Projects DRAG SNAKE "Vintage Terror!"

While I was putzing about in the cockpit, I told Dad to figure out a way to mount the grill. He taped it up (to keep from scratching the paint) and sat it in place. After about 20 minutes I joined him just sitting there staring at it. LOL.

We kicked around a few ideas but none of them was going to make either of us happy. I didn't want so see and bolts or screw heads. Now I am sure the original grills had something engineered up there to mount the grill to the space frame pieces in the area. We do not have that luxury. We are going to have to mount it to the fiberglass lip somehow. No issue, that thing is crazy thick there and strong. But again, I do not want to see tabs and bolts etc.

Then I had a killer idea...and it looked like this...

That is piece of steel about a 1/16" thick or so. I made a 90 degree brake and then welded a piece to it. Basically I made a three sided box. Here is the plan...


The front will be the exact size of one of the egg crate style sections of the grill. The side will have two holes and will be pop riveted to one of the grill up right bars. The bottom will have a mount hole that after we put the grill in place, mark the lip and drill a coresponding hole in it, we can bolt the grill in place. (probably with a rubber grommet or pad under it keep it off the paint.


What do you think, I made three of them and installed them on the grill above...


Not that you couldn't see them but they are painted satin black and I think after the grill is in place in that dark nose area, they will be very hard to see. As you can see on the right lower mount, the only thing that shows are a couple of small pop rivet heads. The nasty parts are behind the blackout plate.
The bolts mounting the grill will be hidden back there too!

 

Looking quick I couldn't see them until the next photo with the arrows. A new coat of black satin and they will disappear.

You see them because you know they are there, people just coming on the car will never even notice them.

 

Agree. If you look at any factory eggcrate style grille they usually do the same thing. Optically, 99% of onlookers will never see it.

 

You are most welcome. I watch the progress on your car. The versions of stripes was real interesting. There was a Cobra I really liked in the late 1960s early 1970s that was painted blue with white lace racing stripes. I always wondered how they got the lace look.

 

Well it is finally painted and I am very HAPPY about that! But I could be even happier if there was drag slick rubber all over those newly painted quarter panels!!! lol Larry

 

Well today we sat out again to bleed the brakes and clutch but didn't quite make it. We sort of got caught up in fabricating the safety belt side mounts.

When I say side belts I mean lap belt. The outer mount was a no-brainer.



A couple of heavy angle iron brackets with a length of roll bar tubing welded between them. The brackets are spaced to bolt directly to two of the chassis outriggers after going through 3/16 aluminum plate floor pan.



Sent from my SM-G970U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

The other side was a serious pain in the back side. There was simply nothing other than the trans cross member to mount to. After an hour or so of studying the area we decided the only way to make a solid safe mount was to utilize the floor pan and the side plate of the driveshaft tunnel.



We took a a piece of angle iron and secured it to the 3/16" aluminum floor and the 1/4 inch steel side plate. (The steel plate is protection from the drive shaft.)

Now the seat has to be squeezed into that area so we used flush fitting bolts. This really made it a very strong corner and the front of the angle iron sits on and is bolted to the trans crossmember. In that area we fabricated a similar lapbelt mount from the other side and welded it to the angle iron.

Sent from my SM-G970U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Then we finished the tunnel sheeting on that side and installed a matching turn buckle piece same as the shoulder straps

Sent from my SM-G970U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

We also did some cockpit housecleaning. We have several small, complicated areas to address with aluminum sheeting.



This is the transition of the rear firewall as it makes the turn at the rear wheel tub. The first thing we did was create a poster board template.



After several tries and edits I cut the final pattern out of aluminum and pop riveted it in place.



It looks really clean.

Sent from my SM-G970U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Really nice job on the corner aluminum cockpit trim pieces!

 

Well although not in the shop today...(Monday grind on the job)! I did manage to get a few things accomplished. We are getting very close to laying the carpet and finishing off the interior space. This weekend I changed my plan for the standard black carpet etc. I decided to upgrade the interior a bit.

This morning I ordered the vintage style loop carpet but snagged it in gold. I am pretty excited about the potential look here. We have black leather seats, black dash, and now gold carpet with 5/16" black faux leather piping on it. And today I took my plate aluminum trans tunnel cover and wrapped it with a bit of what will be center of the center stripe on the car. It looks pretty cool.




I think it will look pretty cool! If it TOO MUCH, we will just swap it out with the gold metallic by itself. But I had the extra bit laying about so I decided to give it whirl.

 

Mind as well toss this one in there. It's my favorite!

 

Oh man! Check out the rug! Lol



I ordered the carpet site unseen yesterday. I was talking to the guy at National Fabric in Kansas City. He said he had exactly what I needed, a vintage gold loop carpet. He was right! It rolled in today. I love it.

Sent from my SM-G970U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

This is my 3rd Cobra, and I made an expanded metal grill for each of them.
Fairly simple, not very heavy and pretty easy to mount to inner side panels..
Here's a pic.

 

A few pieces and parts that are expected to arrive this week include: Dynamat Dynaliner

I have been doing some research and I really like this stuff from Dynamat. There are a bunch sound deadening products out there but only a hand full offer thermal protection as well. This 1/4" thick version certainly did not come cheap but this is another area on the project that you simply do not want to skimp on etc.


And this. I really love the old 6 ball shifter knob (sort of a quiet way to advertise it has a 6 speed in it) but to be honest it is not going to look good with the new color scheme. Honestly it was not going to look good with the old scheme either! LOL.

I have always loved a white shift knob, there is just something about it that I really dig. I started looking around and actually found one that is sort of off white, looks warn a bit, you know. I can't wait to get here and installed. You know it is the little things in life that make you happy! LMAO!

 

The shift knob looks like a cue ball...just sayin'.

Rack 'em up!

 

Six ball is green.

 

I have a few more graphics for it. Then we wait a few days and clear coat the living daylights out of it, graphics and all!

Sent from my SM-G970U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Is that like a snakehead fish that are causing so much trouble?

 

Hahahahahaha! LB, I just about blew my coffee out of my nose when I read this!

 

Man! What a disappointment on the shift knob.


When I opened it it was more of a murky yellow green than off white.


The box said off white and part number was correct. But this stupid thing looked like a cheap glow in the dark toy out of a cereal box. After looking at it for a while I decided to test it. Sure enough!


Yep...this is not what I ordered! LMAO

Sent from my SM-G970U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

More helnet shots.











Sent from my SM-G970U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Looking good Randall especially that glow in the dark shift knob lmao


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

If it's not bright enough, maybe you could upgrade to this.

 

Glow in the dark shift knob for the win!!!


Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.

 

Wow! LED EYES! Nice! Lol
I might just have to have one of those bad boys!

Jackson, I am keeping the glow in the dark knob just for you buddy. At least at those night races you will be able to find the shifter if not the actual gears! LMAO!

Sent from my SM-G970U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Randall It won’t bother me because I don’t have a rear view mirror in my car to be blinded by the light from your shifter lmao


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

The snake head shifter would look good painted white or gold.

Sell the glow in the dark ball to a fortune teller.

 

Since that knob is already promised, can you tell me where you got it? I have a green car

 

Hey D,

What a nice surprise, a glow in the dark shift ball, despite the fact that it was not what you ordered. But, as hot rod people, we are those kinds of people that don’t worry about the small stuff and are ingenious enough to make a mountain out of a molehill. So, you have the skills to do a great paint job on your helmet. Taking that snake design, make a smaller version for the shift knob. But, before that takes place, paint the ball all white except for the narrow bands next to the snake pattern. Now, the base is ready for the snake strips from front to rear. It is now, all white including the base glowing strip next to the snake pattern.

Most people that see it would think it is a pinstripe highlight running parallel to the snake pattern. But, then at night, you have two strips that glow while driving. During the day, it is pinstriping, but at night, a glowing highlighted, “Dragsnake.”
DAYTIME NIGHTIME GLOW next to the snakepattern

Jnaki

Nice build going on in the recent part of the thread!