Scott,
I thought I would chime in and cover a couple of items not covered in other post, that in my opinion led me to narrow my manufacturer choice down to Unique and ERA. In the end I purchased a Unique FIA, not based on money or a quality difference as I see both as being equal in quality, and they seem to use the same parts (Jag rear ends accessories etc.) The Unique swayed me because of their geographic location and their annual Homecoming (Again geographic because this is an event I can reasonably attend). If I lived in the northeast, or west coast I might have purchased the ERA.
You have mentioned cost as a factor in your decision, I can tell you that just about all glass bodied cars will cost you within $2500 of eachother when they are finished out with like items, it doesn't matter if it is a Jag or a T- Bird IRS.
You have to remember that when you see the ERA rear end at the price Peter gives you he is including brakes and a refurbished unit, which has all new parts, only the castings are original, a good deal in my opinion. Since you asked in a earlier post, the cage is only used on the Jag rear end because the ERA unit has the cage built into the design.
You mentioned the kit price of the FFR as $12,900, but that is a very basic kit. To compare you need to add up all of the options that you will need to make both cars comparable rollers. When I was doing my research my order price from FFR would have been closer to 19K. This doesn't count all the money most FFR builders spend at finishline or with Whitbys on upgraded carpet, seats and other items.
Antoher very importnant thing to consider is paint. FFR does not source paint for you. Ask anyone who has built a carand they will tell you that dealing with the painter is almost always the most difficult part of the build. The FFR group does have some trusted painters, but you will most likely have to ship the body to them which will cost more money. Both Unique and ERA have painters that they deal with on a regular basis that they trust will take care of you. I have seen several of the ERA sourced paint jobs that cost $4500 and they look fantastic. ERA will help you work with a painter and have the car painted before you take delivery, this is a big headache that you will not have to deal with. You can ask Peter, but I am almost certain that most customers take advantage of this.
I know you are thinking about putting Bruce's body on a FFR and I did see your post on the FFR forum about this subject. Make sure you go see the body on a car, not just pictures before you make your decision. Because of the different suspensions that are used on these cars and gas tank locations, different brands will sit drastically different. At a club event I can always pick out a Unique or ERA because they will sit about a foot (not kidding) lower than almost all other cars when looking at the top of the rear quarters. This is very important to consider when looking at an FIA because the car is visably narrower than the 427. An FIA that sits higher in the rear will not be very attractive. Both ERA and Unique put a lot of work into their cars to make things just right.
If you look at the FFR forum you will find that most non-donor builds will range in cost from 35K-60K, and these are very nice cars. FFR catches a lot of heat for being a cheap kit, but this is really a dis-service. Some of the best looking cars that I have seen have been FFRs. But talk to the owners of those cars and you will find that they have just as much money in their cars as any other kit including ERA. When it comes down to it the costs are really in the accessories, not the frame or body. And sooner or later everyone ends up with really close to the same stuff. The peer pressure to spend money is hard to resist.
Another thing to consider is that Unique and ERA are differnt from FFR in the way they do business. If you stop and think about it FFR is a mass supplier of kits where as Unique or ERA are really cottage custome builders. You can call the owners at any time to get help with the build and/or they will build the car to any spec you want. For instance, you said you wanted the street package, Peter will sell you as little or as much of the street package that you want at a time. If you just want the carpet or the seats he will do that.
Probably the last thing to consider is resale. Eventually, you will sale your car and that does count as part of the cost of ownership. Do your own research, but I will think that you may find that the total cost of ownership on an ERA is cheaper than a FFR, you might even (gulp) make some money over time
Just my opinion, but you may want to consider going with the a painted ERA basic kit, without suspension for now. Peter will send you a set of dollies with the car (a small deposit may be required) and most cars spend the entire build process on jack stands anyway. You could focus on putting the motor in doing all the plumbing, interior wiring etc while saving for the suspension. Once you buy the suspension, you can easily have all that installed and the car on the road in a very short time period.
One of the nicest things about dealing with the Weavers at Unique or Peter at ERA is that you will not hear them knock a competitor. In fact Unique told me that if I chose not to buy their car to purchase an ERA, and Peter told me that if I did not purchase an ERA to look at a Unique. I did not feel pressured by either builder to send a deposit in today and both were very friendly.
As for me I hope to have my Unique on the road in a couple of weeks. The car has been a true joy to build and everything has so far gone together without a hickup.
Good luck with the search for the right car for you, the hunt was one of my favorite parts of this journey.
Justin