Cobra Roadster transmission options these days?

[cleandan]

I am wondering what the current manual transmission options are for use in an ERA Cobra Roadster.
This will be a street style Cobra, no scoops, no rollbar, no stripes...nothing S/C about it.
The engine will be an FE built with relatively mild specs and dressed to look correct. Probably in the 430HP and 480TQ range. Brent will be building this engine.
This will be a fun style Cobra that is mostly street driven, cruised, and beat on when the mood strikes.
I like the way the Toploader shifts and feels when set up right, but I would like to add one more gear to act like an overdrive.
The Tremec TKO600 is one option, but I have found them notchy and hard shifting compared to the Toploader.
This transmission should not require special modifications to the ERA Cobra to install.
I don't want to cut the car, or have the shifter in an odd place.
Undercar mods are not as much an issue.

Because I don't know everything...yet...I am seeking advice from the FE brain trust concerning what is currently available for such duty.

Thanks for any and all help.

[blykins]

3.31-3.54 gear and a Toploader.   

[jayb]

Is there room for a Gear Vendors overdrive? 

[philminotti]

I have a TKO 600 behind a 500hp FE in mine.  It's notchy and hard to shift quickly.  And in a Cobra, it's just fine.  IMHO.

[blykins]

Jay, the drive shaft is about 12-13" long in a Cobra. 

Another option is the new Tremec TKX.  It should remedy the shifting issues and has a little smaller footprint. 

Still hard to beat a Toploader in terms of shifting ease and authenticity though.  With a hair taller gear, a wide ratio Toploader is a great option for a Cobra.

[AlanCasida]

I agree with Brent. As light as a Cobra kit car is you could probably even get by with a 3.25 or maybe even a 3.00 and a toploader and still have a ton of fun.

[brettco]

 I agree too. I have started in 3rd gear and not even known it with a 3:50and wide ratio top loader.

[CV355]

It would be interesting if you could get a TR6060/Magnum in there.  I may be wrong, but I think the TR6060s have the integrated bellhousing, but the Magnum has more options including shifter position.  They are long, and that wouldn't give you much to work with on the driveshaft...

Update:  Someone did a T56 Magnum it in a FFR Cobra and their driveshaft was 10.625" when all was said and done.  Crossmember needed to be cut and capped, and e-brake bracket needed to be modified slightly for clearance. 

I loved my TR6060 except for 2nd gear, which was notoriously notchy.  That car was pushing 800hp and the transmission didn't care one bit.  With 3.31s, 6th gear was basically idle at highway speeds. 

[cleandan]

Thanks so far guys. I appreciate all the helpful input.
I like the wide ratio Toploader myself.
It is strong enough, it looks correct because it is correct, and it shifts really well.
Half the fun of driving a Cobra is quick shifting through the gears.
EVERY TKO600 Cobra I have driven does not even come close to the smoothness and quickness of a Toploader.

Jay, I don't think there is enough length for a good gear vendor install.
It would literally fit in the space, but the driveshaft would consist of two U-joints welded together for the proper length.

Brent, you know the person I am working with on this Cobra.
I made sure to send him your way, and I am glad he has taken my advice.
I sent him to three places overall.
Build him a durable, correct looking engine and he will be very happy.
If you can get it to not leak oil...even better.

The current Cobra he has, I worked on, and delivered to his home.
He seems like a really good guy.

While he is thinking about the TKO600 for the 5th gear, I think he could be talked into the wide ratio Toploader and 3.31:1 gears for a really great overall package.

When you get the engine more finalized it may be worth some talk with him about where this engine makes power, where it runs out of rpm, and what rear gears and trans ratios will work best.

This Forum is where I am seeking any new transmission possibilities...like the TKX.
I'll look into this new transmission and see what I can learn.

Thanks again everyone. I do appreciate the useful discussion.

[plovett]

It is so refreshing to hear people NOT say that they need 500+ ft/lb of torque and 10:1+ torque multiplication to get even a light car moving. 

pl

[cammerfe]

Way back when, I fell heir to a Toploader intended for a Competition Cobra. It had never been installed. It was a close ratio big in-'n'-out with a shorty tail housing.

You know that a Gearvendor OD can be had that adds to the length of the standard trans, but by making use of the short output shaft available from GV, the entire trans plus GV isn't much longer than an ordinary trans. The GV simply substitutes for the rear housing. There's nothing wrong about using one simple universal joint as the connection. It might take a bit of juggling to get the engine and center section in the right place to link them with one universal, but it can be done.

For what it's worth, the Cheetah was designed in the first place to do that very sort of hook-up.

KS