Opinions please about starting kit build.
 

I'm an older retired guy getting very interested in starting a kit build. I live in central North Carolina. The building experience is going to be a big and important part of this experience, maybe the most important. The earliest decision I'll need to make is where to get the engine, transmission, rear end axle, and other suspension parts. At this time I'm leaning toward a Factory Five kit with a small block Ford engine, for cruising and weekend drives. If I could afford I'd buy the complete kit and all the other necessary parts new, but I don't think I'll be able to do that. The way I see it I have 2 other options....first is to buy rebuilt and reconditioned parts, the second is to buy a donor car(Mustang). I'd really enjoy finding a donor car, striping it of the necessary parts and selling or giving away what's left. The problem with the donor car idea is I don't have the place/space and the necessary lifting equipment. It may be an option to find a shop to dismantle the donor for me and help find a home for the remaining parts. I'd really appreciate any input, ideas, experiences, etc....Thanks very much.

Factory Five makes a great kit for the builder. I did a small block in mine and am very happy with it. Beside the complete kit or donor car you can also buy a pallet from one of the salvage yards. I believe there is one in Georga that will sell you just the parts you need. I went with the complete kit because like you I don't have space to disassemble a donor. Good luck with your project.

I would wait until you get the space to properly build the car.

While this is sage advice, so is the following: Nothing would ever get done if all obstacles had to be overcome before you began.

I say be a little whimsical and go for it.
By the sound of it space is an obstacle that's not deal breaking.

FFR is a builders kit, and a SBF a sound choice.

Good luck with it and keep us posted.

The Factory Five is a good kit and they have a builders school that you can take. One person and his Father took it and they said it was a great help to them. Good luck on the build and as stated above, keep us posted.

Ron

Thanks for the info....I have a two car garage and I can use half as a build area with the car set up on a rolling structure and move it when necessary, so basically I have the space to build, would have to figure out how to store body while building...maybe in storage shed outside. I need to figure out a rough idea of the cost of using donor parts, used/reconditioned parts, vs new parts. More info, ides, etc appreciated...Thanks

Have you thought about a pre owned one?
 

dolphin717 First names are always nice. Thought about preowned if you don't have a 2 car garage? I built my ERA in a 1 car garage, not easy at times.
FF gives great instructions on how to assembly, you could also (YouTUbe) and sure there is info there. I know the all girls garage built one in 22 minutes. :eek::rolleyes:;). It takes about 50 hours to build with all the parts, minus paint work and body work. I would let FFR do this at there company. It will be alot easier for you.
Heres the up and down side of the cobra, What is the nastyest car or truck you have own? A cobra even with a 302 and auto is a nastier car to control. Short wheel base, Quick stopping with out ABS, AC is an opition, add a soft or hard top. Getting in and out is another adventure. Burning pants and skin on side pipes. Mechanical work and repairs, you need to have some experience in all fields, at least a basic. Getting it State inspected, registered and insuranced.
Up sides, A blast to drive, handles better than any other car you have been in. What motor trans and rearend are you looking at. Auto trans or 5 spd? both with overdrives. Rearend ratio with over drive should be in the 3.50 range. will give you good pickup and cruising. Smile on your face after every drive. Other half will not like the new mistress.%/ Spending too much time with her( cobra) and not with me!!!
Every one builts their car different. That's the great thing about cobras. I'm sure there 20- 30 guys in your neck of the woods that would help you build the car if you go that way.
You can get parts from a recycle yard but don't know what internal condition they are in and how long they will last before failures. New parts come with warranttys. Cost is more. You can save about 20-30% of building cost by doing this yourself. You will need tools, jacks, engine picker, and a good buddy to help with the heavy work. Motor is about 550 pounds, trans from 85-130 pounds, solid rearend another 120 pounds. Side note, which rearend do you want? Solid or Jag setup. Big price differents. Jag cost alot more but car handles better and looks orginal.
Here a check list of some of the thing you will need to think about before building this car,
Motor, carb or fuel injection, need more parts and electric for FI. Different fuel system with return line.
Trans, manual or automatic? Manual figure out which clutch you want to run? Auto trans need to add cooler lines and cooler to car, Location?
Rearend, solid or independant. Cost and cool factor.
Steering , power or not power steering, I have and like my P/S system. I autocross and road race 95% of the time.
Wheels and tires, Depending on car, Pin drive rims or fakes, Wirewheels look great on FIA cars or slabsides.
YOu have not said what body style you are going with? SC body? FIA body? Slab side? They are all a little different in looks.
I hope you are in good shape, The seats are ment for guys in the 250# weight range and about 5.5ft to 6.2ft outside this range you will need some other body changes. Some car come with seat tracks to move the seat around. Others are bolted to the body and have no movement. Steering wheel on some bodies is not adjustable for easy out and in of car. You might want to check this out before barking on this new adventure.
Exhaust, side pipes are cool, need ear plugs for any drive over 20 minutes. They can hear you coming 5 minutes before you get there. Cops love US. NO tickets just pulled over to look at and check out. Under car exhaust, Quiet, less noise. Ground clearance is your problem tall tires help. The pipes are small and kill preformance too with a strong motor. You do have your hearing and can talk in the car when cruising. Need heat shields under car for floors.
Sorry for long story but wanted you to get an understanding of what you are getting into. FFR will walk you through the whole buildup.
I saved the best for last, what color or colors, strips or no strips, hood scoop or not. Get the shields to protect the rear fenders from debrie hits of stones, garbage, anything the tires will pickup and throw.
Last thing and this is the most important, Even if you never race the car, autocross, or roadrace, Go to a driving school and brush up on your driving. If you have nevered drivin a high powered car, get your driving skills polished. Alot of guys here have gone and are better drivers from this. Safety is very important with driving a cobra. WE have lost guys here from accidents. There is not alot of protection in these cars unless you add a rollcage. 1 side note, make sure the roll bar is about 3" taller than your head sitting in the car seat. IF you have a roll over that may save your life and not break your neck. I have a 5 point setup in my car with a cross bar on the drivers side at the door.
Sorry for long story but this is what you want and just giving you a basic of what you are getting into. Good luck with the project or buying one. Rick L. ps if you want to talk about this, there is more, call in the evening. 7322543536. Try and answer all your questions.:)
That's a basic list, Rick L.

Rick, my name is Walter, I want to thank you so much for the insight and info. I'm going to spend a lot of time exploring everything about the cars that I can find. There is at least one club in the area that meets for breakfast once a month. If you don't mind drop me an email, you seem to be someone I could chat with about the cars. I'm an old retired guy with a lot of time on my hands.... Thanks.

Take a look at Shell Valleys kits. Shell Valley Classic Wheels, Inc.

I left my body on the garage roof in the weather for the first five years of the build - it helped a lot to stabilise it and allowed any trapped bubbles in the top layers to show themselves.

It improved the long term life of the paint job once it was done with reduced wrinkling over time - only now after 20 years does it need re-smoothing.

Snake, are you kidding? So I guess I would not have to worry about leaving the body in the unheated or cooled storage shed in the back yard.

Walter - the body can sit for a very long time as long as it's properly supported with bracing or a wooden buck. Lots of info and instructions available for that. If it isn't supported it can bend or sag in weak areas like the door sills, which could affect door gaps, etc. Another option space-wise is to hang it from the rafters above the frame - again with proper support.
Good luck with the build. There are loads of friendly folks who are happy to share their knowledge and expertise from their own builds, so it should be a fun and rewarding experience.

The most important questions:
What is your budget?
What do you want the car to do?
Is there anything that you HAVE to have - other than reliable transportation?
Can you live without extras ie power steering, power brakes, air conditioning, windshield wipers,heater,tilt wheel, top,windows,sound system, etc.They all add costs and they add up quickly

Don't laugh - lots of people build and don't have these extras and yet enjoy the heck out of their cars. Even with extras - these cars are rarely "every day drivers". Can you abide with that?

Do you realize you can buy a built car with all the systems sorted out for no more and often less than you can build one?

I will send you a PM with my contact info.

I'm trying to learn as much as I can so please excuse dumb questions. I believe that F5 suggests using a Mustang as a donor car....if that's the case and you could find a 1986 Mustang GT, in good running order, 302 V8, straight drive, how much of that car could you use? Thanks

What you can use from a donor is dependant on what kit you buy and what year the donor is. If Factory Five - The 86 Mustang 5.0 with standard shift 5 speed is a great donor - provided its mechanically sound. Assuming all the parts are serviceable (they will soon be 30 years old) you can use (front to rear) radiator, control arms, spindles, brakes, engine, bellhousing, clutch, transmission, driveshaft, 8.8 rear axle and differential, brakes , rear springs/shocks, gas tank, wiring harness, and misc. relays,switches, etc.

This would give you basics for a 4 lug 15 inch wheeled car. The stock Mustang wheels could also be used - but NOBODY does that. Some of the parts will require modification ie the driveshaft must be shortened to ~ 10 inches.

Check your notifications/private messages - I sent you contact info last night.

What you can use from a donor is dependant on what kit you buy and what year the donor is. If Factory Five - The 86 Mustang 5.0 with standard shift 5 speed is a great donor - provided its mechanically sound. Assuming all the parts are serviceable (they will soon be 30 years old) you can use (front to rear) radiator, control arms, spindles, brakes, engine, bellhousing, clutch, transmission, driveshaft, 8.8 rear axle and differential, brakes , rear springs/shocks, gas tank, wiring harness, and misc. relays,switches, etc.

This would give you basics for a 4 lug 15 inch wheeled car. The stock Mustang wheels could also be used - but NOBODY does that. Some of the parts will require modification ie the driveshaft must be shortened to ~ 10 inches.

Check your notifications/private messages - I sent you contact info last night.

Cobra...
 

Thanks, got the PM and responded...

Hi Walter,
I live in Greensboro, which I assume is not not far from you. I have a slab-side built by Aurora that I very much enjoy.

Check out Whitby Mortorcars here in Greensboro. They are Factory Five specialist.

My email is mbriggs@callcoverage.com.

Best of luck to you.

Michael Briggs

Walter, I live in Sherrills Ford, about 14 miles outside of Mooresville. I own a body shop in Mooresville. If you are close, I could probably help you with parts if you are building a donor car. I have connections that can save you money. Also, I can get you dealer parts at around 30% off. I Built my Lone Star back in 98, and have worked on F5 cars. Be glad to help you in any way I can, assuming you are fairly close. My email is chrisbiff@windstream.net if you are interested. I'd be glad to give you a ride in my car, if you haven't been in one yet. It will give you an idea of what these cars are about.

I completed my FFR MK4 build and had it licensed in 2013. Drove it that summer in gel-coat and had it painted in 2014. Lot of fun to build, more fun to drive!
I started with a base kit and bought only the parts I needed (most new or re-manufactured with a warranty). Rebuilt 302 with some aftermarket go-fast goodies, rebuilt trans, rebuilt rear-end.

If (better, when) I build another, it will be a FFR Complete kit, with a crate motor (either a 331 or 351).
Remember, a donor car is parts 20 - 25 years old!
If you do go donor, I would HIGHLY recommend new: Radiator, Fuel Tank, Fuel Pump, Caliper, Rotors, Master Cylinder, Steering Rack, Power Steering pump, and WIRING and gauges. (kinda defeats the purpose of a donor)
It's no fun to build a new car with old parts (painting doesn't make them new again) and then replacing it after you finish your build and ready to hit the road!
I installed a donor Master Cylinder when I built my car and had to replace it with the body installed. NO FUN!

If you can find a local Cobra Club, they can be a HUGE asset! (also check the FFcars site)

Good Luck with your build, they are a blast!