BDR Owners- Time to nitpick!

[LudicrousSpeed]

To All BackDraft Owners:

I'm seriously looking at either an ERA, an SPF, or a BDR in the near future. I'm not looking for a comparison, thats been done to death.

What I would like is for you guys to critique, really nitpick, your car. Everything from the buying experience/ dealer issues & support (no names, just experiences), to maintenance issues, to the little details you've noticed that may not be a problem, but that you've noticed none-the-less.

Where have corners been cut, if any? what would you like to see improved?
No detail is too small, and you know your car best.

Thanks!
-Mark

[cbreez]

Don't you know on this forum you aren't allowed to nit pick backdrafts?

I will be interested to read the responses you get...

[Nor Cal Al]

Why nit-pik? I've got a real nice Backdraft you can get now at a reasonable price and it already has an SB100. Send me a PM.
AL

[Bailey]

I have nothing to nit-pick about at all. I'll have my third BDR here in February, fourth Cobra over all.
Cheers,
Richard

[Speedysnake]

I've had my BDR for three years now, with about 7,500 miles on it. The few issues that I had early on were handled promptly and courteously by either Reg, Frank, or Craig. I'd buy another one in a minute

Now I expect a free hat the next time I see you guys

[Smokingcobra2]

Just buy a BACKDRAFT had mine since 2003 love it. They all have teething problems but for the money you cant beat them. Jay and Brian from Vintage the best guys ever to work with.Was over at Vintage today drooling at the new cars and motors. WHY spend 70 grand or more for an ERA and wait a year. Yes its a great car but not for close to 2 times the price. For 40 grand u can have a awesome Backdraft. Unless your a purist who wants it to look exact then go ERA.
joeg

[RalphSchmalph]

You couldn't ask for a better car or a better organization to deal with. Perfect handling on the street and on the track. Very comfortable for long drives. Reliable in every way. 2300 miles since October with no problems whatsoever. A great daily driver with the 342R and 3.46 gearing. The Dodds and their staff are great to deal with. Would love to have Track Day car if I had the room.

[Blue Man]

The BDRs like all replicas have their bugs, its just a matter of support from the manufacturer and undertanding you are driving a Go-Kart not a BMW.

All three are great cars but neither is the real thing. I 've had my BDR since 2003 and still enjoy it every time I just look at it. The story is always the same, Is that a real COBRA? Yes, since the mayority of people do not know any different. Have fun driving..

[sparks]

What are the differences between the spf and bdr ?? Is the spf worth the diff. in $$.

[6t8stang]

As has been said before, any hand built car, replica, ec will have some initial bugs to be worked out. I too bought from Jay & Brian @ Vintage Motorsports - absolutely the best! Support from Reg, Tony, etc is also pretty good.

OK...one nitpick...it would be nice to have a complete parts catalog like so many have asked for.

Keep in mind that you really should have some basic mechanical skills / common sense when owning/maintaining a car like this, or you should expect to pay a decent amount anytime something needs to be done to your car if you can't diagnose/fix it yourself. These generally aren't going to be jump in and go every time without ever doing anything to it. You have to expect little things to go wrong - that's just the way it is!

[cbreez]

The safety belts are incorrect. It is extremely dangerous to sell this car without an anti-submarine belt when using a shoulder harness system like theirs. You will need to (or should) purchase a new set. Nice way for them to save a couple of bucks...

[Gatorac]

Originally Posted by sparks

What are the differences between the spf and bdr ?? Is the spf worth the diff. in $$.

That question has been asked and answered several times. A simple search will give you hours of reading enjoyment.

As for if the differences are worth the money, that can only be decided by the one spending the money. Obviously a majority of SPF owners say it is and a majority of BDR owners say no. That's why the picked the car they did. Duh.

As for nit-picking, I've had my car for 4 years and 10k miles. I bought it new. I plan on keeping it for quite awhile.

Speedo cable leaks inside the car
High Beam indicator is too bright
Not enough padding on the seat back and the sharp top edge sticks me right under my shoulder blade.
Steering shimmy. (currently fixed thanks to Tangible Toys)
Drive line vibration. (This is a more recent development.)
Clutch system must be bled at least every 6-9 months.
Tenax soft top fasteners suck. (equal for all soft tops I would presume)
Passenger door rattles. (electical tape around the closer post fixes it but must be redone every few months)

The following things were upgraded by me to fix things I wasn't happy with.
Upgraded fans (now standard)
Repair header to side pipe slip fit connection (Now standard)
Make new bracket to center steering rack in car. (Error in a few chassis)
Add spacer to move steering wheel closer to me.
Install more original style wood steering wheel.
Modify license plate to fit above trunk handle.

[FST FOX]

Mine was a first round and had alot of little things that bugged me, but all of my concerns have been redesigned and corrected and along the way Reg helped me cost wise to fix them after 3-4 years, now my car is right under 5,000 miles but sat in storage for a few years. Steering shimy is about the only thing that is based on speed and road conditions, will be replacing bushings and steering u joints this winter though. A big plus is with a high horse 408 it's squats and grabs traction like a champ. I will be buying more BDR products in the future but I think the early bird is a keeper for the most part, after all this is the actual car that broke my Cobra virginity!

[jp65cobra]

Well many of the nitpicks have been covered in this thread and in many others. I have had my BDR since 2005 and have 15K miles on it. I drive it to work and back almost every day it is not raining. I did not buy it to be a show car taken out only on weekends so if my paint job was not perfect when I got it, it sure ain't now

I have been in an accident and came away in one piece with an appreciation for the strength of the car. It did pretty well considering these cars are really not safe at all by today's standards. My nitpick was the length of time it took to get some of the replacement parts. I could not really pin it down to what the problem was. It could have been the shop I used to fix the car did not communicate effectively with BDR or it could have been poor delivery on BDR's part. I have gotten other things from BDR on my own without a problem.

As many have pointed out you should expect little nitpicky things to gone wrong with these cars because of the vibration etc. But many of my little problems have been related to mechanical things not delivered by BDR. Engine water leak, oil leak because of a bad seal install, tranny failure due to a small pin breaking.

If you do buy a new BDR you can buy it direct and have a local shop you pick do the engine and tranny install, or you can do it yourself. Any good speed shop could handle it. Just make sure the car is gone over front to back checking every single nut and bolt before you put it on the road and then again after few hundred miles. There are also several good shops that do BDR's that frequent this site and I would not hesitate to use them, ship it here when done and then do the maintenance yourself or find a local shop.
The guy that build my car is not in business anymore. This really bugged me in the beginning but now I have more confidence in my own skills and I have found a few local shops that can handle almost anything that would come up. Really. These cars are pretty basic. Engine and trans, take it to any guys who handles Ford hot rods. Suspension and brakes, I found a guy that works on older BMW's and he has no problem looking after me.

Oh now that I think about it I did have a short in the lights one time. I discovered after a day or two that the wire, for the lic plate, going through the license plate holder had frayed because there was not a little rubber or neoprene tube to protect it. Maybe they took care of that in the newer models. hmmmm maybe I need a new BDR.

Jay do you take trade ins?

[SkipB]

Ludicrous,

I can only speak as a Backdraft owner, but I have had a few, very few things related to Backdraft go wrong on this car. If you read what several people have written, most problems are either very minor or relate to the engine and tranmission. Keep in mind the engine and transmission are NOT Backdraft supplied items. Those kinds of problems are usually related to the engine builder/installer.

All but one Backdraft problem I have had were rapidly and completely taken care of by Reg/Backdraft at no charge to me. (I had a paint problem-solved, sagging springs-(only on some early chassis) replaced at n/c, a passenger door rattle-solved with .02 worth of friction tape one time application. That is it!

I did have problems related to slip jointed side pipes (backfiring/fumes underhood) had flanges given to me by Backdraft, had them welded on, problem solved. This is the only thing that cost me money and I waited almost 2 1/2 years to fix it.

I love this car. But, I will sell it. Time to move on to something else.

SkipB

Now that my car is completely de-bugged, you can buy it and avoid worrying about problems. I think you said you weren't going to buy until next year? If you decide to move the purchase date up, contact me if you want an all black car (you can worry about addiing stripes if you want to!)

[uncltodd]

Rather than bitter posts, PM me, almost-Brudda. #139.