In late 1999, the odyssey really got started in earnest when Scott took delivery of his roller from E-M. His first act was to completely disassemble it and start redesigning the chassis and the suspension using computer-aided drawings. By 2000 the redesign was complete, and Scott had E-M build a second chassis using his CAD drawings. The new design reverse-engineered the suspension in an effort to better control motion ratios, camber gain, antisquat, and roll centers to more closely mate the engine's power delivery.
Using GKI Cutting Tool's full complement of CNC equipment, Scott manufactured all the new suspension linkages that would help eliminate torque-induced toe changes and bump steer and in the rear and changed the locations of the trailing arms to control antisquat. Then after all the calculations were completed, the new pieces manufactured and bolted in place, it was time to select the proper antisway bars at both ends as well as the coilover shocks that would yield the proper wheel rates at each corner of the car.
With the speeds Scott intended for his new ride, stopping was just as important as the "go." Braking would be handled by 12-inch Vette discs in the rear while 13-inch Baer two-piece rotors would grip the front. Steering is accomplished with a Vette Z-51 rack and pinion (two turns lock to lock), and an ididit column topped with a Lecarra steering wheel. Johnson then chose Compomotive 17 x 10.5 and 17 x 12 wheels and Hoosier 275/40-17 front and 335/35-17 rear tire combination.
While Scott was busy reconstructing the chassis and suspension, the guys at ProPower Racing Engines (Sullivan, WI) were busy machining the small-block Chevy engine that would power the Cobra. Scott selected this engine and engine-builder combination based on his personal racing experience. ProPower is the number-one ranked engine builder in professional dirt Late Model racing and the builders of Scott's competition engines, so it seemed natural that they would be responsible for his very hot street engine.
After conferring with ProPower owners Bill and John Schlieper, the group consensus was that the ideal engine for this project would be a dirt-track-inspired, 434 Chevy small-block. Starting with a Dart/Rocket tall deck, raised cam race block, the crew at ProPower added a Crower 4340, steel, lightweight, 4-inch stroke crankshaft. Then they filled the bores with 4.155-inch, 9.5:1 compression ratio CP pistons connected to 6.25-inch Dyers Top Rods. Next, a Lunati solid roller cam with a .65-inch lift was added to the mix to activate the Del West titanium valves in the AFR CNC ported heads. To keep everything inside the engine alive and well lubricated, a Stock Car Product's dry sump system was bolted up, which works in conjunction with a Billet Fabrication aluminum pan and Peterson three-and-half-gallon dry sump tank.
To get the fuel-air mixture in and out of the engine, an Edelbrock Victor Jr. intake was bolted to the heads with a 1,000-cfm, Stealth Racing-prepped Holley HP carb doing the mixing. To carry the spent gases away from the engine, a pair of owner-fabricated headers using 1 7/8- to 2-inch step tube primary tubes flowing into 3 1/2-inch collectors were constructed to fit the space perfectly and then covered in black ceramic. The 3 1/2-inch side pipes with perforated cores were also made by the owner and coated in the same black ceramic. A Racemate 32-amp alternator and a Stewart Stage 4 water pump were bolted to the front of the engine, finishing up the package that easily cranks out 625 hp and 600 ft-lb of torque on premium pump gas.
Of course, when you have that many horses in the barn, you need to be able to put their power where you want it when you want it, so Scott selected a Richmond five-speed transmission and a McLeod clutch system to get the job done, and wrapped the large spinning parts in a Lakewood bellhousing for safety.