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

[tcrist]

I would guess that most of the replica owners on this site did not build their kits with donor vehicles and pretty darn sure most did not paint theirs themselves. So most have $50K or more in their kits (Not even concidering the high end replicas in that statement).

They are running 500+ HP and all sorts of racing equipment/parts. So their vehicles are more or less street legal race cars.

If the OP is looking for a clean smooth running street car and can paint it themselves then $18K-$25K is not unreasionable for a no frills donor built kit.

The thing is that this kit car industry was designed to be able to have a specialty vehicle and a budget cost. Most owners have changed that to building a full blown race car and now think that someone wanting to build a kit on a low in budget is either crazy or uninformed on what THEIR idea of what a kit car is about.

That being said, the OP also needs to realize that 95% of the time the build cost ends up being 30%-50% higher than the starting budget.

For the OP, do your research on what exactly comes with the kit and what you need to purchase later. Then see if your $18K budget still works.

[Voyager]

The statement “not going to race but i will have a big enough engine in case some stupid civic trys to test me” (sic) concerns me.

Save your money and finish school.

[Slipery4life]

Like I said I have to money to build it I don't have time with the 69 impala I did instal tranny brake lines replace quarter panels and did electric wiring with a little help of the layout..... Interior was done by mom , engine was rebuilt by dad and me mostly him but I do know my way around the I just want a kit so I can start building and then once I finish school poor all my attention to it and what things need to be bought ..... I have money to buy a finished one as high up to 70k give or take ...... I want to build it

[dallas_]

Originally Posted by Slipery4life

I have money to buy a finished one as high up to 70k give or take ...... I want to build it

That budget can certainly get you a nice finished product.

I will say that building one of these has been really fun.

99% of the time.

If you are building from the ground up and not purchasing a roller you have some good options. Sounds like you have some resources to draw on and that never hurts.

Good luck, and keep us posted. Maybe even start a build thread when you get going.

[Slipery4life]

Ohh and I am young so obviously I will want to race it a few time but for the most part I will be cruising for pleasure

[Slipery4life]

Dugliness thanks I checked those site out I think I know what I'm going to get and I know 18 is. It enough for a car running I want only kit no engine or other major components I will buy those slowly until I have time to put towards the car

[Silverback51]

Maybe I'm just old and cranky today, but I'm betting this will be a car that is never finished, or something I would not want to own when it's done.

I'm not going to go back and check, but did the Impala just go from a 63 to a 69?

[kevins2]

Originally Posted by Silverback51

I'm not going to go back and check, but did the Impala just go from a 63 to a 69?

Close...it went from a '62 to a '69 (post #14). Irrelevant to the point you're making though.

[Wbulk]

My better judgement tells to to stay out of this one. What the heck!

I have only heard of one guy that had built a car for that price. He is in his late 50s and has been building and working on cars all his life. He built his own frame and owns his own body molds. It took a life time of skills and years of aquiring tools to get to the point where he could pull that kind of a deal off.
After building my car the term "kit car" has become offensive to me. There may be some brands that are like building a model but I have not found any. I use to think Factory Fives cars where that way until I talked to few guys that built them. There is no perfect kit and I have researched them all. The top end cars like ERA and Unique I would not call kits unless you buy the basic frame and body.

It takes a lot of work to shop for a good brand and determine what actually you need vs. what they are selling as a complete kit. The word complete in this business does not mean everything you need to build the car. I have a file of all the parts needed to build a car. If you want it PM me and I will send it to you.

If you are serious and can not be deterred then I would look at two brands. Factory Five has come a long way and the improvements with the Mark IV make it a darn good car. There is a lot of support and there are two forums to get help. The company has a good reputation. Another company to look at is McGill Street Rods.Fiberglass 34 Coupes and Cobras by McGill Manufacturing. He has been building cobras for I am guessing 18 or so years. He was the other partner with B&B and now is on his own. His car may get you started in the price range that is reasonable. Barry is a man that works with his hands and does really good work. His frame is strong and his body is thick from what I have seen.

This being said, I think you really, really, need to spend a lot more time and learn about what you are getting into. I was once told by a manufacturer that about half of the kits sold were never built by the original owner. Does that tell you something?

Wayne

[keith orr]

am in NJ asking $35,000 obo Runs great 429 in 500 + hp fun to drive etc let me know if interested? am not good on computer so not sure if this will even post Thanks keith

[MOTORHEAD]

!st requirement: do you have a garage space (or two)?
Most builds take years , so if you have $ for the kit, why not start now ?
FFR fits your starting budget, I say go for it!

[twin turbo]

Just an FYI, this thread is over 4 years old and OP has not been here since.

[olddog]

I hate it when that happens!

[Bill99]

OK. So I am interested in a Cobra Kit car but I want one running and maybe something that I can use as a platform to upgrade as I own the car. Is it realistic to get a completed car for about $35,000? What would be a good starter car. I am retired and have been rebuilding / manufacturing classic cars for over 45 years, so I can easily use a wrench and do some upgrades.

What do y'all think?

[twobjshelbys]

Originally Posted by Bill99

OK. So I am interested in a Cobra Kit car but I want one running and maybe something that I can use as a platform to upgrade as I own the car. Is it realistic to get a completed car for about $35,000? What would be a good starter car. I am retired and have been rebuilding / manufacturing classic cars for over 45 years, so I can easily use a wrench and do some upgrades.

What do y'all think?

I think you'll be disappointed in what you can get for 35k. You asked.

[RUFdriver]

Originally Posted by Bill99

OK. So I am interested in a Cobra Kit car but I want one running and maybe something that I can use as a platform to upgrade as I own the car. Is it realistic to get a completed car for about $35,000? What would be a good starter car. I am retired and have been rebuilding / manufacturing classic cars for over 45 years, so I can easily use a wrench and do some upgrades.

What do y'all think?

You can probably find some abandoned FF project or similar for 35k. For a little more I’m confident you can find something that looks and runs decent, now it won’t be an ERA or KMS but there’s a lot of stuff out there on the old interweb.

[snakeeyes]

I don’t necessarily disagree with Tony but there are so many kits for sale, and so many sellers with varying degrees of urgency, that you can find decent deals in that price range or a little north of there if you’re patient and turn over every rock (eBay, Auto Trader, Hemmings, Cobra Country, the For Sale portion of forums like this one, etc.). Of course it depends on what you’re looking for in terms of accuracy, drivetrain, level of finish, etc. For instance, here’s what looks like a pretty nice Backdraft that could probably be had for around $40K with a little negotiation: https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds...a/2342591.html

[twobjshelbys]

For a completed car you might find one that is in pretty tough shape and be able to clean it up. I've seen some kits that were simply badly assembled that could be resurrected but at a cost that might never be recovered. Sort of like the 20k kitchen remodel that is never recouped on resale. For something like that patience is a virtue.

You might find an abandoned kit but you'd need to budget engine trans etc. Say on the cheap 10k. That leaves 25k for the rest. Possible but you'd be left with old kits from places not around any more and finishing one of those will require some good fabrication skills and also probably a whole bunch of specialized tools you probably don't already have. I guess my point is that when you're done you maybe have 15k of that 25k to really put into the kit. If you were to ask why it is currently unfinished besides "it took much longer than I expected" the other reason is "the unplanned incidental expenses were much greater than I thought "

Good luck.