Cost To complete ERA Cobra

[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.

[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.

[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.