Burton's Bullet

It's funny how and why some cars get built. Some are for investment purposes (sometimes realized and sometimes not), sometimes builders just like the process and don't really care much for the car after it's finished, while others are done just for the fun of it.

Bobby Burton, who lives in La Canada, California (near San Diego and just miles from the Mexican border), had always dreamed of owning a Cobra, and he already had the perfect motor for it: the 427 center-oiler that had been living in his flat-bottom boat for the past 15 years! Bobby had expressed his desires for a Cobra to his daughter, Jodi, as well as her boyfriend, Ken Brown, and soon the pair decided they would build the car for Bobby.

Though Ken had never built a replicar before, he wasn't a novice in building cars in general. In his 20s, Ken had owned, built, and serviced several go-fast rides (i.e., a 390 AMC Hornet and a '69 Mach I, to name but two), so he knew his way around a toolbox, he just didn't know the kit car market. So, with a lot of patience, he checked out the Web and called a lot of the companies who supply Cobra kits to the replicar market. Ken says some of the companies he contacted either couldn't or wouldn't answer his questions, even though he had cash in pocket to get started on a project.

When he got to Shell Valley Companies (Platte Center, NE), Ken got a different story. The folks he talked with on the phone gave him the information he needed and, to Ken's surprise, Shell Valley said they would work with him to get him whatever he needed to make the build process easier. That said, Ken ordered one of SVC's Cobra replica kits and went to town.

Shell Valley's "standard issue" chassis comes equipped with a good selection of parts including Aldan coilover shocks and Wilwood four-piston calipers on each corner, along with an independent front suspension and a Ford 9-inch rear. Rack-and-pinion steering is also standard, and is a welcome addition when trying to wrap a Cobra around a tight turn with 295/50-15 and 265/60-15 BFGoodrich rubber gripping the road.

And nothing is wrong with more power, either, which is what Bobby gets in spades when he stabs the gas and brings his 427 to life! Backed to a four-speed top loader, the Ford center-oiler big-block was bored .030 over for a final displacement of around 432 cubes. Inside, a stock crank works with TRW pistons (12.5:1) and a Norris camshaft, while up top a pair of Holley 660-cfm carbs feed a pair of aluminum Shelby heads. Not enough? Then Bobby only need open up the nitrous bottle mounted in the trunk to give his ride that "holy crap" feeling that only a big-time nitrous system can deliver.

Other engine specs include an Edelbrock high-flow water pump, an MSD ignition system (that works with both the MSD shift light and timing control knob), ceramic-coated custom headers made by Frank Arcis at WTB Mufflers in Vista, California, and an Accusump pre-oiling system that puts oil to the bearings and rings before start-up as well as oils the system in case of loss of oil pressure while running. 427s are a tight fit in some vehicles, and some sit fairly high on the frame, so Ken did some fabrication work to modify the chassis to lower the big motor's profile. That done, Ken also used the higher hood scoop that Shell Valley supplies to help clear the top of the engine. Texcal Precision and Fabrication (Vista, CA) also help out by milling the intake manifold's mid-riser to lower the height of the dual carbs package.

The go-fast theme Ken had started with was even carried over into the paint job. Vista Auto Body (Vista, CA) did the required prepwork to the 'glass body before covering it with a special Viper Red mix (it really glows in the sunlight), then accenting the red with twin white racing stripes. To set this Cobra apart from others he may come upon, a chunk of mahogany was planed, shaped, drilled, and varnished on its way to becoming the new dash. Once installed, Ken added seven black-faced Stewart Warner gauges, wiring them up using a Painless Wiring kit. Brown also laid out the carpet (as well as the unique footbox upholstery) but left the buckets seats as he got them from Shell Valley: finished with pleated black leather.

Burton is a gaffer by trade (the head electrician on a movie or TV show) and works in Hollywood on the set of the "Two and a Half Men" television program, starring Charlie Sheen. Though Sheen may be remembered for several things, most folks don't know he is also a hard-core muscle-car fanatic (Sheen, who collects muscle cars, is reputed to be the one responsible for enlightening actor Nicholas Cage to the muscle-car mania and Cage's subsequent car collection).

To that end, Burton is planning on bringing his bright red ride to work soon and leaving it in Charlie's parking spot. Maybe after a ride in Burton's bullet Sheen will have a new appreciation for big-block Cobras on squeeze!