ERA 289 FIA 6 Paint
 

I'm about to purchase an ERA FIA. For those of you who have been down this road, is it better to have the car painted at ERA before delivery or can I get more bang for my buck here in SoCal?

I recently bought ERA 797 and had it painted through ERA by Connecticut Custom. I'm very picky about paint, and they did an excellent job that was competitive if not a bit cheaper than having it done in CA (I'm in NorCal). The downside is that once it was painted, it went back to ERA for final assembly and then it had to be delivered. The end result is that there were several (30-40) scuffs and swirls that I'm fairly certain were not present when the car was painted. I think they were done mostly by Interstate, the transporter, who I would not recommend. I feel good that I will be able to buff them out (I just purchased a Griot's DA buffer), but, while it is easier to have it painted in CT, you risk damage during final assembly and delivery. I also should mention that my car is very dark so any imperfections are highly visible.

California has one of the most restrictive codes when it comes to automotive painting, as such, prices there will be higher 80% of the time vs other east coast states where the restrictions are not as convoluted. Having owned several ERA's, I highly recommend that you stick with their painter.

Product wise (I am combining your other threads response here), on the Pin Drive wheels, you are better off buying through ERA and allowing them to install them properly. Since you are buying their competition rear (my last FIA and my current 427SC both have them), this is a no brainer. Same goes for the correct FIA wheels. Depending on where in California you are, you might want to get their wipers, heater, and a tonneau cover, again installed at ERA. Little items such as wind wings and sun visors can be shopped for better pricing.

Any other questions, feel free to ask, plenty of ERA owners here that are happy to assist a new (or soon to be new) owner.


Bill S.

PS: Welcome to the madness :cool:

I priced the paint locally and it was about 5% higher, not that much. But another factor is that Connecticut Custom paints so many ERAs that they really have the process down and the paint turns out great.

Having a name like 'Malibu' makes it hard to understand the price shopping for parts and paint on a top quality piece like an ERA.
For excellent paint in CA, look up Ken Pike in NorCal. Not cheap or cheaper than Walt's jobs but excellent-befitting an ERA. Pike has ERA paint experience also.
Kirkham guys don't shop cheaper parts; they buy the excellent parts that KMP supplies and that's the same as ERA. The price also buys you unmatched customer support from both manufacturers.
Don't skimp on an ERA project - order a cheaper project car.

John you aren't far from Jeff at Miller Customs in Temecula. He has painted well over a hundred Cobras. Great guy and top quality work done in a very reasonable time.

http://www.millercustoms.com/home.htm

I've had both of my cobras painted by Walt, Walt and Dianne up at Ct Custom and you will not get a better job for the price. I can guarantee that any marks on the paint were not put there by ERA! My car (black) was painted, then brought down to ERA and I had them bond it to the frame and Deliver it as a kit. Perfect paint, and everyone is completely anal about the quality control. My wife's car (white) was a turnkey, ( I'm not so dumb as to build her car! I can blame Doug now! LOL ) and there was a VERY SMALL issue as to the placement of the front side badges and Peter was going to send the car back to CT Custom for repainting to repair the two tiny holes that were predrilled in error. Turns out the badging was in the correct spot for the car, so no foul. You can't go wrong with ERA or CT Custom. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Best point that can be made.

To add to what the guys said above … based on my experience with my ERA FIA, I would suggest:

- Have Connecticut Custom do the paint. Not only is the paint outstanding, but the bodywork is excellent. They have done a lot of ERAs and really know what they are doing and Walt & Diane are very easy to work with. Another advantage of having the car painted before assembly is they can use a higher temperature oven to bake the car than one that has been assembled with wiring, an interior and other soft bits. If you are not going to insulate under the hood and carpet the underside of the trunk lid, have them finish the underside, I did and it's perfect. Don't forget the fender lips as well, it does cost extra, but to me it was worth it.

- My car was shipped to California by Intercity, my experience was good as I did not have any issues.

- Buy the parts you can from ERA, as the guys said they will fit and if you have an issue, ERA will stand behind them.

- For other items like the motor or transmission, buy major parts and related components from the same supplier, that way like parts are grouped together and you know they will fit. For example, don't buy a flywheel from one vendor, a pressure plate and clutch disc from another and throw out bearing from yet another. The likely hood of parts not fitting goes up.

- Lastly … it's an almost certainty your car will take longer to get on the road than you think, and cost more too … However, it will be absolutely worth it :D

Welcome to the family!

There is actually quite a lot of body work needed, especially if you are anal about panel gaps, rolled coamings, and fender lips. Mine had quite a few pin holes in the gel coat that required a lot of time finding and filling. That is were most of the time for labor is. I spent $7K for a show quality finish here in small town Missouri and that was working side by side with my body man sanding and filling. It might be nice using these folks in CT that know the intricate details about these cars.

I did my bodywork & paint. Fiberglass is a different animal & a body fresh fresh from the mold is no cakewalk. If you want a job done well, I suggest you either have the patience to do it yourself or you have it done there. If you have any specific questions, email me. I'll be happy to give you my experiences.