Cobra Kit Factory Visit

[Hammerman]

Hi, another newbie...

If you were going to visit a Cobra kit supplier with the possibility of purchasing a rolling chassis from them, what questions would you ask, what would you be looking for?

Any constructive advice will be very helpful for me!

Assume one of the main suppliers in Aus.

Ta.

[sambo]

Welcome to the forum Hammerman. I think that's a great question and you're bound to get a few replies. I guess it would depend on how much you want to get involved in the build and what skills you have, for a start.

To me "rolling chassis" is a pretty loose term. You will find with a bit of digging that one kit supplier throws a body onto a chassis and loads all the hanging panels onto a trailer and delivers it to your home with barely more work than that.

At the other end of the scale you have kit suppliers that hang the doors, bonnet and boot, plus all the fixing points for dash, steering column, shocker mounts etc are in place and the chassis is powder coated or painted to your spec.

Do you want ABS brakes or a particular driveline or forced induction, can they fit auto trans, live axles or IRS, deep dish on the rear, cosmetic or structural roll bars. Is the floor in place or removable, what seat options are there, how true is the body to the original 427 shape, etc etc etc

How have their cars performed in driving events, not just track but hill climbs and motorkhana. If buying from interstate what local support do you have?

Also it helps if your engineer has recently passed one of their kits, meaning beam/torsion and brake testing has already been carried out.

I could probably go on but that should get you started.

Best of luck

Paul

[*13*]

If you are serious, spend a lot of time here searching & reading about the cars. Most of your questions will be brought up & answered. A factory visit should be icing on the cake, with all the information you have gathered.

[Dimis]

Hi Hammerman,

The real question that needs to be asked first only you can answer...

"What do you want?"

1) do you want a full rego car or a race/rally car?
2) how much building are you prepared to do vs having it done for you?
3) importantly what's your budget?

There are plenty of good options at the moment, but before you go chasing answers to technical questions, it's always good to know where your starting parameters are, even if you change them in light of your reaserch.

Ps - welcome aboard

[Merv and Sharon]

And what can you fit comfortably in? Harrison offers the only extended body (100mms extra) and now 4 out of 5 of their kits/rolling chassis are the extended body. I know of quite a few guys who wished that they had gone that way. You can play with pedals and seats to some degree in most kits but there are limits.

So go to some club meets and take lots of photos and sit in some cars. Start a photo collection and build it up as they are of so much value in construction.

[Modena]

sit in as many cars as possible, they have different footwell designs and spaces, and different floor heights.

[stephen low]

Welcome Hammerman

As someone suggested the Victorian CC club meets first Wednesday in the month so that is coming very shortly.

It's an AGM meeting too but don't let that put you off as you'll meet a lot of knowledgeable pople on cobras and that's what you need.

Don't think I can add too much to the general advice already given except to say you will find pros and cons on all the kits. Work on a list of what you'd like out of the kits and compare this to your research on each kits attributes and detractions.

For example some kits can't support deep dish wheels, is that a specific look you want, then that kit may be a lesser choice.

Do good research and you will end up making a happy choice.

Good luck

Steve

[boxhead]

Go to a club meeting, try some cars on for size (might cost you a beer).
Then make a list of what you want in the car.
Ie : Looks, Ability, Ease of assy, removable body, independent rear end, wheel dish, engine choice, fuel choice (these 2 can be thought about together, as LPG can be fitted with different engines), gearbox choice.

And as mentioned the term "roller" means alot of different things, so just exactly what do you refer to as a roller?

Another option is that I dont know what your time line for "needing" a car or kit in the garage, but the Nationals are comming around pretty fast (late Sept early Oct), so it may be worth making the trip to Goulburn, as you will not see a larger gathering of all the different supplier options than at that place.

[DaveW]

Hi Hammerman, Welcome
Cant add much to the points others have said here except, its a sizable investment, so don't skimp on an airfare or two to visibly touch and talk with the makers, get over to Perth, get up to QLD and NSW and visit some of the locals.
You'll see somethings you like and some you don't,
Be realistic about what your abilities are and your patience level, that will determine the best choice for you, there are a lot of unfinished projects out there because build problems got too "hard", and they didn't have the perseverance or financial backing to get somebody to help them through it.
Most importantly, ask questions on this forum from the builders, there is every type and combination and you'll get lots of solutions, suggestions and opinions to consider.
Cheers

[Hammerman]

Hi

And thanks all for your personal opinions and information, I knew there would be many aspects to consider most of which are possibly unknown to me at the moment.

Car would be your typical street cobra not required for show or track. Reliable, clean and tidy. It does not have to be an exact replica of original but consistent with your ave build.

I have a very rough draft base spec based on other builds/common themes:

Circa 400hp
Manual Tremec T56
V8 maybe LS3
17” wheels
Good standard of kit/finish but not show level
ABS but not sure about traction control
Reputable kit supplier

Suspension – don’t know the difference /pros and cons at this stage for road.
Brakes not sure of size type
What determines the diff ratio or arrangement?

Budget for build would be around what the current market has advertised for second hand cars. I am sure I would be more popular if I spread the cost over 12 months though!

I am a mech eng and prior to that completed am apprenticeship as plater/welder, I have access to engineering workshops and electricians. A guy who works for me has even built and still has a GT40. But here’s the crunch despite all this in my favour I know jack about cars and this makes me a little cautious!!!

I will make it over to the club either July or Aug to pick some more info.

PS anyone over Williamstown way taking thier car out sometime, I would much appreciate a visual and a chat!

thanks again

Adrian.

[boxhead]

All sounds very doable Adrian, just because you dont know cars wont make a difference.
At a guess you will have a logical type mentality and understand how things work (even if you need to read up on it first)

Kit options, well your requirements as listed doesnt really eliminate any of them, nor does it highlight any.

I am not sure if DRB still make the live axle version, but this would be the cheapest to build.

But in my opinion, dont buy the cheapest kit you can find and expect it will equate to the cheapest build.

I have an older design Classic Revival Kobra and found it very easy to assemble, a close second on my list was the Harrison Cobra Kits: Home I realise these suppliers are a long way from where you live, but I personally think having the supplier close at hand is not that high on the priority list of choosing a supplier.

I have no experiance in a live axle Cobra, but think the IRS cars handle and drive beter.

I am also not a fan of the Jag rear (I think it is only popular because of its ease of fitting) as it is now a very out dated design, the brakes are very hard to service and it is a heavy unit by the time you weigh the assy with the cage.
In saying that though, most suppliers do use the jag rear and it probably the most common assy used and plenty of guys do go fast with it.

Make sure you take a good hard look at the shape, as some do "look like a Cobra" until you know the subtle differences, and to me, the devil is in those little curves.

[stephen low]

Hammerman

You could start your research visiting Marty Govett at Kenmer Engineering in Dandenong. In fact if you'd pinged in before last weekend you could have visited during his shed run last Saturday.

Irrespective he has a raft of cars in his shed at present, he has a wealth of experience from building his kits and helping members modify other manufacturer's kits and is full of great ideas.

On this last he is now fitting late model jag rear suspension which means big outboard vented discs and a single shocker set up instead of the old twins shockers and skinny plain discs and with a much improved and accessible hand brake system.

It's a starting point.