Any Advice ??

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by redmt

I hadn't considered the TOTAL outlay. It's the initial outlay that I'd like to keep down around 20-25k. I can always throw money at it as I progress.

That's going to be tough. The engine, trans, and rear on most of the non-FE cars around here will add up to over 50% of that figure, and you still don't have a car yet. I'm going to be brutally honest with you and tell you that just about every donor-build that I've ever seen was a piece of crap. Now, everybody, please hold the flames... I'm just calling it like it is; there are always exceptions. Red, I think what you need to do is sit down with a pencil and paper and do a hard, honest gut check and come up with the total amount that you can afford to spend. That will tell you what kind of final product you can end up with. That does not mean that you have to spend it all at once. But what I'm trying to convey to you is that there are some Cobras out there, and "donor kits," that really can not be improved all that much at a reasonable price (even with more than a reasonable price). So you really need to know where you're going before you start out. If you start out on the wrong foot, the remedy will end up being "sell your car, and start over" and you don't want to do that.

[redmt]

20-25k was my initial pie in the sky outlay for the kit/parts. Engine, trans, running gear paint, wheels and tires ect were on top of that. Knowing where I'm going I think will be a lot easier after I figure out where to start.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by redmt

20-25k was my initial pie in the sky outlay for the kit/parts. Engine, trans, running gear paint, wheels and tires ect were on top of that. Knowing where I'm going I think will be a lot easier after I figure out where to start.

Then I'd point you to the Hurricane.

[FIA-ERA]

Just my thoughts... I think with Cobra's in general you need to have the money for the kit 20-25K, then at the SAME TIME ALSO have at least 15-20K for the initial build up. Are you willing to push it around on dollies until you can make it a roller? There are way to many "projects" out there that were planned out by "I'll get the kit and then work from there". Sorry, but it's the truth. Now, you are sitting in the drivers seat for the best time EVER to by a used Cobra. There are new listings here everyday, every style and make. It took me 7 years to build mine and I still had the motor, trans, rear end, and a lot of other parts before I had the car. I did 90% of the car and that's the only way I could afford to do it. If I had to do it again AND I had the money, I'd buy a used one and drive the snot out of it. I agree with Patrick here that "most" donor cars I've seen were less than desirable and will not hold it's value. They are cheap to get into AND their cheap when you unload them. It's very rare that you see one that's very detailed, because the mindset from the beginning is CHEAP!

And YES, you can not build one cheaper than you can buy one already done! I can promise you that till the cows come home! Just ask Mr. Mustang here, he will tell you all you need to know. If it were me, I would find a nice FFR, with low miles, built well, and drive it for a few years and then regroup. Have you driven one of these cars? They are brutal in every since and MOST don't realize this till they've invested a ton of money! That's why you see so many out there for sale with 500 miles or so!

Even if you spent 25K on a used one, it WILL need parts and maintenance, etc. These cars require a lot and it seems they always have something that's needed. Again, just my honest thoughts and best of luck, it's out there! Matt

[rustyBob]

redmt....i'm not going to tell you what to do but let me tell you what i did..
after researching for 4 years i went out and purchased a body and frame
from Midstates Classic Cars and trailered it home....
and i looked around for deals on everything i needed to build my car...
everything on my car is new except for the rear end housing and backing plates
the block and heads and i'm in the 40k range on my car....
do your research before you even choose a kit (if thats how you go )
sometimes you can get parts cheaper through local parts stores than you
can from the kit manufacturer.........good luck......research....

[Dwight]

would you be interested in a Hurricane, Keith Craft 428 stroker,

For Sale: 1966 Hurricane 427/Cobra. Ford Vermillion red w/white stripes and black pin stripes.

Under the hood: 428 Keith Craft stroker (461 ci). All engine info and dyno sheet (600 hp/ 619 ft tq) included. Engine has all the good stuff. MSD dist., 6AL box, Holley 750 HP carb. Canton front sump T-style oil pan. Edelbrock high output water pump. Aluminum high volume radiator with high performance fan (2800 cfm). March Pulley set up.

Drive train: Lakewood scatter shield, Tremec TKO 500 5 speed transmission, 9 inch Ford rear end with 3.25 gears, Moser axles.

Suspension/brakes/wheels: 4 wheel 11”disc brakes, 4 QA1 adjustable, chromed, coil over shocks. Wilwood pedal assembly and master cylinders. Adjustable front upper control arms. Rear end has three link adjustable control arms and pan hard bar.

Vintage 15" wheels and Mickey Thompson tires.

In the cockpit: black vinyl dash, seats and door panels with black carpet. Black floor mats trimmed in red. Stainless foot box and upright support covers. Original hardwood Cobra steering wheel, Classic instruments, fire extinguisher.

Other stuff: Two speed heater, wind wings and visors, doors and trunk weather stripped, battery cut off switch, trunk carpet. Complete photo album of build and maintenance record included. Very well taken care of. Car has all the “bugs” worked out of it. Car handles very well and is extremely quick yet very streetable.

for $35,000




Drive it home

Black hard top with insulation and windows extra.

Dwight

[PHM]

John,
I understnd your situation, I was there a few years ago and these are the conclusions i came up with. What do i want for my cobra:

I wanted a big block with 5 speed trans,(like the way it sounds)
I want the real knock off rims( i think they are real cool)
I want the original stye guages
I want an original shape
I want a top
I want a glove compartment and visors.
I want a nice paint job
I want independant rear suspension (once i rode in one with it it was a must)
I wanted the oil cooler with the lines in the front.

If you add up the cost all of these thing i wanted it just does not make sense to go with a doner car. Every where i looks it was an extra or a part that i had to find and eventually it would be a car of mixed mached parts. Dont get me wrong, some ffr cars are really nice and they perform very well. And then there was one last thing that is a real show stopper. I live in Mass and look into how i would get it registerd when i was done. FF didnt really want to help you in this area and i hear about some real nightmares.

After i added up the exspense it made sense to go with a roller chassis that had all of my wants with real good quality parts thant are band new and a show quality paint job.
I ended up buying a Superformance and installed my own Engine and trans. I paid $37,000 for the car and went over board on the engine and trans and spent $23,000 so total was $60,000. I put $15,000 down and finaced the rest so it was like having a normal car payment for 5 years. It is the way i decided to go and very happy i did. I have a freind that decided to do the doner and he has the car done but cant regester it until he puts a used engine in it and puts catalitic convertors on it and it must pass two differnt types of inspections. This is all just my opinion, If i were you just buy one already done and without the head aches. Let us know what you decide.

[Bill Bess]

All good suggestions mentioned above.
Process: How much money can I afford to spend?
How much work do I want to do?
How much time until done?
What replica brand do I like the most?
What will make my wife the happiest....Harr!

[patrickt]

Red, another thing you might want to think about is the fact that you probably don't know about some of the differences in the cars. If you don't know about them, then you can only roll the dice about whether they're going to be important to you (or not) when you do learn about them. What you want to avoid is having bought a kit/car, and then after a while, saying to yourself "boy, I sure I wish I had one that had a blah, blah, blah... or that didn't have a blah, blah, blah." There are some things that you just can't change -- ever. Take for instance my ERA, if you find out that a round tube design is really important to you then my ERA is never going to make you happy -- and that is "unfixable." You probably haven't given much thought to things like hip appearance, independent rear with inboard or outboard brakes, whether your roll bar is fully exposed, what way your wipers point, whether your pedals come up from bottom or down from the top, pin drives and how many pins there are, how your gear shaft handle looks, whether your radiator slants, if you want pusher fans or not, and the list goes on and on. If you said to yourself "I have no idea what he's even talking about on most of those things" then you need to put your checkbook away and spend the next few months reading every post on this forum and then make your decision in the spring.

[elmariachi]

Patrick's post is spot-on. There are SO MANY little things about these cars that you cannot even imagine are of importance until you sleep with one in your garage a few months. In my opinion, you need to qualify what you think your finished car would represent first, then work backwards. Some questions to think about in terms of the finished car:

1. Do you want it to look original or do you want it to have more of a contemporary/hot rod appearance?

2. Are accurate body lines (like ERA and Hurricane) important to you?

3. How will you power it?

4. Will you race it?

Some kits are better suited in these areas than others. Another thing to consider is that while two kits might cost the same going in, if one requires 40 extra hours of body prep time over the other, then you aren't really comparing apples to apples.

[redmt]

Wow1 I don't check in for a day and I'm overwhelmed with answers!! I'll give a brief description of what I think I want

1. I don't want to have to join an "in crowd" or have to drink the Kool-Aid to get along. (Jim Jones reference).
2. I'm sure that I want a small block in the 400 hp range. I considered a 4.6 but I know nothing about them. I know the Windsor. I'd like to inject it or possibly Webers. I like the look. Carburetor is a last resort if I can't do the $$ for the other.
3. IRS would be great but ,,,,,the dollar thing again. I like that Hurricane can be upgraded.
4.I would like to do as much as possible building it outside of electrical and body/paint.
5. I won't be racing it. Possible for a Sunday auto cross just to play a little but not a race car. Daily driver. We live in a very remote area with really lousy roads and I don't intend to trailer it in and out of here. I'm going to drive it so I'm going to wear out suspension parts. A typical set of tires for my truck last about 12k and for wife's Explorer about 15k. Tough country.
6. now some of the goodies. I'd like a convertible/removable top, I think. I'd probably like a 5 speed. I'd like heat and air. I'd like to take it on drives without using ear plugs. I'd like reasonably good mileage and I'm going to run it on regular old pump gas.
7. I have all the time in the world to work on it, but I'm not going to spend my time chasing down used parts. I can rebuild anything, tranny, engine, 3rd member suspension etc. not an issue. I'm a good to great mechanic and an excellent welder fabricator. I've been keeping heavy equipment and worn out cars and trucks in top shape all my life. I've built trucks and bulldozers from piles of parts for years.

I know there are so many individual touches that can be built into and out of these cars. It will not be an exact replica. I hope it to be what I want. The more I learn and the more I see and hear, It looks like the Hurricane is going to be my choice unless something better pops up between now and the actual time I finish putting my $$ together. I've never seen one. Is there anyone who has one withing say 200 miles of the SF Bay Area?

I certainly thank all you guys for all the responses. Your making the really steep learning curve a little more tolerable.

John

[FIA-ERA]

Mmm, Not to sound critical but there are a lot of things that pop up as i read this. The "dollar thing" first, I myself love the look of Webers or injected stacks but do you know how much this stuff costs? There are guy's here that have spent over 7K$ on a decent stacked system! The independant rear isn't really a money issue compared to the way it will drive or handle. The IRS is the way to go plain and simple (I know this will bring up a debate).

Now, have you ever actually driven one of these cars? They are not a car for rough roads!! I would say Most cars have only 4" of travel at best! I could not imagine driving this my car down a rough road! I have land that I take my Fj Cruiser too and the roads there would break my Cobra or get it stuck. Do you think you could drive a newer Corvette down these roads and not tear up any components? There are a few hear on CC that drive there Cobra's on remote driveways and to each there own but don't expect any ROI when selling!

Reasonably good gas mileage?? What would you call reasonably? It all depends what that right foot does. These cars are not a Prius, not an Accord, not even a Ford truck. I would be willing to say most here get 10 mpg or worse. These cars don't get mpg they get spg (smiles per gallon)! Like it is posted on ERA's website "MPG,do you need to ask". If your worried about the fuel and mpg, you don't need one of these.

I'd like heat AND air? Really! A heater I can understand BUT AIR? Do you really want a Cobra or a Daytona Coupe?

Again, just my thoughts! Not trying to sound negative just honest, brutal. I've seen to many guy's out there buy these cars to think there a grander illusion they what they really are. Good luck.

[redmt]

Originally Posted by FIA-ERA

Mmm, Not to sound critical but there are a lot of things that pop up as i read this. The "dollar thing" first, I myself love the look of Webers or injected stacks but do you know how much this stuff costs? There are guy's here that have spent over 7K$ on a decent stacked system! The independant rear isn't really a money issue compared to the way it will drive or handle. The IRS is the way to go plain and simple (I know this will bring up a debate).

Now, have you ever actually driven one of these cars? They are not a car for rough roads!! I would say Most cars have only 4" of travel at best! I could not imagine driving this my car down a rough road! I have land that I take my Fj Cruiser too and the roads there would break my Cobra or get it stuck. Do you think you could drive a newer Corvette down these roads and not tear up any components? There are a few hear on CC that drive there Cobra's on remote driveways and to each there own but don't expect any ROI when selling!



Reasonably good gas mileage?? What would you call reasonably? It all depends what that right foot does. These cars are not a Prius, not an Accord, not even a Ford truck. I would be willing to say most here get 10 mpg or worse. These cars don't get mpg they get spg (smiles per gallon)! Like it is posted on ERA's website "MPG,do you need to ask". If your worried about the fuel and mpg, you don't need one of these.


I'd like heat AND air? Really! A heater I can understand BUT AIR? Do you really want a Cobra or a Daytona Coupe?


Again, just my thoughts! Not trying to sound negative just honest, brutal. I've seen to many guy's out there buy these cars to think there a grander illusion they what they really are. Good luck.

I would expect to pay top $$ for top of the line equipment. However, I've seen used setups for $1,500 and up. If I can't do what i want , I'll just wait and "get by" on carburation.

No, I have never driven a Cobra.Just because you live in an area with crappy roads doesn't mean you have to thrash your car everytime you drive it. I fully expect that it will cruise at 30 mph as well as 80. For the Bay Area guys , I'm sure that some of them must be familiar with the roads up and over Mt Hamilton. We have Corvette clubs running through here all the time but does anybody really care if they trash a Chevy?

I would figure reasonable to be directly related to horse power. 600hp , not so good. 400 horse 12-15, assuming your right foot isn't made out of lead and your on an even cruise. If your beating it at every chance you get then MPG would equate to SPG

What wrong with a little creature comfort?

I appreciate your reply. It helps me tune in what I am really looking for and what is possible and expected. Thanks for the honesty and insight.

John

[Got the Bug]

Redmt,

Realistically, what is your time frame to buy a Cobra? You've received some very thoughtful responses. You've focused it down to a Hurricane (excellent car), but you haven't driven or compared anything yet.

We've seen some of the most researched Cobra searches in history on CC that haven't ended well or have resulted in a purchase then a quick sale (hence maybe the somewhat frank theme of some of the responses to your questions).

[redmt]

Originally Posted by Got the Bug

Redmt,

Realistically, what is your time frame to buy a Cobra? You've received some very thoughtful responses. You've focused it down to a Hurricane (excellent car), but you haven't driven or compared anything yet.

We've seen some of the most researched Cobra searches in history on CC that haven't ended well or have resulted in a purchase then a quick sale (hence maybe the somewhat frank theme of some of the responses to your questions).

Realistically? Hmm, great question. I probably have the same old story a lot of guys have. I have a couple things hanging $$wise and am waiting for one of them to drop. I've been wanting to build a Cobra as long as I can remember. Purchase is tomorrow or 6 months from now, it depends on finances.

I have done some comparison shopping and gone to see a few and have been warned away from others. I know what I DON"T want and that would be something that vaguely resembles a Cobra or one from a company in turmoil or one that almost requires you to be "one of the family" (group hug comes to mind).

Honestly, I would never ask someone to drive their car. I wouldn't do it any more than I would allow another stranger to drive mine.
I don't really need another ride in one to see how well the owner can hot rod it or see if he can try to scare me. As I told the last guy , "It's your car and I don't figure you want to die either, so go for it!"

I would like the chance to crawl around on one a bit and see what makes it tick and how it's put together. I would love to see a factory built Hurricane to see how the guys who designed it built it. I'm still open to other brands but so far I haven't heard a single negative about the Hurricane like I've heard obout the other brands I've seen.

[Got the Bug]

When I was looking, there was no way I was going to buy a Cobra until I drove and compared a few different manufacturers. You may drive a few cars and decide that a Cobra isn't for you.

Best of luck on your search.

[bobcowan]

A few thoughts.

Heat and air. Sounds good on paper, not so good in real life. The first cobra I built had a heater. When I was stopped at a light, the heater felt good on my legs. Otherwise, it seemed kinda useless. I didn't bother putting one in my second car. I suspect A/C would be about the same. Instead of a heater, consider heated seats. Or get an electric vest from the motorcycle shop.

The top is a nice thing to have. When the top is on, you don't get as wet. But, it does leak, and it is drafty. Doesn't look that good, either. But, the new Whitby top is probably the best on the market. Certainly is an improvement over previous iterations.

IRS is the way to go for a cruiser/driver. The differance is night and day. If you're actually going to drive your car on the back roads of the US, you want IRS. You'll spend a little more money, and a lot more time. But it's really worth it. I'v built and driven both. And - unless it's a track car - I wouldn't consider a solid axle for the street.

Rough roads are not that big of a deal. Use 15" wheels and tires, standard issue shocks and springs, IRS, and it will ride just fine. It is an old fashioned sports car, and not a new Caddy. But I think the ride is fine.

Mileage depends on how you build the car, and how you drive the car. Today I went for a drive in the mountains, over 200 miles. Twisty roads uphill in 3rd. Steady cruising in 5th. A little bit of everything. I average 18mpg. Last july I drove to Jackson Hole. Steady cruising across WY got me better than 20mpg. Not bad for well over 500hp.

Keep in mind that anyhing that adds weight, or uses engine power to run, is going to cost you in mileage. That includes power steering.

EFI is the way to go. Even Harley doesn't sell a carb'ed bike anymore. If you want a trouble free driver that gets decent mileage, you need EFI. Lots of options there, some cheaper than others. Just depends on what you want. I'll never go back to a carb.