Which kit would you recommend?

[DaveW]

Turnips,
Its great to have new blood in the Cobra fraternity, but to be honest if your not an enthusiast and you don't have the skills or will to over come some of the challenges, then a Cobra Kit is probably not for you.
They aren't production cars and as such have little idiocies that an enthusiast will find a challenge and those that aren't will loose interest in. I think ultimately you would be wasting your money.
I liked Ben's idea for you, buy a built up car, Strip, Refurbish, put it back together, put your own mark on it.
A 60's Mustang or Camaro route is probably a safe way to go if you loose interest or motivation on the way, someone will always take it off your hands.
Dave

[dadndave]

Turnips,
The way I read this is you really have no idea of what a Cobra is, or you're someone else trying to start a controversial post.
I would suggest you do two things first:-
Buy a book on cobras and their history, then
Buy a plastic model and build it first so you can see what a cobra looks like in 3 dimensions.
All of your requirements are found in a cobra.
"My car requirements are as follows (I'll go into a bit more detail later)":
- daily driver -
no problems, just go to the gym to develop leg muscles for the stop go in peak hour traffic - or get an automatic?
- (relatively) comfortable -
depends on how much natural padding you have and how big your feet are.
- roof-
optional , but why get a convertible if you want a roof- wear a rain coat, the car wont rust.
- a/c-
all cobra's fitted with natural a/c - got to save the ozone layer.
- abs/traction control (preferable but not req)-
should be inbuilt in the driver already- practice will prevent loss of traction and brake lock ups.
- windows that work (if fitted)-
the windscreen does the job of stopping bugs hitting you in the face- so it's a working window.
- boot space enough for weekend trips-
pack lightly - leave room for the partners luggage/ or cases of wine you collect.
- not an old man's car/penis extension/overtly showy (like say the corvette stingray is)-
bit confusing - does this mean old men require penis extensions? I'm confused as I am 62 and my other car is a Holden Barina??????
- decent resale (not that I plan on selling it but circumstances change and it's always best to have something that sells for more if you have to)-
if it's well built and looked after then it will increase in value.
- Cheap (obviously :P)
If you find one let me know.
- easy to build-
Enrol yourself in TAFE in automotive mechanical course, spend a couple of thousand on tools- move all your cars out of the garage, say good bye to your spare time ( and probably family), find a good engineer and start priming him now, and if you live in NSW - give up now while you're ahead and buy one already registered.
Whatever you decide, I wish you luck and hopefully one day you will be able to see why this car is such a desirable one and what a priveledge it is to own one ,whether it is an original or replica.

[spookypt]

Is it April the 1st???

[Mando]

Sounds like the April 1st. has come early this year and with a full moon to boot.
I think it's more a case of a Lemon than a Turnip!

Regards.

[Bill E]

Forget the new kit idea find a good deal on a completed car or as close to completed as possible. Get it home and tune it back into a kit Tacking detailed photos as you go, Make the modifications you wont and resemble it. You will come in budget and will be a lot less frustrated . You will need a lot less tools. If this go's well than your next one could be a kit.

[Tenrocca]

Originally Posted by dadndave

Buy a plastic model and build it first so you can see what a cobra looks like in 3 dimensions.

Didn't you read his post? He has no tools and no mechanical experience. Maybe we can all pitch in and get him one for his 18th B'day? Bloody whipper snappers...now where is my colostomy bag.......

[dadndave]

Don't all cobra kits come in a carboard box with a big fold out set of instructions, 4 rubber tyres and all the parts in flat packs. All he needs is a craft knife and 30 bottles of plastic glue. Don't paint it as unpainted cobras seem to be the go at the moment.
Maybe he can find an originall kit, Shelby produced them through Revell many years ago.

[boxhead]

Wow, Just Wow.... o_O


The following was penned by a journalist after driving a Cobra, if you cant live with what is written, best start looking elsewhere.
"There is nothing nice about a Cobra. It is stripped down to the essentials- a big engine, a small car, and four wide tires to keep the whole business on pavement. Its loud, smells like gasoline, and shakes, shudders, and bucks. It makes your arms tired and your feet hot. You nearly crash about once every 10 minutes. Its so damn wonderful that you cant believe it" Automobile Magazine 2004

Ok, that being said, and if your ok with looking at other cars, I have a partial completed DRB 540 that the owner is keen to shift (cannot complete due to family health issues), he is keen to see it shifted and so far has approx $40k in the car.
It is auto, has ABS and Traction control, larger Brembo brakes, stainless brake pipes and stainless flex brake hoses.
The A/C kit has not been bought for it yet, but all donor parts for A/C are there.
Thanks to Bens tip on using Google to search, here is a link to the thread where I was assembling the car. DRB 540 build
DRB also do a roof option as well as wind up windows.


But I think you need to have a good hard look at what your expectations are compared to what is feasable within the real world (and more importantly your proposed budget)

Good luck in your search, let me know if you want more info on this kit in my shed.



Since you dont require a Penis extension, Maybe look at an MX5?

[Wazza]

Anybody needing more pens.....I've got PLENTY......so I can sell you some of mine......oh...PENIS.....I guess the offer still stands.... Ha ha

[puttputt]

If this is a genuine enquiry, I suggest you join your local Cobra club, so you can get a handle on things.

[Turnips]

ok, less useful info now...

yes i know what a cobra is, i've seen them in real life as I said i went up to brisvegas and spoke to harrison and drb. I spoke to the local club about this time last year and was able to look up close and talk to a couple of owners. I even spoke to engineering signatories prior to meeting them and my general thoughts from their replies were confirmed by club members. Apparently the good one is likely to retire shortly.

Yes i don't own tools, I also don't own a garage, these can and will be fixed. I've been looking and ranting about building my own car for the last year and am making good progress to get toward it, by about july/august I should have if all goes to plan, got the garage etc sorted and about 40-50k to start the project. I've even looked at renting out garages in order to start this, however i decided that probably wasn't such a good idea because then you can't work on it whenever you feel like, and if the project takes longer then you still got to pay rent on it. So motivation for the project isn't an issue.

I am aware that 90% of my requirements can be met by a cobra, I can put on a roof, i am able to buy a kit that has abs or air/con options if I desire and budget allows, and there's always the option of a Daytona for the roof/windows thing. I'm also aware that cobras tend to be fairly stable in their resale value and that I'm likely to spend more building it than buying a ready made one. Obviously one should do as much research as possible before embarking upon such a venture, which lets face it, is the reason I came here asking you lot for advice. I'm even planning to go visit shelbyfest to see more of these in the flesh and talk to owners/builders face to face and get as many ideas/feedback as possible. Before embarking on a likely 2-3 year $60-80,000 venture I kind of want to know what I'm getting myself into. So I ask again, why is it not recommended for someone without a mechanical background (although I have had minimal tooling experience in school and have several mates that can help with various things including my grandfather a retired tractor mechanic, which i'm hoping to be able to rope into helping me every so often to get massive advice and spend quality time while i have the chance).

PS did look at getting an MX a year or two back :P

[Rob. Smith]

I have a friend that built a DRB cobra...it is now my second Cobra ( I haven't finished mine yet) He is a meticulous cabinet maker but has no Idea about building / assembling a car. He convinced many people into doing bits for him and the result is obvious..they 'just' did it. He also paid people to do stuff and it cost him a fortune..a lot of that work was poor. I'm now redoing bits and pieces for him. Before you take on a task such as building car; make sure you have the patience and organizational resources to complete such a job. This bloke also built the car before consulting an engineer, then called one. That cost him a fortune. Like I said before talk to a signatory engineer first...they know !
Good luck with your endeavours. Make it work.

[hewey]

Turnips,

Welcome.
Your enthusiasm is admirable, but rest assured the kit makers while great people generally expect you to work a lot of things out for yourself. As a person who has rebuilt and restored many cars in my youth, I can tell you that a Cobra kit build is completely different to a restoration. Its a construction, not a rebuild. It's a completely different skill set and you will quickly discover (as I have) that the best resource to help you is the Cobra community and it's primary vehicle of communication is this very forum.

If you are passionate about it, get along to some local club events in your state, meet some of the people and see the amount of work that has gone into their cars. Even basic non-showy ones, are a very large, long term project. and you simply cannot do it for less than $60K.

It's bloody good fun though and there is nothing more satisfying than they day you drive a car you hand built, yourself. I'm grinning like an idiot just typing that, the memory is so vivid.

Good luck, keep us posted.
Oh and you can check our journey here .

[Modena]

You have not said (unless I missed it) where you are located?

Coming to Shelbyfest is a must, as apart from the Cobra nationals it is the only place you will see so many Cobras from all different manufacturers and get to talk to the builders/owners

However, I think you also need to visit some "under constructions" Cobras so you can see, up close and personal, exactly the type of work that is required in "assembling" one of these things.

Have you considered buying a rolling chassis? It removes 99% of the mechanical work, leaving drop-in engine trans, wiring, bling, and the rest (lol) to do.

[Tenrocca]

Originally Posted by Turnips

Apparently the good one is likely to retire shortly.

Theres only good one? I hope thats the one I used (and he finishes the report first!) I better tell him he's retiring.....

[sambo]

.....

[Turnips]

I'm currently in the ACT, and when i visited harrison warwick was kind enough to call one of his mates that lived down the road and get him to show me his 1/2 built daytona. I have to say that car is much more impressive in the flesh than any pictures, or maybe it was just the matt black primer. It did give an idea of the amount of work required. I have considered and probably will go the route of rolling chassis for several reasons, firstly the one warwick said, much easier transportation. Can be rolled on and off a truck so I don't need to bribe some mates to help me pull it out. Also assembling suspension is from all my current research, one of the most dangerous parts of the build, so from a pure common sense approach this seems to be the go. Warwick also said he basically only charges the cost of the parts (which would have to be purchased anyway). Also, during the build the aim will be to get rego ASAP, as that seems to be the hard bit. So if I choose the cobra rather than daytona route, options like wind wings, dual roll cage and side pipes and other misc "bling" likely wont be installed initially. My plan is also to go a gel coat route as that way if funds get tight i can postpone the paintwork.

As previously mentioned my aim is to be in a position where i can order a kit in july/august, allowing 3 months for manufacture it should be in my garage able to work just in time for xmas/new year holiday period when i get a couple of weeks off work. This gives me 3-4 months to do all my research, read some books (anyone able to recommend a few?) talk to the local boys, meet people at shelbyfest etc.

Also, i want to get anally retentive about this and make schedules for when i plan to have things done by, and also about build budget before going into it to so to have a better idea on costs, where i can skimp if need be etc. Both of these should aid in getting the car done quickly and cheaply. If anyone's taken an inventory of exactly how long it took to do and how much it cost to do that'd be most useful, and something I plan on doing, should help keep budget and schedule in check (i hope).

As for signatories, I plan to have many a long (and probably expensive) conversation with them as the build progresses. It'll be cheaper (and easier) to pay him to visit twice as often as required, than have to rebuild significant portions because i bought the wrong stuff. I've heard there are also certain rules in NSW at least (i believe ACT has essentially the same) that if the signatory has seen the same kit with the same stuff then they don't necessarily have to re-test eg brake testing. So if there's a kit he is extremely familiar with this may influence manufacturer selection.

[Turnips]

Originally Posted by Tenrocca

Theres only good one? I hope thats the one I used (and he finishes the report first!) I better tell him he's retiring.....

yeah, unfortunately in the ACT there's a selection of 4 local and 2 interstate signatories. Of the local, 1 is apparently small engine turbo rice rocket focused and wont give a damn about anything like a cobra, another is a huge pain the the rear end to deal with, I forget about the third, but the fourth guy, who was the only helpful one of the four when I inquired, is THE guy to go to, and cobra act people thought he had already retired when i asked them about it last year. So if i'm going with him, i'd want to get in writing that he'll be around the next couple of years.

[marksy40]

Turnips
I agree with a lot that's already been said but don't let it dampen your enthusiasm. I built my first car with basically no mechanical experience...all I had was a huge willingness to learn and limited budget so I had no choice but to learn as I went. It's amazing what you can achieve when you want something so bad. I asked a LOT of questions, pestered a lot of people and found the Cobra Car Club a wealth of support and advice.
Work with your engineer, ask questions and look at a lot of cars and you will do fine.
Good luck and keep us informed of your progress.

[dallas_]

Originally Posted by Turnips

Also, i want to get anally retentive about this and make schedules for when i plan to have things done by, and also about build budget before going into it to so to have a better idea on costs, where i can skimp if need be etc. Both of these should aid in getting the car done quickly and cheaply.

Ok, I'm not down under so I have no idea what the requirements for constructed vehicles are, but two things strike me.

1. Find a kit maker that has a lot of support for the build. We went with FFR partly because of the on-line support through build blogs and the forums which answer every type of question that can come up. Find some good build blogs and read them. Then read more of them. You will likely find that there is no single step that you can't do, but there are a lot of them.

2. If you want to end up hating your project, put a time schedule on it. A budget is fine (sort of), but if you want to get any enjoyment out of the process, let it take the time it takes. It's frustrating enough at times without unnecessary time pressures. Plus, in addition to that actual build time, parts sourcing, redoing things that didn't come out right and looking for the tool you misplaced, you will need to take time to learn things that you don't know that you don't know until you run across them.

Good luck. It's a daunting task, but quite rewarding.