Sambo, our bodies are not just a nice surface finish. In my experience we have produced a much higher quality body with the materials we use and construction techniques we employ. Our bodies are much, much stronger, also lighter, more durable and more consistent.

Are our bodies better than a 10k paint job? If it costs $10k to paint an average Cobra, ours will be significantly less money to paint.

Also after 6 - 12 months, the PACE 427's will be straighter, less prone to cracks, star cracks and more resistant to impact damage etc. We also fully protect/cover under the front nose and also the complete inside rear guards with our chassis.

My pet hate with all the Cobra's I have built and owned is the body quality, or lack there of.

And we just keep fine tuning the construction, quality etc. Unfortunately for existing owners we can't upgrade their bodies. But every existing PACE 427 owner does benefit from any new or upgraded parts, we retro-supply every part to existing owners. So our kits now contain significantly more parts than when we first supplied them, but every owner gets every new par even though they paid less for their original kits.

Damage, I can only take this as some form of an attack as usual. Go away.

For everyone else, we are simply getting Brad's dash trimmed in leather. He has just been fine tuning the mounting as you want to make sure everything is 100% before getting it trimmed. Next lot of photos will show a fully trimmed dash.

It really depends how far you want to take it.

Colour choice including whether the car will be a solid or metallic will determine the cost of materials, as would the inclusion of painted-on stripes. But for all intents and purposes, using high quality materials such as PPG or Glasurit, there's anywhere between $2000-3500 in materials alone.

Most quality bodyshops (including mine) charge between $100-120 per hour which we believe is fair and reasonable given the cost of a skilled and experienced trades person can easily eclipse $70 per hour alone. Then you factor in overheads, depreciation and g-d forbid the shop makes a little profit inside that hourly rate, too.

Even on a nicely constructed Pace body, there'd still be anywhere between 40-70 hours labour in the job, which factors disassembly, cleaning/decontamination, initial prep/sanding, fixing of any lows and discrepancies (yes, they do exist on the body to certain extents depending on when it was manufactured), masking, priming, block and hand sanding the car in a minimum of 3 different grits (incl. wet sanding), cleaning/decontamination, masking, surfacing/sealing, painting/baking, denibbing/polishing and reassembly. So there's $4000-7000 on average in labour.

Flowcoating additional clearcoat following the original application of clearcoat would be considered an extra-cost addition.

Add GST and as you can see, painting of a Pace would typically cost between $6,600 to $11K. There will obviously be some variation in that, but I'd say Guy was pretty much on the money with the job on average typically costing between $7-8K. That would be for a high quality result in metallic which would include painted-on full length stripes. Number rondelles and/or rookie stripes would be an extra cost option.

Hope this helps to clarify people's understanding/expectations of what it costs to paint the car.

Cheers,
Sime

No it actually wasn't an attack at all, I limit those just to you personally

Don't forget your old mate here.:):)

Craig, eventually all good lookers fade away and it's the personality we need to be able to live with. :D :JEKYLHYDE **)

It's early days but for my money the Absolute Pace cars, providing they are assembled by their owners with the same attention to detail shown in the factory, will age just beautifully and will still have the looks and personality to be desirable many years into the future. (Sort of a Cobra-world Sophia Loren!)

I like to think my lovely old Arntz has reached that stage of her life already -- but then I am just a wee bit biased ...

I thought we had drawn a line in the sand actually.

now! now play fair boys

You crossed the line recently when you bagged the Absolute Pace product in comparison to Factory Five. You just could not help yourself.

And your comment above is just a smart a$$ comment.

You are not welcome in any thread concerned with Absolute Pace products.

Go away.

Wow - boys are being sensitive here - settle down I say.

I know there is history here, but I thought damage's post was just a small funny at the picture of a space where the dash would normally sit. It does look like the gauges are missing! I think the reaction to that post may have been a touch overblown ....

Anyway, car is looking brilliant, a credit to all involved.

Really Craig your such a premaddona, I didn't bag your product at all in comparison to the factory five. If you took it that way sux to be you.

I've left you alone I havent commented on half of your absolute crap that you post yet you choose to have a swipe at me for a harmless comment.

OMG half the comments on this entire australian forum here are smart a$$, enough so that most people make it known as a common joke.

Unless your the forum moderator you really don't have a choice where I post mate so suck it up.

I've left you alone so leave me alone or I will start again.

Let's get this back on track, once again!!!!
This is about Brads Cobra build, please let's keep it that way.

Such a short memory...

You could not help yourself, you had to negatively compare my product directly by name. And what is really funny is that I know you would have no real idea of what is included in either brands kit. So you have insulted both AP & FFR owners as a result. BTW I am happy for PACE 427 kits to be compared directly to any other kits, including FFR. Please contact us for our Full Packing List and photos of included parts etc.

Towmaster, this is my last response to this person in this thread. I'm done here.

Wow back to a post I made in May this year to have a go at me, almost as slow as your response to some customer emails.

If that's bagging your product many apologies I would have called it product comparison.


Now I'm finished too but if you keep going I'll start a special thread for you.

PLEASE..don't start this rubbish again Damage.....
We are all sick of this nonsense.

Moderators ?

Read the posts Wazza I didn't start anything, He's your mate you tell him to stop. I asked him to leave it he didn't. I'm happy to stop I haven't commented for some months now because I couldn't be bothered.



Brad sorry at my poor attempt of light hearted humour. Your car looks great and congrats on your journey.

Damage. 400TT

Could you both please re - read the previous PM that was forwarded to you regarding the Cobra Forum rules and etiquette?

I don't want to be the one blamed for closing an excellent build Thread down due to previous Posts.

After 35 pages and countless Posts, photos and advice I think we should all be able to read about and see 'Cobra01' - Brad - complete his build Thread in the coming days with his Cobras registration.

I am certainly looking forward to reading that Post Brad and re - reading the entire build Thread. It has been an exciting and informative journey.

Well done Brad and good luck in the coming days. I look forward to seeing your Cobra at the Wakefield Park Raceway at our Cobra Nationals.

In the interim 400TT and Damage start reading....

Cheers

Your car looks great after a little buffing Brad.

I wish I could be at the Nationals!

Have fun

Tony

BMK, after Damage received that warning from you, he had to have that dig at my business in that factory five thread. And it is clear it is just a dig at my business with no foundation or truth. I have only just found out about that post and disappointed he wasn't watched more closely. And as far as I am concerned his post in this thread is a subtle dig at my business as well. If Damage stops posting these types of posts we will not have any further problems. I also want the reference to my business name in that Factory Five post deleted...