[john chesnut]

Wow! What a thread. I don't know anything about the new owners of Shell Valley but I am going to give them a chance and not start off by thinking that they are not qualified to run the business or worse, are crooks! I have been dealing with Rich, Dana, and Roger of Shell Valley and have been extremely happy with anything that they have done for me. They have my molds and jigs for my Dragon cars and I have ordered a number of them from them. All of the parts that they have made for me have been of great quality. I also have purchased 2 Cobra bodies along with their Cobra specific parts and have been very happy with the prices and quality. The delivery of EVERY part that I have purchased along with the paper work has been on time and as descriped.
If you build a Cobra or other Kit car to make a profit you are missing the point. These are supposed to be fun to build and fun to drive. They are not like "normal" cars. It is your responsibility to make sure that the Kit you buy and build is the right one for your abilities and for the performance level you want.
The fact is that when you buy a new car it losses significant value the second that you drive it off the lot. Alot of body shops don't like to deal with fiberglass because it is something that is out of the realm of their regular work. That doesn't mean that fiberglass bodies are bad, just different. They all require work out of the mold but they can be made to look great.
I trust Dana and I will continue to do business with Shell Valley. In fact, I am ordering parts today to replace a Dragon nose that a customer damaged racing and a new Dragon kit that I just sold. If things don't turn out to be the same as they were I will make a change. As of now I will support the new owners and wish them the best.

John