Above 1200 Sq/FT The Warthog Hidey Hole

[OutlawDrifter]

That's a bummer JB, I feel your pain. It's 99% of the time the other way around for me. FedEX has HORRIBLE service to my area...took 4 phone calls to get my tires and Mach 1 clutch parts delivered this week.

Brown truck always takes extra time to either hide the boxes or put them out of the weather....white truck has literally thrown a package in our rose bushes!

 

[Grizz1963]

Grrrrrrrrrr

Feel for you buddy.

 

[drivesitfar]

Glad you had fun at the races snd didn’t get seriously hurt. I know getting the cobra back on the road will take more than a few hours of your time but looks like you’re making steady progress to getting to that point.

800hp in your or any car can’t be good on tires but the rush when you hit the gas might blow your hair off your head.

enjoy your weekend and hope it’s getting warmer and dryer as I hope the same for me cause summer can’t come soon enough.

 

[jbmatth]

That's a bummer JB, I feel your pain. It's 99% of the time the other way around for me. FedEX has HORRIBLE service to my area...took 4 phone calls to get my tires and Mach 1 clutch parts delivered this week.

Brown truck always takes extra time to either hide the boxes or put them out of the weather....white truck has literally thrown a package in our rose bushes!

For me it seems to be driver dependent, some of the older drivers didn't care and would deliver most of the time, the drivers for both right now seem to take any excuse they can find not to have to drive out to my house. The FedEx driver I used to have had my cell number and if the weather was bad or he didn't have anything else to deliver near my house would call and ask permission to leave it at the propane company I use in town. That was great and convenient, but something changed and they don't do that anymore.

Grrrrrrrrrr

Feel for you buddy.

After nearly a year since ordering the engine I can handle another few days, it is supposed to show up today though.

Glad you had fun at the races snd didn’t get seriously hurt. I know getting the cobra back on the road will take more than a few hours of your time but looks like you’re making steady progress to getting to that point.

800hp in your or any car can’t be good on tires but the rush when you hit the gas might blow your hair off your head.

enjoy your weekend and hope it’s getting warmer and dryer as I hope the same for me cause summer can’t come soon enough.

I made a punch list this weekend, it is longer than I expected it to be, but most are pretty quick jobs, some are not quick.

I'm not quite making 800, "just" 680, it will be plenty to tear up some tires and make my hair blow in the wind.

I'm fine with warmer, but we REALLY need rain, not a monsoon but a good series of spring showers would be very welcome, if we don't get it this summer will be very tough on everyone around here.

JB

 

[jbmatth]

As mentioned above I made a punch list and here it is:


Most of these will get knocked out pretty quick, but the time consuming ones will be the hood and trunk props as well as the seatbelt mounts. Most of that doesn't have to be done to start the car though.

Since I didn't have the intake I spent some time going over a few odds and ends this weekend and testing a few things out. I connected the battery and nothing burned down, fuel pump fired up and no leaks, I did crank the engine a little, but it wouldn't crank more than 1-2 rounds before acting like the battery was too weak. The battery was fully charged last week, testing voltage I had 12.80 volts at the battery, and it only dropped to 12.74 at the starter solenoid on the engine and using the engine as the ground. The battery isn't that old, but it may just not be strong enough to crank this engine over. I have more troubleshooting to do but hope to knock a bunch out in the next couple days and maybe even here it run.

JB

 

[MrPink]

I have a mile long punch list too. But progress is progress, no matter how small.

 

[jbmatth]

I have a mile long punch list too. But progress is progress, no matter how small.

The punch list is now small enough I can write it down, so much better than what it was a few months ago.

JB

 

[rixtrix1]

Finally got on the forum a bit after a long time and boy have you been busy, JB( not unusual, though). The Cobra is really moving forward and the wheels make it right!

 

[jbmatth]

Finally got on the forum a bit after a long time and boy have you been busy, JB( not unusual, though). The Cobra is really moving forward and the wheels make it right!

Well welcome back and thank you for checking in on me. I'm really happy with the look of the wheels, hopefully I'll get to hear it run in the next few days.

JB

 

[racer-john]

Vroom, vroom, squeeeeeeeeeeal.

 

[jbmatth]

Well, apparently now that the roads are dry and smooth one UPS drivers believes that is still a severe weather event and didn't deliver the intake again yesterday. Funny thing is, there was another package from UPS that did deliver yesterday evening, it was the bolts for the intake, go figure. Fingers crossed it shows up today, no clue what the deal is.

Vroom, vroom, squeeeeeeeeeeal.

Is that the sound of going fast and hitting the brakes?

JB

 

[mybigwarwagon]

Time to call UPS and have a word with them. The driver seems to have a bad case of don't want to.

I had the same problem with the mail. I got a message at 8am one morning that a package ( heavy brake calipers) could not be delivered due to no access, and would have to be picked up in Lincolnton 15 miles away. I called the post office and explained that I don't pay for delivery, and then have to come pick it up. The person asked me to hold, then the post master got on the phone. He said it was a lie that she tried to deliver it at 8am because she doesn't leave the post office til 11. He said I would have my package today. Mail ran at 5 and there was no package. At 8pm she came back with them. She was not happy.

 

[jbmatth]

Time to call UPS and have a word with them. The driver seems to have a bad case of don't want to.

I had the same problem with the mail. I got a message at 8am one morning that a package ( heavy brake calipers) could not be delivered due to no access, and would have to be picked up in Lincolnton 15 miles away. I called the post office and explained that I don't pay for delivery, and then have to come pick it up. The person asked me to hold, then the post master got on the phone. He said it was a lie that she tried to deliver it at 8am because she doesn't leave the post office til 11. He said I would have my package today. Mail ran at 5 and there was no package. At 8pm she came back with them. She was not happy.

If it doesn't show up today I'll stop by the UPS hub here in town, you are correct I just don't think they wanted to make the drive. I am slightly concerned the person responsible will get upset and upcoming deliveries will not be "handled with care".

JB

 

[Grizz1963]

If it doesn't show up today I'll stop by the UPS hub here in town, you are correct I just don't think they wanted to make the drive. I am slightly concerned the person responsible will get upset and upcoming deliveries will not be "handled with care".

JB

Pretty ****** attitude, but that is often the case these days.

I have been without a phone and internet for 9 days now.

Nobody cares When you call to report it.

 

[jbmatth]

Pretty ****** attitude, but that is often the case these days.

I have been without a phone and internet for 9 days now.

Nobody cares When you call to report it.

I made it home about 2 minutes before the UPS truck arrived, same driver as yesterday, he pulled out the box with the intake and said it was loaded on the wrong truck the day before indicated by some writing on the box. It is all good, no skin off my back in the end just meant I could concentrate on other stuff.

I hope you get the phone and internet lines repaired, that can be very frustrating I'm sure.

JB

 

[MrPink]

Where's the pictures of the intake?

 

[jbmatth]

As mentioned the new intake did arrive yesterday, I wasted no time, pulled the old intake off, filled the coolant using the opening from the old heater connection to vent the block until full, installed the plug and tried to install the intake...tried. The intake hit the fuel pressure regulator, I had to remove it and move the mount up ~ 1.5" (~40mm) and put it all back together, now it fit like a glove, well the OJ glove at least:


I did some clean up on the wiring after installing it, wrapping in loom etc before running out of time. I was really excited as you'd expect so I went out this morning early and finished up the wiring, verified the throttle pedal controls the throttle body, that was a great thing to hear, and was ready to attempt the first start:


Before I tell about that though, let's check back in on that punch list:


Seems like I did a lot more work than that...oh well. I turned the key on, primed the fuel system and...it just cranked, no pops, no loud exhaust, nothing just cranking. I was out of time but will plug the laptop in tonight and try to figure something out, at this point lots of potential causes but time will tell, I'm so close though.

Keep moving forward,

JB

 

[jbmatth]

Where's the pictures of the intake?

I got interrupted before I could post, see above, funny thing is I had no clue what it was going to look like until it showed up, it sure is purddy.

JB

 

[OutlawDrifter]

I like the intake JB, very fitting for the car!

 

[MrPink]

That is ****. Did you ever figure out the coil/coil cover issues?

 

[jbrentd]

The new intake manifold looks pretty sweet. Keep plugging...hopefully it's something simple.

 

[jbmatth]

I like the intake JB, very fitting for the car!

Thank you sir, I'm not normally a shiny parts person, but didn't have much choice here with my timeline. Well built piece of metal for sure.

That is ****. Did you ever figure out the coil/coil cover issues?

I kinda thought so too. I have not, I tabled it for the time being in the interest of getting this project running first. So far everything I've come up with was a dead end other than remote mounting the coils but wasn't ready to go that route until I get it running. At this point I'll be working an outage for 2 months starting in April so no progress until early June.

The new intake manifold looks pretty sweet. Keep plugging...hopefully it's something simple.

I'm sure it will be...I sure hope it will be, I just didn't have any time to troubleshoot it this morning.

JB

 

[drivesitfar]

I hope it’s something simple that is keeping it from starting. New part sure looks Purdy and even nicer after you installed it.

I’m guessing the next couple months of work will fill your bank account but you sure do put in terribly long hours so make sure to pack good food choices so you’ll live long enough to have 6 Saturdays and a Sunday each week.

wishing you some good luck too while I’m checking in

 

[jbmatth]

I hope it’s something simple that is keeping it from starting. New part sure looks Purdy and even nicer after you installed it.

I’m guessing the next couple months of work will fill your bank account but you sure do put in terribly long hours so make sure to pack good food choices so you’ll live long enough to have 6 Saturdays and a Sunday each week.

wishing you some good luck too while I’m checking in

I have one idea I just came up with after lunch and am going to check it first, if that is the cause it'll be a "5 minute job", if not out comes the laptop. That seems really odd to say, I don't think I've ever had a laptop in that car before more or less use one on it.

The outage is supposed to be a "great learning experience" and yes I'll get basically an extra 2 months of pay on top of my normal salary while working it. The rough part is the company will be paying for all of my meals so I'll really have to stay diligent on choosing healthy options.

I appreciate the well wishes, all will be good in the end, I just have to find the right path to get me there.

JB

 

[mybigwarwagon]

I thought there was some dispute as to whether or not the hood would fit. Did the new intake solve that, or did I miss something?

 

[bowtiguy]

Awe, just when it was getting good you’re off to pay the bills again.

 

[jbmatth]

I thought there was some dispute as to whether or not the hood would fit. Did the new intake solve that, or did I miss something?

The intake was supposed to solve that, this is the lowest intake I could get and it'll be very close if it does. When I ordered the new intake it allowed me to raise the engine a touch over an inch by adding some height to the motor mounts, thus raising my oil pan clearance from 3.5" to 4.5" (89mm to 114mm). That is when the side pipes were as close as I wanted to get to the openings in the body for them. I'll test fit the hood carefully and see where it lands, if I have to lower the engine a bit I will, but REALLY don't want to.

Awe, just when it was getting good you’re off to pay the bills again.

I know right, just when the weather gets good, warm days, comfortable nights, sun, I have to start working 90+ hour weeks for 2 months. On the bright side that will pay for at least 3 tanks of premium. Oh and a set of tires.

JB

 

[jbmatth]

I'll start off with this, enjoy:

Well there you have it, the battery I was using had a bad cell, it would take a "full" charge, crank the engine, but wasn't enough to make the controller happy. Put in another battery and it fired right up. I didn't have the gauges hooked up so I shut it off to install the dash and gauges. That is when things went down hill:


The tach was full of water, I left the dash in one piece upside down and the tach happened to be in like with a hole in the roof, I removed it to dry it out and this happened:


I couldn't get it to come apart as the face and bezel are sealed, it was acting up last year so I considered getting a new one anyway. Sadly they were discontinued a while back and very few are for sale. I've pretty much talked myself into buying new gauges and going with Autometer for them this time, VDO is not producing as many options as before and finding them is tough. I ordered a similar look tach from Autometer and will swap that out when it arrives, eventually replacing them all.

I'm on the home stretch of installing everything removed for the swap and should be ready to drive it in a few days. I'm beyond excited.

JB

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Bummer on the Tach JB, but boy it sounds mean!

I've had great luck with my Classic Instruments gauges in the '49. Owner of the company has even taken one of my tech calls.

 

[jbrentd]

Multimeter...one of the best tools in the toolbox. Congrats!

 

[jbmatth]

Bummer on the Tach JB, but boy it sounds mean!

I've had great luck with my Classic Instruments gauges in the '49. Owner of the company has even taken one of my tech calls.

I agree, I can't wait to hear it running at a low idle once warmed up. Lots of systems checks to do still but it is sure getting close to drive time.

Tach is a minor setback, I'll have my laptop connected to the engine while running it for a while anyway so I'll have the RPM's there. New tach should be here next week. I didn't think to check with Classic Instruments, but have heard good things about them.

Multimeter...one of the best tools in the toolbox. Congrats!

I agree, it has helped to solve many problems for me in the past.

JB

 

[mybigwarwagon]

Woo-hoo. First starts are both fun and terrifying. Congrats.

 

[Bob Heine]

JB, sometimes one Like button isn't enough. Huge on the first start video but on the tach. Too bad we can't enjoy retirement first and then work to pay it off. I would have happily traded time with my young children for a time at work in my twilight years. Of course it's easy for me to say when I retired at 50.

 

[jbmatth]

Woo-hoo. First starts are both fun and terrifying. Congrats.

I agree, but it has been a long time since the first time I turned the key on a new swap it started the first time, but luckily 90% of them were problem free, my old 351w being the only bad first start...2 times.

JB, sometimes one Like button isn't enough. Huge on the first start video but on the tach. Too bad we can't enjoy retirement first and then work to pay it off. I would have happily traded time with my young children for a time at work in my twilight years. Of course it's easy for me to say when I retired at 50.

The tach is an easy fix, you know the saying that if money can solve the problem it really isn't a problem, that holds true here, quick and easy fix for under $200. My cobra build fund is nearly empty at this point so I won't be replacing all of the gauges at this time, I gotta keep a little white trash in it.

I'm not thrilled about the time away from family one bit, but am working it with wife to take a week trip with them to the Mouse House in Florida. Not my first choice, but we've never been and the extra from the outage will cover that trip.

Who knows what the stock market will do between now and when I turn 50 but it looks promising I'll be able to leave the full time scene by around that time, if I just work a few outages a year, or one big one I won't have to do anything else all year.

JB

 

[jon72vega]

I'll start off with this, enjoy:

Well there you have it, the battery I was using had a bad cell, it would take a "full" charge, crank the engine, but wasn't enough to make the controller happy. Put in another battery and it fired right up. I didn't have the gauges hooked up so I shut it off to install the dash and gauges. That is when things went down hill:


The tach was full of water, I left the dash in one piece upside down and the tach happened to be in like with a hole in the roof, I removed it to dry it out and this happened:


I couldn't get it to come apart as the face and bezel are sealed, it was acting up last year so I considered getting a new one anyway. Sadly they were discontinued a while back and very few are for sale. I've pretty much talked myself into buying new gauges and going with Autometer for them this time, VDO is not producing as many options as before and finding them is tough. I ordered a similar look tach from Autometer and will swap that out when it arrives, eventually replacing them all.

I'm on the home stretch of installing everything removed for the swap and should be ready to drive it in a few days. I'm beyond excited.

JB

JB,
Congrats on getting it running!
That sure is a good feeling!

As far as gauges you may want to look at what Speedhut has to offer. https://speedhut.com/
They offer customization, and the prices are decent.
I used a Oil PSI and Water Temp gauge from them in my Solstice.
Speedhut gauges by jon72vega, on Flickr

 

[drivesitfar]

AWESOME!! Good to see and hear all your hard work has your BABY purring like a big cat (LION).

I’ve never been to Florida and have had Universal Studios on list for a while which you might want to consider instead of Disney.

best of luck with the hood fitting!!

 

[Chrisb62]

Lots of Garage Journal people live down here in Florida ...... If you want to introduce yourself or family.

Or maybe you want to rethink that......Either way great job on the start up

 

[jbmatth]

JB,
Congrats on getting it running!
That sure is a good feeling!

As far as gauges you may want to look at what Speedhut has to offer. https://speedhut.com/
They offer customization, and the prices are decent.
I used a Oil PSI and Water Temp gauge from them in my Solstice.
Speedhut gauges by jon72vega, on Flickr

Another good alternative I didn't think about, the Autometer tach is already on order so I'll have to see if I made the right choice. I would like to have a GXP Solstice sometime, they are fun cars. My neighbor in town had a Sky that had an LS3 swapped into it, that was a blast to ride in as well.

One more Solstice story, Hot Rod Mag. built their red one back in 05 or 06 (I think) with a warmed over LS7, GM had it on my campus and were recruiting, I was talking to a friend about the car and the LS7 when one of the recruiters heard me explaining some of the detail and convinced me to drop off a resume. A few weeks later after a couple phone calls and an interview I had an internship working for GM in the summer of 07, that was a great experience.

AWESOME!! Good to see and hear all your hard work has your BABY purring like a big cat (LION).

I’ve never been to Florida and have had Universal Studios on list for a while which you might want to consider instead of Disney.

best of luck with the hood fitting!!

I went to Universal in '02 with my high school for a national convention/competition, that was a really fun experience. I think the girls would prefer Disney though and they make the final decision.

The hood will fit, it just may take some cutting and grinding.

Lots of Garage Journal people live down here in Florida ...... If you want to introduce yourself or family.

Or maybe you want to rethink that......Either way great job on the start up

I just need to come down a week early and visit all the cool cats, that sounds like a good plan to me.

JB

 

[Chrisb62]

Just let us know when and if you want to meet.......

 

[MrPink]

Awesome!!!

I understand all too well the battery ****. The suburban we bought the battery was enough to start it and drive it home from the dealer, but I let it sit 2 days, and it was a block of ice!

I am making progress too, got the 350/60e mostly out. just need to disconnect the rear u-joint straps but couldnt't find my 11mm wrench, so i gave up for last night lol.