Cheapest Cobra 289/427 Kit

[ChrisFranco]

Hi there everyone, I am new to the clubcobra forums, and new to the cobra world in general. I have been driving for a long time and gone through a good variety of cars. I am now looking to purchase a Cobra kit/replica. I have browsed and seen many expensive kits. I have a low budget, and need an affordable kit,(max price 10 grand)
Is there any complete kit for around 10 grand? or am I asking for too much...
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks!!

[redmt]

Save your money, do your homework. I struggled for years to come up with the right car. I wouldn't go for one of the re-bodied mustangs. JMHO

[CoolCarl]

I purchased my FFR mkII roadster about 4 months ago and paid 23,000 for it. I had been searching for about 10-12 months before I found the one I liked for the price I could afford. During my search I had only come across maybe 5 replica cobras for 18-23k. I found nothing under 18k.

I'll take that 18k back. You can find kits for 10-12k that ARE NOT complete. So if you found something for 10k you would most likely still need to finish it yourself (engine, tranny, paint, etc).

It seems there are a lot of roadsters to choose from in the 25k neighborhood.

When I first joined clubcobra there was a budget build that turned out super nice. I think his budget was 10k. I found the thread: Owner built on a budget;

He did pretty much all the work himself including tons of fabrication and all the paint and bodywork himself. Way beyond my talents.

Good luck in your search.

EDIT: here are a few places to begin your search:

the classifieds on this site

ffcars.com

factory five forums

cobra country

carsonline.com

When I was searching for mine I checked all of those places everyday (except the ffr forums cause they didn't exist at the time).

[mr bruce]

the sum of the parts is gonna run you at least $10K, nobody is in business to give you their labor for free, buy a forgotten project, and buy all the other parts yourself, it can be done for under $20k. Heck, I got cheep starter cars for sale all the time,$7-10 grand, but in this economy sales are sparce.

[Mikey_P]

redmt, which kit uses a re-bodied mustang?

[YerDugliness]

Originally Posted by Mikey_P

redmt, which kit uses a re-bodied mustang?

I could easily see how someone might refer to a donor built F5R as a "re-bodied Mustang", considering how much of the Mustang goes into the build!

IMHO, it CAN BE an economical route to getting a roadster replica, but is it a "false economy"? Depends on MANY factors, not the least of which is the condition of the donor Mustang.

Cheers from Dugly

[mreid]

Originally Posted by redmt

I wouldn't go for one of the re-bodied mustangs. JMHO

This is an ignorant comment and should be ignored. There is no such thing.

At your budget, follow Bruces advice and look for an unfinished kit. There are fantastic deals out there if you are patient. Frankly, you will be hard pressed to find a decent drivetrain for under $10k unless you purchase a donor. You may need to find a killer deal on an unfinished kit and then spend a few years purchasing the remaining parts as your budget allows.

Good luck and keep to your dream!

[rustyBob]

There are still a few companies that will sell you just a body and a frame and then you can hit the wrecking yards and swap meets to build you car.....the other stuff like latches,lights and other accessories can be found on ebay as can some of the suspension and engine parts.....it can be done.....but its a lot of work and you really need to know what your looking for......good luck and keep us posted....

[Mikey_P]

To the OP. I think your cheapest way forward would be a kit started and given up on.

To Yerdugliness I see your point but I've never heard anybody refer to an FFR as a re-bodied mustang. Of course it doesn't surprise me, I'm continually amazed at people's thought process.

Oh and I think the only mustang parts on my FFR are brakes, front spindles and gas tank.

[1985 CCX]

#1 Choose your direction
289 slabside
289 FIA
427 street
427 S/C
427 comp

This will limit your choices.......

#2 Budget, None are cheap.......................... $10,000
#3 Cheap and Cobra do not work in the same sentance...EVER if done correctly....

#4 Cheap = buy Camaro or C5

[YerDugliness]

Originally Posted by Mikey_P

To Yerdugliness I see your point but I've never heard anybody refer to an FFR as a re-bodied mustang. Of course it doesn't surprise me, I'm continually amazed at people's thought process.

Oh and I think the only mustang parts on my FFR are brakes, front spindles and gas tank.

It would be difficult to think of your build as a donor build if that is all that you used from the Mustang....or did you just buy the few Mustang parts new? Not criticizing, just curious if you went the donor route or not.

At one time I was keen on attending the build school F5R offered. I haven't kept up with F5R's offerings, so I don't know if the build school is still offered or not. It was a 4 or 5 day affair, IIRC, and apparently involved only an "intro" into what it involved. A real donor build uses such items from the Mustang as the gauge cluster, the steering wheel/column along with the steering and suspension parts from the chassis, the seats, the brake lines as well as all the factory brake parts (including pedal assemblies), the entire wiring harness, that sort of stuff. I was actively shopping for a well maintained and built Mustang GT, planning to build the F5R, but when it came right down to it, the paneling was just too much work for me and I didn't really like the frequently mentioned "perky butt". One of the perks of working a donor build would have been that the Mustang 5.0 GT's I was considering frequently had a WELL BUILT engine....even some Paxton supercharged motors! Since the drivetrain is a large part of the expense of building, that would have been a great benefit.

In the end, I bought an already built replica for $18,200 and drove it home. It has an incredibly well built frame, the drivetrain from an '89 Mustang GT (and more, like Brembo 4-wheel discs and a Ford 9" Traction-loc differential), and already has those things that would be extras even with a donor build, such as a paint job (that can be a HUGE expense) and wind wings and bumpers and wheels/tires, etc. I bought it b/c it was what I was looking for....a car I could drive on the street regularly and not worry about small rock chips in the paint or poor gas mileage that makes some of us think twice about driving much (I get close to 25 MPG on the highway if I keep my right foot under control).

Mr. Bruce is probably right, a kit that became too much for an inexperienced builder could be a good platform for someone who is willing to put in all the work he can and has the time to pursue budget-limited parts choices. I can't imagine getting one on the road for $10K, though, or even $18K.

Here's wishing the OP good luck in his search!

Cheers from Dugly!

[dallas_]

Originally Posted by YerDugliness

I can't imagine getting one on the road for $10K, though, or even $18K.

Here's wishing the OP good luck in his search!

Agreed. If you are hoping to find a Cobra all in for $10k, that is just not realistic at all.

And most of the time you can get a finished car for less than you can build one for. There are some exceptions of course.

Good luck though!

[jmimac351]

Chris, the best deal I've seen in a long time was a FFR recently that had been banged up a bit. It needed a new body and a few pickup points fixed. I think that car was $12k, with 347 and tranny.

You can check the classifieds section on ffcars.com, or here, but probably better luck on ffcars.com... look for an unfinished, basic kit - as has been mentioned. You need the one from the guy who needs the money.

Then, get on Craigslist for motor, tranny, etc. As Bruce mentioned, it can be done for under $20k if you do it that way. A big variable here is body work and paint. The question is, will you be happy with what you end up with?

You might be better off looking for an FFR Mk I car, complete. I think you can get one of those for $20k.

[jmimac351]

Here you go, Chris.

http://www.ffcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=241592

[Dwight]

they all cost the same to build. If one is cheaper it's because he does not supply as many parts as the other kit or the part cost less.

If you take the kit price and double it that will give you a cheap build. Two and half times and you have a good car.
I know of several Cobra that the re-build cost was over $60,000. You can spend as much as you want on a Cobra Kit Car.

$10,000 will buy you a body and frame.

Dwight

[redmt]

Originally Posted by YerDugliness

I could easily see how someone might refer to a donor built F5R as a "re-bodied Mustang", considering how much of the Mustang goes into the build!

IMHO, it CAN BE an economical route to getting a roadster replica, but is it a "false economy"? Depends on MANY factors, not the least of which is the condition of the donor Mustang.

Cheers from Dugly

When I was shopping around ,I talked to quite a few salesmen. One of the sales guys I was talking to told me how all I needed was their base kit and an old mustang to have everything I needed. My comment to him was that I would end up with a "re-bodied mustang" . He agreed.

[YerDugliness]

Originally Posted by redmt

When I was shopping around ,I talked to quite a few salesmen. One of the sales guys I was talking to told me how all I needed was their base kit and an old mustang to have everything I needed. My comment to him was that I would end up with a "re-bodied mustang" . He agreed.

You are not the first I've heard refer to the F5R donor build as a "rebodied Mustang".....most were phrased in much less complimentary language !

I will build with all new parts when I do my own build....once I am done with the build, I want to drive the car, not repair worn out parts.

I must admit F5R does offer upgraded tubular A-arms, that sort of stuff. They might include all that stuff in their non-donor build, I don't know.

As I mentioned, many of the Mustangs I was considering for the donor build had great engines.....quite a few stroked 5.0's in 331 and 347 sizes, even a few with centrifugal superchargers. I suspect that I might well be able to buy one of the old Mustangs, swap my suspected "box stock" 5.0 HO into the Mustang for the built 5.0, and then sell the Mustang for only slightly less than I bought it for. That is attractive, but not the donor build process. I can't imagine the time that would be necessary just to remove the wiring harness!

Cheers from Dugly

[ChrisFranco]

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/cto/2279753766.html

does this seem like a legit deal? I feel like its too good to be true...
But It has no headlights, and no paint (obviously...)
If this deal is legit, I doubt it will last...So I'm guessing I should act fast..
Whats your opinion guys?

[jmimac351]

I've found that people who turn their own wrenches and actually know how to build and work on these cars don't talk about "re-bodied mustangs" in the derogatory tone as done here. They understand that a spindle is a piece of iron that you can swap a fresh hub into. They understand that rear ends can be rebuilt to good as new, etc. People that don't understand how cars work rationalize to themselves why what they have or chose is better. They probably can't tell you why theirs is better, just that it's different and must be better than your "mustang parts".

I agree with Mark Reid - it's just ignorance. It certainly doesn't do much for helping the OP find their way through the maze and it's not very productive.

[redmt]

Originally Posted by jmimac351

I've found that people who turn their own wrenches and actually know how to build and work on these cars don't talk about "re-bodied mustangs" in the derogatory tone as done here. They understand that a spindle is a piece of iron that you can swap a fresh hub into. They understand that rear ends can be rebuilt to good as new, etc. People that don't understand how cars work rationalize to themselves why what they have or chose is better. They probably can't tell you why theirs is better, just that it's different and must be better than your "mustang parts".

I agree with Mark Reid - it's just ignorance. It certainly doesn't do much for helping the OP find their way through the maze and it's not very productive.

That wasn't derogatory!! At least it wasn't meant to be derogatory. The sales guy at a company I never mentioned agreed that it was basically a 5.0 mustang with a different body and frame. That's it . No insults intended. Ignorant? Wow,,,,,,,,,somebody is on defense big time.