Cobra Kit Car

Slipery4life · #1 (**permalink**) 08-21-2012, 04:32 PM

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, i love to work on cars and i want to know how hard is it and cost wise what am i looking at. Please any help is apreciate. I saw Shell Valley has one for 10,000 but that seems to little to low, what all comes with it and what will i need to make a driveable car.

DanEC · #2 (**permalink**) 08-21-2012, 04:54 PM

You can buy a used one for less than it will take to build one in most cases. If your set on building your own the prices are going to run from around $15 K for a basic kit (add engine transmission, wheels, tires, paint, many, many misc parts) up to probably around $80k for a roller Kirkham (add engine, transmission and paint only if you don't like bare aluminum bodywork).

There is everything in between - pallet cars, rollers, including fully finished - ready to run cars (Superperformance, Backdraft) and custom built - ready to run cars (ERA, Unique) etc.

You need to decide how authentic a car you're wanting. Is performance your main goal? What type of engine do you want.? Are you wanting to customize it to your own image? Solid rear axle or IRS?

Give us an idea of your budget range and you will get lots of suggestions here.

Slipery4life · #3 (**permalink**) 08-21-2012, 05:13 PM

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

itstock · #4 (**permalink**) 08-21-2012, 05:51 PM

Quote:

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

Go to cobra country and look at the asking prices of various manufacturers. Keep in mind that they are, in most all circumstances, asking less than the build price. That will give you an idea of how much it costs to build.

Slipery4life · #5 (**permalink**) 08-21-2012, 06:34 PM

Ok im so lost on that site but i didnt find some but they were all 50k but already build i want to build it

mrmustang · #6 (**permalink**) 08-21-2012, 06:41 PM

Quote:

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

Save your money, graduate college, then buy a nice kit when you can afford to do so. 18K does not get you anything but headaches.

Bill S.

dallas_ · #7 (**permalink**) 08-21-2012, 07:02 PM

Quote:

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

I've been where you are.
Unfortunately, mrmustang is right. This is a hobby that doesn't mesh well with unrealistically low budgets. I know its not what you want to hear, but it is the reality.

edit: Oh and one other thing. Most of the guys on this board probably have over $50,000 into their cars. Many have double that and more. It does the industry no good at all to have people think they can get one of these vehicles for under $20,000. So please understand if people aren't really excited to help you achieve that goal.

Slipery4life · #8 (**permalink**) 08-21-2012, 07:05 PM

what would be a good price for a kit and from who is the best kit

dallas_ · #9 (**permalink**) 08-21-2012, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slipery4life

what would be a good price for a kit and from who is the best kit

Best?
What does that mean? What are your goals for the car? How much do you know about the history of the Shelby Cobra?

Different manufacturers fit different segments. There is no agreed upon 'best'.

Please spend some time using the search function. All your questions will be answered there.

patrickt · #10 (**permalink**) 08-21-2012, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slipery4life

what would be a good price for a kit and from who is the best kit

You'll just be throwing your money away. Take a long sleep on it, begin studying the cars as a hobby and, if you don't lose interest along the way, you will eventually get the car you really want. Right now you don't even know what you want and, I promise you, you don't want what you can afford to buy. We're giving you good fatherly advice -- please take it.

itstock · #11 (**permalink**) 08-21-2012, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slipery4life

what would be a good price for a kit and from who is the best kit

Factory five has a good "kit" and a great support community. It is one of the cheaper entry kits IF that is how you build it. It will run about $14k after shipping and taxes. Go to their website and see what the base kit includes.

Realistically, if you aren't worried about appearance or performance, you could probably have a running and road legal ffr mk4 for the $25-30k mark. The quality in that price depends on your skill, as that price is with you doing everything, body work, paint, engine, suspension, etc. Everything.

You might save a couple thousand by picking up someone else's project as well.

In the end, you might just be better off buying someone's headache and spend quite a bit less time figuring out any issues. Who knows what you end up with it.

But ultimately, $18k just isn't that realistic of a number. It's not that it can't be done (good deals can be had), it's just not realistic.

I don't know anything about the quality of this car, but it would put you much farther ahead than most anything you could build for $18k...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Facto...ht_1250wt_1021

tcrist · #12 (**permalink**) 08-21-2012, 07:40 PM

Take a look at this thread, Owner built on a budget;.

This thread will show you how to build a Cobra replica on a budget using basically a doner car. You don't have to buy all brand new parts. You can get a basic kit,a donor car and more or less swap parts out. Just be sure that you pick a kit that you can use the suspension from an available doner car.

Just a thought, not a popular one around here. But here it is anyway.

itstock · #13 (**permalink**) 08-21-2012, 08:00 PM

I guess we need to remember the price of lots of tools needed as well, another budget constraint issue.

Slipery4life · #14 (**permalink**) 08-21-2012, 08:52 PM

haha sorry guys if i sounded stingy or poor i have my business, and school, i cant poor my heart and soul into the car right now but it like to have a 427 as a project/ hobbie. my business bring plenty of money. i dont want a scrap or left over especialy since it can have surprises like bent frames. so i want to buy a good kit since i have never bought one under 18k the parts to finish it i will get along the way and i dont care that i have headaches trying to get the thing up and running, i love working on cars and i have all the tools from rebuilding a 62 impala ss coupe from ground up

Slipery4life · #15 (**permalink**) 08-21-2012, 08:59 PM

as for my goals i just want i a crusing car im not going to put it in shows or anything im not going to race but i will have a big enough engine in case some stupid civic trys to test me

Ralphy · #16 (**permalink**) 08-21-2012, 09:22 PM

I see your in Texas. First understand the laws in your state/county regarding these cars.

Ralphy

Slipery4life · #17 (**permalink**) 08-21-2012, 09:25 PM

Wtf more laws Texas is starting to pisss me off I can't do anything here without clearing it with someone.... I'm moving back home ..... So DMV is where I can find laws

Ralphy · #18 (**permalink**) 08-21-2012, 09:33 PM

Some areas require new kit cars to have the year built emissions. If so buying an older titled car may be the way to go. Some states title kits as year resembled. So an already titled car may say 1965. Some cars may.............. Check your DMV!

Most if not all locals don't change an already titled car. So say an Arizona titled 1965 Cobra would stay a 1965 in your local. Even if it was built in 2010. Don't take my word, you need to check your local laws.

DanEC · #19 (**permalink**) 08-22-2012, 06:32 AM

$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 · #20 (**permalink**) 08-22-2012, 07:50 AM

Quote:

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.)

Quote:

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.

Quote:

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