kIRKHAM Cobras vrs the rest, your input required!

[TheSaint71]

Hey guys its bene a long time since I posted, but I need your assistance again!

I've been reading the Kirkham site alot lately and Im wondering... they bring up the point the heat makes fiberglass bodies weak and rocks can dmg it etc...

Has ANYONE ever had a problem with Fiberglass Cobra Bodies shrinking getting weak.. freaking out to ruin the beautiful paint job... and especially has anyone ever had a rock or something on those lines damage your fiberglass body!? I know these things are true and can happen but I have never seen or heard of anyone with these issues Kirkham brought up.

Also, Not to diss the industry but I have been kinda frustrated with some Cobra kit makers... I mean I hate the thick layer of Irony. They advertise their cars because they want and need customers and bussiness from us! So we come online and contact them and well you have to beg steal and borrow for a dang reply at most places! Other than Unique in my personal experience. Then on some sites there is alsmot NO info on the car! Like 3 pictures and "contact us" even have to fill out personal info to get a price sheet.

Is it just me or is this kinda not fun and almost rude sometimes? Again Im not trying to hurt the industry, but Im sick of them! The only people that answers my questions and give me the time of day are amazing guys like you!! And thats saying alot because my posts can be can be frustrating lol.

Anyway, I'd much appreciate your feedback! Thanks for your time. Some some ricers for me boys!


Jamin

[casaleenie]

Jamin,



It's just you!!!!!!

[Cal Metal]

You hit the nail on the head, at least, regarding Unique. Their customer and pre-customer service is without peer. Their fiberglass bodies are outstanding and we have put many of them (11 years) through the ringer. NEVER a problem with any of the issues you raised in your thread.

[TheSaint71]

thanks for the reply's guys appreciate your time! Yeahh well I just wish everyone was more like Unique! I dont own a cobra, yet! But the way things like someone will have to talk me out of Unique! (Meaning I really like them!) I mean the first time I really spent time at this board was when I saw a bunch of pictures of a messed up deformed body from FFR (i like there stuff, and am not in any way trashing them or owners of FFR ) but I thought to myself, why did that body even get shipped out! If I was in bussiness I would want to ship my name on the best out there not a deformed piece of fiberglass! And If I couldnt repsond to people's e-mails etc.. I'd have to find a way to address it so the people know Im trying my best!

Sorry to rant guys, i just have a hard time grasping the fact that there are people in the world the run businesses with so much room to improve and I see many that don't care to even try to improve.

If I were to take a honest mans hard earned money to help him make his dream come true.. I would make damn (can we say that on the forum, if not sorry) sure it was done right! And to see some of you being shafted is pretty lame! Im fairly young if I can grasp this older businessmen sure can!

Anyway, if emailed almost every single kit maker I know of and thats a lot.... and I have gotten 3 e-mails back! lol Unique and Kirkham were first fast replies! Respectfuly, my studies and personal (and I emphasize personal) experience has shown quite clear who really cared about my response! And I take consider the fact the many are very busy people!

Jamin

[Unique580hp]

I also have to sing the praises of Unique. I bought a used Unique 427 not long ago and I was on the phone to them many times asking tons if ignorant questions I'm sure. Alan Weaver was very gracious and answered all my questions. He even went out of his way to look up the records on mine from the mid 90's to give me all of the build details.

I am trying to sell my Unique, (just because I need a practical car not a toy in Northern Indiana) but it is a beautiful car with great attention to detail. Most of it was assembled by Unique.

I would recommend the Weavers and Unique to anyone.

Scott


Ps. Check out my gallery if you are interested in a Unique

[Hal Copple]

i have not seen any 'glass replicas with this "heat" damage, cracks, etc. For instance, my SPF sits out in the sun here in SC for thousands of hours. For four years. I am going to drive down to Atlanta tomorrow, so i washed it the other day, and this afternoon waxed it all up nice and pretty for the trip.

My car has a stunning finish. It does have some rock pecks down low on the front, but the paint gleems as if it were painted yesterday. I think with any "kit", if you let the body cure, and follow the builder and your painter's directions, and spend enough money on the finish, you will be very happy.

As for your frustration with returning your Email, and getting mail brochures, you might remember that many of the assemblers of replicas are small, two or three person shops, and they just don't have the time to sit and answer a hundred or more emails a day with any sort of long winded reply. And i know that one assembler gets a huge number of requests for "full brochure" packages every day, and the mail and printing costs are really pretty expensive.

Probably the best way to chose what is best for you is to arrange to get to an area Cobra Replica event, where you can see for yourself what your money and time gets you, then write up your specific questions, and then call the "dealer" you are most interested in. Talking on the phone is a lot easier than trying to get information via email. Be patient, take your time, and you will end up with the replica best suited for your wants and needs.

But i would not worry about the 'glass" question you originally asked.

[RaceDeck]

<<<- As you can see from my profile on the left of this post<<My Choice is Obvious> .

I owned a Unique and they are great people who stand behind their product with pride, if you go the fiberglass route, I would go with Unique a great value all the way around. I personally had no "heat cracking"issue with mine which was over 8 years old.

As For Kirkham - They too are great to work with and have a tremendous amount of pride in their craft, and most importantly they stand behind thier product long after the sale....a1010%. From the begining I always wanted an aluminum body car but was not in the right place( $$$ )to buy one at the time. I really think that you are comparing apples to oranges when you look at a Kirkham Vs anything else.

If you can get in on the current deal Kirkham is offering, I would seriously consider it, if you are considering aluminum body

What ever your choice, your going to have fun!

[Rickyd]

I would put Superformance body and fit/finish up against anything on the road period. Re read Hal's commnets and see one in person for yourself.

Once you experience Superformance you will feel like a valued customer. I just recently ordered one from Dynamic Motorsports in Ohio and I couldn't be more pleased with the level of service and professionalism. Everyday I face demanding customers who threaten my busienss. It is a refreshing to see Superformance / Dynamic MotorSports treat me the way I treat my customers. Very consistent performance.

Look at the infrastructure and all the service you will need down the road. Purchasing a car is one thing ..getting the dream car and the infrastructure to support you is another thing.

I would never buy a Cobra whithout the "system" to support me.

Yes, my opinion is biased but trust me. I researched this to the nth degree. It was a no brainer. If you want a kit with a donor car / parts set up..then my opinin is useless as this was not my target. I wanted a safe reilabe car with new technology and built by professionals not a dreamer without the necessary skills, tools aor patience..me

[Bud Man]

RaceDeck is right.

The Kirkham is a unique (pardon the pun) offering today, and really always has been for one simple reason....it is the most accurate reproduction of the original Thames Ditton Cobra, and constructed using the same superleggera alloy sheet-on-frame riveted construction. No, it's not for everybody, but it IS how the original cars were built. Now,as back then, some care and common sense needs to be exercised to minimize body damage, but these cars do NOT require any "special handling" versus anything else out there. Should you sit on the fender? No. Pound on the fender? No. But anybody doing that to MY cars - aluminum or not - is asking for trouble...probably your's too!!!

Now, I think you probably still can source an AC roller from the UK, but doing so will set you back about $100K USD. When I bought 142 back in 2000, it was (and is) a part by part clone of the '60's car. As good as my car is, the Kirkhams have never stopped perfecting their products, and today, the state of the art braking and suspension that is standard equipment makes their current car not only the best variation yet, but the current promotional price a screaming bargain.

In the end, it all gets down to what you want. In my case, I wanted as accurate a reproduction of the original as was available. That was the Kirkham 427 SC and it still is. The association with the Kirkham family is just a bonus.

Two years and I still get a thrill walking into the garage..

Bud

[TheSaint71]

Thanks for the outstanding responses! They help alot.

Yeahh I figured that some small groups could be a 3 man group etc, and I'll say I'd hate being in their shoes! That'd be alot of work!

Superformance, I heard the 2 main guys were like realllly good racers or something, other than that I know of them through reading about them buttings heads with FFR guys lol fun stuff! Something bout a gocart race challenege between FFR and Superformance! lol anyway

Ill have to take a look at their site again. I love the idea of having a luminum body, however, one reasons I love the kit cobras is the idea of having my dream car talored exactly to my taste..

my taste being a dakrer midnight blue w/ pearl stripes or candy aply red with white stipes (perhaps even white with red stripes)

with a 306 or 331 with twin turbos! And hopefuly a new naked wife in it! lol I'd like to see more Uniques in the races!

thanks a ton for your help guys..

[bobl]

Well, Jamin, ever had a manufacturer respond to you in less than 3 hours? You have now.... Please visit our website www.premiercobras.com and take a look at the Engineering link, the Tour link, and the "about us" link.

You asked about specific responses from manufacturers.... specifically about fiberglass bodies. Well, specifically we use an especially formulated thixotropic resin that has a 355 degree F. distortion rating. Match that up against anyone. We do NOT use chopper spray anywhere on our composite body. We use 7 layers of glass in the layup and they are all hand rolled. We post cure to effect a tensile strength well beyond any like product we have examined.

The body is then lovingly hand finished as close to an original car as can be had - steel framed trunk and hood, 'V' cowl support, tab mounted separate dash, riveted hood scoop, correct rear bulkhead, correct external shape, fender well edges than are sculpted and tucked exactly as an original. In short, it's as 1967 as we can make it...

Please feel free to drop me an email or give me a call ( number's on the website ) if you want the "real deal" in composite. The Kirkham's have done an absolutely fabulous job with the aluminum car - development, marketing, originality, integrity in business. If you prefer the advantages of a composite ride, yet desire the ambassadorial excellence the Kirkham's have made a benchmark, get in touch with us. I'd love the opportunity to back up what we state with a factory tour. If we're not EVERYTHING we say, I'll buy your plane ticket home and post here why it was necessary to do so.

All the best across the miles.... Bob

[Mark Husar]

Last year I was zipping along at about 90 and picked up a road gator on the right rear tire. It thrashed around for awhile and tore a small rip in the fiberglass where the glass fender meets the curve going back under the trunk.
I figure that it will cost me about eighty bucks to repair and then the repaint on top of that. I have not done the repair yet as I am waiting for the summer weather before I paint.
Had I picked up the gator in an aluminum bodied car I shudder to think what it would cost to have the torn body hammered out, welded up and refinished.
Not knocking the aluminum body...but very expensive to have a craftsman repair any little problems that we inflict on our cars as we enjoy the ride.

[750hp]

What's a road gator

[clayfoushee]

Another extremely satisfied Unique customer here. I bought a used 98 and the Weaver's support has been extraordinary. They had the whole history of my car, which they built as a turn-key, and the body, paint and mechanicals are superb.

But to add another angle here, there are literally 10's of thousands of fiberglass boats of all sizes 20, 30 years and older. They operate under extremely demanding conditions and most take a brutal pounding. Pound for pound, nothing is as durable and resistant to damage as fiberglass. Corvettes have been around since the 50's with glass bodies, and most are still in good enough shape to be restored to nearly factory condition.

[rdorman]

A rock travelling with enough energy will damage any thing it comes in contact with. Any material heated beyond its thermal range will be damaged. Any company that is succesfull over the long haul in a competitive market will have good customer service.

My Unique is nearly twenty years old. Not a single problem with the body. Nor really anything else for that matter.

For my money and my tastes, at this point in time, it is either a Unique or Kirkham for me. They, again at the moment and in my opinion, have the best balance of product quality, value and customer service in the industry.

How is that for two cents!

Rick

[speed220mph]

Have to throw ERA into the fray. The quality of the ERA body can't be beaten, albeit matched. The seven year old body on mine is just about as nice as when I purchased it. Only problem has been the inevitible paint chips, which is a fact of life with any painted Cobra. But the body didn't dent, as will occur with aluminum. The paint-chip problem on my car was solved with InvincaShield.

Don't forget to look past the body when choosing your Cobra. Items such as manufacture support, chassis, engine, leg room and driveline should also enter your decision making process.

Bottom line is there are a lot of good cars available from reputable manufacturers. Good luck on your choice.

[rdorman]

Absolutely don't forget ERA! I did in my previous post!
Rick

[BT SNAKE]

I'll join in the fun and add Midstates to the list. I bought mine in 1987 and although it has many road scars I have no body shrinkage or warping. My Midstates is as solid as a rock and I wouldn't hesitate about driving it across country right now.
The best thing about Midstates is there customer service. I'm still treated like family after 16yrs. Bob Kallio always asks about me and my family then he asks how the car is doing. He wants the good news and the bad if there is any. To be honest I have never had a problem with it.
Fiberglass that's done right will last forever. If there was a problem with fiberglass then GM would not have used for over 50yrs on the Vette.
In time I will have a Kirkham but I will never sell my Midstates.

Hersh

[clayfoushee]

I think the main point Jamin should take away from this thread is that glass cars from reputable manufacturers are very durable and strong, in some ways stronger than aluminum (more resistant to damage and more easily repairable). Yes, the Kirkham aluminum body is beautiful and well-engineered, and certainly more "authentic," but strength and durability over glass should not be counted in it's "plus" column.

[Jamo]

Depends on how you define durability. Some like to patch holes from an accident...some prefer to pound out the dent.

It's all good.