What You Should Know Before You Begin Building a component vehicle, or "kit car," is an advanced project best suited for individuals who have a considerable amount of experience and expertise in automotive mechanics as well as some basic knowledge of electrical wiring. Even for experienced automotive do-it-yourselfers, completion of all phases of the project may require several weeks of diligent work, not to mention an ample amount of work space and a sizeable personal and financial commitment. Beyond that, there are a number of steps in the project that -- in order to be done correctly -- should be handled by professionals. Among those steps are application of body paint (particularly if the owner desires a show-quality paint job) and machine-balancing of the engine. (Both of those phases are covered in later segments of this workshop.) The quality of the final product will rely, to a large extent, on the planning and preparation that take place before the project begins. Although intended to serve as an informative overview of the major steps involved in this ambitious project, this series should not be regarded as a complete and comprehensive set of instructions. That level of detail can be provided only by the vehicle manufacturer that you select, and it will be covered thoroughly in the assembly manual that comes with your component-vehicle kit. It's vital that all such assembly instructions be read and followed thoroughly. It's important to note that there are many steps in building this high-performance vehicle that require exacting accuracy, and that there may be critical differences from one manufacturer or model-variation to another. The steps shown in the demonstrations throughout this series follow the recommendations of the manufacturer of our particular replica kit and were supervised by our expert, who has built a number of vehicles from kits purchased from that manufacturer. Read and follow the assembly instructions and diagrams that come with your particular kit. The Pallet Kit Oddly enough, the first steps in building a replica vehicle have mainly to do with disassembly. That's because the CobraB. replica kit comes in the form of a pallet kit, which consists of a rolling chassis, the unpainted body and a number of components and accessories that are prefitted onto the body. The initial phase of this project involves removing the unfinished body from the frame and then removing a number of those accessories and safely storing them away. Disassembly will ready the body for painting and the chassis for installation of the engine and drive train. To some extent, the ease with which the overall project will come together relies on these initial steps. Most kits are manufactured so that no specialized tools are required for working with the body, chassis and accessories -- just ordinary automotive tools, including a complete set of wrenches, drivers and a cordless power drill. In order to begin building the replica, the body must first be removed from the frame. This will allow (in later stages) the installation of the engine, transmission, drive shaft and exhaust system. Before removing the body from the chassis, it is necessary to test-fit the doors, trunk lid and hood to ensure that they will fit and operate properly when reinstalled later. Some of the smaller body accessories may be removed either before or after the body has been separated from the chassis. It's generally advisable to remove the body first, to simplify access to some of the components. To remove the body from the chassis, remove bolts from inside each front fender, in each side of the passenger compartment (or cockpit), and inside the trunk in the area of the gas tank. Once the bolts are removed, the body is carefully lifted off the frame and should be placed in a safe, secure work area. It should be placed on some type of support such as jack stands or sawhorses, being careful not to damage or mar any of the surfaces. As an alternative, a body dolly (figure A) will safely support the body while also allowing it to be easily moved and repositioned as necessary. Though there's no set order for removing the accessories at this stage, components that need to be removed include the steering column, radiator, master cylinders, bumpers, windshield, taillights, dash, fuel-fill cap, etc. In an overall sense, the process of removing all of these parts in this initial stage is actually beneficial to the builder of the kit car. Methodical removal of the components helps provide an understanding of how all the various parts fit and gives a good idea of what will be required in later stages of the project for reinstalling them and making them operable. The tail-light assembly is easy to remove. Two screws hold the lens in place. Remove those screws and carefully lift off the lens. Next, remove the two screws that hold the bottom portion of the assembly in place (figure B), and carefully lift out the base assembly and wiring. Repeat the process for both sides. With the tail-light components removed, it's a good idea to reassemble each unit and store it in a labeled ziplock bag (figure C). This will prevent individual components from getting scratched or damaged, and it will ensure that none of the fasteners or small parts are lost. Tip : The bagging of individual small parts in separate, labeled ziplock bags is a good practice throughout much of this project. It provides a safe means of storage and cataloging so that none of the small parts are lost or damaged prior to reinstallation. Proceeding from the rear of the vehicle to the front, after removing the taillights, we moved on to the fuel tank, which is located in the trunk. The tank is held in place by four bolts. Using a socket or ratcheting wrench, remove the bolts. After all the bolts have been removed and placed in a labeled bag, carefully lift the fuel tank out of the trunk, using caution not to damage the body (figure D). Because of the size and positioning of the tank, this job will be easier with two people. With the fuel tank removed, we proceeded next to the fuel-fill cap. First unscrew the cap itself from the base assembly. Next, remove the six screws that hold the base assembly in place in the body (figure E) and carefully lift it out. Next, remove the dash and instrument panel. The dash in this particular kit is simple to remove. It rests on two brackets and is held in place by a series of screws. Simply remove the screws and lift out the entire assembly (figure F). The dash comes with the full array of performance gauges (tachometer, oil pressure, oil temperature, water temperature, etc.) styled in a manner consistent with the original Cobra (figure G). One of the very desirable features of this particular kit is the one-piece dash assembly. It is already covered in a leather finish, and gauges and instruments are already prewired (figure H), equipped with factory-compatible plugs, and ready to be connected once the vehicle's wiring harness is installed. This feature greatly simplifies this part of the project and saves time. With the dash out of the way, the windshield can be removed. It is held in place by six fasteners: two bolts that attach to a chrome center-bracket, and two that attach on either side of the cockpit below the dash cowling. Remove the center bolts from the bracket using a small box- or open-end wrench (figure I), and then the lower bolts using a socket wrench. Once the lower bolts have been removed, carefully lift off the windshield (figure J) and set it aside. Note : With this particular kit, there are several components that should not be removed during the disassembly procedure. Those include the mounting hardware for the hinge-plates on the doors, hood and trunk-lid (figure K). These components have all been factory-aligned to help make it easier for the do-it-yourselfer to reinstall the associated parts with little or no adjustments. As with all steps in this project, consult your assembly manual for specific instructions pertaining to components such as these. Some advice from the pros: When building a component vehicle, it is important to realize that this is not simply a linear process of assembling all the pieces. In a number of stages, a process of disassembly and reassembly is required -- and in some cases that process may be repeated several times. This principle applies to assembling some elements of the body and chassis, and most especially to the building of a finely honed performance engine. This process of building, unbuilding and rebuilding facilitates the kind of meticulous assembly that results in a precision-tuned vehicle that will perform at peak specs.
RESOURCES :
cobracountry.com
Premiere online resource for all things related to CobraB. reproductions. Established by enthusiast Curt Scott, and maintained by Crown Communications of Santa Clarita, CA, the site contains news, articles archives, a directory of Cobra-replica specialists and manufacturers, aftermarket sources, announcements of upcoming shows and rallies, listings of Cobra clubs, links to other Cobra sites, and more.
Cobra Country
Website: www.cobracountry.com
Unique Motorcars
Unique Motorcars
(Unique Cobra Specialists)
Manufacturers of high-quality Cobra® replicas since 1977, Unique Motorcars also maintains an informational and well-illustrated web site providing information about their Cobra reproductions and related products. Assembly manuals for their kits (including the one used in DIY's Build A Kit Car workshop) are available on their site.
230 E. Broad Street
Gadsden, AL 35903
Phone: 256-546-3708
Web site: www.uniquecobrareplicas.com
Information also available at:
www.cobracountry.com/unique
The Cobra Story: A Man, His Dream and His Automobile
Author: Carroll Shelby and John Bentley
1965, Trident Press
Carroll Shelby website
Shelby Cobra: The Shelby American Original Color Archives 1962-1965
Model: 0879387572
Author: Dave Friedman
(1994)
To order this title from Amazon.com, click here.
Motorbooks International (MBI Publishing)
Essential AC Cobra : The Cars and Their Story 1962-67
Model: 1870979850
Author: Rinsley Mills
(1997)
To order this title from Amazon.com, click here.
Motorbooks International (MBI Publishing)
Shelby Cobra Gold Portfolio, 1962-69
Model: 1855200236
Author: R.M. Clarke
(1990)
To order this title from Amazon.com, click here.
Motorbooks International (MBI Publishing)
Carroll Shelby's Racing Cobra
Model: 0850454573
Author: Dave Friedman and John Christy
To order this title from Amazon.com, click here.
Motorbooks International (MBI Publishing)
Shelby's Wildlife: The Cobras and Mustangs
Model: 0879380454
Author: Wallace A. Wyss
To order this title from Amazon.com, click here.
Motorbooks International (MBI Publishing)
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