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I spent some time this morning reading the ERA website. They make some good points about their frame. It appears to me that getting a rolling chassis from them could take some time, quite a bit of time.
Best I can tell Superformance dealers charge around $7,500 for labor and parts to install the engine and trans. My thought is to do the install myself which would make maintaining the car much easier. I will have been all over it and familiar with the systems. I would take the money I saved and dump it into an aluminum FE block. Pond actually makes a cast iron block that I would like to understand more about but that is another story. I would talk to a builder about the engine but the goal would be 500++ HP, lots of grunt not to peaky of a powerband with room to grow. So in a couple years if I get regrets on the power I can bump the cam and intake and step it up.
Based on all the comments I am going to make a list and call ERA to get a sense of their timing and pricing
A little more about me. I founded and own a manufacturing company. We have some fabrication mojo. I have a degree in engineering and put it to practice every day. I worked in the car industry for 14 years. I worked for one of the Big three (when there was a big three) part of the time as a field rep which included the technical side. So the "technical" part of a replica Cobra is well within my wheelhouse. Reading the Superformance engine trans install guide there was a picture and reference to a Turn signal relay, click click.... I have not seen one of those in years. I have been involved in the building of several engines both small block and big block Chevy's. This was when you needed 12 to 1 compression and roller everything to make power with 110 octane gas. The car I drove to high school was a big block Camaro that I upgraded and maintained. So I consider myself pretty technically adept..
My concerns on the Cobras are that they are essentially motorcycles. I want the roll bars to be functional and I want shoulder belts. Superformance may be questionable in the roll bar area we will see. I am in Michigan, there is a Superformance dealer nearby. I am going to inspect a rolling chassis today, Tuesday. They said they will put it on a lift for me so I can see how the car is made. I got an engine install guide for a Superformance and is relatively easy. Pretty straight forward, really. What appeals to me is I could have a running car by spring and know the chassis is sound. An ERA built by someone could be great or not so great. At least with a used Superformance, I know where the chassis was built.
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