The 12 Mods of Christmas...In case you need gift ideas

[Tim M]

Been thinking about the modifications to make my car better that I've done over the years, and I've come up with the 12 Mods of Christmas. I'll provide the links to each, you know, just in case someone is looking for gifts

One of the first mods I made that I love and keeps me from being a blinker dork. It's Signal Dynamics signal module. This module costs less than $100 and is an easy install behind the dash. It has a built in electronic flasher for Left/Right signals as well as Emergency Flashers. It self cancels as well!

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me 1 Blinker Dork Preventer



http://www.signaldynamics.com/self-canceling-turn-signal-module/

 

[Tim M]

I know ya'll have been waiting for #2 on the list. This one was recommended to me by Mark P and Rich to go with the Russ Thompson Pedal. This one also costs less that $100 and has really made a difference in my throttle response. It's so much smoother and linear now than before and has become one of my favorite mods.

The 2nd Mod of Christmas - http://www.norcal-cobras.com/store/russ_garage/mk3/mk3ftp.html

 

[Tim M]

The 3rd Mod of Christmas came in a box to me.... This one freed up some much needed space in the trunk and keeps the battery out of the way and very secure, especially for track days. So, the 3rd Mod is a little more pricey at $160 from ffmetal.com, but, could probably be made by those that are handy with a break.



http://ffmetal.com/batteryboxpage.html

 

[MPTech]

I like your mods so far Tim. Very interested in seeing what else you recommend.
(Glad you like the Russ Thompson throttle pedal. I was a little hesitant to suggest it to you, because I know you liked how your car handled.) With the Russ Thompson pedals, I can also recommend his Dead pedal, to finish out the set. (may be difficult to install with the body on, but a simple install during the build)

keep 'em coming!

 

[Tim M]

Thanks Mark. So, my fourth mod goes back to the first time I took the car apart in 2009. I was looking for some performance/suspension improvements and found that in an awesome sale that Factory Five had. I was able to get Koni coil over shocks all around for less than $1,000 I did see some significant handling improvements as well as some corrections to a rear tire rub on the inside of the rear fenders. Worth every penny of $1,000.

On the fourth day of Christmas, 4 Koni Shocks, 3 a battery box, 2 a polished go pedal and 1 anti blinker dork module

Fronts - http://www.factoryfiveparts.com/koni-front-coil-over-retro-fit-kits/
Solid Axle Rears - http://www.factoryfiveparts.com/roadster-coupe-koni-solid-axle-coil-over-kit/

And my mod thread showing installation of these as well as the Factory Five Rear Lower Control arms - http://www.gatewaycobraclub.com/forums/showthread.php?783-Winter-Project-Koni-Shocks-COMPLETE

So, keep an eye on Factory Five's sales

 

[33ratride]

Keep them coming, always looking to making the car better.

 

[Tim M]

5th Mod of Christmas is for the interior. When I bought my car it had plain vinyl door panels made with some type of FR panel backing, pretty homemade. I didn't like the look, plus, I wanted a pocket. I ran across Herb's door panels in 2008 and Linda got them for me for Christmas. Mine are the plain black one's with a pocket that holds my garage door opener, insurance card and other stuff when needed. Herb also offers some with a wood grain insert. These are a nice finished look addition to the car I think.

On the 5th day of Christmas...2 Door panels....(you know the rest )
http://cobra-herb.tripod.com/

 

[Tim M]

6th Mod of Christmas is once again on the interior. I noticed many times when on the track, my hands would be tired, cramping and hurt. I found that the original wooden steering wheel was so small in diameter that I felt I had to grip the wheel tighter. I noticed on Mark E's car that the Superformance had larger diameter steering wheels. I found the answer here - 6 bolt Steering Wheel This steering wheel ended up being just what I needed. This wheel is easier to grip, better for my hands and generally easier to drive. One change I may make is adding the quick release boss - Quick Release Boss I know it's not like the original look wooden wheel (which I still have), but, it is more comfortable to drive

 

[Tim M]

The 7th Mod of Christmas is less than $100 and again, addresses the 'interior' of the car. I know getting in and out of the car, I kept scraping and scratching up the door entry of the car. Dark Water Customs has a pretty good solution for that with their Door Sill Trim I ordered mine in black several years ago and they help protect that area of the cockpit where the door and the body meet. Very easy to install by taping the trim to the body, drilling the holes and attaching with the provided screws. Just a little something that helps finish off the car to a more 'factory' look.

On the 7th day of Christmas...2 door sill trim....

 

[Tim M]

One of the things that I had trouble with when I bought the car was steering. Turning in parking lots etc... After researching a bit, I found one of the forum advertisers offered a complete true manual kit. Breeze Automotive has a kit that was what I needed over the de-powered rack I had in the car when I bought it. It made it much easier to turn, and I had a better feel when driving. It also comes with the offset bushings which are to better align the rack with the steering knuckles to improve bump steering.

The 8th mod of Christmas...a steering rack a turning..

http://www.breezeautomotive.com/details.php?prod_id=364&cat_id=12

 

[Tim M]

Sorry, been gone a while. Thought this list would get easier Had to think a while on this one. When I bought the car, it had a Holley 850 Double Pumper on it with no choke on it. I ran that for a while, and even had it rebuilt by C&S Specialties with no luck. The car underperformed, got horrible fuel mileage and just didn't seem to run well. I purchased a Barry Grant 750 with an electric choke, and it was trouble from the get go. I only ran it for a little over a year before swapping it out for a Quick Fuel 750. The carb needed some jetting and tuning, but once it was dialed in, it has since been trouble free. I've modified it for road racing with different floats and I've installed the secondary jet extensions...you know, just in case I go to the dragstrip This carb has really been a good one only needing the occasional power valve and cleaning. If you're looking for a replacement, I wouldn't hesitate to go with a Quick Fuel.

The 8th Mod of Christmas is a Quick Fuel Carburetor


Quickfuel 750

 

[Tim M]

For the 9th mod of Christmas, it's been one of my favorites and least favorites at times too. When I bought the car, it had manual brakes. It stopped fine, but, I found it was a workout being on the track all day and made my leg and foot really tired. I saw Stacey David install an electric power brake system on his show. I looked them up and found it to be a good alternative to vacuum assisted power brakes...not a lot of vacuum on a carb'd big block. It was a farely easy system to install and adapted to what was already on my car. It consists of a new master cylinder with a large bore piston. The reservoir feeds the front and back separately and provides up to 1,200 lbs of clamping force at the rotors. There is an electric motor that provides the boost to the master cylinder, making them effortless to use and very similar to your daily driver brakes. I really like them, but, they have been an issue at times, but, I feel like this last replacement was the cure for an issue I had been having.

On the 9th day of Christmas....Power Brakes for me

ABS Power Brake

 

[Tim M]

On to the 10th Mod of Christmas. When I bought the car, it had the stock/standard Ford starter on it with the external solenoid. The car was hard to start and sluggish when starting. Many on the forum were replacing theirs with the mini starter, which is what I ended up going with. This starter has been great since 2007 and still has a strong spin on it. If you're considering a starter, I wouldn't hesitate to get this one from Breeze Automotive

 

[Tim M]

Getting to the 11th Mod of Christmas early today...lots to do. As you can see from the list above, when I bought the car, it had good 'bones', but, needed a lot of improvements. One thing I noticed with my big block was running a little warm especially during the summer months. The car had the mustang fan and shroud installed, and well, it was fugly. I began looking at several options on Summit, but, came across the SoFast fan shroud on the ffcars forum. This shroud not only looks nice, but fits a large 16" fan. I selected a 16", 3,150 CFM Puller fan to mount to my new shroud. Painted and mounted, the shroud and fan now disappear under my hood like they should.

The 11th Mod of Christmas....A fan and shroud to keep my 460 cool...
SoFast Shroud on FFMetal
16" Fan on SummitRacing

 

[Tim M]

The last of the mods The 12th mod of Christmas is actually not a mod to the car really, but, the reason for all the mods above. It's a membership to Gateway Cobra Club! I met Mark Earls and others at a car show in 2006 and was told about Gateway Cobra Club. I joined then and found that others were doing modifications to their car that I liked and wanted to do. A membership gains you access to other portions of the website where we have technical experts respond to questions, where we plan different meetings and cruises as well as a classified section and members networking area where services can be exchanged. So, join us and find out what you've been missing!

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