My number is coming up at ERA, options / order advice?

[DanEC]

If the 6-pin hubs are important to you - it's one of the things you should do from the start when you order. If you rebuild your own rear assembly, I believe you can get the hubs from ERA.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by DanEC

If the 6-pin hubs are important to you - it's one of the things you should do from the start when you order. If you rebuild your own rear assembly, I believe you can get the hubs from ERA.

You can save a couple of bucks by going with the 5 pins, and you can't tell the difference when the wheels are on the car. But 6 pins are more fun when the wheels are off.

[tgandy]

Originally Posted by strictlypersonl

We bond the body (and also bond the aluminum and foot-boxes) before the kit is delivered. The hood, trunk and doors are also installed, although some adjustments might be required during the bodywork process.
Kit as shipped

Thanks! Terry

[DanEC]

Not trying to talk anyone into it - who isn't comfortable with doing their own body bonding and panel installation. But, just for information - if you purchase an unbonded kit here is what your receive (I did purchase the Jag rear suspension in my kit)





The first thing you will do is spend about a week disassembling most of what ERA has already pre-fit and trial assembled. I put alignment marks on the body and frame to ensure it went back together in proper alignment. They are in the firewall area and at the rear cockpit bulkhead.



I realized later that this wasn't really necessary because of the assembly clips/plates that ERA installs. As long as I got the screw through the bracket and back into the hole in the body framing - it was going back together just as ERA assembled it.

The front frame at the grill area is the one area that did not have a clip (at least from memory) but the other mounting clips centered it with my original tic marks. There may have been a couple of temporary attachment screws there. This is after bonding - you can see the line of gray epoxy in the body to frame contact area.



Major bond joints.





After bonding.





This is the best shot I have of the alignment/mounting plates that pre-mount and center the body to the frame.



I didn't install the foot boxes or panels until I was through with painting. I used a black adhesion caulking material and applied a bead at all contact points with the body or frame. I figured if any of the black did extrude out of the joint it would not be glaring in appearance. But with a little care that didn't turn out to be much of a problem. Doing your own bonding and panel installation does mean you will spend a lot of time with a drill and 1/8 inch bits - buy a quantity of them. A close quarters drill is nice to have for a few of the rivets in tight corners. You will spend an equal amount of time with a rivet gun. An air rivet gun from Harbor Freight is a good idea but you still need a hand gun for some tighter areas.

Edit: I failed to note above if you don't have ERA do the frame powder coating then yes, the body will have to come off the frame for painting/coating and that will require more garage/shop space during that time. I know at least a few ERA builders have painted their frames themselves so that is another approach. I did have ERA powder coat mine and it seems to be a high quality application so for me it was money well spent.

[patrickt]

Jeez, I'd rather shovel out a latrine. How much money will he save by doing that little chore himself?

[DanEC]

I get as much or more enjoyment out of restoring and working on cars than I actually do in driving them. I like hands on stuff - probably why I've rebuilt 3 transmissions in the last 2 years. This was fun compared to restoring my 66 Corvette and dealing with rust, collision damage, worn out parts, trying to make repro parts work etc. Stripping paint (it had Imron on it, sandblasting frame and parts, etc.

ERA builds an excellent car - everything just about fall in place by comparison.







Here it is 30 years later.

[xb-60]

Originally Posted by Bearwolf

....I've been having trouble deciding between vinyl and leather. Obviously vinyl is cheaper but leather would be correct. Is it noticable? .....

Hi Don,
Good choice, ERA.
Do you know what the price differential is with leather and vinyl? My seats required two hides at a total cost of AUD 300 (USD ~210), and mine are covered all over (incl. the back of the seats) and there was enough left for the dash, so the extra cost of leather may not actually be excessive.
Leather smells nice

Cheers,
Glen

[RodKnock]

Good old Sunfire Yellow. The color of my old NOM ‘66 427/425 Vette Roadster. Memories.

[tboneheller]

Some insurance companies require you to have an installed on-board fire extinguishing system. At least this was the case back when I built ERA505 in 1997. Plumbing all of the hard lines from the trunk-mounted bottle up to the engine bay would have been much easier when the body was off of the frame.

[66gtk]

Originally Posted by tboneheller

Some insurance companies require you to have an installed on-board fire extinguishing system. At least this was the case back when I built ERA505 in 1997. Plumbing all of the hard lines from the trunk-mounted bottle up to the engine bay would have been much easier when the body was off of the frame.

Easier to get a different insurance company (;

[DanEC]

I'm not sure I understand that restriction. Most vintage, collector cars have been at least partly disassembled - if not completely disassembled - and reassembled over the years and I don't see collector car insurance car companies requiring the installation of fire suppression systems in them in case the mechanic or owner put something together sloppily that could result in a fire. What's the difference with kit car.

Reminds me when I called up American Collector's Insurance to add my ERA to it and the ding-a-ling lady on the phone quoted me a price far higher than my 66 BB Corvette and 67 GTX combined. I asked what the he!!. She replied that replacement parts are hard to find for kit cars and expensive. I said something along the lines of - Really, my Corvette series went out of production in 1967 and have you priced parts for them lately. The manufacture of my ERA is still in business and still producing cars. I did like Troy said - found another insurance company.

[kevins2]

Well Dan, your problem was trying to apply logic to the situation...

[RodKnock]

FWIW, Kirkham has a "Halon fire supression system" option. Worst case scenario, you could always get one of these.