Me... A Texas Hopeful kit builder

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Hntr2506

What I want and what my wife will live with are 2 very different things. I'm slow rolling this operation, not for my benefit, but really for my benefit.

If you are trying to save money, buying a car that's already been built is clearly the way to go, as opposed to building it yourself or having ERA build it to your specifications. The benefit of the latter is that you get the car exactly the way you want, not the way somebody else wanted it. But you will pay a premium for that luxury. On the other hand, the longer you drag out the process lends itself to an appearance that you are not paying as much as you really are. Kind of like the old days when you paid Ma Bell a small monthly fee for your telephone, but you paid it forever. But be cautious on the price of these cars. They are more expensive than you think, they always cost more than the good faith estimate somebody gives you and when you see the good stuff next to the alternative, you will always want the good stuff. And the good stuff always costs more.

[Hntr2506]

Originally Posted by patrickt

If you are trying to save money, buying a car that's already been built is clearly the way to go, as opposed to building it yourself or having ERA build it to your specifications. The benefit of the latter is that you get the car exactly the way you want, not the way somebody else wanted it. But you will pay a premium for that luxury. On the other hand, the longer you drag out the process lends itself to an appearance that you are not paying as much as you really are. Kind of like the old days when you paid Ma Bell a small monthly fee for your telephone, but you paid it forever. But be cautious on the price of these cars. They are more expensive than you think, they always cost more than the good faith estimate somebody gives you and when you see the good stuff next to the alternative, you will always want the good stuff. And the good stuff always costs more.

Seriously, I've been planning this a long time. The cost of these kits has gone way up since I first saw them. I have no illusion on what its going to cost in real dollars. There are things I can save money on that I can live with.

That 390FE will probably be stock, just dressed up. The Top loader was rebuilt and bought them for $1700 combined. That's also why I asked about the 6 pin hubs, quoted $2000 for that over the 5 pin. There's money that can be saved on this build.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Hntr2506

Seriously, I've been planning this a long time. The cost of these kits has gone way up since I first saw them. I have no illusion on what its going to cost in real dollars. There are things I can save money on that I can live with.

Good enough. And a 390FE will do just fine. We had a thread not too long ago where one well respected engine builder was outlining how it can easily put out well over 500HP with reliability. Of course, it'll still drip from time to time, but that's to be expected from an FE.