I got my new Mark III Factory Five Racing kit in January, 2005. Slow getting started 'cause of finishing repairs on the '95 M3 I bent at Bay Bottom Crawl in October, 2004. My perfect wrecked 1998 Cobra Mustang "donor car" arrived in March, 2005, courtesy of Jon Alarie's efforts. Disassembly of the donor began shortly thereafter. Assembly of the FFR began in earnest around August, 2005, proceeding slowly into 2006. First start of the engine was 2-20-2006, a major moment. This build is different than my previous FFR's, as I'm using a DOHC 4.6 Ford Mod-Motor as the engine, instead of the traditional Ford small block pushrod engine. I'll post progress pics and video here; let's see how it goes.
Sept. 24, 2006 UPDATE: first test drive a total success. I'm on a mission to run this car at Sebring Oct. 5 & 6 at the 5th Annual Reptile Roundup, and it looks like we'll make it!
Sept. 30 UPDATE: Jeff Kleiner flew into town with his bag of flame-painting supplies. He spent 2 days laying out, taping and painting the coolest flame job imaginable. Pics posted of the process, and pizza and beer celebration at Zipz with the local Cobra buddies. Next stop: Sebring race track, short course Thursday and long course Friday.
October 23 UPDATE: Sebring was as good and as bad as it gets! October 5, this car was unexpectedly well setup right off the trailer: handling, steering, brakes and engine were wonderful. We ran four 1/2 hour sessions using the alternate short course, which included the pit and back straights, plus some turns. The engine blew up a few minutes before the end of my last run session. The rotating assembly of the front four cylinders and the engine block were destroyed, from detonation caused by lean-run conditions we believe. We pushed the car on the trailer and towed home. Now for the engine rebuild...
January 2008 UPDATE: Lots happened since a year+ ago. The blown engine was replaced with a new short block, stroked to 5.0, all forged internal rotating parts, using stock donor heads, cams, and intake with bigger throttle body. Dyno tuned this time before any track time was attempted, 307 RWHP and just at 300 torq by my calculation. Plenty to keep me busy while learning to be a better track driver. I replaced the stock Bilstein shocks and 600# springs with FFR's new Koni's, with 750# springs at all four wheels. Still no sway bars, and so far it feels fast and solid on teh track. Not too firm for the street. I've had Lynn and my Dad give their ride-along opinions and all are favorable. Replaced the donor radiator and fan with an aluminum FFR rad and aluminum shroud from FFMetal. Very simple install using the aftermarket electric fan supplied with the kit. No problems to date.
I intend to get as much seat time as possible at Homestead, Sebring, and Moroso in 2008, and get signed off by NASA for their HPDE-4 group so I can time trial with NASA. We ran with NASA in November and again in January, and I got signed off for HPDE-3, so now to get more seat time there and move up one more notch if possible. The car is reliable, cool-running, smooth (except for a vibration I will chase down), and usually faster than anything else on track in the groups I've run with...just needs a better driver sometimes. Immediate goals: Finish the tonneau project, improve my towing and tie-down equipment, keep driving smooth and smart at the track events, and figure out a good week-long roadtrip for the spring. Thanks for looking at the page.
November 2009 Update: Drove a lot of track dates this past year. I love this car: the engine has been really strong and makes fantastic sounds above 5,000 rpm. Decided to stay at NASA HPDE3, and not try to advance higher or do NASA Time Trials for now. Have spent many hours at Sebring, and PBIR reopened for business about a year ago so have tried to run there some since it's so close to home. I finished my tonneau project, got an adult paint job that gets compliments everywhere I go, and installed a set of North Racecars Team III Halibrand replica 17" wheels for street use. Present goals are to refine the car, make sure all electric accessories finally work (just need to hook some of them up), have a few road adventures, and continue to have track fun at HPDE's run by NASA, HOD, CHIN, PBOC, and anyone else I can afford to run with.
Date(s): Jan 2005 - ?. Album by John Phillips. Photos by John Phillips. 1 - 406 of 406 Total. 29409 Visits.
1 January 2005 As delivered, body sitting on frame, aluminum panels lightly screwed into temporary position on frame, boxes of parts stacked in garage, wrecked donor sitting in driveway.
2 frt3-4hoodup 1998 Mustang Cobra DOHC wreck, 52,000 miles, hit in passenger side and across front fascia. Everything I need is in great shape!
3 Cut Front Piece sm Engine is removed from UNDER the car, no cherry picker needed. Jack up the body and roll engine/tranny out on dolly...I should've made it much wider tho
4 4.6 Ride sm March 2005, celebration getting engine out of donor "It!....Could!....WORK..." View Comments...
5 106 0641 Roller, frame painted with Rust Bullet
6 Dec. 2005 Dad John Engine Install John and Dad hoist engine for install December '05
7 DadJohnEngineInsm
8 106 0647
9 106 0662 Dad and Mom inspect engine with most of top sitting open
10 106 0668 Dad with powdercoated shiny stuff installed
11 FFR Dad Mom bg Dad and Mom just before heading bck to Ohio
12 107 0704
13 109 0910 Oil pickup tube for Moroso pan
14 109 0913 Moroso pan
15 108 0887
16 oil pressure tank sm Pre-oil pressure rig, to oil engine before starting. Worked great!
Download AVI 17 FFR 2d start.AVI Video 2-20-06, 2d start
18 engine d front sm
19 109 0917 Richard and Chris Bailey: Best Friends you could have, and not shy about tearing into your car!
20 Crop Cardboard mockup of extension idea
21 103 0353 Scrap aluminum prototype to check body fit
22 Space side piece and body2 Prototype footbox extension fit check. There's more room to play with here if necessary
23 Footbox Mod Pieces sm Hole is approx 9" x 12", as-fab'd extension protrudes from stock footbox panel 1 3/4" at the front and 1" at the rear
24 Footbox Front Cap sm Fab end caps from scrap using cardboard pattern, vice, snips, hammer and wood blocks
25 Extension and rear cap sm rear cap and cleco's
26 Footbox mod and feet sm Adds almost 2" sideways room for left foot.
27 123 2383 Narrowed Russ T. gas pedal, footbox side extension, and fitment of replacement brace tube
28 112 1294 Finished product
29 112 1296 Finished product 2
30 Plumbing engine top sm P/S Heidt's valve and plumbing
31 BoxBrace sm Footbox brace easy, effective, no welding
32 103 0318
33 D-side rear brake line
34 P-side rear brake line
35 104 0428
36 104 0429
37 104 0430
38 Trunk alum installed
39 104 0467 Cobra Earl trunk expansion kit, with hole I cut to access gas tank pump and sender
40 trunk alum installed2
41 Interior alum after rebending and hammering
42 Interior alum installation
43 114 1439 A/C install begins
44 114 1437 Lynn with A/C evaporator-blower
45 114 1438 It goes HERE
46 115 1547
47 115 1548
48 115 1549 Begin I-Squared Engineering dash harness wiring job on Lynn's dining room table
49 115 1550 Classic Instruments in mock dash
50 FFR Dash Wood Mockup frame Frame fit mock dash and switches
51 Hood shape and sand in yard Work bench in yard to shape and sand hood
52 FFR sanded bodyshop ready Body work as done as I got it before heading to Frank Gifford at Custom Illusions shop in Stuart
53 130 3068 8-19-06 muh boys provide muscle power for trailer loadup
54 FFR raw-ChrisMoonRichardBTrailer Ready to roll, with the essential help of Chris Moon and Richard Bailey
55 FFR Trailer Franks shop ready to offload at Frank's
56 FFR Trevor Franks shop Trevor Bailey in Frank's shop with my FFR
57 Carbon Fiber Dash - Thunderball 8-24-06 Chris Bailey (Thunderball) dropped off this incredible carbon fiber dashboard blank for me. It's like a jewel, I'm in awe. Look how shiny!
58 CF Dash Another view of the dash blank. I'll use my crude wood dash to proof the gauge-switch layout and wiring before I transfer it all to this dash.
59 FFR raw-ChrisMoonRichardBTrailer 1
60 118 1836 8-26-06 Pick up the primed body to get ready for Sebring Oct. 5&6
61 118 1841 8-27-06 Wiring the frame-harness to mate with the dashboard wiring
62 118 1846 Success! Note the tach is reading ~600 rpm, the engine's idling, the wiring job I did works!
63 118 1849 Taillights work, now to wire the turn signals and install a brake light switch
64 118 1851 1 Parking lights ON, I'll figure out the headlight problem later
65 118 1813 Bend Kirkey Seat wing to fit inside body
66 118 1856 Torch wing aluminum, then bend it with ViceGrip and 3-foot pipe
67 118 1858
68 118 1855 Fab'd seat mounts 2" angle aluminum
69 118 1860 Driver's seat mounts installed
70 118 1861 Solid seat mount, but a little flex in the back. Note rags keeping seat off bodywork.
71 118 1865 Fab'd crude seat back brace, works perfect, seat assembly solid as a rock now, no flex anywhere
72 118 1863 9-2-06 Bob Mac visits, getting his pristine FFR totally filthy on our rotten dirt mud road. Awesome snapless tonneau
73 118 1868 Taped CF dash, laid out for hole sawing
74 118 1869 Nerve-racking drill job
75 118 1871 Lynn poses with almost-finished CF dash
76 118 1893 Finished seat & belt install
77 118 1898 9-08-06 Skelt's last bulkhead glovebox kit installed and operable at last
78 118 1897
79 119 1901 E-brake handle slot, trans tunnel cover
80 119 1902 Rough fit, now to find some Nut-Serts
81 119 1906 "Elephant Ear" aluminum splashguard panel behind passenger front wheel..it pushes the body side out, away from the 4x4 header collector
82 119 1907 After elephant ear install. Shot with camera centered on the collector. Looks like there'll be major interference, huh?
83 119 1908 Side pipe bolted up to collector. Just touches front edge of cutout, I can file that a bit, so no problem. The side pipe collector CURVES IN to meet the header, so no body interference.
84 119 1909 No header replacement or surgery is necessary!
85 119 1911 Country spray booth
86 119 1903 Intake setup with Pep Boys-sourced elbow and fab'd brace
87 119 1904 K&N leftover filter with scrap 3 1/2" steel inside collar, air temp sensor grommet and MAF adaptor
88 EBrake assembly
89 9-17-06 Hood Helpers Angie Lynn They were crucial helpers! Had to raise and lower the hood while I adjusted the hinges MANY times
90 Hood Hinge Struts So far I love this hinge setup: classy mechanism and perfect balance on the struts, if a little tedious to adjust
91 Hood Hinge
92 Hood Latches in Moved em inboard like original CObra's per Sergio specs
93 Oil Pressure sender angle mod
94 Sidepipes on
95 Trans Tunnel Cover install
96 Under door alum Oben2
97 Under door alum. Oben
98 9- 18-06 Dash in, Lynn major helper and nervous wreck
99 Windshield mod ready install
100 9-22-06 Windshield john richard
101 Windshield install John Richard
102 On the ground ready for alignment and test drive
109 Chris Bailey with CF dashboard he designed and manufactured
110 Jeff tapes out
111 Jeff and masked flames "I see there's masking..." View Comments...
112 Lynn and masked flames
113 Jeff paints white
114 Jeff and yellow
115 PAinted with paper
116 Jeff untapes
117 Jeff untapes2
118 Flame results no stripe
119 Jeff pinstripes
120 Flames final product
121 9-30-06 Jeff and aewsome final product
122 10-01-06 parts run before Zipz, Jeff and NAPA Pete
123 Jeff John First Flame trip "WOW-WEEEEEEE- A REAL..." View Comments...
124 Zipz Cobra bunch beer and pizza
125 5 snakes Zipz Lanier, West, Larson, Phillips, Moons FFR's take a rest "WHEN FRIENDS GET TOGE..." View Comments...
126 6th snake Zipz Huey's beauty parked all alone
127 Lynns first ride "I CANT THINK OF ANYON..." View Comments...
128 At work with FFR Jack, Jan and Mary
129 10-04-06 FFR Volvo trailer to Sebring Lynn's car bcomes a tow vehicle
130 10-05-06 Sebring Snakes pit About 60 Cobras met at Sebring for a 2-day open track event, Reptile Roundup. This is some of the Palm Beach County guys, in the historic pits. My day went great until the engine blew during the last session!
131 FFR Sebring Bridge2-crop
132 FFR Sebring Closeup
133 FFR Sebring Closeup2-crop
134 FFR Sebring Bridge5-crop
135 2006 10-05 FFR Closeup JLP
136 Engine debris recovered after the blow Block, piston and oil pan fragments Inman recovered from Sebring's back straight
137 oil pan damage
138 oil sender hole
139 psgr side engine hole
140 driver side block hole
141 120 2037 Pan full of shattered parts, as dropped direct from engine "OUCH, OUCH, OUCH!!! ..." View Comments...
142 120 2043 Front 4 cylinders all have pistons stuck in top of the cylinder bore, pins and rods ripped out (all but one torn off crank too), and block wall knocked out.
143 120 2044
144 120 2045
145 Team pic before pull 11-19-06 We pull what's left of the engine for rebuild at Thunder Autosports
146 bottom block damage
147 engine half out
148 Rotate to clear
149 Team pic after
150 Trailer to Thunder
151 NEW CHAMP PAN 1st one from the factory, thanks for the excellent work guys
152 IMG 0297
153 IMG 0298
154 IMG 0299
155 IMG 0302
156 IMG 0304
157 IMG 0306
158 IMG 0309
159 4-18-07 NEW ENGINE arrives home 5.0 stroker, all forged, new clutch, custom wood engine cradle by Steve Lee at Thunder Automotive
160 IMG 0422 gotta push it uphill to the car "hill! what hill! in f..." View Comments...
161 IMG 0424
162 PICT0005 1
163 IMG 0427
164 IMG 0429
165 PICT0007 I think this picture of Richard pretty much speaks for itself
166 PICT0011
167 PICT0013 Any car job that has a hammer in it is a success
168 GUINESS to celebrate engine in With all our fingers and low backs still attached and functioning.
169 FFR-Engine build sheet 2007
170 NewmanAvatarTinyPic2
171 Ride that SC4.6
172 NewmanAvatarTinyPic55-65
173 FFR #1152 Dahon in seat 2001 I used this folding bike as a pit bike and to recon autocross courses at a few places that allowed it. Perfect fit with a blanket protecting the leather seat.
174 FFR #1152 Tsali Bike in seat 2000 That's my old Specialized FSR full size mtn bike in there. Wheels off, seat post out, everything stacks inside or goes in trunk. FFR's are GREAT Jeeps for getting to trail heads for rides.
175 FFR #3422 bike rack 2002 Single bike rack plugs into receiver hitch we welded into frame during buildup of FFR #3422 in early 2002
176 FFR #3422 NC bike trip 2003 You DRIVE through twisty hilly places like this to get to places like this to RIDE your mtn. bike, thus the need for a rack!
177 FFR #3422 NC Dragon bike 2003 Tail of the Dragon, Deal's Gap, North Carolina. 318 turns in 11 miles of mountain road is a playground for thousands of bikers and sports car guys. This stop is called "Crossroads of Time": get gas, snacks, t-shirts, then run the Dragon. That's an Atlanta FFR I ran into there, he drove over to play.
178 9-1-07 Bailey Cobra Party Awesome array of Cobras: FFR's BackDrafts, Lonestar, and even better crowd of folks celebrating together. Great day, no rain, fantastic eats, and hugely HOT. Thanks, Richard and Beth Bailey!
179 Cobras hoods down Pic from high atop Richard's Jeep. 4 or 5 Cobras came later, there were about 20 during the day. Lots of our buddies from the Tampa area drove a couple of hundred miles to attend here in Jupiter
180 Cobras ground BAbb Mac
181 Cobras ground Larson Pomroy
182 Cobras ground near house
183 Cobras ground house Huey Gary
184 Cobras ground Lynn flames
185 Lynn LAurie
186 MAtilde Lynn
187 Hog
188 Inman & Matilde leave with laughing crowd The highly lubricated onlookers encouraged Inman and Matilde to leave by doing donuts in Richard's yard. Cooler heads prevailed.
189 9-08-07 Pt. Mayaca engine check Richard Bailey and I took off for about 120 miles of break-in miles, mostly in the Lake Okeechobee area, and took this on the way home. Avoided most of the downpours, good thing, no wipers or lights yet!
190 FFR Jonathan Jonathan is a natural Cobra fiend, just needs to grow into the shoulder belts
191 9-13-07 FFR Dyno setup Computer screen visible from driver's seat, all electronic controls attached and looped to driver
192 Thunder Autosports Dyno rollers See Mom, the car's strapped front and rear to the garage floor, sitting on these huge rollers. Then you drive the car really fast without going anywhere, and the rollers help measure the engine's power.
193 9-30-07 SNAPLESS TONNEAU PROJECT Phillip and Kay Deal invented a great snapless tonneau, and agreed to help me adapt it to my Kirkey racing seats with shoulder wings. They shipped me a perfectly built tonneau good for low-back seats, and enough fabric to make bags to cover my hi-back Kirkeys. PLUS instructions, suggestions, and good wishes. Here's how it went so far. PS: Simba loves laying on the tonneau and pattern cloth.
194 2 Seats before tonneau work One day earlier I revised my seat mounts to get almost 3" more legroom, by reducing the rearward tilt of the seats. This changed the location of the headrests, so glad I finished that job before beginning the tonneau mod project.
195 3 rough pattern stapled to shape white fabric was used to rough shape the bag I'll need to sew to cover the headrest and wings of the seats
196 4 pattern with drawn lines before removing teh pattern fron teh seat I drew lines where the body cowl met the fabric, and the shape of the headrest
197 5 revised patterm front
198 6 revised pattern rear
199 7 paper pattern rear cowl I reinforced some paper with duct tape underneath, then made a pattern for the rear of the seat opening in the tonneau. I marked the center of each rollbar leg as a reference point
200 8 cardboard pattern front Had some cardboard laying around to make the front pattern for the seat hole I'll cut in the tonneau
201 cloth, paper, cardboard patterns together Draw reference marks on both patterns so you can match them up accurately once removed from the, car to draw the shape of the hole you'll cut in the cloth pattern
202 cardboard hole pattern trace for cutting AVOID EASY MISTAKE! Remember the cloth pattern and black material are laying upside down. DON'T accidentally trace your driver side hole pattern on the passenger side, or vice versa. You can repair goofs on the thin cloth tonneau pattern with painter tape and recut later.
203 cloth pattern for cutting DON'T let inboard wing hole encroach on support rod path shown on pattern. It's not necessary, because the inboard part of the Kirkey wing doesn't extend up above cowl level that far. A small mistake that will have to be finessed later.
204 12 tape and rods for pattern fitting Phillip's suggestion to use tape and rods to support the pattern was great, I should've used more to make it easier to keep the pattern at cowl height.
205 13 pattern fitting with tape mods and repairs If you make a mistake, tape it up and remark and recut. In retrospect, I made a problematic mistake here on the passenger side: inboard seat wing hole is too big, because I didn't sight down the pattern at cowl height. Stand near the hood of the car, get your eyes down to cowl height, and see what part of the seat sticks up above the pattern which is stretched and taped to cowl height supported by the rods and tape. I think I can fix it.
206 14 pattern on tonneau fabric I used the steering wheel bag Kay already sewed in as a reference point, plus my rollbar marks, then went looking for some chalk to mark it up with. The steering wheel cutout and rollbar centers are key to accurately locating your pattern on the fabric.
207 chalked cuts tonneau Mistake here I think I can fix: note how close the passenger side cutout comes to the center support rod? That now leaves me with little fabric to sew the headrest bag to when I make it. Should've caught this before cutting, but didn;t think of it as a problem til I started figuring how to do the headrest bag. This all refers back to my original mistake making the pattern hole too big for the inboard side of the passenger seat wing.
208 17 John Scissors attack I fearlessly prepare to cut up my beautiful new tonneau
209 18 Simba relaxes on tonneau post-cut He loves this thing.
210 19 rough fit post-cut
211 20 rough fit with bungie Next step, figure how to sew the headrest bags, using my homemade patterns and attach them to the tonneau. I'll follow Kay's instructions and drawings...or ask a local shop to help me finish!
UPDATE: 7-04-09 Gave it to a friend of a friend who ran an upholstery shop, to sew on my headrest bags. More than a year ago. He lost the tonneau and material. Arrghhh. Last month I did it differently. see pics below.
212 11-04-07 Breakfast run to Sailfish Marina A bunch of the pbcoffrog group got in a perfect run with perfect fall weather. 8 snakes: 6 FFR, 2 Backdraft (including the National Run and Gun Champion!)
213 Sailfish Marine parking lot impromptu Sunday morning car show
214 11-20-07 CARBON FIBER Chin Spoiler Chris Bailey the inventor and manufacturer of this great piece, flattening out the nose back line for mounting the spoiler hinge.
P.S. He shaves his legs for sports, NOT any other reason...really.
215 Rivet hinges SS quick release hinges allow fast removal, and allow the spoiler to hinge backward if you hit something, instead of being destroyed.
216 6 fit braces closeup quick release pin holds brace on each side, and aluminum rivets allow breakaway without destroying the spoiler if you hit something
217 finished spoiler I backed it off the blocks, and hit the Interstate to go home, MAN what a difference in steering feel, weight, and accuracy at speed. Very worthwhile addition, now to track-test it at Homestead.
218 11-25-07 HOMESTEAD Raceway NASA event John Turn 14 entering main straight
219 PAul Richard hotpit Homestead sign
220 John Homestead sign2
221 Richard infield
222 John pit in Passenger got woozy, had to let him out
223 John Richard Paul loaded John, Paul Buxe, Richard Bailey ready to drive home with all cars in great shape
224 Steering wheel emblem
225 Nov. 16. 2007 Reptile Roundup pit Gainesville roadcourse. Richard Bailey's Backdraft, FFR's of me, Dan Babb, and Paul Buxe
226 Best in Show Prettiest FFR competition build I think I ever saw. Roush stroker motor, immaculate interior aluminum and CF dash, beautiful stance and shorty sidepipes...plus perfect BRG paintjob. e ran well, adn I saw him at Homestead a couple of months later.
227 1-06-08 Homestead Loadup group Sunday after 2-day NASA HPDE event at Homestead. All cars and drivers healthy and happy. Chris, John P. Paul John L. and Richard with John L's Backdraft
228 Mesh Radiator Protector in place 2-18-08 Protection for the aluminum radiator from rocks, birds, and track debris. Kind of a kludge, but I didn't want to take the body off to do it, and you can't fit a huge piece of mesh through the nose hole. This should work until I take the body off to get an adult paint job.
229 Pieces 26" x 10.5" s.s. 1/4" mesh, plus pieces of scrap aluminum stock and hardware store angle braces. This was the biggest piece of mesh I could fit through the snout and still turn around and jockey into position
230 angle detail pop-riveted to 1/2" x 3/4" aluminum
231 Into the snout
232 IMG 1511 Fastening bottom brace with screw, for removeablilty, Same method used to attach top brace
233 Screw bottom brace 1/4 x 20 screws into speed nuts hold bottom of mesh to mount bracket. I used FFR s.s. trim screws to hold top of mesh to top brace. Blue wire was to pull mesh into place while screwing
234 Cobra grill Trial fitting on #3422 of billet ThomasAftermarket grill. I wanted it moved back a bit, and blacked out, so moved ahead fab'ing some brackets. This is my "Phoenix" car, replacing #1152 which was destroyed in a fire. Thanks to Dave Smith and FFR for donating a new Mark II kit and emotional support!
235 2 20 Richard Rich Doug John no grill This is what it looked like BEFORE grill. I'd already blacked out the aluminum surrounding the radiator. You can see the effect compared to Doug Huey's red beauty.
236 Cobra without grill Autocross staging without grill. I really like the blacked out mouth look with this paint job.
237 Cobra black grill installed You can see the brackets I fab'd using hardware store aluminum angle. Everything was sprayed with Rustoleum pickup truck bedliner textured black
238 Phoenix on trailer with grill Leaving for Carolina Motorsports PArk in Kershaw, SC. Final grill iteration
239 MK-II POM mar2003
240 5-24-08 John Under Sebring Bridge Whew! A 2-day event with no problems and lots of track time.
241 Richard and the yellow beasty before first run group
242 Dad at Pit overlook Dad, Terry and Jonathan came over to see what it's all about Saturday afternoon.
243 Jonathan and John Parade lap beltin We got a few laps during lunch at street speed
244 PIT John and Chris Sebring SVTOA event. Lots of Fords of every description. We could run with most of them.
245 Chris with John Lennon's crew After Sunday parade laps
246 Pit with pits Chris and Paul show their stuff
247 Pit Chris and John cars
248 John-Terry-Jonathan after parade laps What a great day!
249 SVTOA SEBRING May24-25, 2008 John & Chris OK - the rest are vanity shots by the track photo pro...they came out pretty good, huh?
250 SVTOA SEBRING May24-25, 2008 John & Paul Turn 1
251 SVTOA SEBRING May24-25, 2008 John&Richard
252 SVTOA SEBRING May24-25, 2008 JOhn 3-4 close
253 SVTOA SEBRING May24-25, 2008
254 SVTOA SEBRING May24-25, 2008 John Mustang curve
255 SVTOA SEBRING May24-25, 2008 JOhn Mustangs pit straight
256 SVTOA SEBRING May24-25, 2008 John & Chris rear turn 5
257 SVTOA SEBRING May24-25, 2008JOhn Straight
258 SVTOA SEBRING May24-25, 2008 JOhn Tower turn
259 Wheel setback no spacer rear 7-22-08 Installed 1 1/2" spacers on rear. Brings my 17x8 donor rims right out where I want them, with 275/45 rubber.
260 Wheel setback-no spacer
261 wheel setback spacer outside
262 wheel setback spacer side perfect for me. I hope my track wheels, 17x9 Cobra R, will fit with their 275/45 RA1's
263 Wheel setback with spacer garage
264 7-27-08 9 snakes for breakfast Last run for Richard's yellow beasty and my flamer paintjob
265 Snakes I-95 Bringing up the rear on the way to Tiki
266 7-31-08 Last time with flames On the way to Frank Gifford's "Classic Illusions" shop in Stuart
267 Stripped and ready for adult paintjob
268 8-16-08 visit Frank finished spraying color yesterday. Here's how it looks during sanding "I love the color choi..." View Comments...
269 Look Jeff, no flames
270 8-23-08 Pick up body from Frank's shop check out the wax paper covers on the rubber weather strip on the aluminum
271 2 bad backs and Frank survive install of body
272 Richard and Chris, best Cobra schleppers of all time
273 8-23-08 Home at last
274 Lighthouse John
275 John Lynn Daums2
276 John 1st drive
277 9-7-08 Juno Cafe Cobra breakfast run
278 Breakfast bunch...some of us broiling in the sun!
279 Art and John after breakfast
280 FFR 9-7-08 Inman John Appleby's
281 FFR 9-7-08 breakfast wih Bryan
282 FFR 9-7-08 breakfast group
283 FFR JLP RR 11-07
284 FFR JLP RR 11-07b
285 FFR #3422 build party 2002 CF sign
286 Model A museum 9-20-08 NPBeach, a bunch of us were invited by Art Parent, and we did it! These are some extras parked outside. John and Chris Lennon, Neil Larson, Paul Buxe, Art Parent, and John P.
287 MOdel A semi Used same engine with vacuum pump for brake assist, and LOTS of gears to haul the load
288 Part of collection from ground
289 Part of collection from balcony
290 Art tries to lift the block In front of the only surviving Model A school bus and 2 Model A ambulances
291 Taxi
292 Tow Truck
293 Oil tanker USED in 1972 oil embargo, to haul diesel from Mexico
294 Pit Starke
295 Pit Starke2
296 Chris John Turn9
297 John Turn9
298 John exit 9
299 Team III 3-4 view Thanks to Richard Oben at North Racecars for the wheels and fitting advice. They were perfect as delivered!
300 Team III 3-4 rear view
301 Team III rear
302 IMG 2401
303 IMG 2403
304 Team III 3-4 front view
305 IMG 2405
306 IMG 2406
307 10-08: Accusump OilFilter Shutoff Valve Refining the oil setup on my DOHC. I think this may be just right.
308 AccusumpOilFilterHoses Steve Lee at Thunder Autosports did the plumbing after I installed all the hardware. I dumped the electric control valve for the Accusump so I could mount it vertically
309 Front of engine Lots of Hoses There's a Canton billet oil filter relocator bolted onto the old filter fitting on the block, and stock oil cooler still in place.
310 "Reptile Roundup" Nov. 6&7, 2008 Gainesville, GIR, 2 days of open track running. We had a good time!
311 Chris Mandi Richard The Baileys and Mandi chill between runs.
312 Mandi gears up for a track session
313 Mandi John 52 and Richard's big rig
314 Mandi John 52 helmet help
315 Mandi John helmet Note the timer and Hero minicam on the dash. We got some interesting video
316 John Track "Bus Stop" corner
317 Mandi Track Bus Stop corner
318 FFR-John-RR-11-08
319 FFR-Mandi-RR-11-08
320 11-16-08 FFR Maddie John
321 Buckling up for a lunch run MAddie's the most adventurous granddaughter in the world!
322 FFR Mandi Maddie Lynn at Park Ave.
323 Spoiler Extend Parts My idea to get 2" more chin spoiler, using conveyor belt material I got from Jeff Kleiner
324 Installed Tested on I-95, felt really good at highway speeds. Should be fine for the track. Blue tape is temporary for another mod I'm doing
325 Spoiler Extension Installed About 2" ground clearance, and 2" of flexible rubber if anything drags. You can see Chris Bailey's CF spoiler, his brace design, and the lanyards so I don't lose the latch pins.
326 Accusump adaptor
327 12-13-08 Oil Cooler ready for action Mocal wide 16 row unit. I re-fab'd the aluminum shelf and used wide aluminum angle on either side of the cooler to mount it. Not as easy as I'd planned! We're running at PBIR next week, I bet the oil temps are DOWN
328 Oil cooler thermo plumbing Steve Lee at Thunder Autosports did the plumbing for me again...and had to work around my power steering proportion valve plumbing. Great job.
329 Oil cooler thermostat mount Steve fab'd this mount for the Mocal thermostat, coming off the radiator fan shroud. Placed here to catch the -10AN lines running from the oil cooler. That's the power steering cooler at the bottom, mounted just behind the oil cooler
330 Oil cooler thermo mount2 You can see the aluminum angle I used to mount the oil cooler, and the bottom 4 rows of the oil cooler, on the far right of the pic
331 12-20-08 PBIR JohnPit 1st event for us at Palm Beach International Raceway. Great track, lots of Cobras and Panoz and other cool cars and buddies.
332 PBIR John & friends Turn 10, trying to stay in front of these guys
333 JohnVetteStraight
334 BackStraightJohnClose
335 Turn10 John back
336 FFR 1152 after fire Feb 4 2002 Long story, led to many touching experiences and adventures. Ford's faulty "fire alternator" design was the culprit. Burned us out of our home for 13 months.
337 FFR #1152 Bikini Top DON'T DO THIS Sept. 2000, Just before the long trip to Pikes Peak, Colorado. Bikini top is the most obvious, but notice the plexi wind deflector behind the driver's headrest, and the tonneau with central tie-down strap which kept it from flapping at speed by tying the zipper edge of the tonneau to the tranny tunnel. All part of my PEWK system (Phillips' Emergency weather Kit)
338 FFR #1152 Bikini Frame of welded aluminum tubing It WOULD have worked if I'd had a passenger roll hoop and extended the frame to both sides of the windshield. This version caused the windshield glass to crack vertically right in the middle during the trip home from Pikes Peak
339 Sept. 2000: FFR #1152 Top of Pikes Peak Snow storm made the route down impassable for a few hours. This shows the bikini top in action. Notice how warm and dry I am not.
340 Jan. 2, 2009 Group Shot Jeff Kleiner was in town, so we ate pizza and drank some beer!
341 Richard BAiley and Jeff Kleiner deep discussion All I heard was something about Run and Gun, drag racing, and a wall...
342 The rest of the group! Inman, Chris, Dana, and the ladies. Is Chris trying to talk that waitress into a free beer?
343 Whitby rollbar bezels
344 Whitby rollbar bezels
345 Sebring Camp Steeda event May 23-24 2009 Great time, lots of cars to play with. Paul Buxe, Chris Moons and me had a blast
346 PitShot2
347 JohnEarplugsInstall
348 John-in3
349 JohnInto6
350 JohnMoonseyHotPit
351 JohnPitStraightPass
352 BAnquetGroup
353 Chris & Brenda Award TrackGuys pick Moonsey as their favorite car
354 Moonsey-in3
355 MoonseyPitStraight2
356 PaulJellybeanPitStraight
357 Cheesy Angle Brace for thermostat assembly NO MORE water leak at the water cross over pipe (connecting the two heads, over the alternator), by fab'ing this brace to keep vibration and pressure to a minimum on the down hose which attaches to the crossover pipe. Worked great at Sebring, no fluid loss!
358 FFR RichMAggieTonneau
359 FFR JohnTonneau Designed it myself, sewed by local boat canvas shop with their own improvements. I love it.
360 FFR SebringTrackshot2
361 FFR SEbringTrackshotside
362 FFR Tonneaufolded
363 FFR TrailerWheels Tonneau
364 FFR-TonneauDriverside
365 FFR-TonneauHalf
366 FFR-TonneauPinDrill
367 NASA 9-12-09 at PBIR, Turn 10 Great day, hot, muggy, rain threatening any second, and we loved it. This is Turn 10, heading for the pit straight
368 Jack Cook and Dee Jack succumbed to 10 years of pressure from me to come out and play with his S2000.
369 John, Richard Bailey, and Cobra Trevor You will never have as true a friend as Richard B...FAST, too! AND look at the size of that OIL COOLER
370 Jack heads for the Track
371 IMG 2464
372 IMG 2466
373 IMG 2976 H1 cars and drivers line up for morning orientation
374 Jack teaches the BMW the correct line into Turn 2 Jack Session 2
375 10-3-09 Backdraft Open House Reg welcomed all the BDR owners, lookers, a couple of us FFR guys, and everyone else. Great day and nice folks. Thanks!
376 Richard Bailey's weapon, ready for Run & Gun
377 IMG 3022
378 IMG 3021
379 Chris Bailey and the Orange Crusher first time we ever saw it run with LS1 power
380 1-23-10 PBIR Hooked on Driving event Pit with Richard's Backdraft and Paul's FFR behind the photographer. The Orlando gutys towed down with their Panoz'sss. Overcast, no rain, mid-70's, good drivers and 5 runs minimum per grouip. Great day!
381 Trying to lift the right front wheel on Turn 10
382 Heading out for session #3 John ready to go
383 John at Turn 10
384 Race Driver pose Just finished run group
385 John 10 again
386 John Back straight "Porsche, there IS a SUBSTITUTE..."
387 Lynn and the guys Killing time between runs, including an equally rare Inman Lanier appearance!
388 John Lynn with Stig's African Cousin
389 African Stig's PBIR photo results A rare Lynn trackside appearance; we're doing Parade laps, and ready to go
390 2-6-10 GAINESVILLE Road Course Ran with DSCC and GAinesville Road Race Club/ Mandi came to co-drive.
Mandi begins "S" loop
391 Bunch of FFR Roadsters Pit Fantastic day, we got six solid run sessions during 4 hours. No passing permitted, we run spaced out from each other.
392 IMG 3198 Mandi pit
393 Mandi heads for bus stop turn Notice the smooth runoffs area and no walls or obstacles. GREAT track to practice with little risk!
Really nice job. I was especially interested in the KIRKEY seat mods you did. I sat in the aluminum pan and its tight (I guess I'm a wide body). Got my complete kit delivered on 1/9/08. - Glen Meyer, Sat, 19 Jan 2008 6:10PM
Great work and thanks for taking the time to pull this site together. It is a real help for those of us that are still deep in the build process. - Darrel E Watson, Sat, 19 Jan 2008 6:55AM
Thanks, for sharing the pictures. Ed - HiPower, Wed, 13 Jun 2007 10:30AM
Good job!! I like the foot box. did you find it a lot of work.
John reply: Nope, I just measured it out where I wanted it, bent the metal to fit, and rivetted it all together. Makes all the difference having that sideways room on the left. - Cbrian, Fri, 17 Nov 2006 10:37PM
