Paul Blore wrote:I felt the same very early on Saturday morning having spent most of the night stripping and then rebuilding my engine in an attempt to fix the steam pouring from my right exhaust.
I had a spare set of inlet manifold gaskets, so I replaced those in the hope that they were the problem.......they weren't.
Paul
Ah - it was coming out of the exhaust? Not going to be inlet gasket then, as any quantity of water getting into the bores risks hydraulic lock. Not good. Think of the positives - your job was much better than pulling the engine to change the sump gasket, then having to pull it again to do the RMS!
An inlet manifold gasket on an FE has the same symptoms as a head gasket, depending on the severity of the leak. Water is drawn into #1 cylinder from the adjacent water port on the manifold/head joint.
No, it was very straightforward first time around as I was pretty much just bolting things together. I've spent a lot more time since then changing and "upgrading" various items though. I tend to have a project or two on it over each winter.
I think the Dino may get most of my attention this coming winter though as I have a few projects in mind for that.
Thanks for the replies and input as to how long it's taken you guys to build these car. The reason for asking is that I've been contemplating making some life changes for some time and to get back to doing something that I enjoy doing once more, but on a more full time basis. I am seriously contemplating getting back into car building again, and this would entail building some correctly detailed Cobras, preferably 289's, to sell at very competitive prices. I've gone through a lot of costings regarding parts, availablity etc whilst working out how long it should take me to build it. Some of the figures I've received confirm that my calculations are pretty much correct.
Thanks for your replies, it's really appreciated .
Nige
Nige, just teaching my grandmother to suck eggs - but if you're thinking of doing this as a business, you do need to take into account the limitations imposed on you by IVA etc. There is a risk that this could take a lot of the fun out of it, and you would have to keep a wary eye on possible future legislation. Having said that, I'm sure there would be a demand for someone of your abilities, especially for those wanting modifications to already-legal cars. And the desire to modify, as we know, is pervasive and evil...
By the way, great to finally meet you and put a name to the face - or should that be beard?
Roger King wrote:Nige, just teaching my grandmother to suck eggs - but if you're thinking of doing this as a business, you do need to take into account the limitations imposed on you by IVA etc. There is a risk that this could take a lot of the fun out of it, and you would have to keep a wary eye on possible future legislation. Having said that, I'm sure there would be a demand for someone of your abilities, especially for those wanting modifications to already-legal cars. And the desire to modify, as we know, is pervasive and evil...
By the way, great to finally meet you and put a name to the face - or should that be beard?
Thanks for the advice Rog, I understand exactly what you're saying. I'm happy enough to build to IVA specs to pass it and then retro build it later to more original spec afterwards. I wouldn't solely rely on buiding Cobras to earn a living, as since putting the word out, Ive had a lot of interest from other sources that want me to do work for them on various project. As you say, I'd also be more than happy to work on ready built cars and modify them, fabricate parts for them or to paint them to the customer's requirements
