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15Likes
03-13-2020, 11:41 AM
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CC Member
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Join Date: Feb 2020
Cobra Make, Engine:
Posts: 2
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Not Ranked
New Kirkham Owner
Hello fellows. To introduce myself, after years of perusing the forums I've just recently joined and placed a down payment on a new Kirkham. Pretty exciting. I'm planning to visit Provo next week to finalize options. I'm being cautioned about going with the brushed finish. I'd like to hear from guys who own or have owned a brushed car, regrets? Would you do it again? Any other words of wisdom to pass along? Thanks guys, Dan Sadler
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03-13-2020, 11:47 AM
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CC Member
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Las Vegas,
NV
Cobra Make, Engine: Shelby CSX4005LA, Roush 427IR
Posts: 5,578
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Not Ranked
Paint it.
__________________
Cheers,
Tony
CSX4005LA
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03-13-2020, 11:50 AM
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Full Blown Member
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Join Date: Sep 2008
Cobra Make, Engine: KMP 427 S/C, Twin Paxton 511 FE
Posts: 2,594
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Not Ranked
Congratulations!
There are 2 immutable facts about owning a Kirkham.
1. You purchased the best Cobra, period.
2. You will never be able to own another brand if you had a Kirkham first and be content (unless it's a Shelby branded Kirkham).
My KMP was brushed. Even though they look pretty when perfect, it doesn't stay that way long. The slightest touch of a fingernail will cause a scratch. So if you like it perfect, you'll have to keep it up but it's no big deal. Just a different type of maintenance than what you're used to. If you like patina, a brushed finish can get to an awesome look, IMO.
__________________
rodneym
Last edited by rodneym; 03-14-2020 at 07:55 PM..
Reason: clarification in 2.
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03-13-2020, 02:47 PM
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CC Member
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Join Date: May 2006
Location: St. Louisville,
Oh
Cobra Make, Engine: A&C 67 427 cobra SB
Posts: 2,445
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Not Ranked
Not an owner, but I do believe owners have said that small dings can be repaired and brushed out, if it is brushed. Not likely if painted. However Patina would show a repair unless the complete car is brushed.
Ask the Kirkham folks, when you are there. Don't take my word for it, but it is a consideration.
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03-13-2020, 04:09 PM
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CC Member
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Adelaide,
SA
Cobra Make, Engine: AP 289FIA 'English' spec.
Posts: 13,150
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Not Ranked
Quote:
Originally Posted by twobjshelbys
Paint it.
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Welcome Dan, and congratulations on placing an order.
I agree....paint it. No original cars were brushed.
Cheers!
Glen
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03-13-2020, 09:01 PM
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CC Member
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Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Phoenix,
AZ
Cobra Make, Engine: Ex owner of a polished Kirkham 427 S/C. Now Cobra-less and driving a mid-engine German hot rod.
Posts: 828
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Not Ranked
Dan I have a Kirkham. Mine is polished with the brushed stripes. The polished area is actually easier to take care of than the brushed stripes but neither is harder to take care of than a painted car. There are two big advantages to leaving it brushed - first is that you don’t have to touch up paint and when it gets a dent it can be fixed without a repaint. The second big plus is your car will be unique and a real show stopper. I get 10x more comments on my polished car than I would if it was painted. Everyone knows it’s a metal car and not plastic. Plenty of race cars and aircraft go with bare aluminum.
Either way you go - painted or brushed - it’s a great car. Just don’t put a stroked 351 Windsor in it :-).
Mike
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03-14-2020, 06:38 AM
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Half-Ass Member
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Cobra Make, Engine: ERA #732, 428FE (447 CID), TKO600, Solid Flat Tappet Cam, Tons of Aluminum
Posts: 22,004
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Not Ranked
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phx Mike
Everyone knows it’s a metal car and not plastic. Plenty of race cars and aircraft go with bare aluminum.
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Mike's right. KMS and ERA turnkeys are the two finest built Cobras on the face of the earth. The main difference being metal versus glass. If I was not going to paint mine, then I would have bought a KMS. Don't hide your metal. People that know what they're looking at will instantly know what the car is (and who it is), and people that don't will just think that it's unusually cool looking and must be quite old. And I can't tell you how many times someone has tapped their knuckle on my fender well and said "yep, that's aluminum."
Last edited by patrickt; 03-14-2020 at 06:50 AM..
Reason: typo
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03-14-2020, 09:58 AM
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CC Member
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Join Date: May 2006
Location: St. Louisville,
Oh
Cobra Make, Engine: A&C 67 427 cobra SB
Posts: 2,445
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Not Ranked
I don't recall hearing anyone crying the blues that wish they had painted their Kirkham. It's kinda like finding folks who regret dropping an FE in a Cobra. They have to exist, but finding them isn't easy.
Truth is you can always paint it later. I would ask Kirkham folks what is the cost difference between them brushing the aluminum and having it ready to paint. Also what would it cost (entail) to get a brushed aluminum car ready to paint. In other words. how much money would be wasted, if you went with brushed and then decided to paint it later.
I had a swimming pool for about 20 yrs. I used to smile when all the experts, who had never owned a swimming pool, would espouse how much work and cost a pool was. I had a $50 automatic chlorination system and a $300 aquadroid that did all the vacuuming for me. I did almost no work. I didn't waste money on chemicals fighting algae, because I kept the chlorine perfectly adjusted. The point to this story is, just because some clown was too cheap or too bull headed to do something right, said clowns claims of what a PITA something is are not necessarily valid, but people will repeat the claims, as fact, forever. Listen to the Kirkhams.
Last edited by olddog; 03-14-2020 at 10:03 AM..
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03-14-2020, 10:14 AM
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CC Member
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Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Santa Fe,
NM
Cobra Make, Engine: Factory Five, 351w
Posts: 149
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Not Ranked
Congrats! That is an awesome event in your life so drive her when you get her. I am on the painted side of the fence as I like colour. Go with what you want, don’t worry about what anyone says.
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03-14-2020, 10:27 AM
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Half-Ass Member
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Cobra Make, Engine: ERA #732, 428FE (447 CID), TKO600, Solid Flat Tappet Cam, Tons of Aluminum
Posts: 22,004
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Not Ranked
OldDog makes one pretty good point -- it's way easier to paint an unpainted car than it is to unpaint a painted car, so take your time making your decision.
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03-14-2020, 11:08 AM
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CC Member
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Las Vegas,
NV
Cobra Make, Engine: Shelby CSX4005LA, Roush 427IR
Posts: 5,578
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Not Ranked
As a non-owner but observer of plenty of the unpainted cars I can tell you that I've seen many more poor examples than shining ones. Two stand out:
At the Shelby American Collection a few years ago someone drove up in one and it was in pretty bad shape. The guards to the Cobra section huddled over it for a few minutes and the driver was asked to move it to the general parking area. They said the finish was so distracting (in a negative way) they didn't want it in the judging area.
At Barrett Jackson Shelby American had one of their 50th editions in bare metal on display, it looked like it needed a lot of TLC. Later that afternoon I watched them move it to the Mothers booth and they had two guys start on it. Later i saw it parked under a cover. The Mothers booth guy said it would take much more time than they could afford to spend on it since they had other vehicles that had to be done before they crossed the block. It sat covered the entire week.
A bare naked lady is the equivalent of black paint. It's never clean and you are never done cleaning it. Do you want to spend your time driving it or preening its feathers? Your choice. I never regretted selling my black Mustangs, but never regretted never having another black car. PS. The British Racing Green Cobra was just as bad as black and at car shows looked dusty within minutes.
Third, an owner of a BNL, who sold it, told me he wished he had painted it to begin with but was "too far into the culture" to change it.
And finally about pools: I also have a salt pool and cleaner. Sure, it keeps chlorine in it, but you forgot that you have to feed the chlorine generator lots of muriatic acid. The salt system generates chlorine by electrically tearing apart a salt atom (NaCl) into a Sodium (NA) and Chlorine (CL) atom. The CL becomes the pool CL. The Na returns to the water where it interacts with the Muriatic Acid (Hydrochloric Acid, HCl). The Sodium atom has a higher valence than the H, and so it steals the Cl from HCl to become salt (NaCl) again, leaving a free H to return to the atmosphere. (This is the net chemical reaction, there are intermediate compounds involved but it boils down to the fact that the salt pool never consumes salt, only Muriatic Acid. And LOTS OF ELECTRICITY!!!!) In the winter when the salt cell is out of the system I use a quart of Muriatic Acid and two chlorine tabs every two weeks. In the summer I use a half gallon of Muriatic Acid every three to 4 days to maintain a 5ppm Cl concentration. It is said that salt pools have increased pH. Now you know why - the acid is what feeds the system and is a consumable.
__________________
Cheers,
Tony
CSX4005LA
Last edited by twobjshelbys; 03-14-2020 at 11:15 AM..
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03-14-2020, 01:51 PM
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CC Member
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Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Phoenix,
AZ
Cobra Make, Engine: Ex owner of a polished Kirkham 427 S/C. Now Cobra-less and driving a mid-engine German hot rod.
Posts: 828
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Not Ranked
It’s not that hard to keep it looking good. Really isn’t. I drive mine quite a bit and still spend no more time cleaning it and polishing than I would a painted car. Nothing wrong with paint either but the whole “nightmare to keep it looking good” thing is not really accurate. I know from experience.
It is possible to screw up the finish, requiring quite a bit of work to get it back to where it should be. But I think most people know better than to do that.
It’s also sort of a pain to get a new Kirkam painted. Doing it right requires painting it before putting in the transmission and engine and interior components. That means you either have to buy a roller, do the painting yourself, and then finish the car.... or, get David to do all of that. David does not paint cars, so he would have to send it out to get that done, locally. If you are like me and wanted to buy a completed car with engine and transmission installed, the painting process is difficult.
To each his own, and there is nothing wrong with a painted car. But it’s really not that hard to keep a polished or brushed car looking good, even if driven a lot.
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03-14-2020, 07:38 PM
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CC Member
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Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Los Angeles,
CA
Cobra Make, Engine: Superformance Mk3, Roush 427
Posts: 231
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Not Ranked
Hmm.. best of both worlds- clear coat the brushed finish?
I saw Rodney's car up close.. beautiful. Those suspension bits.. I'd put it up on a rack so I could slide under and just look at it too
You're going to be quite happy with your purchase. One nice thing about my beater superformance though- I can drive and track it. Oh, another rock chip.. whatever.
If I had Rodney's car I'd have a hard time taking it out of the garage.. just want to polish it
-Dave
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03-15-2020, 07:49 AM
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CC Member
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Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Mesa,
AZ
Cobra Make, Engine: ERA #2119 289FIA
Posts: 5,380
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Not Ranked
Dan, the green-eyed monster of envy lives within me. Congratulations for choosing Kirkham. I dearly love my ERA, and drive the snot out of it, but if I had the means, I'd just have to have a Kirkham.
Enjoy, but remember, its out to kill you. NEVER hit the loud pedal unless its pointed straight. my 2¢ worth
__________________
Karlos
"In the Land of the Pigs, The Butcher is King"
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03-17-2020, 08:32 AM
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CC Member
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Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Austin, TX,
TX
Cobra Make, Engine: Kirkham 599 Polished Bronze
Posts: 551
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Not Ranked
I think the CSX aluminum cars should be painted, but paint is optional on a non CSX Kirkham (in my opinion). You can't go wrong either way.
I've had four Kirkham built bodies and they are great cars. My brushed aluminum was very easy to care for compared to the bronze one I recently purchased. Go with what turns you on, be prepared for lots of attention with a non painted Kirkham.
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03-17-2020, 11:27 AM
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Senior Club Cobra Member
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Granite Bay,
Ca
Cobra Make, Engine: SPF GT40P-2265/393W, KMP318 (PROJECT!!!!!)/CSX478
Posts: 1,158
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Not Ranked
The brushed finish on my Kirkham is/was the easiest, least worrisome finish I can imagine taking care of.
I love the look of the painted cars, but I'd always worry about door dings and paint chips. Never in issue with the brushed aluminum. If it ever got a little grungy looking, I'd take a red 3M pad to it, and in an hour or two, it looked brand new. I only did this every couple of years, and usually only after fixing a dent and cleaning off some oil or grease.
__________________
Ron R
"Dishwasher? I thought that was for cleaning parts!?"
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04-17-2020, 04:29 PM
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CC Member
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Join Date: May 2006
Location: Exeter,
CA
Cobra Make, Engine: KMP 498
Posts: 495
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Not Ranked
Remember, you can leave it unpainted because you can.
Mine was brushed- if you are real particular it is not for you. If you want to be the coolest guy in town- you leave it be and wash it every few outings. The polished one is what is scary, finger prints destroy it.
My finish was 180 grit then a quick once over with 400. It knocks the sharp edges off then it is easy to dust.
__________________
Sanded Aluminum Finish? Because I Can!
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04-17-2020, 05:48 PM
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CC Member
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Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Danville,
CA
Cobra Make, Engine: CSX 6079 482CI CSX cross ram
Posts: 1,354
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Not Ranked
Quote:
Originally Posted by twobjshelbys
Paint it.
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wait. what? NO!!!
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04-17-2020, 06:58 PM
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CC Member
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Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Austin, TX,
TX
Cobra Make, Engine: Kirkham 599 Polished Bronze
Posts: 551
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Not Ranked
Nobody asks if it's a replica if your Kirkham is polisher or brushed, nobody cares. It kind of negates the question about real or replica.
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04-17-2020, 11:21 PM
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CC Member
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Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Oakham,
Ma
Cobra Make, Engine: Kirkham 592
Posts: 578
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Not Ranked
Yeah they still ask and touch...…………
Mostly when I turn away. I want to ask can I feel your wives breasts? I want to see if they are real or fake...……………..
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