I started my build back in January of 2016 and it was “finished” in October of 2020 (still refinements are ongoing...you know how it goes). I have to say looking at your build there’s several ideas I’d steal from you if I do another one! Great build and great video buddy!
That's a very well done professionally built car! For being your first car, I'm really impressed, I've been thinking about building one and you inspire me!.
Hey Travis D. Thanks for the mention about the 520 Speedworks Boltless Roll Bar Kits. I really glad you like them. Your car is absolutely beautiful!!!!! Congrats on an awesome build.
Gorgeous build. Price is higher than expected, but completely understandable. Makes me think the 72k i paid for my Backdraft wasn't too bad of a deal. Would be rather built mine. But with family and work, probably would've taken me 3-5 years. Maybe on the next one. But yes, the 427's are an absolute blast to drive.
A new Backdraft is 130k now, same with Superformance. I feel good about 68k and I was able to customize it how I wanted plus the build journey is a great experience. 72k is a good price for a BD, hope you are enjoying your car!
Video and build are top notch and very humble about craftmanship! Don't be fooled, this build is right there with the top builders who have much more experience!
Well done on your cobra 👍 I live a couple of miles from where these cars were originally made ( Walton upon Thames )I’ve always had a love of them thanks for keeping it real the double roll bars are a great addition they work really well even the cup holders are fab well done 🙏🇬🇧
A buddy of mine built a 289 in his garage. We drove it in the rain once and the front tires would pick up all the water and dump it in the open side window. Good times!
Thank you for the detailed walk around, perspective and costs. Seeking to build my own and this helps a lot. Thanks again. Hope you are enjoying it still.
Great video and beautiful, beautiful car. You did a tremendous job. I greatly appreciated your comments about heat in the footbox--something I would want to know about. Enjoy your great Cobra!
Amazing Build!….(my #1 car…..bucket list 😁😁) Watched and seen Many a Build….You did it Right! Fantastic! Great Job! Now…..Enjoy your work! Thanks for the upload’s. God Bless You and Yours.
Very well thought out. I particularly like the dual roll bars with headrests. You have made pretty much all the choices I would make. I am not sure I would go with the power steering. A test drive of a car without it would probably convince me one way or another. I would also like to see how the new Godzilla engine works out as a Cobra motor. That mild 427 Windsor sounds like a really good choice however.
Love your humility. Good presentation. Totally understand your stance on safety but I could never do the dual rollbars. But again, totally understandable. Good job.
On your next build I’ll paint your car for half the price for that small of a car. I’ve worked on a lot of cobras painting out at the Las Vegas Speedway. They sometimes take a lot of mud, but not $11,000 worth.
Stunning effort. Love the detail. Shame you changed the wheels from the deep gold to black, but otherwise perfect. And I’d strongly suggest that $70k is a bargain for something with that performance, with that detail, with that look and of course, unique to you. US has a lot of muscle cars that can provide that power/noise/fun for a lot less, but not here in Europe. An equivalent (is there one?) would cost far more than €55k. Older AMG or similar, for power and sound, but not the styling or open top. So likely for open top fun you’d be looking at Aerial Atom or Nomad. But they’re 2l super light (500kg) track weapons. Amazing to drive, but you’d never call their engines other than soulless. Beyond that, to have noise and soul and speed and style, you’re more likely to want a classic car or a motorbike. But even a quality classic would set you back similar money or more once/if fully roadworthy and a reliable daily. So, pound for pound, I don’t think there’s as good an option out there. And you get to build it yourself. Excellent job. 🙌
Fantastic video thanks for sharing. Your car is a beauty. I love the add ons. I hope to build my cobra in the future and will save this video for great tips 👍
aahhh... the ol Gordon Levy power steering setup... working for him was alright, but the cars were nice, i think i even remember getting a power steering setup ready to ship out not that long ago, if you visited gordons workshop anytime from '19-'22 and wondering which one i was, i was the one stuffed in the raggity old body shop lmao. those headrests are a good idea, might steal that if/when i build one for myself. if you ever do doubt your brakes though the Wilwoods are amazing, those things stop like a monster. seeing those wheel liners really makes me wish that i had those to install on all the cobras and 65 coupes, things look really nice and slik, and im sure helps keep the engine bay MUCH cleaner than if you didnt have them, if you ever want/need a checkup on your car and are in arizona im free most of the time, and im not that extra further away than gordon
i love the compartment between the seats. i cant fit that in mine as there are bars in the way. I wanted 427 but didnt want to got the Windsor route so I went LS. Engine has some good stuff in it but was intended to be a streetable engine. I was shocked when it made 707hp and 600lbft. Should go ok.
Good video. I had an MKII a much older build. Raw is the word. I live in Massachusetts and each spring I'd start the beast up and she'd say to me I can kill you if you're not careful. Sold it for one reason. It was like sitting in a toaster in the late spring and summer was terrible. Very nice job and car.
Holy moly gorgeous since I seen the factory five cobra I’ve always been intrigued and wanted to build one I think there awesome just would love A/C lol I’m old man. Lol
Thank you, choosing color is hardest part with building these cars! This color is BMW sterling gray, mercedes black stripes, ford race red pin stripes. Good luck!
This is an absolutely beautiful build sir. Nice work. I will be ordering my kit within the next couple months and love the look of the finish on your panels. Is it a treatment to the stock panels or did you purchase the new ones with with the finish pre done?
Travis, beautiful build and video. My son and I are about to fire up the engine, no body yet and you gave me some great ideas. I have some questions: 1. I love the grab handle but on my dash, there is no real frame support to place a grab handle that can really be of any use. Is the back side of your grab handle bolted to the frame? After much mental debate, I am now installing the second roll bar, thank you for your wisdom. 2. You tunnel cover looks great, my kit only comes with carpet. Where did you get the solid dark tunnel cover? Thanks for sharing your experience. Dan
Grab handle is bolted to the frame, very strong and sturdy. My tunnel cover was covered in leather hyde I purchased off e-bay. You can visit my build thread on the factory five forum to get more details on the car. thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?35778-Fmans-Dart-427-build-9818-14-quot-Leather-steering-wheel
Great idea, I am going to put up a 6k mile video hopefully soon. Here is my first start video. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-WzV11uZDsGA.html
Engine is a Dart SHP block stroked to a 427. Approx 500-520 HP, never has been on a Dyno. Engine was built by Elliott Franklin (Mustang Corral) in Grass Valley, CA. Elliott builds a great engine, used to race cars and has been doing it for over 30 years.
great vid i like all of it but im not a video editor love all the stuff you did for the radiator the only thing i would change is the thermostat to a 165 or 170. that may help to and it makes the engine last longer in the long run. most efi's read off of the o2's for temp
Love the car. Not sure what the thinking was behind the footwell cooling approach. Unless I'm missing something, you were running fans picking up hot air from the engine bay to blow on your legs? If that's the case, no matter how much you try to reduce radiating engine temperature, you will always blow hot air into the cabin not to mention all the toxic gases. Just thinking out loud but apart from a small A/C unit, maybe installing a fan with ducting under the seat to blow air into the footwell if all you want is ambient temperature but I think A/C is the way to go.
Footbox blowers take cool air from the front intakes then pass air into the footbox compartment. This is the theory behind them, I also added a couple large engine compartment bilge blowers that send hot air out the side vents.
@@Travis8126 Thank you Travis. Very much appreciate your feedback. I must've seen the bilge fans and thought that's what's pumping the air into the cab. Have you found the bilge fans to make much of a difference? One thing that I've noticed on a lot of Cobras, muscle cars and hot rods is that not too many people run radiator fan shrouds. Not sure if it's a look thing or some practical reason.
Gee l know who 2 chat with once l have the $$ 2 build one . Awesome Job . Really like 👍 all Ur Tweaks . Xcellent Job & really well thought out . Robert Australia 🇦🇺. Thanks 4 Sharing.
As someone who rides a motorcycle with 205 horsepower that weighs 440 pounds, I find it hard to believe that a Cobra with 500 horsepower would be undriveable. People just need to learn throttle control.
I've had plenty of crotch rockets but I've also had a 400 horsepower rear wheel drive Mustang 40th anniversary with no traction control whatsoever. Yes you can drive it, but it's dangerous as hell on wet pavement and nothing like a motorcycle when it comes to handling. The power to wait is one thing the traction and handling is another
Can you tell us anything else about the engine? Looks like a stroked 351W, correct? What cam was used to give you the granny 2500 rpm option, but a beast when you put your foot in to it? Did you drill your holes in the tin before powdercoat, or after? If after, did drilling the powdercoat cause it to crack? Why move the battery forward? (Seems putting as much weight in the back is better...) GREAT wrap up video. Thank you for your time.
Hi Matt, engine is a Dart block stroked to 427. Most engine builders will go with a Dart block when you go over a 408 and not use the Windsor block, Dart blocks have 4 bolt main caps, larger cooling journals, cylinder walls, etc... good for 900 HP. I will have to see if I can find my cam card on all the specs and get back to you. For tins no I did not drill all of them out, some I had pre drilled and others I did not. Will not make a difference either way the prismatic PC I used is very durable. I moved the battery forward because it is a PIA having it in the trunk, much longer cable runs and takes up storage space. Most guys move it to the front of the car and has no affect on performance of the car. Here is the PC I used:www.prismaticpowders.com/shop/powder-coating-colors/PVS-3014/silver-artery
I think any engine in these cars could be too much! you gotta keep the right foot under control! So far I have no regrets going with the 427, it is a fun car to drive.
Hey, love your build! Love it! Can't wait for my kit to arrive. Where does your foot vent hose pick up the fresh air from? Also, is the hose high temperature hose? Those might be why it's either picking up hot air or heating up the air as it moves through the hose. I am very interested in doing the foot vent mod, but after seeing your video I am having second thoughts about it.
Hose picks up front front nose area intake vents, they are not high temperature hoses which is definitely a possibility of why they are not very effective. Honestly, I have not talked with many people who say the foot box vents actually work well, just not super effective at ambient temps where you really want cooler air coming in the car.
very nice , wish you would have included body panel and unibody alignment , did you build it off a "jig" and how did you get it to look square and true ? all the body panel gaps look very good , impressive
It is still several months until my kit is delivered and I'm living vicariously through my predecessors. I notice you don't have windshield wipers installed on your baby. How did you manage to get it past inspection without them? Reading the regs in my state (Texas) it seems like it is something required.
In CA they do not require wipers to pass inspection for title. You can also get "clip on" temporary wipers to pass inspections which a lot of builders choose to do. From people I have talked with who installed wipers all of them say the wipers on these cars don't work anyway, IMO a waist of time and money installing them.
In CA you can register this car under the SB100 registration. They allow 500 per year and only require an enclosed PCV system. It is a visual one time inspection, they are basically smog exempt.
Travis. Car looks great. I’m trying to get into a FFR cobra myself but am hesitant. I live in the Bay Area. Could I ask you via email some suggestions?
So, I love the idea of these Factory Five builds... but I've stayed away, because I also live in California. My perception was that if I built it... how could I possibly get it Registered in CA? Any insight? How did you do it?
SB100 allows 500 kit cars per year to register for a smog exempt lifetime title. It takes about 3-4 months to go through the process but definitely do-able.
Greetings. Great video, lots of good info. I have a MkIV that took delivery of in September 2018. Health reasons and a minor set-back or 2 halted my progress. I still haven't purchased my after-market side pipes. I'm leaning towards Biog quiet pipes mainly because they're all baffles and no packing to blow out. Yes I know that they don't come in stainless or even polished, but I intend to have them ceramic coated. Do you any feed back to which would be quieter, Gas-N-Pies or Biog. Again, great video and thanx for your time.
Hi John, the Gas 'n touring pipes are definitely more quiet than the FFR pipes (at least 10 decibels, maybe even more). The Gas 'n pipes also have no packing to blow out they are very good quality. Your engine displacement/engine type will also determine a lot on how loud the pipes are. I installed a set of Gas 'n touring pipes on a 302 a couple months ago and it was definitely much quieter than my 427. I also have heard good things about Boige pipes but I have no experience using them. Hope this helps you out. Good luck with the build and keep plugging away on it!
