1/4 scale Cobra

[hot ford coupe]

WOW!!! That's like a once in a lifetime chance to make something huge. Just think of the detail you could put into that. You could even stick in a working engine. I wish it were a 289 shaped body. I wonder how long it would take to complete a model that big.

[Rick]

Thats the same body used with the Conley V8. Its very impressive!

[Deuces-wild]

Could you guys imagine if it were an aluminum body instead of resin ??? I tried looking for a pic of a 1/4 scale Ford FE side oiler 427, but no dice. I guess no one got around to build that one yet. I'll take mine with the twin Holley carbs just like the rare '66 Ford 427 Fairlanes.

[Deuces-wild]

If I'm not mistaken, I could have sworn I seen a 1/6 scale RC 427 Cobra at a Meijer's shopping center toy department. This was maybe about a year or so ago. I think the color on it was grey metallic with the white Cobra stripes going down the middle. Anyone have any info on it???

[hot ford coupe]

I went to my LHS today and saw on the shelf a 1/10 scale 427 Cobra that was raidio controlled. It looked a bit like it was bigger than 1/10 but the tires looked kind of smallish. I'll go back and check them out again. They were $75 bucks each. The big Willys was $80 bucks about 4 years ago.

[slingshot]

I hadn’t heard of the radio control Cobra before, I looked it up and couldn’t find any detailed pictures but I did find quite a number for sale at wildly different prices ranging anywhere from just under $40.00 to something like $130.00. Not sure if they all contain the radio but quite often it’s pictured. If I remember the overall length, it sounds pretty close to 1/10 scale, the hood opens and apparently there’s some kind of engine but I’m not sure how detailed. If the wheels are correct, it could still make a pretty nice display model although I’m not quite sure about the contour of the nose, it almost seems like it dips down a little too much? Here are some links to some different places selling them.

http://store.cscf.org/index.asp?cat=...6800190&page=1

http://www.rjsuniquegifts.com/store-..._35738586.html

http://cgi.ebay.com/Shelby-427-Cobra...QQcmdZViewItem

I wonder how hard it would be to modify back to a 289 FIA?

[Don Garrett]

Only as hard as you make it. Depends on how much detailing and scratch building you want to tackle.

[slingshot]

Yeah, I would have to do some measuring on my 1/25 289 and 427 Cobras. I forgot, the 1/16 Cobra was fairly inexpensive on ebay the last time I looked. I have one and it would be a good reference for building the frame and suspension and even somewhat for detailing or building the engine if needed. I never scaled out the frame tubes to see if they are the right diameter, but at least to have the frame layout. It’s fairly accurate although the wheels are too wide and the very front of the nose is totally inaccurate for a 427, it’s probably closest to the very first two built where the nose resembled the 289.

[Don Garrett]

Let's not forget how it all got started.......I picked this info up from a free site. The first AC Cobra...


AC Ace is an automobile from AC Cars. The Ace was introduced in 1951. The Ace featured a lightweight chassis with a Bristol six-cylinder engine with 3 downdraft carburettors producing 120 horsepower. Due to its light weight about 1650 pounds, the car had good performance and handling. The car raced at Le Mans in 1957 and 1958. When Bristol ceased building their 6-cylinder engine in 1961 the owner, Charles Hurlock, was approached by Carroll Shelby to use a Ford V8 in the Ace chassis, producing the AC Cobra in 1962. Production of the Ace ended the same year.

The ACE also was manufactured with an AC built 2 liter straight-6 engine with 3 sidedraft carburettors producing 100 horsepower. In the final years of productions some Ace models were fitted with the MKII Ford Zephyr 2.6 liter straight-6 engine. AC also produced a hardtop version of the Ace called the Aceca.

AC Ace replicas is much rarer than AC Cobra replicas, but they exist.

The Ace name was reintroduced in 1999 with a radically new design. The new Ace offered an option of a 305 hp Ford V8 "Quad Cam" or a Lotus 350 hp engine. The car has features such as air conditioning, full hide interior and GPS navigation.
[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for AC Ace ]

[Deuces-wild]

Yeah, I would have to do some measuring on my 1/25 289 and 427 Cobras. I forgot, the 1/16 Cobra was fairly inexpensive on ebay the last time I looked. I have one and it would be a good reference for building the frame and suspension and even somewhat for detailing or building the engine if needed. I never scaled out the frame tubes to see if they are the right diameter, but at least to have the frame layout. It’s fairly accurate although the wheels are too wide and the very front of the nose is totally inaccurate for a 427, it’s probably closest to the very first two built where the nose resembled the 289.

I have a MPC 1/20 scale 427 Cobra That I bought years ago. I'm not sure about the chassis detail.... Guess I'll to dig it up and check it out.

[hot ford coupe]

That's great info Don. The Cobra line has always been my favorite series of cars. My favorite of the series is the 1963 289 version one which I have in 1/18 scale and one by GMP in 1/12. I bought that one before I retired. From what I can tell, the 427 is a bigger car with a bulkier body and a bigger, more open grill space among other things. It's sort of like the 289 being on steroids and going to the gym everyday for a whole year. All you really need to do like you've said is do the measurements and see how they compare. If you have the patience to do the mods, they shouldn't be too difficult.

[slingshot]

The 289 has always been my favorite as well, it just seems more sleek.

[Don Garrett]

Guys.....if I had my choice between the two, it's a no brainer for me. The 289 is a joy to drive, handles great with power to spare. The 427 on the other hand, yes it will roll the skin back on your forehead and make it impossible to blink if you drop the hammer on it, but it will beat you to death in just a few miles, the real ones (not kits) with aluminum bodies had so much heat and fumes come through the firewall and floor boards I don't know how the pro drivers could stand it. A real hand full in the twisty stuff as well. Muscle cars...you gotta love 'em.

[hot ford coupe]

This one is right out of the Cobra history book. The dealers were having a big problem with losing a number of Cobras with customers trying them out. They kept on crashing them on the test drive. They couldn't keep the thing on the road. It was not a car for the faint of heart by any means. You didn't fear them but you definitely had to respect them. It also carried a fire extinguisher on board in case you had a fire on starting it up. A friend of mine years ago used to drag race them and said they had a habit of catching fire. Another thing was that the 427 side oiler put out about 500 horses and that was unsuper or turbocharged. It's credited with a 0-60 time of 3.9 seconds. It was nothing but a light tubular chassis with 4 wheels and a monster of an engine. No real creature comforts and no frills, but I thnk it came with a fully functional G suit for those tight curves.