Cost To complete ERA Cobra

[65Sweet16]

I Love the ERA Cobra it is soo nice and i feel that an unskilled builder like me will be able to complete im handy i have replaced and rebuilt an engine in my tahoe but i have zero fab skills does anyone know how much it would cost to complete one thanks bye

[mrmustang]

Difficult to say as the final price would depend on which ERA you plan to build and what options/drivetrain you plan to go with. Can you narrow down your wants and needs a little more first so we can attempt to assist you better?


Bill S.

[marcalan]

You are asking a question that many of us have pondered at the start of the build. As Bill says, narrow down your wants and needs. Era can build your kit to just about any level of completeness that you want.

m-a

[Argess]

A reasobale estimate is final cost will be double that of the kit alone. That's a minimum. It can go up from there, but a lot of that potential increase from double will have to do with the engine cost. Nice thing is, you can get the kit, start the work, and then purchase other stuff as your finances get back under control....er....or close to under control.

[Dwight]

How about $55 oil caps, a pair of handles for $50, $100 here and $100 there. Then it get to be $200 items and $300 items.

I think you can double the kit price and be close.

In our bunch we have paid $800, $2250, $2800, $4500 for paint and some have paid as high at $13,000.

Some have build motors for a couple of thousand and some have paid over $10,000.

just don't tell the wife what stuff cost or it will double

Dwight

[cobrajeff]

You don't need fabrication skills to build an ERA. It is not like some of the less expensive kits where you have to weld, fabricate, and re-engineer the whole car while building it.
If you can pull an engine out of a vehicle, rebuild it, put it back in, and get it to run, you can build an ERA. The kit is very well designed, and the only things that won't fit like they're supposed to will be things you thought you'd "improve" by modifying them

regards,

Jeff

[*13*]

I had ERA bond the body to the frame & did most everything else myself. With Very few options & doing most of the work yourself on a small block car you could be under 35k. Paint, Pin drive set up, big brakes, ERA rear, professional engine build, high end paint, etc etc etc will quickly throw you out of that range. I'm in the 45k range with mine because I wanted quite a few extras . The ERA Assembly guide is well written. If you have the proper tools & follow the instructions, you'll be ok. Luckily for anyone taking on a Cobra Project, this site exists. If you have any questions there is someone here with the answer.

[decooney]

-Engine can be a big variable. (i.e. Shelby Block build vs. 390 FE std block)
-Body/Paint is a big variable.
-Differential/options is a variable.
-Wheels/Tires/hubs can be a notable variable.
-Standard or custom-upgrade suspension is a variable.
-Bits and small custom parts are a varable.
-Other Outside LABOR can be a huge variable if you farm out work.
-The rest, for the most part is pretty much standard.

I've seen ERAs range in spread as much as 5k-25k depending on build/option/upgrade differences depending on many of the factors above. DC

[Hans-Olof Blom]

I think twice the price of the basic kit is a good estimate for a car minus motor and with several options.

Look at the complete option list so you don't miss anything! Many options are installed when you get the kit. Much easier than installing them later.

http://www.erareplicas.com/427/427op...ptember_09.pdf

[CJ428CJ]

You might find this page from the ERA website to be helpful as well: http://www.erareplicas.com/427/sampcost.htm

[Dangerous Doug]

I'm at $43k including CA tax and registration, and I'm not painted yet. Paint will be around $7k here in CA for a nicely cut and polished "near show quality" job.

I upgraded my brakes, installed the ERA design rear, vintage wheels, TKO-600, mild 302. I highly recommend have ERA do the frame powder coating and body bonding option.

DD

[Hray]

This question is like asking how much money does it cost to take a lady out to dinner and a nite on the town. It could be McDonald's and a movie and spend 40$ with change left over. or it could be Morton's Steak house with wine, and then a nite at the opera. That could set you back $400.00 for the nite. It all depends on what you want the end result to be.

If buying a new kit, and taking the McDonald's route then I am gonna guess 20K with you doing all the work. Likewise you can spend 35K in a heart beat, and even more with all the upgraded stuff.

Mainly build it to suit yourself, some people eat to live, others live to eat. It all depends on what floats your boat.

Main thing is to enjoy the journey which ever route you take.

[decooney]

Originally Posted by Hray

...If buying a new kit, and taking the McDonald's route then I am gonna guess 20K with you doing all the work. Likewise you can spend 35K in a heart beat, and even more with all the upgraded stuff.

Not for a "complete" ERA.

Maybe for other kits.

[PatBuckley]

I bet the "average" ERA build is around $55-60,000

[*13*]

It really does depend on what you are willing & able to do yourself. 55-60 avg sounds about right. You can also really get crazy on an engine, especially an FE, without trying too hard.
I think the best way to estimate your cost is to put together a spreadsheet. It will take you some time but write down everything you want on the car then write down the corresponding costs from the ERA site, paint shops, engine builders & so on. Don't forget shipping . Once you have a base cost you can decide if there's anything you can do yourself to save money or maybe cut back on some of the options to get inside of your budget. Chances are you will end up with a little extra cash during the Lead Time to add anything you really want.

[RedEsprit]

I spent $37,000 at ERA and got just about every option availalbe. Finished project was $58,000 with a 428, toploader and pin drives but I painted the car myself.

[decooney]

Originally Posted by PatBuckley

I bet the "average" ERA build is around $55-60,000

Pat is right on the money for an SC car using a original FE 428 or aftermarket iron FE block. Shelby/Pond block would be a tad more of course. I had a few different spreadsheets for second/3rd builds listing every single part, cost, information and studied it for a year before getting my first ERA; the rest of the variances come from the (variables) listed above. This includes things like getting your pipes ceramic coated, having driveshafts and 1/2 shafts made..., custom shifter linkage/parts, correct steering rack, rear battery mount kit, special switches, good wiring harness, ... on and on, ...all the little stuff people tend forget to add in the costs when building one. $500-$1000 for this and that here and there goes fast.

I too followed used 427 ERAs for many years before the economy mess that were built for less than 50K. When looking real closely after building one (then knowing what to look for) and noting many of those sub-50 cars many were missing key parts, non-leather seats, wrong carpets, using 390 blocks, wrong gauges, tired motors...wrong hubs/wheels/offsets, or bad body/paint, or a mish-mash of parts in a few rare cases. And so many built right with the direction of ERA, using ERA supplied parts.

The reason they sell for good prices used when they are well built is because folks who've built them know what it takes to do them right in the first place and know what it takes to replace them with all the right parts/bits. Also worth mentioning is they are not mass produced, and the entry fee and parts to finish them is a bit higher and worth every penny. Hand made custom built quality cars.

[Dangerous Doug]

Oh, duh! I have a build spreadsheet that lets you pick ERA options and build the car in phases to spread the cost out. I have it on my office computer. PM me with your email address if you want a copy. Prices may be out of date, but you can refresh them with an options sheet from ERA. It helped my build.

DD

[WarrenG]

Originally Posted by PatBuckley

I bet the "average" ERA build is around $55-60,000

If you build it yourself, you could probably get down to around $45K with everything on it (for a 289 anyway). For some 427's you could pay $25-35K for the engine alone!

[*13*]

You could feasibly get it down under 35k if you do everything yourself. That would require some pretty advanced mechanical skills, however. If a guy were to build the engine, rear end & do bodywork & paint he may be able to cut out a lot of the costs. If he were able to find a decent salvaged jag rear, a smallblock & toploader he could have an ERA at a pretty cost. It would require a lot of elbow grease.