Welcome to Our Garage

Daytona Coupe, 289 and 427 Cobras

Introduction

I have been a fan of the Cobras conceived by Carroll Shelby since their beginnings in 1963. Carroll seized an opportunity and talked the English manufacturer of a small two seated sports car, AC Cars, into supplying the basic chassis and body. Almost simultaneously he convinced Ford Motor Company to supply a newly released light weight engine and transmission. The pieces (cars from AC and engines from Ford) were shipped to Los Angeles where Carroll's crew assembled the car. The result was the Cobra.

Over the years, I have been lucky enough to acquire each of the three main variations of the Cobra body styles. The purpose of this web site is to share information for these Cobra types; the 289 Cobra, the 427 Cobra and the Daytona Coupe Cobra.

Although the majority of the site chronicles our Daytona Coupe project, I have also included additional information on our 289 and 427 Cobras as well as other Cobra related information.

I hope you enjoy the site.

Chuck

Email: chuckcobra@aol.com

What's new on this site

Updated: 12/18/2022

This site is becoming larger as time passes and I add more information. For those who are first time visitors, I hope you will take the time to browse through the complete site.

For those enthusiasts that have have visited previously and would prefer to simply access new information, I have added this area which hopefully will provide faster access to new pages and information.

New information is included in relavent sections of the site and is accessible simply by reading through the pages in the normal manner. However, the following links will provide direct access to the most recent updates simply by clicking on the descriptive text below. The "Date added" is approximately when the information was added. The "Summary" gives a short description of the new information.

  • Daytona Coupe Cobra Glass and Plastic Parts Drawings
    Date added: 3/6/2022
    Summary: This package includes completely dimensioned CAD drawings and templates for the windshield, rear window, side windows and other acrylic and polycarbonate parts used on my replica Daytona Coupe.

  • Free 3D Cobra CAD models for experimenting
    Date added: 12/29/2020
    Summary: Free (no cost / no strings attached) 3D CAD models of several different Cobra parts to allow experimentation with CNC milling and 3D CAD software.

  • Daytona Coupe and 289 Cobra Adjustable A-arm Drawings
    Date added: 12/28/2020
    Summary: CAD drawings providing full details of replacement A-arms allowing adjustment of the suspension camber on the Daytona Coupe Cobra and the 289 Cobra roadster.

  • Daytona Coupe Cobra - Back to work
    Date revised: 12/03/2021
    Summary: The Daytona build story continues with commentary on installaton of a 289 engine with Weber engine and other recenent updates to the Daytona build. (Follow this Daytona Coupe Link or the link at the top of any page for the full story.)

  • CNC Journey - A new Cobra related distraction in the shop.
    Date added: 8/22/2021
    Summary: Some original Cobra parts are getting more difficult and costly to obtain. One solution; make them yourself. I am exploring this possibility with a home shop CNC machine. It might not be as far fetched as you imagine.

  • 289 Cobra Fiberglass Parts Drawings
    Date added: 3/24/2020
    Summary: CAD drawings detailing the original fiberglass footboxes and spare tire tray for the 289 Cobra.

Site navigation and contents

This site is broken into several major categories to provide some degree of organization. A short description of the site's areas is given below. Double clicking on the photos below or the Navigation Bar at the top of each page will take the visitor to the related series of pages.

Daytona Coupe Cobra

Our Daytona Coupe replica. Only six Daytona Coupes were originally built by Shelby American in 1964 and 1965. The original was chassis number CSX2287. Chassis numbers 2289, 2300, 2601, 2602 and 2286 followed as rapidly as time and materials were available. These cars were purpose built for the sole purpose of defeating Ferrari on the high speed road courses of Europe. The pages in this section of the site will take you on a photo tour of the construction of my Daytona Coupe Cobra.

The "Daytona Coupe" link at the top of the page provides more details on this car.

CSX3193

CSX3193 is an original 1966 427 Cobra. It was initially sold from Hayward Ford, located in Hayward California. The early ownership history from 1966 through 1975 is a little sketchy but after consulting several sources, we have a relatively good understanding of previous owners. We purchased the car in 1975. When purchased, the car was cosmetically in relatively poor condition; however, it was a complete car. Over the first year or so, some minor body work was done and it was painted its current guardsman blue color. Unfortunately, the car is not driven as frequently as it used to be.

The "427 Cobra" link at the top of the page provides more details on this car.

289 Replica Cobra

Our 289 Cobra replica, "Red" for short. Shortly after purchasing CSX3193, I just knew I had to have another Cobra and set my sights on a Daytona Coupe. Since even at that time, the original Daytonas were financially out of the question for me, I decided to build one. Since the basic chassis of the Daytona is based on the 289 Cobra roadster and since there were many more 289 roadsters available for study, it seemed logical that if I couldn't build a roadster, the idea of a constructing an authentic coupe would be completely out of the question. Building our 289 replica completely from scratch gave me the confidence to tackle the Daytona. For several years it was driven daily as a commuter car and also participated in many of the local Shelby Club events. Red is still my favorite.

The "289 Cobra" links at the top of the page provides more details on this car.

Construction Drawings

This section of the web site lists most of the CAD drawings that I have prepared for my Cobras. Originally the drawings were pepared to document my projects for my own use and entertainment. However, I am now make them available to other enthusiasts for their personal use. I have created over 400 individual parts and assembly drawings. Included here are all of the drawings that are presently available for the Cobras as well as some examples of the CAD drawings.

The "Cobra Construction Drawings" link at the top of the page provides more details on this information.

Cobra Manuals and Documents

This is just a portion of the Cobra documentation that I've gathered over the years. Presently included in this section are copies of the original 289 and 427 Cobra Owners manuals as well as some older sales literature relative to Cobras. I hope to add to this section as time permits.

The "Cobra Manuals" link at the top of the page provides more details on this information.


Cobra Videos

This is a new part of this site. The concept is to link to several videos of my Daytona Coupe on the road as well as a few other appropriate or related videos. These videos can really gets the blood pumping. Make sure to turn the sound on the computer way up.(The videos are located on YouTube, but I have provided a direct link to the videos on this page of my site.)

The "Cobra Videos" link at the top of the page provides access to these short videos.

Cobra Fabrication Tools and Equipment

The objective of this section of the site is to include some of the more useful tools used for fabricating (or working on) a Cobra.

The initial document includes fabrication details of the English wheel that I used during the construction of my Daytona Coupe. As time passed, I added details on other traditional fabrication tools that have been helpful in building and working on Cobras. Also included are a chassis rotisseri, bracket bending brake and electric powered sheet metal shrinker. I hope to add other tooling and equipment topics related to Cobras in the future.

The "Cobra Fabrication Equipment" link at the top of the page provdes access to this information.

CNCing Cobra Parts

Recently, I have added a section on the use of a home shop CNC milling machine and its application in creating Cobra parts. It is being done by some of the leaders in the Cobra replica industry, so why not a DYI approach?

I will be using a Tormach 770 milling machine and Fusion 360 software to create a number of parts for my Cobra projects. Follow my CNC journey as I learn and machine Cobra parts with this incredible new technology.

The "CNCing Cobra Parts" link at the top of the page provdes access to this information.

Road Trips

This section of the site sumarizes some of our more memorable trips in the Cobra. I try to get the Cobras out for a drive at least once or twice a week. Sometimes the drives have a particular destination, but more often I just follow the way the car is pointing. Certainly the Cobras made their mark on history at the race track, but the point of this section is to share with other Cobra enthusiasts some of the fun that can be had in simply driving and enjoying the car on a road trip. Our home in Northern California provides an abundance of roads to explore.

The "Road Trips" link at the top of the page provds access to these photos.