New Guy wanting answers from experts

[fsstnotch]

I was choosing between shell valley and hurricane before I chose hurricane. I was told that shell valley bodies are great! In some cases the painter actually quoted less because it WAS a shell valley body.

Josh

[vettestr]

The intended use of your car color your choices in terms of suspension and final ride quality. Our cars are based on the Corvette chassis and can like all cars be set up as soft and cushy (sp?) as you want. The belief (" a Cobra is rough, noisy, smelly, dangerous, cramped and hot.") is only because of the set up.
Most folks choose spring rates, shock valving with sway bar diameters that would be happy in a off chamber sweeping turn for an exit speed of a zillion and 3 MPH. In truth many first time car owners or cars less than a couple years old never see a track.
You all know any car can be set up to rival your favorite recliner in terms of soft too even a sloppy ride. It is the anti Cobra image of what history has created. With a full under car exhaust (add dummy side pipes to keep the look) and you would have to check the tach. to confirm she was running. We use seats with adjustable lumbar and tilt already so and the bigger cockpit with an auto tranny so even the 3rd peddle goes away. Add air conditioning, remote start feature, door poppers with a tilt steering column you have the Anti-Cobra or a rolling sofa.

[Agwagon]

Thanks for all the feedback, I get impression that a Cobra lover is like a Harley rider. That is, it doesn't matter how noisy, unreliable, or uncomfortable it is, "IT'S JUST BECAUSE IT'S A HARLEY" thats why!
I would like to keep the costs down, but still have something unique to drive, I will contact clubs in the area. Thanks

[Roscoe]

You can check out my A&C build at http://www.priveye.com/cobra.htm. I saved not only money but time in getting my Cobra on the road.



7 years on the road and still passes for paint. Many A&C owners just have their gelcoat clear coated.

Roscoe

[cobra lake]

Antique & collectible out of buffalo have the best body on the market.
It is jelly coated and your paint code choice is baked to body.

1-888-763-7222 ask for Sunny, tell him paul from Ontario sent you

[cobeywan kanobe]

I own an Antique & Collectible 427 and am VERY happy with it. The reason I went with A&C was because of the Gelcoat (no need to paint it what-so-ever (of course you can always paint it if you want to) but it comes from the factory completely finished - high gloss - your color choice - just send Sonny the paint code - although no metallic colors)). I average about one Cruise in per week and everywhere I go - people cannot believe it when I tell them it's gelcoat (NOT PAINTED) and mention "I still may paint it someday". Everyone so far has been amazed. I don't know how to post pictures here - but if you want to email me I can send you a few. (monktar@yahoo.com)

Another added feature of the A&C Cobra is that all of the interior fender walls, back wall, trunk walls etc are already glassed-in when you get the body - no field glassing req'd - all you have to do is cut out where needed for your equipment (drive train, suspension, headlamps, gas filler, bumpers, exhaust, roll bar, hardware, etc). This considerably subtracts from the build-hours. The guy who built mine, actually said the A&C takes him Approx 100 hours less time build because of this and some other features.

On the slightly down side,
(1) It is not a Superformance, ERA, Kirkham, or Shelby American. But it's not priced as such either - and it'll definitely run with the best Shell Valley, FFR, Backdraft, and just about all others out there.
(2) Because of the gelcoat, you'll not want to wreck it. Color matching Gelcoat is next to impossible, especially if not white, black, or maybe dark blue. I got a blemish on mine and took it to an offshore high performance boat shop (highest recommended gelcoat specialists in the Annapolis, MD area(they do TONs of graphics and gelcoat and paint on those 43 foot offshore race boats, etc) and they "died trying" to match the gel coat - even after I literally sawed off a peice of the car and sent it to them to match the color).
But back to the point - you're saving $5000-$10000 on the paint job alone, and you can always paint it "later", or if you happen to have an accident.

Let me know if you want some pics.

Paul