Considering Everett-Morrison

[AndySwen]

I am considering an Everett-Morrison kit - Stage III Chassis and Stage II body. This is intended to be a project for myself and my two kids - Boy 16, Girl 15 - to do together. I am looking for a good learning experience for them and to end up with a nice toy in the end. Will not race but may do a show or two and possibly some AutoCross or Open Track type events.

Looking for any feedback on the E/M. I live near Tampa and toured the factory which seemed pretty solid. I got the tour from Bufford Everett himself. I like the concept of being close in case there are any problems. Only other project I have done is a complete restore of a '69 Jeep CJ-5 with my dad 25 years ago!

Any input is welcome.

[Mike Braddock]

Andy,

EM makes a very nice product and their customer service is excellent. They will really go the extra mile to make sure their customers are happy--at least, that's been my experience. Several times they have opened their shop on the weekend just for me when I needed to come pickup some parts and each time they didn't mind spending 2 hours letting me look at the new cars they were building and take lots of pics to help in my rebuild.

Since you live in Tampa, I think they would be an excellent choice. I say go for it and don't look back! You and your children will cherish the time you spend together working on a project like this, especially as all of you get older . You won't have any problems of a technical nature as the cars go together very well and if you've restored a truck in the past, you've certainly got the knowledge for such a project.

Mike

[bonyhadi]

I have seen their product. They have a solid rep. If I was building a car from the ground up I would think it would be a big plus to be near trhe factory. E-M is a great car and you can't go wrong. I would consider their
cars equal to Unique, A&C but not at the same level of ERA's

[searanch]

Hey Andy,

Go for it - EM makes a great product with a wide variety of options in suspension (corvette) and engines (ford 4.6L DOHC) - excellent reputation...

[chuck]

EM is an excellent product,however you should also check out Hunter cobra of Ocala FL.I am building one and one advantage is that Randy uses narrowed corvette susp. so you can use deep dish wheels,also cost is much lower.You will not find a nicer company than Hunter. chuck

[AndySwen]

Thanks for all the feedback. It is greatly appreciated.

Chuck - Do you have contact information for Hunter?

Thanks in advance.

[PSB]

Andy,

Contact info for Hunter:
Website: http://216.87.18.119/hunters/
E-mail: cobrahunter@earthlink.net
Phone: 352-622-5659

I was also considering an Everett-Morrison, but went with Hunter, mostly because the price was much lower. The Hunter's are great to deal with and are very open to building your kit however you want it.

Everett-Morrison also makes a great kit, but check out Hunter before you decide. We visited both before we made our decision -Hunter has a much smaller facility, but puts out a comparable product. You won't go wrong with either one.

Good luck,
Pete

[Mr.Fixit]

Putting toget a kit car requires alot of time , more money than you would think, specialized skills, and a dedication to seeing a project through all the setbacks. I am sure you know this, just can't say it enough. If you do it you will enjoy that car more than had you purchased it as a driver.Everett morrison has a good reputation, but you don't see as many on the road as other brands, maybe they're just not for sale. I've never driven one so I don't know how they perform, have seen several and I like the originality.

[AndySwen]

Thanks Pete, I will check them out.

[427sharpe]

I've owned my EM for 15 years, took 2 years to build it (nights and weekends) and I still love it. The Everett's are very honest, and will go over backwards to help you. I run my car pretty hard (regular drag racing and occassional road racing) and it has held up extremely well. The EM uses a VERY thick body, compared to some, and it shows because the body will not develop 'stress cracks' or 'spiderwebs' that some kits do. I do not hesitate to endorse the Everetts or their product, and you will find that 99% of the owners feel the same way. Good luck!

[Dan Stryffeler]

I've really enjoyed my EM Cobra, have had it for about 15 years. Assembly was pretty straight forward. My only mistake was buying the leaf-sprung rear end... not sure if it is even still an option. I converted it to a 4 bar last winter, along with a rear disk brake conversion - had to narrow to rear end by about 3" to clear the body and set the wheel wells down over the tires.

Good people to work with.
Dan

[Art Colley]

I reinforce what the ohter owners say. Mine is nearly 20 years old. I am the second owner. The first owner build it as a full time bracket racer, and made no attempt to "replicate' the original. But he was very thourough, and hand built a lot of pieces himself.

I have had the car for many years now, and it is a street car. Some effort has been made to replicate a typical 65-66. It has 30k plus miles on it, been in two mild "fender benders" (other cars lost... big time), and still looks very good.

Everything, including paint, is original. Fiberglass is excellent, but shows the "state of the art" 20 years ago.

Never, even after the accidents, has ANY adjustment been made to any door, trunk, or hood for fit. In uniformity, I would rate their fit to be as good as a normal, new car.

In my few dealings with the company ("Bruce Everrette?"), they have been very cordial, and have delivered slightly modified items without delay, and have been always truthful, and open to my ideas. Never a rush from them, never a price surprise from them.

My car is all original (even the engine, which in itself has nothing to do with EM, but is part of the car's remarkable reputation), and I would get another without hesitation.

That being said, I think ERA and some others have a well deserved reputation for detail and accuracy, but for a solid kit, close to the factory, and something you want your kids to remember in a positive way... EM is a no brainer!

Best of luck,, Please keep me posted on how it is doing.



If you like kids and Cobras go here www.cobra65.org, and look thru the "wildbunch" area, and the "driver's ed" and "prom" sections. Share them with your kids, and if ever in Baton Rouge, call!

I think you are doing a good thing. Go for it!

[glasssnake]

Andy I read your post If you like there products and im sure you found out they are closed. I usto work with them thought you might want to check this out. Mark csc/ppmc