Order has gone in to AK Sportscars for a chassis, body and various other parts.
In discussion with Jon at AK, we came up with a list of bits it would be good to have on day one.
I didn't want everything at once, saves space and spreads the cost to order parts as required.
So the list on day one is:
Gen III chassis
Body
Fuel tank
Coil over shocks and springs
Brake flexies (pair)
Power steering system for a LS engine
XJ40 handbrake cable
factory fitted wishbone bushes
Delivery date is 8th February
There is an option to upgrade the standard shocks to Nitron Gas shocks. For double the price.
I'll think about it.
Also now on order are the Jag axles and reconditioning parts from Simply Performance.
I did a bit of due diligence and had a look round other suppliers but came back to SP.
Ben at SP is very helpful and supplies OEM instead of pattern parts. The difference in cost is negligible. Also I like getting all these parts from a single source so I can deal with any issues.
So parts list from SP:
COMPLETE FRONT AXLE
REAR AXLE 3.58 OPEN WITH VENTED BRAKES
XJS HANDBRAKE
SLAVE WHEELS
WHEEL NUTS
DONOR DOCUMENTATION
FRONT WHEEL BEARINGS OEM
LOWER BALL JOINT OEM
UPPER BALL JOINT OEM
REAR HUB BEARINGS
LOWER FULCRUM PIN BEARINGS
UNIVERSAL JOINT GKN
HANDBRAKE SHOES
These are all due early January.
Ben at SP recommended I find a XJ40 Haynes manual on ebay. It will make understanding the mechanics of all the running gear easier.
Update: True, the Haynes manual is useful, if you have brand new, showroom condition Jag parts to work on. But just try removing UJ joints the way the manual says on a drive shaft that has been round the block ten million times since 1992. I ended up using an angle grinder.
Saturday, 15 December 2018
Thursday, 15 November 2018
Fifteen years.
That's all it took to get this project started.
Only now has everything come together in a way that actually allows me to seriously get to grips with a project to build a motor car. And now it's all happening in a bit of a rush.
In the last week I have arranged for a builder to start work converting a car port into a weather tight workshop, visited Gardner Douglas and AK Sportscars, chatted with Cobra owners, read many Cobra build blogs (and I have to tell you I think the standard of builds and engineering solutions in many of those blogs are really quite something), and made a decision.
The visit to Gardner Douglas was interesting. The build quality is probably the best there is. Safety features, the Euro Chassis, the semi-monocoque body. Really a very good example. I took a look at the underneath of a car up on ramps. The build quality was there to see. This is a very well engineered car.
So, I placed an order with AK Sportscars.
The thing is that GD cars are all about the end result, very good result it is, but my passion is all about the build journey and AK was a better fit for that. Plus the AK folk are all very friendly, welcoming and made me feel right at home. The AK Cobra is very well engineered, plus the AK delivery time was in terms of weeks/months. In fact I am lucky to get a slot for early 2019.
AK Gen III chassis, LS3 engine, Tremec TKO600 'box.
Here are some past 'projects'.
That's all it took to get this project started.
Only now has everything come together in a way that actually allows me to seriously get to grips with a project to build a motor car. And now it's all happening in a bit of a rush.
In the last week I have arranged for a builder to start work converting a car port into a weather tight workshop, visited Gardner Douglas and AK Sportscars, chatted with Cobra owners, read many Cobra build blogs (and I have to tell you I think the standard of builds and engineering solutions in many of those blogs are really quite something), and made a decision.
The visit to Gardner Douglas was interesting. The build quality is probably the best there is. Safety features, the Euro Chassis, the semi-monocoque body. Really a very good example. I took a look at the underneath of a car up on ramps. The build quality was there to see. This is a very well engineered car.
So, I placed an order with AK Sportscars.
The thing is that GD cars are all about the end result, very good result it is, but my passion is all about the build journey and AK was a better fit for that. Plus the AK folk are all very friendly, welcoming and made me feel right at home. The AK Cobra is very well engineered, plus the AK delivery time was in terms of weeks/months. In fact I am lucky to get a slot for early 2019.
AK Gen III chassis, LS3 engine, Tremec TKO600 'box.
Here are some past 'projects'.
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