What Kit and why

[Joe Wicked]

I did a search, but I could not find anything comparing the different Kits. I have been doing research and I have found things I like and dislike about all kits, offers, etc... The car I build will not be used as a race car. I may attend an occasional autocross, but that would be it. I want a street car that is safe, dependable, and easy to work on if needed. Obviously I want a fast car, but that goes without saying. I also have to consider the new laws in Texas concerning emissions for the year built. I do not want to have to deal with getting it to pass every year. That got old real fast when I lived in Cali.

I have wanted a Cobra since I was 10 (34 now), and I am finally able to see one in my garage in the next few years. I am currently working on a budget plan and build plan.

[Clois Harlan]

Why don't you come to Run and Gun this year in St. Louis October 11-13 and check out the different manufactures. Take a ride the ones that interest you. Check out which engine and trans combo would be of interest to you etc.

Here is our link: http://www.runngun.net

Clois Harlan

[SSSammy]

Joe, if you'd like to see some of the local Cobras and talk to at least three of us who are building Hurricane, Lone Star, and ERA kits, we'll be glad to meet you. It's a bit early this time due to the seasonal heat .. 7:30 meet, 8:00 sit down at the IHOP at 190 and Old Denton Dr. See the thread:
September 1st Breakfast Meeting

You will also see at least a half dozen completed cars .. likely SPF, Hurricane, Lone Star, Classic Roadsters, Kirkham, and the occasional GT500 and Ford GT.

Regarding TX emissions, you have possibly read the recent thread in the Texas Forum .. but at this moment, none of us who have kits in work are concerned about this. There is a sequence of steps to follow that will lead you to a "safety only" inspection if your car replicates a >24 year old model.

Sam

[fsstnotch]

I chose the hurricane due to the completeness of the kit and the reviews of the company and of the people who work at the company. Everyone will argue their own brand.. you'll find that out. Ideally, you should just find some local cars and "try them on for size!"

List of Manufacturers

[Don DePontee]

Joe, what do have in mind for a budget and are you looking for a kit to build or are you looking for something that all you need to do is drop in an engine and transmission? I'm partial to Factory Five Racing because of the extremely large network of owners and the dedication of the company to their product and the owners of their cars along with ongoing development of their company. With that said there are a number of really great companies out there such as Kirkham, Superformance, Hurricane, B&B, Cutting Edge, Backdraft, ERA, Unique and of course the offerings from Shelby just to name a few. The best advise I can give you has already been mentioned in that you should go to Run and Gun if at all possible as every conceivable manufacture will be represented there so you can get up close to the cars and most importantly you can talk to the guy that built the car for both positive as well as negative information about each one. Second as already mentioned, if you can't make it to Run and Gun by all means check your local area for club meetings and club outing to get an idea of what's out there.
Good luck in your search and by all means have the time of your life with your project and all the great people you will meet along the way.
Don

[Joe Wicked]

Thanks for the replies.

I would love to go to the run and gun, but I can't. I need at least 3 months notification to take any time off from work. Plus I have something else going on at that time.

SSSammy, I may come out tomorrow morning, I will see if the wife has to work, and if not, see if she wants to go.

fsstnotch I expected everyone to name their own brand, I was wondering what was the reason you chose that one. Thanks for the link. I had not found that yet. There are a lot more manufacturers that I had not yet found.

Don, My budget will be tight, I want to keep it under 25K if possible, but I also would prefer all new parts. I am considering selling my Mustang, to get rid of the monthly payment on it to put that towards the kit. As I stand right now since I made the decision to work towards my dream car, I have lost all interest in the Mustang. I do want a car that at minimum I have to assemble. I enjoy working on cars, and my second car dream is to build my own car. I may not be designing this one, but the physical build will give me the satisfaction of doing it myself.

I have also already registered on FFCobra and Lonestar forums. Asking specific questions there, From what I have found so far, those 2 seem to be in the lead for the complete package of what I like. I just don't want to not look at something, and then regret it.

[joey_hv]

I chose Sagebrush Roadsters (Tim Gunning) because of his Hi-Tech history and from what i hear he does excelent, quality work. I haven't picked up my body yet but he sent me pictures of the work he is doing on other cars and it looks fantastic. Tim also seems lke a straight up guy and is being very patient with me on my lack of knowledge on chassis components when ordering. I will pick up my body and frame components in a couple weeks and wil post some pictures of everything. Getting excited, finally getting started! after a couple years of planning, saving and buying different parts and pieces.
plan on being on the road by the time i'm 41 (cross fingers)

[fsstnotch]

I'm a bit of a bargain shopper.... I bet, if I did the paint myself, built the engine myself, and did all assembly, I'd be under 25k on my hurricane. And that is with some upgrades. I opted for the fully adjustable coilovers, aluminum firewall, POR 15, dual roll bars. I'm gonna run 17" cobra wheels and expect to be under 21k rolling. If you are a mustang guy, you know where to find the deals. I've seen several TKO's for sale on the mustang forums for around $1100 with clutch and bellhousing, as well as lots of great deasl on motors that were built with the intent of putting it in a car but then things get tight and they decide to sell... Their loss is definitely your gain! I do have a friend who paints for a living so I have an edge there. Cost of supplies only. I expect to be under 30k total. for a 351w car, alum heads, intake, carb, cam, roller rockers, 17's, paint, etc etc.

When i was choosing, it was down to shell valley or hurricane. I read SOOOOO many good things about the hurricane guys that I ended up with them. So far, so good! Mike allowed me to put a deposit down early since I'm here in Iraq because I understand they are expecting a price increase. It's an increase but I also understand the kit will then include a few of items that are currently options. Mike has alwasy gotten back to me with the answers to my questions within 48 hrs and they're even sending my assembly manual all the way to iraq so I can review it ove rhte next 9 months.

I can't speak on behalf of anyone except Hurricane as I have only dealt with hurricane.

So... post what you want from the car and maybe the choices can be narrowed significantly. Some examples... do you want authentic sizes more like a "replica," or are longer wheelbases ok? that was one of the reasons I went with hurricane. It's a "proper" replica vs say... a 94" wheelbase car which look wierd IMO. Are you extremely tall where a longer wheelbase car may fit alot better?

Best bet.. head on down tomorrow morning if you can and meet some of these guys. From my experience, cobra owners are typically very friendly. They are more than willing to let you have a sit and feel what their car feels like.

[Tony Radford]

Quite some time ago, the suggestion was made that a Cobra Selection primer be constructed from the enormous repository of product comparison data that has been compiled in the forum archives. I'm sure there are a hundred threads that walk a potential newbie through the multitude of questions one must ask himself prior to embarkiing on an educated search. Understandibly, the same general questions get asked over and over again. I'm sure the existence of such a resource would prove invaluable. Unfortunately, I'm not smart enough to do it myself, but many in this club are.

[FST FOX]

Weather permitting I will have my BackDraft out for Breakfast and that will show you the fit/finish of one of the Replica's on the market

[Joe Wicked]

Originally Posted by FST FOX

Weather permitting I will have my BackDraft out for Breakfast and that will show you the fit/finish of one of the Replica's on the market

Sent you a PM, Just curios if I know you. Same screen name as another local with a cobra replica, who also had an older blazer.

[rdorman]

Just remember, no matter what the budget, you will go over it!

[wtm442]

Originally Posted by Tony Radford

Quite some time ago, the suggestion was made that a Cobra Selection primer be constructed from the enormous repository of product comparison data that has been compiled in the forum archives. I'm sure there are a hundred threads that walk a potential newbie through the multitude of questions one must ask himself prior to embarkiing on an educated search. Understandibly, the same general questions get asked over and over again. I'm sure the existence of such a resource would prove invaluable. Unfortunately, I'm not smart enough to do it myself, but many in this club are.

Tony
I built an Excel spreadsheet listing worldwide Cobra and GT40 manufacturers web site and/or tel #. There are currently almost 140 manufacturers. I could easily add information to that spreadsheet, but I'm certainly not going to do it alone! So far I have added the body styles and wheelbases that are available. I welcome any comments. If you want me to add a column, you could add it yourself in you know Excel and e-mail it to me. Or you could print out a copy and add stuff manually and snail mail it to me.

The above applies to anyone reading this post. The link to the spreadsheet ...

List of Manufacturers

[imagine2frolic]

I am surprised that Warren has jumped in yet with his cost comparison. You can probably find it here by searching for cost comparisons?

[imagine2frolic]

Warren you snuck in behind me there......LOL

[wtm442]

Originally Posted by imagine2frolic

I am surprised that Warren has jumped in yet with his cost comparison.

Huh? My spreadsheet does NOT include any costs!

[Dangerous Doug]

I chose ERA. I wanted a 289 FIA, so that narrowed it down to Shelby, Kirkham, ERA, Unique. I liiked the ERA body better than the Kirkham (though nice in aluminum, would look outstanding polished). Shelby was too expensive for my blood. I liked the ERA body better than Unique, plus a number of other construction and detail factors I won't include here. Also, ERA has a good resale value (should I choose to get interested in another car) and commands a great deal of respect---accurate, yet a little expensive. FFR just came out with a 289 FIA that promises to be less expensive to build, plus their 427 body looks to be modeled after #198 so the body will be "on". Because FFR's have such a low barrier to entry (their basic kit is $13k) their "percieved" value tends to be less than others (they are still as expensive to build as most other kits).
I went with the body shape and chassis technology that I liked, followed by the manufacturer's reputation for accuracy and quality. I haven't been disappointed in ERA.
Their is a kind of "hierarchy" among Cobra owners. The first five or so are easy, but then it gets more difficult.
In order of descending "wow" factor: Original 1960's Shelby, New Shelby, Kirkham, ERA, Superformance, FFR, then mixed bag of Backdraft, Unique, Hurricane et cetera.

Personnally, I think FFR is moving up the food chain, but this may not help resale values. Supply and demand. The more that are out their, the more that are available and higher the price pressure on sellers.

Big block FEs command more "wow" than small blocks or 460's. People seem to honor accuracy of build over impressive mod's (like a blower...tilt front end, et cetera...).

Now that I've pissed everyone off...

Fire away!
DD

[J. T. Toad]

why is it that no one mentioned

www.cobracountry.com

?

[Tony Radford]

I got "bit" back in 2002 when I spied a guy wiping down his SPF/Sideoiler at a roadside motel. I got the tour and was hopelessly consumed. He lead me to Cobracountry and I worked through the listings until I found a car I wanted and could afford. I didn't know of this site at the time and had absolutely no idea as to what I was doing. Forunately for me, it was an very well constructed car and a quality manufacturer. It was luck. I could have just as easily ended up with a hanger queen. A site that would have walked me through a questionaire covering the many points of consideration when researching the correct match (kind of like e-harmony) would have probably steered me to my ultimate choice after all.

[767Jockey]

It would seem to me that there are four major (and countless minor) differences between kits. Body material (aluminum or fiberglass), frame construction (round or rectangular), wheelbase (original 90" or stretched), and rear suspension (IRS or solid axle). Once you determine which of those 4 things you want, the rest falls into place as you fit the features into your budget. For example, if you want only IRS, there's quite a few manufacturers you can eliminate, making your choices easier. Just go through the process of the features above, then you can begin to look at the minor differences between the remaining kits and choose what you like. Good luck.