AC Cobra Replica - Big Block Serpent - 14 | V8 - drag racing, hot rods, muscle cars, car shows

AC Cobra Replica – Big Block Serpent – 14

September 10th, 2008 by NZV8

Big Block Serpent AC Cobra Replica NZV8 14 18

The love of Cobras finally got the better of Craig

I’ve had a soft spot for Cobras ever since reading about their legendary achievements of the past.

I’ve had a soft spot for Cobras ever since reading about their legendary achievements of the past. Living and working in Upper Hutt for the last 20 years has given me more opportunities to see Cobras than most people.

It also helps that Graham Berry Race Cars is based in Upper Hutt. They are known as one of the best replica AC Cobra builders in the world, with the help of Almac Cars – a few kilometres away in the suburb of Trentham. I really wanted a Cobra. I still do. But when I started down the project car build, I ruled them out as beyond my budget, ability and intended end use – as a semi-dedicated drag car.

There’s always some personal connection with my feature car write-ups. This one is no different. Maybe I’m too much of a car nut for my own good.

DESIRE

Like myself, the owner of this fine Cobra had always wanted one. Hell, he would be among the few New Zealanders who has actually seen a genuine alloy-bodied AC Cobra. Craig’s job means he spends a lot of time overseas in some interesting countries. Some of these places are borderline third world – how can I say this nicely – shit-holes.

Craig spends the majority of his time in the Philippines. It was here that he met a guy with the genuine Cobra. I was surprised to hear from Craig about the number of old American over there, including some very rare and expensive American tin hidden away. Most of it has been there for years, since the US military operated bases there during World War Two. In those days the servicemen would bring American cars into the country duty-free. I suppose it would have been pretty easy to get a few cars onto base. They were probably good for morale – giving the boys on base something to remind them of home and keep them out of trouble in their down-time. There are still a lot of American cars (some of them rare) residing in the Philippines today – including the genuine AC Cobra.

CAN’T FIT!

Craig had never really made any effort to build a Cobra built because, being a tall bugger, he simply couldn’t fit in one comfortably. With his long legs and the Cobra’s short 2282mm wheelbase, the footwells were a too cramped for Craig’s liking.

However, a chance meeting with Graham Berry (of Graham Berry Race Cars) in a pub in Upper Hutt resulted in a conversation which naturally turned to Cobras. The upshot of this conversation was that Craig learned he could have a Cobra built with extended footwells by employing a brake and clutch cylinder using remote reservoirs. Problem solved. So, Graham Berry Race Cars built this Cobra over the course of a year. It was completed and registered in 2002. The fibreglass body was laid up by Almac Cars and expertly finished and painted by Dean McMillan of McMillan Panel and Paint Ltd in NaeNae.

A TOUCH OF LOTUS

There was a drama with the paint and body preparation. Craig’s original Cobra body was out of the mould and well seasoned, while the chassis was being constructed. But at a later date the body was used on another Cobra and replaced with one fresh out of the mould.

The car was put together, and off it went to be painted. It looked good painted in Lotus colours; Racing Green and Camel Yellow. The problem was that the body wasn’t aged and was therefore still gassing after it was painted. Craig noticed a couple of tiny blisters.

Dean took the whole thing back and stripped it, re-prepped it and completely repainted it in the same colours. This time the result was perfect – as you can see in these photos.

The chassis is RHS steel (by Berry Race cars) and utilises independent suspension front and rear. It weighs 1100kg, which is pretty light considering the great lump of iron big block Ford V8 up front. To be exact, it’s 460 cubic inches (7538cc) of Henry Ford’s finest, with an iron block containing a Cobra Jet high volume oil pump, Dooley race sump, a remote oil filter and standard crank.

TORQUE MONSTER

With a big block and a light car you don’t need to build a grenade engine to make it go. You just need just some sensible after-market goodies and a desire to make use of the 460’s serious low down torque. This proven formula has pretty much been followed with Craig’s Cobra.

The rods are standard, with after-market flat-top pistons to give it an increase in the compression department. Providing a healthy cam and inlet is all you really have to do when dealing with big blocks. Craig’s is no exception, with a Crane Commander cam which features duration at 0.50 of 236 degrees on the inlet, and 240 on the exhaust. The cam has 110-degree lobe separation, and lift of 0.556 inlet and 0.563 on the exhaust.

The heads are 1969 Cobra Jets, which have been modified by Pro Action and contain quality one-piece stainless valves measuring 2.25 inches on the inlet and 1.76 for the exhausts. The valve springs are Isky 8005s with chromemoly retainers. To round out the valve train there are Crane roller rockers and Comp Cams push rods.

The aptly-named Edelbrock Torker–II intake manifold is well suited to make use of the big block’s low down torque, with a Holley 750 carb perched on top. Let’s face it, big blocks have never been economical and have a very healthy appetite for fuel. This one’s no different. A Holley high performance pump keeps it fed. Fuel is no good without spark, which comes along via a Mallory twin point distributor.

As with all Cobras, Craig’s has the mandatory headers to big shiny side pipes. Every Cobra I’ve ever heard has the same basic sound.

It’s a very distinct exhaust note and a bloody pleasant one at that: a deep rumbling that soon changes pitch and tone once the go pedal is mashed.

To keep it all cool, in front of the engine there’s a custom alloy radiator and oil cooler nicely hidden in the prominent Cobra’s gaping mouth. That mouth is another of the Cobra features that makes this car stick in your mind. Well, that and the big, shiny side pipes, the roll bar and the well-defined and pumped out rear arches.

Behind the torque monster is a standard 460 flywheel and clutch, which pass the gobs of power to a Dough Nash five-speed box.

The diff is standard Cobra replica fare: a Berry modified Jag independent rear suspension, which is a large part of the reason these things handle so well. The other important element that handles the big block’s power is a decent set of brakes. Craig’s Cobra is running Wilwood stoppers all round.

But all the power, suspension and brakes under the sun are useless without some rubber. That job is taken care of by a set of P225/50s on the front 16s, and P255/50-16s on the rear

The interior is standard Cobra fare. That’s not to say it could be better, but what more do you need? It has short bucket seats, a nice black carpet, and ample leg room from those extended foot wells. Another of the standard Cobra features is the cool gear lever and handbrake lever. Craig chose Auto Meter gauges to keep an eye on the healthy Henry’s heartbeat.

So that pretty well rounds out Craig’s Cobra, which was one year in the build. It’s his dream car, and one he enjoys coming home to, whenever he is back in New Zealand long enough to get it out of the shed for a blat.

NERVOUS OUTING

The weather was perfect the day we came to photograph it. Plenty of afternoon sun in Wellington made it just warm enough to enjoy a topless car. I think Craig enjoyed the chance to get it out for a quick spin almost as much as we enjoyed hearing it, seeing it and having a ruddy good perv at it. There was a hairy moment when Craig swung by a service station to top it up. Craig had a car of dodgy-looking characters pull in right behind him, and then another car came in behind them. Craig had an anxious moment when these low-lifes wanted to depart quick-smart without paying for their measly $20 worth of petrol. They extracted their heap from behind Craig’s Cobra, narrowly missing it in the process. For such a pathetic amount of fuel they risked a man’s dream car – his pride and joy and the spoils of his hard work. It makes you wonder what value some people place on other peoples’ possessions. Do they think about anyone except themselves?

The Cobra is ones of Craig’s main pleasures in life whenever he comes back to New Zealand. Think about unwinding behind the wheel with the wind in your hair and the Cobra’s growl in your ears as you cruise along. It just about makes me want to leave the country for a few months so I would appreciate my car a bit more. Here’s another little coincidence: my bucket and the Cobra are roughly the same age and they have almost identical odometer readings.

Specs

2002 Graham Berry AC Cobra replica

Engine: Ford 460 cubic inch (7538cc) V8, standard block, rods and crank, flat top pistons, Crane Commander cam, Edlebrock torker II manifold, Holley 750 carb

Driveline: Dough Nash five-speed, customized Jag independent

Suspension: Coil overs all round

Brakes: Wilwood

Tyres: P225x50-16 and P255/50/16