A good place to start is to visit the manufacturers in your area.
Hunter Kit Cars and
Backdraft Racing are both close to Orlando. Hunter is in Ocala, and Backdraft is in Pembroke Pines.
It took me several years to determine which manufacturer to go with. I really didn't know what I wanted and didn't want until I visited several manufacturers plants and went to the annual Kit Car show in Carlise. I highly recommend going to Spring Fling or Carlise, which will allow you to see a wide variety of kits all in one place.
The best way to narrow down manufacturers is to make a list of what you want and eliminate the ones that don't fit your needs. Here are some of the things to consider:
- Cost - How much are you willng to spend?
- Originality - Do you care about how exact a replica of the original Cobra your car is, or do you just want a fun car that looks good? This really goes hand-in-hand with the first question, as the more original the car, the more it's going to cost.
- Comfort - A stretched wheelbase car (94"-96") have significantly more legrrom than a 90" wheelbase car. Sit in a few cars and you will be able to tell the difference in legroom between a stretched version and a 90" wheelbase.
- Suspension - Solid axle or IRS? Generally, a solid axle setup is cheaper and is better for drag racing, but provides a harse ride. An IRS car will have a softer ride and will handle better on the track.
- Frame - If you plan on using the car mostly for driving around town, pretty much any manufacturers frame is going to be OK. For serious track duty, a space frame or semi-monocoque chassis (like
JBL ) is the way to go.
- Engine - Engine choice again has a lot to do with the first and second questions; how much $ do you want to spend, and how original do you want it to be? A FE (427 SO or 428) is the only authentic engine for a 427 body style Cobra, but is expensive. A 351W with aluminum heads will have plenty of power, is a lot lighter than an FE, and is much cheaper.
- Repuation/Longevity of Manufacturer - When you narrow it down to a few, talk to people who have bought from each manufacturer to get an idea of the quality of service, ect. Another thing to consider is if the manufacturer you're considering is going to be in business 10 years from now when you might need parts. There are many companies in this industry that have gone under.
That's all I can think of for now
Pete