Contrary to Popular Belief...I have not completed the car...and I have not given up

Still slowly working away at the roadster. The recent flurry of activity getting the Porsche ready to ship to Newfoundland for the Targa took up a lot of free time, but my thoughts still always return to the Cobra.

So, I have got most of the engine compartment sorted away, but still all those niggling little details that are not easily rectified. A simple little thing like valve cover breathers and a catch can. Just connect a tube up to the breather port and then to the catch can...simple...no muss... no fuss. But what if you don't like the way the tube obscures the beautiful cobra emblem on the valve cover, and what if you don't like the way the hose needs to bend to get to the catch can....Aghhhh another plumbing problem. I haven't got this particular issue figured out but will keep kicking it around a little.

I needed to get the body on to make sure that general dimensions are going to work and there are no obvious huge mismatches.

Well guess what, the side pipe on the left does not fit the cut out...too high and forward...I think the engine mount needs some tweaking - so tweak it is this coming weekend. The passenger footbox is also slightly long and wide at the tip and more tweak coming.

But the good news is that the engine runs and I can drive it in all gears, and judging from my go-karting I am getting some really good mileage...maybe 2 or 3 miles to the gallon.

Steady Progress...I think?

So, over the last few days with some time off, there has been some gradual progress.

Soon after removal of the body more than two years ago I noticed a crack in the the passenger side door jam, which likely was a result of too much tension on the"butt" end of the car. The crack was definitely a tension failure of the area with the least amount of fibreglass and resin.

Tried a fix with polyester resin and glass matt. I think I was too impatient and didn't saturate the matt enough and didn't wait long enough. Here is what it looked like after I hand removed the matt the following morning.

So, doing the same thing again didn't seem like a good idea. Next stop, Industrial Paint and Plastics...for epoxy and carbon fibre... Much better...I think. I did it for both driver and passenger sides, even though the other side was not cracked, but I could feel that it was going to happen.

I also got the replacement valvecovers with breather valves on both sides. Looks even better with the nice cobra logos.

On the wiring front I am halfway through completing the rear wiring, and just figuring out the course and connection needs for the lighting. With the ISISpower system, it seems very easy to add another circuit. I did blow some fuses when trying to wire the windshield wiper motor. I did exactly what the instructions said not to do...wire the self park feature. Next circuit to include is a cockpit power plug, some lights for the trunk area and maybe Daytime running lights....

Next step, test fit the body.

Running more smoothly

Yesterday, after doing lots of internet surfing to figure out why the engine was backfiring I proceeded to go through a troubleshooting plan concocted from limited knowledge and experience regarding this particular issue. All I knew was that the engine was creating a very loud "report"on a frequent basis that made not wearing ear protection painful. So the possible causes (by no means complete) - detonation, engine running rich, fouled spark plug, poor timing (not the romantic type) and other more bad things.

So my plan: Check the spark plugs, check the timing, check the fuel injection system, pray!

All of these steps required internet and Youtube guidance. Much like getting caught in the middle of the surgery and not knowing your next step (I joke, never happened).

Took a look at the sparkplugs - somewhat fouled with carbon around the base...but how much is too much. So put the plugs back in.

Got the timing light out... of course I had to watch the excellent video from MSD ignition...very informative and highly recommended. After that, went out to the garage and started the engine up. Got the timing light running and found that the timing was !!eek !!! 35 degrees advanced. Adjusted this to about fifteen and, darned if the backfiring stopped. I guess that's why I don't do this on a regular basis.

For good measure, I plugged in the computer for the Powerjection III ECU and went back to close to the recommended factory settings. The engine was running much better.... until I ran out of gas.

Sometimes you have to keep first things first.

Next project is to start work on the body and to fix the crack in the body that happened soon after delivery (more than 2 years ago). I am very happy that this is not my daily driver, otherwise, I would be exceptionally fit from all of the walking I would have done without a working vehicle.

What a boatload of fun!

Finally, the roads are dry and I think things are working better. The engine runs but there is some backfiring from the right side maybe cylinder 3 or 4, but it sounds good otherwise. No leaks for the last few weeks.

Time for a little ride to get some willing volunteers to ride shotgun.

I have gotten most of the electrical sorted out, so just a lot of fit and finish and adjustment. Maybe this will be the summer!

Going so fast I lost my hat and had to go back to pick it up.

Making some progress

The weather is so good that I am pushed to work on the roadster. Today I was wiring the rear lights and finding appropriate locations for the ISIS powercell. Just like in the front, I had an initial preferred position but changed that to a hidden position in a fabricated box underneath the trunk deck. I also got some LED lights to act as backup lights for reverse.

When I started the project (I can barely remember it was so long ago) I thought that the assembly manual would help quite a bit. I was wrong, but I am not the first person to discover this. I also thought that each step would be logical and would have been done in a specific order by others before me. The more I do, the more I realize how "custom" this process really is. Each car built by an individual has something different and the way things fit together and the order they fit together also varies. So I am just winging it and I have stopped looking at the books.

So, my immediate goal is to trial fit the body sometime in the next week or two to make sure clearances are OK. Then complete the interior aluminum and start some body work and fitment. Wish me luck...I am going to need it.