Once you grow tired of one hobby....

[elmariachi]

...you start another. This is indirectly Cruiser-related because I still have a Land Cruiser:

What it looked like the day it arrived, no engine or trans:

How it looked a few days later:

How it looks tonight. A LOT of work has been done to make it more authentic: All new aluminum in the engine bay/firewall with proper rivet spacings, vinyl on rear bulkhead, original throttle linkage, and all the kit-car split loom and zip ties are gone in favor of original wiring:

And here's the freshly rebuilt, extremely rare 500HP 1966 427 FE sideoiler that's going in it. I found it in a dairy barn SW of San Antonio where it had been sitting since 1970 (it had 89k original miles on it):

And even Cobra fanatics have rallies: The 2009 Texas Cobra Meet

 

[JasonH]

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Oh my... I need a moment.

 

[Clutchee]

Jim, Dad is drooling over this...... find him at the RounD Up & yawl talk.....

 

[Lake Rat]

Jim, Dad is drooling over this...... find him at the RounD Up & yawl talk.....

Hell, I think everyones drooling over it!!! Damn nice!!! Lucky find on the engine too!!

 

[40's rock]

A man after my own heart.....that is my next task, after the landcruisers get finished. I am a little less ambitious, I am looking for a one someone else has already dumped the $$$ on, just missed one last year! What color....say blue!

 

[elmariachi]

Lucky find on the engine too!!

I posted a "Want-to-buy" on Craigslist in every city in Texas last fall. This dairy farmer calls me at 9:30 one night and says "I've got your engine in my barn. If you'll hold on, I'll read you the casting #'s. " So he gives me the block #'s C5AE-H (1966 side oiler) and then he says "I also have a new set of date-matching medium riser heads for it as well." Now for those that don't know, this block and those heads are the Holy Grail of Ford/Cobra FE parts. Turns out that the dairy farmer owned a machine shop after Viet Nam and some guy rolled in with a '67 Galaxie and said "Let's pump this up to 550 HP." He brought the stock engine (known as an "R code" 425 HP dual 4bbl) back a few weeks later along with a buttload of new Ford parts and the new heads. Then he never came back. Ever. The machine shop owner called the only number he had and could never find the guy. So the engine was stored in the machine shop in San Antonio for 38 years until last fall when he moved it all out to his farm. I got the standard bore block, the heads, a Sidewinder Cobra intake manifold, four sets of new FoMoCo pistons in various compressions (all in the original boxes), two Shelby camshafts, the original LeMans forged crank and rods and enough bearings/seals/gaskets/bolts to choke a horse. I couldn't load this crap in to my 80 fast enough, and even with an OME lift she was sagging.

The engine has since been cleaned up to 4.250, new Diamond 10:1 pistons, .605 lift Comp cam, light head porting and polishing, 850 Demon carb, HP rockers, and I stayed with the Le Mans crank and rods because they were spotless. Mated to my TKO 600 with the .64 5th gear, it'll do 150 mph at 4500 RPM, redline is 6500.

Car is a beautiful Lambroghini Titanium silver now, but we are going with Guardsman blue at some point.

 

[cool breeze]

You've just given me a broner! Here's an idea, trailer it to the round up and take a lucky few for rides in exchange for raffle tickets

 

[elmariachi]

You've just given me a broner! Here's an idea, trailer it to the round up and take a lucky few for rides in exchange for raffle tickets

Two serious flaws in that idea:

1. I don't have a trailer. Awwwwwwwwwww................

2. There is no way in hell I am taking my Cobra within 100 miles of where Butch Baker, Randy Kruse, Kowboy, Jeff Murrah and 4 cases of Shiner are.

Respectully,

 

[JasonH]

I LOVE the story on the motor. Congrats on that. I'll come crew for you when you run that open road race.

 

[alex e]

Holy Jesus. Can I come over to play?

 

[JasonH]

Oh and by the way, there's a spot on the floor in one picture. Clean that s*** up will you? It's embarrassing.

 

[elmariachi]

Oh and by the way, there's a spot on the floor in one picture. Clean that s*** up will you? It's embarrassing.

That's a leaf.

 

[warpdriv]

SWEEEEEEEET!!!!! When is the next wrench party?!? Oh, you better post a youtube vid of when you start it up!!!

 

[elmariachi]

SWEEEEEEEET!!!!! When is the next wrench party?!? Oh, you better post a youtube vid of when you start it up!!!

I am wrenching and fabbing and engineering every night from 6PM to Midnite, so come to Houston and grab a wrench. The car is literally less than 6 hours from road-ready at present (minus drivetrain) but until the engine is back from the final break-in and dyno run I am just hovering, nitpicking a number of last-minute wiring/rivet/grommet fit and finish issues. The Hurricane body was pulled off of an original CSX 3000-series car and aside from the current-generation Shelby CSX 4000s, it is the most accurate body in the kit market. Mine will likely not win any serious originality awards, but when people see it, they will have a hard time telling its built from a kit. I do want the "Most likely to get pulled over award."

 

[Cbaer]

Two serious flaws in that idea:

1. I don't have a trailer. Awwwwwwwwwww................

2. There is no way in hell I am taking my Cobra within 100 miles of where Butch Baker, Randy Kruse, Kowboy, Jeff Murrah and 4 cases of Shiner are.

Respectully,

LOL!!! up the tree, up the tree.....
Hey Russ is racing in the 24 Hours of "Lemons" (spoof on LeMans) at MSR Houston next weekend 2/28, Angleton, can they borrow your car????
(Russ made me type that last part).

 

[Aggie]

LOL!!! up the tree, up the tree.....
Hey Russ is racing in the 24 Hours of "Lemons" (spoof on LeMans) at MSR Houston next weekend 2/28, Angleton, can they borrow your car????
(Russ made me type that last part).

Except there is a little rule that states the car has to have less than 500 bucks into it or they get to buy it for 500 dollars....

 

[wardfoto]

jim, you are killin' me with this. can you please bottle some of that luck, and sell it? remember, i know the story about the sixty, and now this? you sir, are my hero!!!

 

[tx4guns]

WOW!

I'm in Houston. When can I come over and help? Seriously! I have a buddy in Clear Lake who's a Ford fanatic that would literally die to come see that thing.

 

[SHREG]

needs an "F".......

that is all

 

[elmariachi]

LOL!!! up the tree, up the tree.....
Hey Russ is racing in the 24 Hours of "Lemons" (spoof on LeMans) at MSR Houston next weekend 2/28, Angleton, can they borrow your car????
(Russ made me type that last part).

Call me, let's hook up next weekend!

jim, you are killin' me with this. can you please bottle some of that luck, and sell it? remember, i know the story about the sixty, and now this? you sir, are my hero!!!

Now that you put it like that, I guess I have had a couple of good "finds." The side oiler absolutely takes the cake though because I had previously gone and looked at 4 real piece of s*** blocks and had decided to give up and buy a Genesis reproduction block. I was literally going the next day to pick up a cashier's check to mail off for it when this guy called.

I'm in Houston. When can I come over and help? Seriously! I have a buddy in Clear Lake who's a Ford fanatic that would literally die to come see that thing.

Come on. Shoot me an email through Mud with your # and I'll call you back. I will be working on finishing the car Sat and Sunday, though you won't be able to see the engine as I took it back to the builder yesterday to have it prepped for the break in run next week.