Probably committing a cardinal sin but...

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sparky55
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Joined: Sun Aug 21, 2016 11:05 pm

Probably committing a cardinal sin but...

Post by sparky55 »

Hi all

I'm a new member and this is my first post so please be gentle.

I have a plan...one that may not sit well with some of you guys but here goes. :shock:

I've had a 427 with a side oiler and after having got over the initial adrenalin rush of owning my dream car I didn't really enjoy it because in reality is was a pig to drive... I followed that up with one of the 26 AC lightweights made in 1987 with the 5.0 aluminium engine...a lot more enjoyable than the 427 but got into financial difficulty and it had to go.

Back on my feet now and looking to bring in a Shelby CSX 4000 aluminium shell from the US without an engine or gear box. Paperwork and chassis number is all good, it's in the shelby register so happy with all that and car is currently left hand drive. This is where you will all think I'm probably soft in the head...

...I would like to change the car to right hand drive and put in a period correct 289 small block. Yes I know and I'm sorry but I want a car I can drive and enjoy! 8)

I am therefore looking for a right hand drive pedal box and a right hand drive dash. Are any of you guys aware of any issues I may not be able to overcome in attempting to create this hybrid.

As requested please be gentle :D

cheers

Mark
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amulheirn
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Re: Probably committing a cardinal sin but...

Post by amulheirn »

Welcome Mark!

I can't help much, but I'd recommend giving Gerry Hawkridge a ring to discuss this. He makes a lot of parts as per original cars. He's at Goodwood now though, so you'd have to wait a few days, but call him on 01892 750 282 and I'm sure he'd be able to help out somehow.

The club members have a lot of knowledge too - I'm sure someone will give you useful advice here.

Cheers,

Andrew
sparky55
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Joined: Sun Aug 21, 2016 11:05 pm

Re: Probably committing a cardinal sin but...

Post by sparky55 »

Cheers Andrew...I'll give him a call next week.

Thanks for your help

regards

Mark :D
Paul Blore
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Re: Probably committing a cardinal sin but...

Post by Paul Blore »

Hello Mark and welcome to the forum.
As an owner of a 427, I can tell you that they don't have to be a pig to drive if they're properly setup.
On the subject of left hand drive, I'd recommend that you leave it as it is. LHD original spec Cobras are much more comfortable to drive than RHD Cobras, because there is more room in the driver's foot box and there is room to stretch your left leg out. Whereas the clutch pedal is right up against the side of the foot box on a RHD car. I'm 6'2" and I've driven mine many hundreds of miles on multiple consecutive days with no problems and I definitely couldn't do that in a RHD car.
However, if you're intent on converting it, I would suggest that you talk to David Kirkham at Kirkham Motorsports, because they would have originally manufactured your car for Shelby and they will be able to supply everything you need. Better still, have the car sent to them in Utah for them to convert before shipping it over. They regularly take in customers' cars for upgrades and refreshes, so this would be standard work for them and you could be sure of the quality of workmanship.
Incidentally, all of the Kirkham cars are in the Shelby register, mine included as SAAC classify them as "genuine" (not original) Cobras.
Paul
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Roger King
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Re: Probably committing a cardinal sin but...

Post by Roger King »

Paul Blore wrote:Incidentally, all of the Kirkham cars are in the Shelby register, mine included as SAAC classify them as "genuine" (not original) Cobras.
Paul
Ah - not quite right. I have recently had long discussions with Rick Kopec, Cobra Registrar of SAAC, regarding inclusion of my Kirkham, and the upshot is that Kirkhams are not being included in future Registrys. They were included in the last ('08) edition to illustrate how far the replica industry had come - and by 'replica industry' SAAC include CRS and MkIV cars, etc. I made the point that my car has several parts which came from original Cobras, is the only documented Kirkham so far to have the correct 289 block, ally T10, rubber wishbone pivots, BSF/BA fasteners etc. etc. but - there was no way it was going in the Register! Just for info, one of Rick's responses is here:

'When we assembled the last Cobra Registry (dated 2008) we included information and serial numbers on Kirkham Cobras, not as the beginning of an attempt to keep track of the production of these cars on a continuing basis, but to demonstrate that there were a large number of non-original Cobras: CSX4000s, Kirkhams, AC MK IVs, etc. out there. Just listing that these cars had been manufactured was not enough: we wanted to provide tangible evidence and examples to show the differences. We included the cars that these manufacturers had records of as of the time the registry was completed. We had no intention of continuing to collecting serial numbers and owners names for these cars. We see our responsibility as keeping track of only the original Cobras, CSX2000s and CSX3000s.

If some other individual or organization wishes to establish a Kirkham registry they are free to do so – they do not need our permission or approval. To our knowledge no such person has stepped forward to do this.

Best regards,

Rick Kopec'

Interesting remarks given the provenance of some famous racers... anyway, it's not clear if those Kirkhams currently in the Register will remain in or not. Anyhow, in light of recent discussions regarding our Club and its membership, maybe we should start and maintain a Kirkham Register, for all sizes of Kirkhams! Kind of Cobra Registry lite, and cheaper...
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Roger King
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Re: Probably committing a cardinal sin but...

Post by Roger King »

Sorry Mark, and welcome - to answer your question, yes, pretty easy to convert to RHD if you so wish, compared with more mass-produced cars such as E-Types and Healeys. I'm pretty sure it's the same pedal box moved over. You'll need to do extensive work on the fibreglass footwells (see upcoming newsletter for details!), and get a rack from Gerry, and maybe talk him into providing an aluminium dash panel - but cut the instrument holes yourself, Kirkham haven't quite got that bit right yet. Dash panel itself is good, though. The wiring harness varies so much from car to car that there's no real difference, but obviously the hydraulic pipes will need re-routing. That's about it, really - a bit of welding for pedal box mounting brackets - RHD headlamps - can't think of anything else.
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