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Daytona Coupe, 289 and 427 Cobras
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Daytona Coupe Cobra -
Miscellaneous Panel Fabrication
On the 289 and 427 Cobra roadsters as well as the coupes, the aluminum skin at the wheel arches is formed around a galvanized steel wire to provide additional support to the panel and to provide a finished look to the edge. The following photo shows the wiring being formed in preparation for it's installation under the aluminum skin at the right rear wheel arch. There are many techniques to forming this wired edge, however for this project it was necessary to do it on the car. Working on the car eliminated some of the machine produced wired edges. The most difficult part of the technique was establishing the appropriate trim line on the aluminum so that when it was wrapped around the wire, the resulting edge was located in the correct spot. The actual wrapping of the aluminum around the wire was done with a pair of Visegrips that were slightly modified for the purpose.
One of the more distinctive features of the Daytona is the rear panel. The following photo shows this panel from a unusual bottom view. It is still held in place with the temporary clecos in this picture, however it has since been welded into the body assembly. Also visible is the rear extension of the full belly pan that the coupes supported and the quick jacks extending through the panel.
