Resurrecting my 65 Shelby Cobra roadster ..

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

This is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay off topic but I'm excited about this .. The story - after I got into Spyders ( in 09 ) two years later I fogged the engine and put it up on blocks …. Sooooooooooooooo last week a Car guy drives into my yard, and starts talking about My Cobra, He's impressed with it annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd My Daytona Coupe. …. after 1/2hr. He asks if they are for sale … my standard comment to that is - everything is for sale for a price..... He says HowMuch ??? … I won't give Him an Answer because it hasn't been driven in 8 yrs. … so I tell Him - I have to get it out and check it for drivability !! …. OK , He says call me … He gives me His card ….. turns out He owns Lamoille Valley Ford … So now I have to get it out …. I put a spare battery in, add some 93 octane ( no ethyl ) gas with StarTron added …. cross my fingers, look to heaven, and turn the key !!!!!! , well 20 seconds of cranking while pumping the peddle annnnnnnnnnnnd She starts .... the engine is a 5 litre HO Ford engine making only 220 HP and after about one minute of feathering the gas, She idles down and just starts to purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr …. well not really, it has a completion exhaust. which is almost straight pipes, so it's more like a Low Roar ….. I let it warm up, and back it out. …. Brakes are scrapping like all-get-out, but they are rusty ( un-like great Spyder Disc's )…. I decide to drive around my house on the lawn ( no wife ) in first gear and lightly apply the brakes ….. after 5 laps around, I stop and check the disc's, they don't look too bad, so I decide to take it out on the road for just a very short ride .. .... well I turn onto the pavement, get Her straightened out annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd it !! …. She has an 8.8 posi rear with a tall ratio, not a set-up for drag racing but hot damn, the tires start spinning hard and I'm pushed back into the seat. After 8 yrs. I completely forgot how fast this thing was ( only 200 lbs. ). When I built it I was on a very tight budget, so I kept the power rack, but didn't have a pump so it was 2 1/2 turns L to L …. very hard to steer …. I later bought a manual rack ( 4 1/2 turns L to L ) which will make the steering slower ( actually a good thing but lots easier ( I am now swapping the racks ) …. I also had the original radiator will had a very small leak ( I bought a new one and am now swapping them also ) …. One of the things that was a problem with it being a " roadster " was no convertible top … so this would limit my use …. Factory Five Racing now has an excellent rag top for it, but costs $3,000 .... so if I don't sell it, I've decided to make a removeable top from fiberglass, that will fold in half so it will fit in the very small trunk …. my car has twin roll bars that I'll be able to attach a 1/4in. thick piece of Lexan to, and then be able to attach the top to the windshield and the Lexan … I think this is very doable ….. wish me luck ……. Mike …...….. there are pics in post #5 below ...thanks Gene