Cobra Kit Car

[DanEC]

$18K just isn't a realistic figure I don't think to get a car up and running. Even a fairly complete kit leaves lots of additional parts to source out - donor engine, transmission and suspension, wheels/tires, belts, hoses, shifter, rivets, bolts, etc, etc, etc. It wouldn't leave any room for body/paint - which a lot of guys drive around in factory gel coat for years.

If you just want to pick up a kit to have to play around with as a long, long-term project then you might look at B&B. I always thought their kit was a good value for the money and has a reputation of being pretty strong with good fiberglass. They are in SW Missouri also which would make picking it up yourself a possibility to save some shipping. And then it's hard to beat Factory Five Racing with their volume and web site/forum for technical help. Lone Star is located there in Texas and has been around a good while - I'm not familiar with their kit features and cost anymore. Hurricane Motors also builds a very nice kit although I'm not familiar with the cost and what's included since they were purchased a few years ago. It would probably run a little higher than B&B, FFR.

Shipping can run to around $1,500 so it's an expense to consider on a budget

[YerDugliness]

Originally Posted by Slipery4life

Hey im basicaly trying a kit car and i figured i should go with my favorite car. The only thing is im not sure how a kit car works....

This can be a real problem with a component car...for example, the best builds come about b/c the builder has a firm grasp on the various systems in the car and how they interact, and nowdays if electronic control is an issue it seems you have to be a computer expert to just get the car to start and run after it is built. I would echo some of the other responses...get involved with cars in a big way (how much of the '62 Impala did you actually do yourself?), LEARN how a car works, then start to work on the dream. Failure to build correctly (for example, a braking system) can be deadly in these things, they are light and have little if any in the way of safety equipment, certainly no intrusion protection, so putting yourself out in heavy traffic can be a terrifying prospect (I know, I live in the Houston area, and when I see my car sitting next to one of the Ford F250/F350 pickups I realize my head is EXACTLY at the height of those huge front bumpers...if I get T-boned, I just bought the farm, there is absolutely NO chance for me to survive.)

Originally Posted by Slipery4life

well i wanna go about the cheapest possible i am in college so i got school to worry about but im willing to purchase parts slowly until i finish it. but i wanna keep it under 18k

Some of the best advice is to consider buying a used car. For example, the car you see me sitting in if you look at my avatar I purchased from a gentleman in Dallas for $18,200. By the time I paid sales taxes and license fees I was in for about $20K. I drove it home and have made the following repairs/changes/upgrades:

1. the clutch cable broke...hard to find the one I needed, so I had a custom one made in Houston for about $120.
2. I replaced the air cleaner...about $100 for a small 9" K&N Filtercharger.
3. I replaced all the bushings in the suspension...the car sat on jackstands for 18 months until I could find the correct bushings, but now it rides nice and smooth and does not "dart" to one side when I go over a bump in the road.

I drive the car as a daily driver....it is not a show queen, but I do show it and it always seems to be the one they want to sit in for a photo, the body is spot-on accurate and the stance is right.

Originally Posted by DanEC

$18K just isn't a realistic figure I don't think to get a car up and running. Even a fairly complete kit leaves lots of additional parts to source out - donor engine, transmission and suspension, wheels/tires, belts, hoses, shifter, rivets, bolts, etc, etc, etc. It wouldn't leave any room for body/paint - which a lot of guys drive around in factory gel coat for years.

Dan is SO spot-on! I was amazed at how much little things cost...each of the two "over-riders" for my rear bumper (I already had the hoop, which is over $250) cost $75. Wind wings...side vents...visors...EVERYTHING seems to cost 2-3X what you expect. Every time I go to the hardware store for new bolts, for example, I replace the originals with decent quality stuff...I am always amazed at the price for just bolts and nuts and washers and lock washers and.....well, you get the idea, these things will nickel and dime you to death.

Like you, I had the dream when I was in college back in the 60's...didn't realize it until I retired at age 60...multiple marriages and a family intervened but I kept the dream and now I love the ride!

Pay attention to what the members are telling you here, it can't be done right and cheaply, and to believe so is dangerous. If you want to build, and really don't know much about cars, expect to run into perplexing problems along the way, many of which will require fabrication skills and machinery like drill presses and sheet-metal bending equipment and welding gear....and the likelihood that the project will still be sold unfinished is unfortunately very high.

I do not want to discourage you, but my story is not at all unusual and I see so much of my youthful enthusiasm in you...and yet, at 63 years of age and having immersed myself in this field since I was 17, I still have trouble finding the solution to problems with my car (would you like to try to figure out why I have low beam headlights and no high beams? Nobody else can figure it out... )

Cheers, and good luck!

Dugly