From everything I understand this is true, which makes it a double whammy for me! The logical side of my brain tells me I would be "better off" spending the money on a nice '65-'67 Mustang fastback, and I believe that to be accurate.....but there is this little voice down deep inside whispering to me otherwise!

That's a great question ... I know the dropped dash in the street cars takes away some knee room for tall drivers. I have also been told that the CSX8000 cars are really a tight fit and forget about one if you are tall.

Maybe Bob would have numbers to compare the 'roominess' of the ERA 289 car versus their 427 car ?

Whew ,at 6-4 34 " inseam its been a real chore to fit my cobra to me ! I went to most of the manufactures and sat in their cars( no way was that going to work )
The biggest one I could find was a classic roadster , now de funct but after painstaking mods I can drive it safely...meaning in a hurry I can lift my foot off the floor and hit the brake without getting stuck.
I also think it would be way cheaper to buy a built one and modify it vs. building from scratch (roller). and yes I am sure it looks like a shriner parade car but I love it ..WD

if you like the jbl it is 95" wheelbase. i have a 34" inseam and cannot touch the front of the cockpit flatfooted by about 2", plenty of room in the cockpit.

buying used or even new i would say be careful, what the seller considers appropriate or acceptable is not necessarily the same as your standards, difference in perceptions or whatever you want to call it.

Listen to that voice, don't throw in the towel on this one just yet ... give it a go. My guess is that the car will be loud, hot, cold, cramped, impractical ... you know ... perfect :D

Save the Fastback Mustang for when you are too old to get in and out of the Cobra ;)

I fear my body is already "too old" to get in and out of a cobra....when I used to get out of my girlfriends Honda having to "stand up" from around 4" off the ground was a major pain!!! Besides, if I want comfort I will just drive my old truck....(that doesn't sound too redneck, does it???) FWIW my girlfriend calls that little voice "Evil Mark".....he does get me into a lot of trouble, but I gotta tell ya, he's a lot of fun!!!!

Hey, if it was easy everyone would do it ! the first time you get it dialed in and you take that ride you will know why we all put up with the too whatevers...WD

Big Bob Evans ran an FIA...and he was a bit, shall we say, tall...former pro B-Ball player now living in Utah. Moved on from the Cobra to messing with Minis. Can't recall just how big Bob was, but he used to rest his feet inthe grill opening. :p

In any event, if he could make it work, anyone can. The Kirkhams and i used some of his ideas when building mine to fit my girth. Besides removing the seat rails, the use of memory seat foam was a big help (same stuff they use in the mattresses). When you're not sitting in it, it returns to its original shape and fills the seat cover...but compresses flatter when you're in it. Try to get a seat with a suspension on the bottom rather than a hard shell...helps let you sit lower with the memory foam.

Moving the steering column up as high as it will go helps, along with a 15" (even 14") wheel. Moving the pedal box forward, bending the pedals a bit to the left, trimming the bottom of the dash, placing the windshield a bit upright...all are adjustments that can be easily made. Dropped footboxes help as well, but you may be surprised how much room you can get before going there.

Your bigassed feet are always going to cramp your style a bit...hell, my 13EEEs keep me from moving them around on long drives. Besides driving slippers, dedicated racing shoes like Simpsons are great for giving you some comfort. Pilotis tend to be rather thick, as are some other walkable driving shoes. Doesn't take that long to switch shoes at a destination.

As for buying or building, there are some outstanding deals out there, even though FIAs are a tougher find. Hard to pass them up, but building in adjustments for your size may be easier. I went back to Provo several times when mine was being built, and it really paid off.

Good luck! Keep at it and you'll get there. ;)

One of the cars I am looking at right now belongs to Bob Evans. It is also the highest priced on my list, and well worth it, from what I can tell. I am hopefully going to talk with him in the next day or so. I have the extra 10 grand, but I am also looking for a newer F-150, building a new fish room and other upgrades for my business, and putting a little away for a rainy day. Hopefully in the next week or so I'll make a decision and finally be part of the "club"!

Honestly, why reinvent the wheel (so to speak)? Bob fixated and got every damn little inch he could find, and the car is well sorted.

Tell him I said hi. :)

Another good trick the guys do is dimple the drivers rear inner fender. It lets the seat go back just an inch or so more which is a lot on legroom.

Decided it was time to step in,because of this.I have always wanted a big block Cobra and always put it off because of other cars.Finally found the Chevelle I always wanted it's in a Car Bag,then built a Cobra just the way I always imagined one should be built.It took a lot of years to do all this but the wait was well worth it.Good Luck in your quest!

By buying used, you get the most for your money, but you don't often get everything you want. I think most of us were faced with the same decision. I tried to find something that fit my needs and wants, but couldn't. So I bought new and spec'ed it the way I wanted, but spent a whole lot more $$ than buying used.

Any thoughts on 4 speed vs 5 speed as well as knock off vs bolt-on? Any personal experience + or - would be great. This will be a street cruiser and am not planning on any track time. Looking at several cars right now and trying to decide what to stick to my guns on. No compromising on the 289 body or a 351.

IMHO I think knock-offs are much nicer. I would go for the 5sp over a 4sp. Much better on the highway. You can always change out the shift knob to a 4spd of you want to have the appearance of originality (although the knobs look exactly the same except for the shift pattern).

AZFM -- you might want to take some time and research the difference between 5 and 6 pin drive for the knockoffs. If you're going to be doing street highway driving, a 5 speed can make a nice difference. There are a zillion threads on here about that choice though. The TKO600's first four gears are pretty close to a wide ratio toploader's numbers too, so if you never shift in to fifth, you can just pretend it's a TL.;)

The vintage knock offs are nice wheels - they are a 5 pin - I put them on my 289 FIA and really like them. Definitely go with a 5 speed - most people recommend a Tremec TKO600 and I went with it. There are opinions on the 5th OD ratio to go with - I felt I was going to be doing more highway driving than I am - and I "mistakenly" went with the .64 OD. Should have followed the advise of Bob at ERA and the comments from the Kirkhams - and gone with the .82 OD with the 3:54 rear...or a 3:31 rear. The drop in rpm's from 4th to 5th is crazy - 1000 or more. If I had it to do over (or decide to blow some $$$) I would go with the .82 and a 3:33 rear. Buying a new - or used - ERA FIA (if you can find one) is a great great acquisition. Amazing build quality, incredible engineering detail (I sent you a PM with some detailed comments so as not to bore everyone). You might even post an ad on cobra country "Wanted USED ERA 289 FIA". There are cars that people have built that have had very little use. I have almost 6000 miles on mine in just over 2 years (I travel a lot on business or there would be more - I am in Lima, Peru right now waiting for a flight home - red eye - and another trip - 0 miles for Memorial Day weekend). Any questions about being tall - having large feet - call Bob at ERA - for a new build they can use a Kirkey aluminum seat on the floor rather than a padded street seat - pedals can be moved. They have built cars for guys well over 6'5". Get racing/ driving shoes - reduces the width. Enjoy the reasearch!! Get an ERA and enjoy the car.

I just read through this thread and I'll add my three cents. You're not gonna be happy buying sombody else's car if you need special stuff. If you're dead set on a FIA Cobra, then you should at least talk to Peter at ERA (visit if you can). I know building a car is somewhat more expensive then buying one, but you must have the car fit to you, or you'll be miserable in it and won't drive it. ERA will custom fit the car to you. You don't have to spend a fortune (maybe spend a small fortune) to build a ERA FIA Cobra. If you can assemble it and you don't need a FE engine or toploader, you save big time. A stock 351 crate motor won't cost much. Also stock brakes and five pin adapters save another bundle of cash, and if you can paint it yourself (or have a buddy do it) another five grand is saved. The plus part is 'the car is built the way you want it'. Another thought if you want to go with a small dia steering wheel, consider power steering. A power rack and pump will go a lot easier if you don't have to change over from an existing setup.
I built my own ERA and although it wasn't cheap, I saved quite a bit of cash by doing it myself, and the car looks and drives awesome. Not everyone needs a 25 g motor. Good luck on whatever you decide. Life is short.

I appreciate the responses so far. I had forgotten I can search past threads...so I will keep reading on the 4 vs 5 speed. It seems this is going to be a harder search than I had thought. There are currently a handful of 289 cars for sale at the moment, and all of them have "elements" of what I am looking for...right engine, right color, wrong transmission...etc. I will most likely talk to ERA and Unique this week to get exact pricing on a "roller". Aside from the car decision there is also the dilemma of how to distribute the funds I am working with. Spend it all on a high dollar perfect car....less money on a great car and a new truck.....more money on a great car, a decent used truck and the 50 cal BMG I have always wanted...... I am sure you all have been there, and I do appreciate your help as well as your patience!

If you find something close to what you think you want, yet you are still not sure on exactly what you want all the many details to be, you are where I once was. To some degree I still am. I finally looked at it this way. Buy something close that you will not be unhappy with. Modify the things you want to change. You will find out with simple modifications just how well you think you would do building your own. You will also learn that some of the things you thought you wanted is not as important, and some things that you never thought of are more important.

I think there is no better way to figure out what you want than to own one, maybe two or three. If you buy them right and don't pile a fortune on changes, you should be able to sell it at minimal losses and try another. In this economy, you might even make a small profit in a couple years.

If you are certain of what you want and want it now then go for it. Just realize if you are wrong, you will take a bigger loss when you sell it.

In short, its kind of nice to date a few women and learn what you do and do not like, rather than marrying the first one you meet just because she is a virgin.