Quote:
Originally Posted by Mikey_P
To Yerdugliness I see your point but I've never heard anybody refer to an FFR as a re-bodied mustang. Of course it doesn't surprise me, I'm continually amazed at people's thought process.
Oh and I think the only mustang parts on my FFR are brakes, front spindles and gas tank.
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It would be difficult to think of your build as a donor build if that is all that you used from the Mustang....or did you just buy the few Mustang parts new? Not criticizing, just curious if you went the donor route or not.
At one time I was keen on attending the build school F5R offered. I haven't kept up with F5R's offerings, so I don't know if the build school is still offered or not. It was a 4 or 5 day affair, IIRC, and apparently involved only an "intro" into what it involved. A real donor build uses such items from the Mustang as the gauge cluster, the steering wheel/column along with the steering and suspension parts from the chassis, the seats, the brake lines as well as all the factory brake parts (including pedal assemblies), the entire wiring harness, that sort of stuff. I was actively shopping for a well maintained and built Mustang GT, planning to build the F5R, but when it came right down to it, the paneling was just too much work for me and I didn't really like the frequently mentioned "perky butt". One of the perks of working a donor build would have been that the Mustang 5.0 GT's I was considering frequently had a WELL BUILT engine....even some Paxton supercharged motors! Since the drivetrain is a large part of the expense of building, that would have been a great benefit.
In the end, I bought an already built replica for $18,200 and drove it home. It has an incredibly well built frame, the drivetrain from an '89 Mustang GT (and more, like Brembo 4-wheel discs and a Ford 9" Traction-loc differential), and already has those things that would be extras even with a donor build, such as a paint job (that can be a HUGE expense) and wind wings and bumpers and wheels/tires, etc. I bought it b/c it was what I was looking for....a car I could drive on the street regularly and not worry about small rock chips in the paint or poor gas mileage that makes some of us think twice about driving much (I get close to 25 MPG on the highway if I keep my right foot under control).
Mr. Bruce is probably right, a kit that became too much for an inexperienced builder could be a good platform for someone who is willing to put in all the work he can and has the time to pursue budget-limited parts choices. I can't imagine getting one on the road for $10K, though, or even $18K.
Here's wishing the OP good luck in his search!
Cheers from Dugly!
