Tim,
My car BDR#228 doesn't have the leaky rear end option either. It ran great on the day I picked it up, and at 1,000 miles, it is still running great.
When I took delivery, I had my local mechanic go over it from end to end checking EVERY nut and bolt that he could get at, and he found them ALL to be tight. He said he had never seen that before on even new cars - domestic or foreign - something was always loose. The guys at Vintage Motorsports and Backdraft did a tremendous job.
The
oil cooler is an option that is mostly for "looks" unless you have a REALLY "HOT" performing engine. Mine is a Roush 342R with 450 HP. It is not a "mild" engine by any means. Remember, too cold
oil can be as bad as to hot
oil for a car's engine. You can always install an oil cooler later, if you feel you need one.
I have a tonneau cover, raydot mirrors on the windscreen (not the fenders - next to impossible to see anything with the fender mounts because of the rear fender flares being in the mirrors line of sight), the 3M rear fender protection, a soft top (if you get a LOT of rain where you are or if you get AC - AC is next to useless without a top to contain the cold air), remote oil filter (convenient when changing oil), 17" rims to get "good" sticky tires like Nittos or Goodyears (15" rims will give you more of the "original" look, but less tire choices), and a great company to deal with at all locations.
Regarding the shifter, if you dont like the length of the shifter, cut it off and rethread the end. Wrong angle for you, bend it. Don't like the knob change it.
By the way, did you ever notice how much time the SPF guys spend on other forums bashing like "Wammy". It kind of makes you wonder if they are compensating for spending all that extra money for a SPF, and not having any more fun than the rest of us.
Cheers!
Dave