Best Oz Kit Poll

[OZCOBRA]

Homebush are basically done as a manufacturer,he has been cutting back for a while now and really doesn't want to build them anymore...
RMC we'll let your research and the opinions of RMC owners for your opinion on them..
Yes the GENTLEMAN you referred too has rubbed alot of people up the wrong way and still does!!
....I hope your not the 3rd recipient of the piece of rubbish sold to me!!! as it was all out of shape as i returned it and pushed it off the trailer onto his front lawn!!

[Zedn]

Homebush are basically done as a manufacturer,he has been cutting back for a while now and really doesn't want to build them anymore...
RMC we'll let your research and the opinions of RMC owners for your opinion on them..
Yes the GENTLEMAN you referred too has rubbed alot of people up the wrong way and still does!!
....I hope your not the 3rd recipient of the piece of rubbish sold to me!!! as it was all out of shape as i returned it and pushed it off the trailer onto his front lawn!!

It could be. Did you have a poor attempt at painting the chassis with hammertone paint from the hardware straight over gal? Or did you mount the body before the suspensions and wheels were on to know where the centre was? Thats how mine came.

At the end of the day you get what you pay for. From memory the classic revival was about $15k plus GST when i was looking and i had to pay $10 for a 'sales brochure' that was copied with a printer low on ink, plus i found the guy to be less than friendly (i havnt spent that much and i have rebuilt all the suspension, got wheels and tyres, steering column, seats, Lokar handbrake, wilwood pedals and master cylinder etc). I researched and spoke to some people who told me what i was getting into before i bought. I would not call the RCM a kit car. You can't just order a stack of parts and bolt them straight on like you can with some other cars.

As most people have said you have to much your needs, wallet, time and skill to the kit.

Its interesting about ebay, i didnt know they were the same guy. No wonder it looks like an RCM chassis.

[cameron02]

I find my self unwilling to answer the poll for reasons that some others have mentioned. It depends on what you mean by best.

I thought DRB was best for me because they had excellent support and it was probably one of the easier kits to build. This was important to me because I was a novice and definately not a handy man.

On the onther hand I thought the Robnell (not around anymore) was a much better car.

[spookypt]

Hmmm, interesting poll but not really fare on those mentioned and not mentioned due to its vagaries...If it said Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger, Mazda BT50 it might be alot easier to compare specs, budget and overall appearance. And you have to factor in purpose.. Cruiser, racer, drags etc.

I've owned a Harrison but its irrelevant until you have a strict and certain set of pre-qualifications for what is better than what....

Having said that I live in Sunny Qld surrounded by excellent Kit Car Manufacturers and I own a BACKDRAFT from the States/South Africa. Most people won't be overly interested or like what I have because it doesn't satisfy what they themselves are looking for....which is all OK, but for me nothing in Aus could come close based on what I wanted for the $'s and the purpose I wish to use it for.

Only you can be the judge. My advice is soak up as much as you can by talking to people, see cars perform and show, talk to the manufacturers and get a feel for their back up service and support and make an informed decision/gamble after that...

No how's that Ozzie $! OUCH

SpookypT

[OZCOBRA]

Originally Posted by Zedn

It could be. Did you have a poor attempt at painting the chassis with hammertone paint from the hardware straight over gal? Or did you mount the body before the suspensions and wheels were on to know where the centre was? Thats how mine came.

It's interesting about ebay, i didnt know they were the same guy. No wonder it looks like an RCM chassis.

Zedn,
No.... I ordered a roller and before i say anymore I'll leave it at that.

Ebay Guy???.... I think you'll find is.... correct me if I'm wrong the old RC Sports Cars outfit...and not RCM but they are and always have been almost identical in they're chassis design.

[Tonus72]

Hi all

thanks for taking an interest in this thread. I am getting some useful opinions... and your comments are helping me to consider all the factors I need to look into.

The poll is just a bit of fun - I promise not to buy the car that gets the most votes - although the front runners seem to be the most 'popular'.

(please do not get me to define popular now !!) :0)

It seems everyone has a different view of what 'best' means too, which is cool.

Zedn - your project sounds like it is way beyond my abilities! you are a braver man than me. I really want something that 'will' work without too much creative work. Most guys do not try to build a car at all - that is enough of a stretch for me...

Hi 400TT - my research is a work in progress - I had seen some good comments about your products - I missed the bit about there being no cobra!

Sppokypt - I guess the ozzie $$ freefall will answer the FFR question !!

Thanks again everyone for the discussions

Tone

[albanycobra]

DRB is pretty good IMHO.

They have great support. The girls are allways helpfull, they have been around a long time. I have never felt like I have been baffled with sales BS.

I have not built one of their Cobras. Their Gt40's are an awesome car.
If I built a Cobra I would get their solid axle Torana based Cobra kit (It's cheap aswell) I like the idea of fitting a LS motor/ 6spd with the Holden suspension.

Rob from G-Force seems like a good bloke aswell. I would rate the G-Force body as awesome and probably the only Aussie Cobra that you can drive around in Gelcoat respectably.

FFR are great, I built one of their 65 Coupes,easy car with the most support you will ever get and a forum just on them. With the sliding dollar buy now
or forget the US stuff.

[Rob. Smith]

I bought an RMC. The Sydney dealer was a burglar. Ted the Tuner. He swapped a crappy body ( I guess he did a deal with the supplier to take one of the original bods to make a promo unit) with the one I bought. I realized this when I removed the body and found the mounts didn't match the chassis. A few other things didn't quite work either. It was too much of a bother to take it back. Distance and effort. I don't really mind as I have done major mods to the body anyway. It all fits now. When I'm finished I will visit 'Ted' to look at his/my Cobra body... with a hammer. As for the RMC. The body fiber glass is nice and thick. I can walk all over the body without fear of bending or cracking. The chassis meets all the bending and torsion requirements. I have regarded my Cobra as my hotrod. ( I always wanted a hotrod ) So I have built it that way. I have modified the body, the chassis and the suspension. It is now a 'modified' RMC. The only thing I can complain about is those 'ten ton' Jaguar front brake calipers. They will be changed for a lighter set anyway. The RMC is heavier than most of the others but with the power to weight ratio....some cars can be too light to put the power down or hang on to the road.

[sjelby]

Zedn,
No.... I ordered a roller and before i say anymore I'll leave it at that.

Ebay Guy???.... I think you'll find is.... correct me if I'm wrong the old RC Sports Cars outfit...and not RCM but they are and always have been almost identical in they're chassis design.
__________________
Is this "GENTLEMAN" name Laurie or David?

[OZCOBRA]

Is there any difference!!!...the "GENTLEMAN" in this instance is LAURIE!!

[Rebel1]

Originally Posted by Rob. Smith

I bought an RMC. The only thing I can complain about is those 'ten ton' Jaguar front brake calipers. They will be changed for a lighter set anyway. The RMC is heavier than most of the others but with the power to weight ratio....some cars can be too light to put the power down or hang on to the road.

Exactly my thoughts ...

[Tonus72]

Well - from the poll (as flawed as it obviously is !) it seems Harrison is a popular kit.

I have not heard / read anything bad about them...

Tone

[boxhead]

Harrison was my second choice, The 2 things that turned me away from it is the bonded body/chassis and the exposed sill.
I realise side pipes hides most of it but I would still know it was there.

Apart from those items it would be in my driveway now.

But at the same time the CR has a poor rear rim offset, this can be made beter but not without major work (I am reffering to early square tube chassis version - same as mine).

[Merv and Sharon]

It seems Warren has over come the sill aspect on his build.

[Tonus72]

Originally Posted by Merv and Sharon

It seems Warren has over come the sill aspect on his build.

How is that Merv? What changes have they done?

How have you found your car? Any major issues with the bonded body?

Cheers

Tone

[Mrs flatchat]

The bonded body is actually a good thing --the main contributer to chassis stiffness --the best handling road / track cars are either DRB or Harrison --the rest is up to you

[LoBelly]

Originally Posted by Mrs flatchat

The bonded body is actually a good thing --the main contributer to chassis stiffness --the best handling road / track cars are either DRB or Harrison --the rest is up to you

Admittedly my experience with cobras on the track is limited to ShelbyFest but I dont recall either of those brands featuring heavily.

I think it a lot of comes down to how well you set up your car.

When I purchased my replica I didn't do any research on kits and got (almost) exactly what I expected in terms of chassis/running gear etc. This was blind luck.

I have been very happy with my car so far and have been able to exceed my expectations in terms of ride and performance. I see the build as a continual journey with a little less further to go each time.

For me, the layout of the car is a platform that I can work with, I think this is important in terms of my objectives.

To date I have only seen one Australian car that I have seriously desired more than my own - that was the Python.

Mostly because of the chassis & suspension set up where a lot of work has gone into the design.



At present it is my #1 Australian choice - my ability to afford it is another matter entirely

LoBelly

[Merv and Sharon]

Tone, the body is extremely stiff on the Harrison and there seems to be an absence of the creaks and groans that I have experienced on some cars. The chassis to body bonding has been fine in other words. Being able to remove the body is an advantage during the build, of course.

I seem to recall that Warren (Wazza), in an earlier update on his build, showed how he eliminated the 'glass lip along the body between the wheels. It is a clean look.

[Merv and Sharon]

Tone - looking back over the previous postings it may not have been Warren, but there was someone who did that! (eliminated the lower moulding long the body to have a curved look without the flat strip)

[OZCOBRA]

Originally Posted by Tonus72

a good weekend car, fun to build from mostly non-donor parts, and not too expensive.

Non-Donor parts and not to expensive????..I don't think those 2 actually work well in the one sentence!! If your buying parts designed from a Cobra-manufacturer you'll no doubt be incurring an expense a tad more than that of a donor OEM part!!