Peoples thoughts on Australian Kits

[Beejay]

Good advice from all the other guys. If it is a cruiser you are after pretty much any of the modern kits will do a good job.

I like the Classic Revival because it has a body that can be removed from the chassis, but also has the boot, interior and inner fenders as one piece.

The new model CR looks even better because it uses more Commodore parts - which means plenty of performance parts to chose from!

If you get a chance go to Shelbyfest and have a look at all the cars and talk to owners.

Good luck!

Ben

[DaveW]

Hi all, first time post for me too, i'm looking for a kit at the moment, i'm Melbourne based but in Perth this week, went to G-Force last weekend and spent the morning with Rob, i was blown away with quality of the build, the body was absolutely beautiful, uncoated, not even primed or filled, took me for a ride in the 429 gas only guzzler, what a hoot, the quality of this kit fit and finish was magnificent, I plan to get to Harrisons and CR on the east coast during Feb as these were the 3 i had short listed, but my biggest concern is engine, i havent spoken to an engineer yet so i dont know what i can get away with in Vic,
Dave

[albanycobra]

I know this is a bit left field but also consider the FFR complete kit Roadster....all I can say is value,value, value. Ask your Aussie kit suippliers for a matching qoute.

[LoBelly]

Originally Posted by albanycobra

I know this is a bit left field but also consider the FFR complete kit Roadster....all I can say is value,value, value. Ask your Aussie kit suippliers for a matching qoute.

or maybe a quote.

Personally, if I were to do another cobra, I'd be looking very seriously at this option. (or a Kirkham - best value/ best car, or maybe both)

LoBelly

[400TT]

Can't argue with the recent sentiments. Don't limit yourself to just the local kits. There are plenty of fantastic options over in the USA. And it's quite often not hard to find someone local who is familiar with the make who can assist

I looked seriously in the USA and look at me now.

My advice is to attend club meetings & events. Talk to owners and previous owners of kits.

Sounds like you are doing a thorough research of the manufacturers, which is great.

This way you will get the right kit for you. Good luck with it.

I've owned three Cobra's and have loved all of them.

[wishfullthinkin]

WOW.

Thankyou so very much for everybody's help and advise, i wasn't really sure how a thread like this would turn out. I am into rc cars as well and if i asked the same question about chassis and kits on that forum it would have gone like this one did for about five minutes then turn into a mines better argument. I guess there is a bit more cash tied up in these though. Everybody is willing to help out.

I'm not sure if this is a good thing or not, i am a spare parts interpreter at a local spare parts shop, do you guys think this will be a help or hinderance in getting some of the bits and pieces. Personally i would have thought it would help, or am i better off just going through the kit manufacturer for the parts.

My final question for today is about engines. Because i can source a lot of engine parts ( i could build an engine from a bare block ) am i going to be restrained by the law? By this i mean are vic roads going to can me because i don't use a built motor out of a donor car?

[alffie]

You wont be able to build an engine cheaper than a crate motor!! Your choices are very limited, its either LS series engines or the Ford boss series, Iam not sure if you will ready in time to use a 5L windsor.
There are holden dealers around that have been selling LS2s under $5000 brand new and T56 for $2500.
The main reason I went with a CR is because all the parts are brand new and the body is all one piece. No mater which kit you get you will have some issues you will need to sort out along the way.
Ive also found that the kit makers arent that more expensive for the parts, by the time you find someone else withe the parts they often turn out to be similar in price.
Getting a roller will save you a lot of time and work, get a painter lined up now so when you get the kit he will take it straight away, otherwise you will be waiting a while for paint.

[Aussie Mike]

Emissions compliance is going to get you on the motor. You need to use a motor that is compliant to the current emissions specs which means sourcing something late model and using the ECU and assosiated emissions controls, cats etc.

You should speak to an engineer on this one or perhaps someone here can chime in with the current state of play in Victoria. You will probably find it's easiest to source a complete crate motor or pick up the drive train from a wrecked late model.

Depending on the parts you will probably be able to souce them cheaper yourself. If you are buing them from the kit manufacturer they will add their markup on them. There will be plenty of people one here with sources for parts at the right price.

As far as a mines better argument I think you will find most Cobra enthusiasts are fairly mature and realise that each kit has its plusses and minuses. There's things in each kit that I like and things I don't but I dont think it does any good to bash others cars.

Cheers

[NASSTY]

Originally Posted by wishfullthinkin

WOW.

My final question for today is about engines. Because i can source a lot of engine parts ( i could build an engine from a bare block ) am i going to be restrained by the law? By this i mean are vic roads going to can me because i don't use a built motor out of a donor car?

G'day wishfullthinkin and welcome to the forum.

I went through the rego process a year ago in Vic. The easiest route to rego in Victoria is:

Choose an engineer and have a long chat to them. They're not all the same and they all interpret the rules slightly differently.

Engine wise you're restricted to late model donor engines. So either Ford 5.4 or Chev Ls2. If you are to built your own engine then you will need to have it fully tested for emmissions which is prohibative. A donor engine has already been certified by the factory so a simple static emission test is all they need for rego. Cheap and easy process. I think it cost me $50 and 1/2 hr.

Lastly, the cost of engineering varies significantly if the engineer wants to test the chassis or not. This depends on whether they have engineered the same kit before, the said kit is largely built to the same specs as the ones they have previously tested or whether the engineer is prepared to rely on another engineers testing, assuming the testing/drawings are made available to you. This is perhaps the main reason to go with an Aust product. An overseas product may easily pass engineering but if the engineer wants to test it then it will be more expensive to pass. The difference may be anywhere from $1000-$2000 to at least twice or more if the engineer wants to do a full set of drawings/tests.

Happy hunting!

[DaveW]

i thought Harrisons was the FFR ?, is there another way to do a RHD FFR ?

[DaveW]

OK answered my own lack of knowledge, had a look at their website again and they do their own but are also agents for FFR,
Has anyone done an FFR RHD conversion ?

[albanycobra]

I have a done a RHD conversion on a Coupe which is basically the same chassis as a Roadster. You use a Cortina TE/ TF steering rack and a few bits from summit....a bit of welding and you have a RHD FFR.

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