PACE 427 Unveiled

[Three Peaks]

Great looking product you've produced there. I hope you sell a ton of them- hopefully a few on this side of the pond.

As all kit builders know, it's the little details that really make or break a build schedule. I am really looking forward to how you handle the detail items like door hardware mounting, harness mounting points, radiator mounts, battery location and mounting, interior finish, etc.... I'm sure it will be just as great as the rest of the effort.

Congrats,
Bob

[tkb289]

Craig,

That's one impressive 'bit of kit' … the chassis is a work of art! It's great to see such innovation and technology wrapped up into the original form factor.

If you don't mind me asking … any plans in the future for a 289 car? Slab side, comp car or FIA?

- Tim

[xlr8tr]

Amazing build!! Love to see those available in Canada... what restrictions are there in engine selection? I'm thinking Boss 429 or 427 SOHC.

[400TT]

No problem with the smaller details, fit and finish. that is where people are going to be really surprised. we have a really well thought out product. We will release more detail over the coming weeks to show these aspects off.

Originally Posted by tkb289

If you don't mind me asking … any plans in the future for a 289 car? Slab side, comp car or FIA?

- Tim

Yes, PACE 289 can be ordered now. We just haven't advertised it yet.

Originally Posted by xlr8tr

what restrictions are there in engine selection? I'm thinking Boss 429 or 427 SOHC.

Engine choices are FE (incl SOHC), Windsor 302/351, Ford Coyote, Chev. Also fits Supercharged Coyote and Supercharged Chev.

Chassis design is universal and we have bolt in mounts for engine and gearbox.

[Lexluther]

Craig
Absolutely unbelievable photos of Pace427, can I change my order, (only kidding) Or maybe I just have to buy another one

[Rebel1]

I saw the chassis yesterday.
In a word......
gorgeous.
revolutionary.
stupendous.

Even the exhaust pipes have their own little hidey hole from front to back.

The Pace team has done a brilliant job in designing this chassis.

[Daniel115]

Ac cobra porn

[Tonus72]

Hi Craig,

your product looks amazing and a great development on the Cobra replica! Well done to you and the team.

Can you provide more details of what is 'not' included to complete an ADR compliant registered car from the Comprehensive kit? What sort of manual will be included?

Sorry if it is still too early for these questions - but the pictures you posted will certainly get plenty of interest

Cheers

Tony

[400TT]

Tony, we have all the information for you. Just ask.

Major items to complete from Comprehensive Kit:

complete dressed engine with gearbox(including flywheel/clutch parts), engine wiring loom + ecu etc, exhaust(except for headers as they are supplied), interior trimming(we supply sprung base, steel frame seat frames & sliders), paint, tyres(except they are included for free for a limited time)

Build manual is 200+ full colour oem quality manual with exploded diagrams etc. Plus DVD with hi-res images etc.

We've designed the kit to be very quick and simple to build if all the standard parts are used. But still allows customers to customise the car to their own requirements if they want.

Will upload the Base Kit and Comprehensive Kit Packing Lists and post a link.

[Turnips]

So the manual and DVD, do they cover topics not directly supplied in the kit, eg how to mount the engine/gearbox (maybe one for each type or a general one?), interior/seat trimming, dash layout/install (if not supplied)?

[400TT]

Tony, yes they certainly do. We've been documenting our years of experience with the different drivetrain options. Manual even includes servicing and maintenance for the entire vehicle when finished. We are stll finishing it off, but we have a great track record of extensive manuals and quick build times.

[Smokeyr67]

Is it wrong that I love this kit more than I do my children?

[400TT]

Originally Posted by Smokeyr67

Is it wrong that I love this kit more than I do my children?

Hahaha.

Well by the reaction of my guys in the workshop, they are certainly treating it as one of their own siblings. And you can imagine my relationship with it. So you would feel right at home in our workshop.

[Tonus72]

Hi Craig

thanks for the extra info - all sounds VERY nice indeed...

One day I will get up there for a look !!!

Best wishes...

Originally Posted by 400TT

Tony, we have all the information for you. Just ask.

Major items to complete from Comprehensive Kit:

complete dressed engine with gearbox(including flywheel/clutch parts), engine wiring loom + ecu etc, exhaust(except for headers as they are supplied), interior trimming(we supply sprung base, steel frame seat frames & sliders), paint, tyres(except they are included for free for a limited time)

Build manual is 200+ full colour oem quality manual with exploded diagrams etc. Plus DVD with hi-res images etc.

We've designed the kit to be very quick and simple to build if all the standard parts are used. But still allows customers to customise the car to their own requirements if they want.

Will upload the Base Kit and Comprehensive Kit Packing Lists and post a link.

[400TT]

Grabbed some quick photos of a body sitting on the rolling chassis.

Chassis is sitting at 100mm ride height.

Chassis is flat floor design with bottom of oil cooler level with the bottom of the chassis.

When the vehicle is complete nothing will sit below the chassis. i.e. sump, underbody exhaust etc all sit up higher than the floor level.

We have dialled up what we think is the perfect position for tyres in the guards combined for a given ground clearance.

Tyres are 225/45/17 front, 315/35/17 rear. The front guards will get filled out a little better with 245 front(which we recommend) both width wise and diameter wise.

If you want to you can lower the car further and we have those adjustable mounting points so you can keep the suspension geometry at it's optimum.

If you run 15" wheels, the 1" larger diameter of 15's will lift the chassis height by 1/2" inch and also tuck the tyres a further 1/2" up into the guards if you use the same chassis height as the 17" wheels. But as above you can adjust suspension height.

[xlr8tr]

looks amazing. What will the options be for soft top/hard top? For those of us that live in a soggy climate

[d488y2]

Drooling!!!! Just picked my jaw off the ground )

[400TT]

Originally Posted by xlr8tr

looks amazing. What will the options be for soft top/hard top? For those of us that live in a soggy climate

Comprehensive Kit comes with tonneau & soft top. Le Mans style hard top as an option. We already have customers ordering the hard top.

[sambo]

I love the stance with the 100mm ride height Craig, plus the wheel sizes/offsets look great. I haven't seen those wheels before, who are they made by?

One question about all that beautiful aluminium work. I have an al. fuel tank which dulls very quickly, being exposed to road grime etc. Do you use any sealants or treatments to prevent or slow the onset of corrosion? I can see all that latticework in the engine bay being a pain to polish. Also with regards to physical stress, what has been done to prevent cracking over time? We know this was a problem with the original Cobra bodies.

[400TT]

Sambo, the wheels are Vintage brand, just BRM(GT40) style instead of Halibrand. We have a few Cobra guys going with that style due to the timeless appeal of spoked centre design it features.

With the alloy material, total different grade of alloy than what your tank is made of and features superior corrosion resistance etc. But in saying that, for the show type of guys, we have great success with the cleaning and protective wipe on finishes like Shark Hide etc. They just leave a very clean bright aluminium look that is protected from stains and you can't tell the treatment is on there. Easily re-applied if required.

We have analysed the stress areas of the chassis using FEA and measured the stress using Safety Factor of the material and welds, Von Mises etc. Basically we have tortured this chassis design using simulations on the computer over and over with different scenarios. Same with intrusion bars, mount points, suspension pieces, brackets, you name it. We know the simulations are accurate as we can predict the outcome of a physical street registration chasis torsional test for example within a few percent. All stress areas have stronger design incorporated i.e. gusseted and/or heavier material used. This is obvious when you see the chassis in the flesh.

Weld quality is a critical element and we utilise a top of the range Miller Dynasty 350 Watercooled Pulse TIG machine with all the extras(fingertip control etc), correct filler rod and an expert welder etc.

We also have a much stiffer chassis construction and I would say a much more consistant twist and flexure compared to other chassis designs out there. A lot of hours, expertise and expert tools have been used to design an efficient and reliable chassis structure. Of all the chassis I have seen tested, our PACE 427 design has much, much better consistancy. The numbers are publicly available for comparison.

We have also needed to get our own custom extrusions manufactued as there was not extrusions available in the grades of alloy we were looking for.

Won't even comment on the quality of the original Cobra bodies, give me a Kirkham body any day. Same approach, you won't see any issues with Kirkham bodies, quality approach to materials and construction used. We are not supplying 60's quality products.

And the great thing about an aluminium semi-monocoque chassis is that it makes it very easy, clean and efficient to construct into a vehicle as the heavy wall aluminium is a breeze to drill and tap and it is everywhere, even the panels can be drilled and tapped.

I am happy for any scrutiny. I can't stress enough that we have left no stone unturned.

We are still waiting for some of our production parts to arrive for the first batch of 10+ kits, so some aspects will look and work different once the final production parts are available.

Hope that has answered the questions. Did I miss anything?