kirkham owners

[ENTDOC]

I got the car last auctioned on EBAY(frame ,body lights ,seats,hardware,) and I am trying to decide how much work I want to do myself.Have any of you guys done much of the assembly yourself?Have you varied from the original components at all? any advice appreciated. chuck

[Jamo]

Talk to Little Davey and Tommy Boy and have them explain what all needs to be done to get the car on the road--that'll answer most of your questions. I simply bought a roller--didn't have to chose much re options-wise except for whether to do leather or vinyl on the dash, doors and rear bulkhead, etc. It's simply a matter of how fast you want to build it, and whether you think you have better sources for stuff (unlikely).

[ToyCollector]

Also, if ever it comes to resale time, unless the buyer knows your determination and perfectionism (i.e. someone like Turk or Computeroworks) in self completion, they would take some comfort in knowing the Kirkhams finished the car. I have received that advice many a time, and I have also lived it. And like Jamo said, unless their is a historic preservation element to it, you'd have a tough time to do better.

[Bud Man]

Chuck:

When I bought #142, it was at a stage that was about 65% complete compared to a roller. I spent a lot of time (and money) understanding what details meant the most to me, and I came to realize that they all did. With a Kirkham, you start with an excellent canvas, and how close to original you want to go depends on the time you are willing to spend to sweat those details.

You cannot go wrong having the Kirkhams build the car to roller status. They will do a superb job, and from a financial standpoint, you really can't do it yourself for the same price. For me, however, the build was much of the fun, and since I am mechanically inclined, and intimately familiar with the details, the end result has turned out great. The biggest challenge was understanding what tasks were better contracted out, and then finding someone you trust to do it correctly. My car, because of those details will be slightly different from one out of the Kirkham factory. Not better, but more accurate to the original '60's product, and as a purist, that means a lot to me. TC is correct, however, on the importance of the pedrigree, but if you are doing one of these with an eye to resale, well.........

David, Tom, Steve and crew are the best, and regardless of who finishes up the car, you are in for a treat. Feel free to contact me anytime, and I will be happy to advise you on any aspect of the car.

All the best,

Bud

[ToyCollector]

Did I forget to mention Budman in that esteemed group with Turk, CW, etc? He is right in that category!! Sorry to leave you out on that one!!!

You see, to add to this further, when I actually see their cars, and then compare to mine, I may wish I took their route....if only it wasn't for the job with travel, the 2 kids, the racing schedule, the house maintenance, the handful of other car projects that are gong on, the wife with broken wrist, the inlaws arriving this weekend, the dinner with friends next weekend, the two boat anchors I need to sell ............

[Bud Man]

TC:

No apologies needed....not posting as much these days...too busy enjoying the Cobra!!!

I know how you feel. My job demands a lot of travel and it seriously delayed progress. Wouldn't have traded the experience for the world though. Met a lot of nice people along the way, and built a car, to boot.

Thanks for the kind words!!

Bud

[ToyCollector]

BudMan, love the tagline. I believe someone I know REALLY REALLY well who shares the same sentiment!! Enjoy tomorrow...hopefully local, and the next day

P.S. you need to see my yearbook quote, and LateApex and I have a lot in common.

[computerworks]

Chuck...

all that has been said above makes a lot of sense. The answer lies in what you want to do with the car and how you will get to that finish line.

Like Bud, I did a lot of "de-construction" and am now in the re-assembly process. I chose this route knowing it would take "a liitle longer". ...but, my objectives include hardcore detailing.

Send me an e-mail with good times and contact info; we can chat on the phone one night.

[Alex Donghi]

I would never have time to build a car. I haven't even had time to get it back to Southern for an oil change and a tune up. And the honey do list just gets longer and longer...............

[David Kirkham]

I guess I am a "Kirkham Owner" of sorts as well...so I can comment too.

As the years go by, our car is evolving more and more to what most customers want. For example, 4 piston brakes, billet suspension parts, etc. Of course we still offer all of the original reproduction parts, but we find very few customers who want that now.

Also, our cars have changed in how they are delivered as well. Now, our cars are all sanded with very few exceptions. When they are sanded, you don't have to worry about the interior carpet and leather as we almost always install the interiors on sanded cars.

Also, you don't have to worry about the final riveting of the interior panels. The cars that Ron and Bud bought years ago did not have all of that work already completed from the factory.

It makes sence they had to take their cars apart (as we did here in the US as well) when they were shipped to us. It just goes more along the theme of what today's customer's want. Most want a sanded body. When the body is sanded, the rest of the car can be easily finished by the factory. (Don't want to finish the wool carpet and then sand the car and put all that alumium dust on it!)

Like I said, all cars from Poland are now sanded and all panels are now riveted down. Most of the work hard work is now finished. If you want to put yours together by yourself, you will have a great time, but it will undoubtedly cost you more money (time, etc) to do by yourself. Finally, we have assembled a great number of cars over the years and have gained an incredible amount of experience from the likes of Dave Dralle and Mike McCluskey. That assembly experience translates directly to you if we put the car together. We know what to look for and what NOT to do to paint yourself into a corner. We have learned from Bud's and Ron's comments. (Really, very few people put these cars together for themselves, so we really appreciated their feed back to help us make our cars better.)

Then again...when I am driving a car I have built myself, it does bring a certain smile on your face nothing else can.

We are happy to do whatever you want.

David

[JWheaton]

Originally posted by David Kirkham



We are happy to do whatever you want.

David

aaahh --- reduce the price?

Aluminum envy making its way onto the board

Someday...someday