looking from a dead level side view).  At that from the pic looks to be an easy 1.25-1.50".

I don't think just moving the rear spring eye up one hole will bring it down as far as needed. Worth a try b/4 going back to stock.   

 

[jayb]

Mmmm  The rat trap about double the ratio so
i guess you have to  remove the trap and mount
the master at the firewall as stock

I could do that, but then its closer to the valve cover again.  I'm going to try to figure out a way to change the linkage around to get back the ratio while keeping the master cylinder in the same spot.  If I can't do that, then it will have to go back on the firewall.

[FElony]

I dont know  mayby a litle higher profile on the rear tire
and slight drop in the front...but thats me i like the stinkbug stance

Bingo. Day Two cars need more rubber in back. Yes, slight drop in front. Remove the front wheel well trim because it draws the eyes forward, accenting the mismatch. Big drop for a Nascar look is no-no with flat spokes, slapper bars, and hood scoop. Stay consistent with your theme.

[Heo]

Probably you can drill new holes here and there and move things around
to gain some ratio  in a couple of places and that may be enough

I made a entirely new rat trap for the galaxie when i mounted a dual diafragm
booster From a Volvo 740 works perfect with 11 inch/hg vaccum

[cjshaker]

Just my opinion, but I'd put a bigger tire in the back to fill the wheelwell, lower it back down to where it currently sits, or maybe even an inch lower if the tire will fit ok, then lower the front an inch or two. The rear well would look better filled up, and the lowered front would give it a nice stance. But it's your car, so do what looks pleasing to you.

Oddly enough, I agree with FElony that it doesn't look right with just front well trim. Not sure if you have the rear trim, but I'd at least match them front and rear. But I'm guessing you already have plans for that when the body work comes.

[FElony]

...Oddly enough, I agree with FElony...

Heaven forbid you or anyone else here be odd by agreeing with an opinion of mine. 

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of wheel well mouldings on some cars, as they tend to introduce a "bright" contour that conflicts with the roundness of the wheel. The lighter the paint color, the less this clash is noticeable. However, it really is personal preference on a car-by-car basis. I did buy a set of the current repros, and they are very nice quality. If the originals for this car are hammered, then that's a viable option.

[cjshaker]

...Oddly enough, I agree with FElony...

Heaven forbid you or anyone else here be odd by agreeing with an opinion of mine. 

Don't worry, FElony, I'm pretty sure I was a bit on the odd side before that.

[AlanCasida]

I always liked those fastbacks sitting low and level. Oh yeah...and green. 

 

[FElony]

...Oddly enough, I agree with FElony...

Heaven forbid you or anyone else here be odd by agreeing with an opinion of mine. 

Don't worry, FElony, I'm pretty sure I was a bit on the odd side before that.

I'm too much of a gentleman to have brought up that possibility.   

I wondered after the post whether mouldings were standard on the Cobra, as my Gulfstream car does not have them. I went and checked, and the screw holes are indeed there. So they were removed prior to my buying the car in the 80's. I also looked at the New Lime Cobra, and they are present. NL is a light color; think of Grabber Lime in a pastel shade, perhaps. You can't really see the mouldings until you are up close. The white GT still has its mouldings. All three of these cars came from the factory with the 14x6 "GT" steel wheels with trim rings. I'm trying to remember if the mouldings were tied into these upgraded wheels. Standard wheels on the Cobras were the body-color steelies with Ford crest poverty caps. I "think" cars so equipped did not have wheel well trim. Been a while since I studied the option list. I'll have to yank that info out and have at it.

[FElony]

I always liked those fastbacks sitting low and level. Oh yeah...and green. 

I've never been a fan of Black Jade. Too military-looking, I think. It replaced Highland Green from '68, which is much nicer. However, 1971 Dark Green is much mo twitchiner.

http://paintref.com/cgi-bin/colorcodedisplay.cgi?type=sample&paint=13736&ditzler=2291&syear=1971&smanuf=Ford&smake=&smodel=&sname=Dark%20Green&rows=50

Otherwise, that's a nice Cobra.

[jayb]

Just my opinion, but I'd put a bigger tire in the back to fill the wheelwell, lower it back down to where it currently sits, or maybe even an inch lower if the tire will fit ok, then lower the front an inch or two. The rear well would look better filled up, and the lowered front would give it a nice stance. But it's your car, so do what looks pleasing to you.

Oddly enough, I agree with FElony that it doesn't look right with just front well trim. Not sure if you have the rear trim, but I'd at least match them front and rear. But I'm guessing you already have plans for that when the body work comes.

That's a 255/60R-15 tire in the back, on an 8" wheel.  I just didn't want to go any bigger than that, given how close that tire is to the fender lip.  I suppose I could've gone with a 70 series tire to get some more height, but I'm sure I'll be needing the 60 series footprint.  And I agree about the front wheelwell trim, I'm thinking when I paint it I'll put the trim on all four.  I don't know what happened to the trim on the rear, it didn't have it when I bought the car, but from the looks of the previous wheel and tire combo it might have been pulled off for clearance.

[jayb]

I always liked those fastbacks sitting low and level. Oh yeah...and green. 

I think the rear height is just about right on that car, but it is still too high in the front.  Still looks pretty darn good, though...