Estimated Cost?

[dlang14]

Greetings,

First timer here. I'm lusting after an ERA 427. I've looked at most of the manufacturers, but the quality of the ERA cars, along with the support seems second to none. The good news is that my wife actually thinks this is a good idea, I can't say I understand her saying that, but I'm not complaining

I'm trying to figure out what kind of total budget I'll need for the project. I know there's a lot of variables, so this is somewhat hard to answer. It sounds like engine, paint, and wheel prices can vary drastically. Here is my early thinking on those 3 items.

427 SO $15k
Paint $5k
Wheels $3-4k not sure if I want the five-pin or six-pin.

Do these sound about right? Should I consider a bit more on any of these?

I would want some of the options, so my rough thinking is about $25k for the kit from ERA (I haven't really thought through what exactly I want) and about $5k in miscellaneous stuff. That puts me at about $55k. Is this realistic? Would I get a lot more out of my finished car by spending an additional XXX dollars on something specific? I envision that I'll have this car for a long long time.

The bad news is that I don't have $60k just sitting in a savings account, so I need to budget now, and start saving up. Hopefully early 2004 I can start.

Thanks for any advice.

[NeedAntiVenom]

Welcome Dlang14,

I've had a great experience with ERA so far - and no doubts that the final product with be exceptional. Visit them and any other manufacturer that your considering.

55K for a completed ERA is probably close, depending on some of the fine points. The difference between a 428 (common) and a 427 side oiler (rare) alone could be $10K, pin drive wheels another couple K - the options are nearly endless. The amount of the work you do yourself may have a very significant impact.

Take the time to find out exactly what you want, gather info, talk to people - THEN plan and build your dream. Always keep in mind what you want it for too. Cobras (IMVHO) are purpose built - to race, show, pleasure drive or any combination of these. All of which affects how you decide to build it.

Best of Luck

[Todd Hedges]

That is a close estimate.
It's easy to put a lot more into that if you are not watching the wallet. Peter has a magic stick that makes all the dead presidents dissappear faster than lightning.

The ERA kit is well worth the quality.
After all is said and done, I was expecting 45 to 50.
I ran over by approx. 10-15%.

Watch out for buying things twice.
Too easy to buy something ahead-of-time only
to realize that ERA has already found the best way to
address that issue with part 'x-y-z' instead of the one
you bought 6 months ago.

Best of luck
Todd Hedges
TCCo.

[CobERA]

Dlang14,

You're in the ballpark with your estimate. Don't forget things like shipping, taxes and registration, and some of the extras your likely to purchase, such as a car cover, fire extinguisher, etc;

My Cobra is parked at the door at ERA, ready to be shipped on Monday morning. I just updated my build sheet this morning, but I won't say here how much it cost (in case my wife sees this post).

The final cost was more than I expected, but I added some extras like an aluminum coating under the hood (see my gallery for a picture) and a soft top, side curtains, heater, tonneau cover, etc;

Can't say enough good things about Peter and the rest of the folks at ERA.

Good-luck, and build in some extra cost into your budget.

Rick

[exrodder]

As with any other project, once you set the budget, add 10-15%. Also to be included in cost of car if you are married is cost of kitchen, bathroom remodeling or whatever else the better half would like done. Hey, gotta keep them happy for putting up with their little boys and their toys.

[John 550]

[CobERA]

Oh yeah, I forgot to add in the cost of the bathroom remodeling.

[Chaplin]

Dlang-
If you want a 427s/o, I think it will wind up costing you closer to 60k. A 428 can be done for 50-55 and maybe less depending on how much work you do yourself (or maybe more depending on what options you get). Figure out the list of options you want and figure out what they cost b/c they add up quickly- trust me-my order sheet with ERA has gone to 4 pages and grows longer every time I talk to Peter.

CobERA-
If you don't mind me asking, how much was it to have the aluminum under the hood added? Did Peter arrange that for you? My car is going to the painter in 2 weeks and I might consider getting the aluminum done also.

Also, who built your motor??

By the way, one bathroom? You got off easy. So far I have redone 1 master bath, 1 1/2 bath, dining room and master bedroom. Oh yeah, and a trip to St. Lucia (I really can't complain about the St. Lucia trip though.)

[CobERA]

Chaplin,

The hood was done by Ron Randall, who happens to be an ERA owner, and a member of Club Cobra. I can't remember how or where I found out about his process, but it is really quite remarkable. He somehow applies a thin coating of real aluminum to the underside of the hood. I understand that it can be applied to virtually any surface. He sent me a sample of aluminum applied to some PVC pipe and it is just amazing. I haven't seen the hood in person yet, but when Peter saw it this week, he was very impressed.

I made arrangements directly with Ron. The price was a few hundred dollars. He is a great guy to deal with.

The motor was built by Joe Lapine at Danbury Competition Engines in Danbury, CT. Also, a good guy to work with.

The bathroom is, I suspect, only the beginning. I'm going to be paying for this for a long time. Although, it is a project for my 17 year old son and I to do together. The past weekend, he and I were working in the garage on some modifications to a twin fan kit we bought from Finish Line. My wife watched us for a bit, then walked over to me and whispered, "what ever you are paying for this, it's worth every penny". Gotta love her!

Rick

[ERA 626]

$43K complete roller from ERA
$6K Paint
about $15-20K CSX 427...
This does NOT include shipping & registration/sales tax

Approx $70k yikes!!!!!!!!!
Would I do it again??
yes

[Jon Miller]

I thought that I would "Save Up" for a Cobra too, but I found that I don't have that kind of self control.......

What I ended up doing was buying parts as I found good deals.

E-M frame $600
Jag IRS $500
428SCJ $900
Top Loader$500
Trigo wheels $2000
Etc.

As Todd said, you do have to be careful not to buy things twice, I did that with the IRS, the first was not a posi. Also, I'm big on doing things myself. Rather than pay a shop $400 to have my intake polished, I spent $100 on a buffer. My method is slower, but it's alot cheaper and I enjoy working on the car.

If you would like to see a build in progress feel free to stop by sometime. I'm in Sunnyvale near Lawrence and Homestead.

millersusan@email.msn.com

-Jon

P.S. I did the master bath myself too complete with granite tile, jetted tub and TV. A happy wife is a good thing......

[Whaler]

Hey unless your dead set on building one, why not pursue your dreams in the saturated used cobra market??

I am/have built one and it's a lot more money building than buying someone else's complete car today. With the market the way it is there are many to choose from too.

What did turks ERA go for less motor?? Thats was a nice sorted car.

JMHO

Tim

[decooney]

You're in the ball park. The motor and paint are the major variables to contend with, along with the wait. Whether you build it yourself, build part of it, or buy it turnkey, its worth it.

If the extra $ is a deciding factor, IMHO a 427 SO is worth more on a stand or to a collector/restorer than it is in a replica. You can build a mean FE 390, 428 and have the same fun for less in a 2500lb car... Good Luck.

[CobERA]

Now that I am actually working on the car, there is one more item that you need to factor into the cost - bandaids. Get a big box!

Also, Advil. After a couple of weekends of crawling in, out and around the car, I've developed a few pains.

Younger, less clumsy builders can exclude these items from their build sheet.

[Ron Randall]

Rick, look at all the money your going to save now that you dont need to go to the gym for your exercise and it beats walking on a tread mill.
Rick, just curious what your ETA is for your first drive
Ron

[CobERA]

Ron,

Exercise? I vaguely remember that!

I am hoping that we will be done sometime in April. There is a car show at my son's high school on March 28, but I don't think we'll make that. The rain date is April 19, so we're praying for rain.

We are making pretty good progress. Wiring and carpeting are done. Major tasks remaining are the assembly of the front end, fitting the pipes and finishing the interior.

By the way, I've received quite a few compliments about the hood. It really does look great.

Best regards,
Rick

[dlang14]

Thanks for all the feedback. I guess I don't have my heart set on a 427SO vs a 428, but my thinking was in the grand scheme of things it sure would be nice. Heck maybe by the time I'd in the market for a motor Genesis will have product (OK maybe not). I think I'm set on the remodeling side, just bought a new house (well new to us, but only 2 years old). The house removed my cobra fund, which is why I need to estimate how much its going to cost.

Tim,

I think half of the appeal is that I get to put it togther myself. Sure I want the finished product, but I also want the experience of the build, its part of what I'm buying.

Jon,

Thanks for the offer. I'm swamped with work, but I'll email you soon about checking out your build. I work at 101 & Lawrence so its not far.

I guess I'm getting ahread of myself, but what are people's thoughts on TKO2 vs. a Toploader? I'm not worried about authenticity of the toploader, and I would like the overdrive, but not if I'm giving up strength. I had a superchared 5.0 with a TKO and was very happy with the TKO.

Anyway thanks again for the feedback.

[Chaplin]

No doubt, the toploader is "correct" and the stronger of the 2 transmissions, but I dediced to go with the TKO II.
The TKO uses the same shifter handle as the toploader and from all outward appearances, would look stock (unless of course you climbed under the car or removed the trans tunnel).

As for strength, the TKO II is rated for up to 475 ft/lbs of torque, which given the light weight of the cobra and the propensity for loss of traction (accidentally of course), will probably be more than enough (this assumes however that you are not drag racing the car and dumping the clutch at 3500 rpm all day long). Plus with the overdrive, you get a nice cruising gear, reduced RPMs, less noise (easier on the ears) and better gas mileage (I know, who cares about gas mileage).

So, unless you are a stickler for originality or intend on doing a lot of racing, I'd say go with the TKO II. That's my .02

[ERA 626]

What about the richmond 5 speed?