Best Oz Kit Poll

[Aussie Mike]

That's a good looking Cobra David. You should be proud.

One thing that annoyed me about this thread is that it doesn't take into account the quality of work gone into the build. I reckon with patience and work most Cobras could be made to handle well regardless of their running gear. Effort put into the bodywork will yield results too. Or a quick coat of flat black like mine will make even the nicest body look crappy.

What I would have rather seen is people list the pros and cons of their own kits rather than just bagging other manufacturers. What's important to one person may not be to another. The opposite may even apply.

For example I'll start with my CR. Note however that my car is not the current generation round tube chassis.

Pros:

• I like the body shape, I think it's fairly accurate but more importantly to me it looks good aesthetically.

• I like the materials used in the body construction. Quadra (quad directional stitched mat) and Vinyl Ester resin rather than chop strand mat and polyester resin that many use. This makes for a stronger body that's light weight.

• I like how the tub is bonded into the body. This makes for a tidy engine bay/underside and adds a lot of strength to the body.

• Use of core mat in areas like the floor make for a stronger structure without adding a lot of extra weight.

• I like having the ability to separate the body from the chassis. I'm a chronic tinkerer/modifier and this makes it easier for me to make chassis and suspension changes.

• Double wishbone rear suspension is a plus as it's a lot more adjustable than a Jag IRS or a live axle.

Cons:

• The body doesn't have a neatly molded door sill like many do. This makes trimming the carpet around this area a bit untidy. However it could be said that the original cars didn't have much of a door sill either.

• I think the wheel arches are a little too large in diameter. Not a big issue and you don't notice it so much if you sit the car at the right height. Also some don't like the large front wheel flares (I like 'em)

• Despite it's strength the body does flex a bit too much in some areas (at least mine does). It's a bit to thin across the top of the dash and across the top of the body behind the cabin. However I've seen there is some inconsistency between bodies as others have heaps of material there. Perhaps it depends on who's laying the fiberglass that day. This is not a major issue as I can lay some extra core mat and glass in there myself.

• Body alignment. Some have found the body out of whack on the chassis from left to right. This can be a pain to correct as it requires re drilling the body mounting holes. It's not fun to find when you are a good way through your build. Normally discovered when you bolt the wheels on for the first time. Mine wasn't too bad but others have had dramas.

• Ford AU IRS has cast steel arms which are very heavy. The geometry is not real good for bump steer. The Ford diff center only has a 7.5" crown wheel which has been known to break. I personally know of 2 cars that have broken diffs. All of this can be corrected with a bit of work.

• The wheel offsets on the CR may not suit some. There is very little dish on the rear wheels due to the wide Ford rear end used. This gives a more modern look that really only suits larger diameter rims. It looks a bit odd with traditional 15" wheels. It also limits your wheel choices to custom built wheels.

There's probably a lot of other pros and cons I could list but these are what I can think of at the moment.

So rather than just bagging cars I challenge they guys on here to analyze their own kit and choices and come up with a list.

Cheers