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  #1 (permalink)  
Old 11-08-2006, 06:51 PM
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Default Which kit? question#6793241

Hi, Names Nik, i'm 21 and live in Perth, West Oz

About a month ago a friend of mine tragicly died in a car accident, she was my age with still so much to live for.
As you can imagine, it has been extremly hard for her perants and brother.

Now our famlies being as close as they are, we are trying to help them move on and the thought was that the brother and me buy 2 identical cobra kits and build them up together in the same shed at the same time with the 2 dads only spending a fraction of the time there just to keep us going in the right direction.

At the end off the day, us 2 'boys' coming away from the project with a sence of achivement.

finacialy I would probaly have to sell my car (or sell my beloved Benz) not long after completing it.

As far as i know there are 2 people in perth to talk to Gforce and RMC.

Can i get some opinions on both?

which one is the better one to build (not nescesaraly the best one to drive)?

I am are hoping for some buying power as there are going to be 2 cars.

engine wise I was toying with the idea of a toyota soarer front cut which would come with 4L quad cam V8 and auto trans, have these motors & boxes been retro kitted into the cobras before or are we trying to push **** uphill?

any help would be great

thanks

Nik
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Old 11-08-2006, 06:57 PM
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Nik...moved it here so your fellow mates migh offer some opinions.
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Old 11-08-2006, 06:58 PM
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sorry
cheers
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Old 11-08-2006, 07:00 PM
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Nothing to be sorry about...just thought it might provide you with more helpful responses.

However, having met some of these blokes, it is I that owes you an apology.
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Old 11-08-2006, 08:18 PM
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Hi Nik,

Tragic loss, especially when so young - having just experienced a similar event when one of my son's mates was beaten to death it is certainly hard to take. I think your idea of a joint build is awesome and I wish you well!!

I know there are a few WA guys on this forum and they will certainly help with car choice.

With G-Force being based in Perth, after sales support (essential) would be helpful.

Not sure on the bulk buy discount as most of the suppliers are pretty booked up with forward orders, but hey if you don't ask you don't get!!

I'm sure there will be a heap of informed advise coming through shortly - Good luck mate!
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Old 11-08-2006, 09:30 PM
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Yep, plenty of of Cobra's have been fitted with what is commonly called the Lexus engine(1UZFE).

Look at the less sporty front cuts that have 1UZFE engines. We bought a Toyota Crown as they were much cheaper. The engines are all basically identical.

Will be a lot easier to build the local product.

A lot of manufacturers over here can set up the chassis for 1UZFE, so if you are lucky G-Force do as well.

You can save a lot of money by going to a lot of swap meets etc.
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Old 11-08-2006, 09:47 PM
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Hey Sniper

Check your private messages

Brett
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Old 11-08-2006, 10:30 PM
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One of the guys here from WA just purchased a Classic Revival, so maybe he can offer advice.

I would also contact Plums, he has a neat LS1 powered GForce that may be of interest.

Ben
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Old 11-08-2006, 11:41 PM
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Great Idea doing both cars together. I reckon the 2nd car will take about one quarter of the hours the first one takes. Working out how to overcome the hicups is what took all the time for me.

If I was building again I would certainly comsider the lexus engine, so easy to get extra hp with turbo after rego.
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Old 11-09-2006, 01:50 AM
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From the front cut, you can also use lots of other stuff. While the engine was normally aspirated we also used the stock Crown aluminium radiator, worked fine even with regular track work. Lots of other stuff you can use as well.

Plus you can sell off stuff like power steering pump, air conditioning compressor, air bags etc etc.

This is why the Lexus engines work out so cheap.

Plus they sound the business, very nice exhaust note.

You will get between 200-230rwhp out of a stock engine, which equates to plenty of fun in a Cobra with such a light weight engine. Plus great fuel economy to boot.
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Old 11-09-2006, 06:39 AM
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Ok so i went and talked to the guys at Replica Motor Company this arvo
turns out they also deal with Westfield SportsCars out of the UK.

After over an hour of discussing with Kim it apprears that a westfield SEW is a better first kit car ie. sub 30k for parts vs. 55k+ for the cobra parts, 150 hours vs. 600 hours.

160-200hp in a 650kg car should still be plenty of fun

if all goes well, sell the westfields and hopefully not lose money on the cost of parts and then tackle the Cobra and then one day a Gt40 or Dayton Coupe

what do you guys think?

cheers

Nik
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Old 11-09-2006, 12:50 PM
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To me the westfield just does not have the appeal of a Cobra. Even the appeal of a cheap Cobra.

Wouldn't be much easier to build than a Cobra.

Westfield would certainly be cheaper, when looking at the same quality.


You could build a 30K Cobra following this guide:
If you used lexus V8, auto, radiator etc etc from front cut.
Don't paint it immediately. Get them to do a gelcoat body in a suitable final colour, black is a great choice. Then get some stick on roundels with numbers for it, etc etc and it will look ok. Gelcoat polishes up really well. My brothers Cobra is done like this and it looks quite good.
Got for a race interior. Grab some 2nd hand seats and panel the interior and dash, it can look quite effective and is cheap to do.
Hit the swap meets for parts, big savings here.
Use 2nd hand wheels/tyres.
Even with wiring harness, you could pick up a couple of old harnesses and make one suitable harness out of it. We did that on our first Cobra, no electrical problems in 9 years of driving.
Spend the money on proper windscreen and suitable outside accessories: roll bar, side vents, quick jacks, badges, mirrors etc.

You would definitely be below $30k. I reckon below $25k if you really hit swap meets hard.

Eventually you could pretty it up, add nice wheels etc etc.

This is how I would go.

You also would not have to stick with an auto, you could drop in an old Supra 5 speed. These will handle the power of a standard Lexus in something light like a Cobra.

All the time is in the finishing off, fiddly stuff. The mechanical stuff is the quick, easy & fun part.

The last Harrison I built with my brother came in at $30k initially. It wasn't painted and didn't have a pretty interior, but had about $5k extra spent on it that wasn't necessary for a road car.
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Old 11-09-2006, 02:04 PM
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Hey Craig - can you build a GT40 for that sort of money ?!?!?!?
30 Gorillas might just cover the cost of your brake upgrade...
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Old 11-09-2006, 02:11 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 750hp
Hey Craig - can you build a GT40 for that sort of money ?!?!?!?
30 Gorillas might just cover the cost of your brake upgrade...
Nope, cheapest I reckon I could build a GT40 for is $60k. And that's to the same standard as the Cobra above.

Hey, we both know of cheap Cobra builds around. We've seen a $16.5K Harrison built and another for less than $20k.
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Old 11-09-2006, 03:42 PM
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At best I think you would only just recover your investment in a clubman in my opinion. Check out car point etc etc to get a feel for what a used clubman is worth. What ever you think it will cost to build - add another 20% or so just to be sure. A Cobra is about the only kit, if built well, that you'll be able to make a profit on when or if you sold it.

Cool idea building both at the same time.

Just remember that they're called a Cobra for a reason, if not respected they can bite you back hard. I did some pretty stupid things on the road when I was 21. If I had done the same things in a Cobra, who knows what may have happened.
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Old 11-09-2006, 04:38 PM
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To me a Clubman is a fast car, but an ugly one too.

Definately not a car that I would consider building unless it was for track days.

Ben
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Old 11-09-2006, 06:48 PM
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Hi Nik

Gauging the build cost is a tricky business. Some say you can build one for $30K, others say work out a budget and double it.

I am near the end of a build and I have recorded costs reasonably accurately. I can see 42k at present and will be lucky to complete for $45K. I am not a perfectionist and am not building a high spec car. I bought a complete write off donor car so got lots of "bits" for free. I see the cost in 5 areas:

1. Engine + transmission incl wiring harness, computer(s)
2. Front and rear suspension incl braking system and tyres/alloys.
3. Body and chassis including paint for both.
4. Shiny Bits incl lights, pipes, windscreen etc
5. Misc

I would guess the average cost for each of the first 4 is 8K+5K+15K+10K = 28K. Its the last one that can cause a lot of unforseen costs, the list is long but includes engineering approvals, trailer hire, fuel system, additional steelwork, dash, misc nuts & bolts, cooling system, driveshaft, oils + consumables, seats, exhaust system, new bushes etc.

I suspect people underestimate this unless they track costs systematically.

Having said that all of us here believe the Cobra is a car which will always remain a classic, a fun car and a head turner. Building one is a great experience and whilst you will never get the cost of your time back if you sell you will probably never lose out in terms of parts cost.


Martin
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Old 11-09-2006, 06:51 PM
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OOPs that should be $38K not $28k - see how easy you can kid yourself on the cost!!

(I'm sure others will have diffrenet views on these figures)
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Old 11-09-2006, 08:16 PM
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thanks guys
the westfield is far from my dream car, however it seems to be a very good introduction into the world of kit cars with the plan of one day building something bigger and better.

the buget is actully looking better and better as my old man will be going to the uk 3 times in the next 5 months and could save upto a few thousand $ a car in bringing some of the smaller stuff back with him ie. lights & gauges.

I also like to think i am fairly mechanicly minded (machinist by trade) and play with gokarts for a living these days, and see no reason why the car would have to leave the shed until its completed.

the fact is, a car like the cobra is not one i want to do on a tight buget and have to cut corners on to get there.

cheers

Nik
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Old 11-09-2006, 08:33 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by martrogers
I suspect people underestimate this unless they track costs systematically.
Yep, it's a trap. It's all the small stuff that adds up.

Built 2 x Cobra's with my brother and we accounted for every cent as the costs were halved.

First Cobra cost $50k to build(8 years ago, so old pricing).

2nd Cobra cost $30k to build(2 years ago).

You can be smart and build cheap Cobra's.

Using Soarer/Crown front cut saves big $$$. You can get Engine, loom, ecu, gearbox, radiator etc etc for a total cost of $1500 after selling the stuff you don't need. And things like power steering pump, air conditioning compressor etc, are demand items.

Don't paint it, get a good gelcoat job in the colour you want. Sand back seems, polish it up. The good thing about leaving it gelcoat is that it gives time for the fibreglass body to settle while you are out enjoying it.

Buy 2nd wheels/tyres. You can save a lot of money on wheels/tyres.

As I said before, hit swap meets. e.g. you can pick up pretty decent chrome headlight surrounds for gold coin donation($1-$2), now that's a nice saving. Same goes for headlight buckets, headlights and lots of other stuff. Swap meets are time consuming, but can save big money. We hit nearly every swap meet for a year to build the 2nd Cobra.

This is the bargain end of the range though, the average Cobra costs around $50-60k these days to build I reckon.

The cool thing about Cobra's is the cheaper they are, the easier they are sell. And most people get the build cost back(and sometimes more) when they sell.
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