289 Cobra replica walk-around

289 Cobra recreation by Acton Custom. Body is fiberglass by Mr Bruce in PA, he pulled his mold from an original car which is why it is such a nice accurate shape. Chassis is a 4" tube 427 type chassis with 289 leaf spring suspension. All suspension control arms are custom-made like an early competition car with rod ends for alignment adjustments. Important to note the addition of double shear plates on this style suspension or they will rip control arm mounts off the frame, ask me how I know?! The motor is a 351W with a T5 transmission behind it. Differential is a Jag with custom-made mounting brackets and Dana 44 gearset with Mark Williams custom-made stub axles.
Every piece of this car is as close as we could get to original specs with each part handmade and hand fitted to the car.
Check back again for our next 289 Cobra build with a narrow flare aluminum body.

[@shawnmann9491]

I’m late to this party, but what a GEM !!! This is a truly wonderful tribute to the original model….I don’t even look at the obviously overdone 427 replicas that I see lately-they are all over the top ( in the worst ways) and unappealing to me. THIS one is FANTASTIC. I’d drool over that for days😎🤙🏼. Nice work Nick

[@nickacton9006]

Thanks for your appreciation of my work. Wait till you see the aluminum bodied one we're building now.

[@JimBischoff1184]

Beautiful ! ❤

[@raoulsilaghi2504]

That's an absolute dream slabside Cobra. It would be a real head turner here in Burgundy.

[@nickacton9006]

Thank you very much! We are pleased with how it came out. Let us know if we can help you build your dream car. Acton Custom Enterprises, Nick Acton

[@jaycunningham2723]

I owned csx2424 This is a very well done replica! Kudos!

[@nickacton9006]

@jaycunningham2723 Humble thank you from the knowledgeable! Hope to see you and yours at the SAAC convention.

[@BradThePitts]

I'm a self-proclaimed Cobra snob, and I can say that this is an absolutely brilliant car. I have two replicas, and it looks like there's the same rear view mirror which does not flip to dim. I tinted mine with light/medium window tint. It's not too dark during the day, and it keeps the headlights behind from blinding you at night. If for some reason someone doesn't like it, the tint peels off easily. Cheers from LaLa Land, California.

[@nickacton9006]

Thanks for the feedback. Good idea for our low, headlights in the eyeballs cars.

[@clutchpedalreturnsprg7710]

Ha, I just remembered that my Galaxies had Day/ Night mirrors.

[@paulayala4816]

This is probably the most beautifully executed Cobra builds I have seen. I don't think the 351 was necessary, I would have settled for the 5.0 or the 289 HiPo engine I have sitting in my garage. Soon, hopefully very soon I will execute my plans for retirement, tooling around in a Cobra "replica" is top on the list.

[@clutchpedalreturnsprg7710]

Hello, the trunk is spacious. Plenty of room for groceries.

[@paulayala4816]

@@clutchpedalreturnsprg7710 Exactly! I could see cruising Route 66 in the slab side Cobra vs the 427SC. With a soft top to help to keep out some of the elements it would probably be reasonably comfortable, not like the cars of today, but where's the adventure and excitement in those.

[@clutchpedalreturnsprg7710]

@@paulayala4816 Also, I had two, 62 Ford Galaxies, one 66 LTD, Looking into a Cobra engine bay is like coming home. Just for fun here's a road trip video of Factory 5 Cobras. If I had the where with all I would prefer a Kirkham Motor Cars Cobra. This video mentions in climate weather fun in a Cobra. Thought of another to add too. KZbin videos: 1) The Traveler kzbin.info/www/bejne/ioq9dqeZnNOmi5o 2) 427 Cobra Road Trip kzbin.info/www/bejne/qGKnqWZ9eNeBj5o

[@paulayala4816]

Those were great videos and it's the proper way to show up for an event, drive it in,not on a trailer. Half the fun of these cars, "any car really", is the drive. If the car doesn't inspire you to get out on the open road and go somewhere, well you're probably better off taking the bus. My dad used to have a Triumph Herald convertible with a 1200cc engine and it made almost 40 hp. Even though it wasn't very fast it sounded good and begged to be driven along Pacific Coast Highway with the top down. @@clutchpedalreturnsprg7710

[@mikepaul396]

agreed. I have an alum body version and its a short deck 289/302 based block. got 492 hp from it and 452 torque

[@mikepaul396]

does the transleaf front suspension work as well as the coilover suspension that kirkham has in their hybrid car. I wondered how they compared on the roads or bumping windy roads

[@nickacton9006]

I have hopped from leaf sprung Cobra to coil spring Cobra while on tour. The coil over is better to me but honestly both types run pretty hard together. The biggest difference to me was hopping in a wire wheel car as they feel like they flex to me.

[@daPollock66]

Nice build Mr. Acton!

[@nickacton9006]

Thankyou.

[@performanceevents811]

Hi Nick this is such a beautiful car. Great job. Where are you based? Cheers Tony

[@bonniacton9089]

Hi Tony, thank you! We are based in Holderness, NH

[@stuffhappens5681]

Personally I’ve grown tired of the wide body 427 Cobra. The original nimble small block design speaks Sports Car to me.

[@rogercormier2077]

Beautiful

[@nickacton9006]

Thank you! We appreciate it. Acton Custom Enterprises, Nick Acton

[@RobGordon35]

Wow nice replica! Which company makes this? Does your company make these? I would be really interested as am looking to build a 289. Thanks!

[@nickacton9006]

I made and assembled it here with some larger parts supplied by the customer and my vendors.

[@mikepaul396]

sounds like Nick doesnt want to answer whos fiberglass car it is. so im guessing superformance or aurora or maybe kirkham will do a fiberglass car but they are busy there. ;))

[@nickacton9006]

This is a fiberglass body from Mr Bruce in PA. The mold was taken from an original Cobra. I made and fitted everything on this car apart from the leaf sprung ladder frame which was built as a 427 ladder from wider spaced 4" tubes.

[@nickacton9006]

​@@mikepaul396see reply above. ERA and NAF also make a nice 289 Cobra.

[@naurybirnbaum7471]

Very nicely done. Excellent details. Kirkham base?

[@nickacton9006]

Thanks Naury, it is actually a fiberglass body over a tube frame chassis.