[jeffmort]

Thanks everyone for the response regarding JBL. You have verified that my first impression of JBL was correct - that they build a quality car.

Specifically for Duane:

1) I saw 1 chasis being worked on while I was there.

2) I saw 1 body while I was there.

3) I saw 1 completed JBL - a customers car that was about 5 years old - it still looked great and was very tight and solid feeling. The guy who owned it recently got tangled up with a Mustang while racing at Willow Springs. Considering the severity of the accident, the car held up well - only the body and some topical stuff were damaged - there was no damage to the frame.
FYI - the Mustang ran into the Cobra - the Cobra didn't loose control of his car!

4) I didn't have a chance to ride/drive in one. The car that they use for demo driving was the car mentioned above that was just crashed shortly before I visited. Otherwise, they would have allowed me to drive the car.

5) The facility was definitely in prduction. However, they did seem to be a one-at-a-time builder - this may be good or bad depending on your perspective. I did see the following activity while I was there: they were machining a supply of their custom front suspension parts, there was a frame on the rack that was being completed, I also saw various other parts on the shelves. Dave Hadley of JBL took about 1 1/2 hours to show me around the operation - he was very friendly, answered all of my questions honestly, he even gave me positive recommendations to other, competing Cobra manufacturers that would be worth considering.

The main risks with JBL, as I see it, are: 1) the fact that the operation's future appears to rely on one or two guys. If something "happens" to either of them, or if they have a change of heart about building these cars, there may be a problem down the road if you need their custom parts, or service from them, and they are no longer around. 2) the primary business of JBL (or S-K Specialties) is a machine shop doing macine work that is seperate from building cars. 3) Their cars are a little different than their competitors in that the body shape is slightly different, the car is wider, longer, and lower than others, the front suspension is totally custom, they use 17' wheels as standard, etc. This point can be viewed as a negative in that the car is not "original" - but then, what kit car is original anyway. Personally, I view this as a positive in that the car uses current technology and generally performs better than the competition yet still looks like a Cobra.

With that being said, I am strongly considering going with JBL when I am ready to get started. I am convinced that if you are looking for the highest quality as well as best performance, JBL is a worth considering.

Hope this helps.

Jeff



as I see it