Me... A Texas Hopeful kit builder
 

Hello all, been lurking a few weeks but figured it is time to join as I have a few questions I will be posting shortly. The intent of this post is to provide my intentions/drivers for hopefully my future cobra. I will then think this into my signature so anyone can refer to this post to understand my back ground.

My Experience
This will be my first build. My mechanical experience is limited to my High School days of breaking stuff on my truck and then figuring out how to fix it. I have replaced complete rear ends, transmission and dropped motors in. However, I never tuned a motor or a carb. EFI and electronics scare me when they are on cars.

The drivers of my build
I got the green light from my wife to build a cobra because it could be something I can do with my kids. So purchasing one is not in the cards, beside I like to do things myself where I have the capability to do so rather than pay someone else to do it.

However, I recognize that I do not have the patience nor the skills to fabricate or do body work. I was never one that could color inside the lines and don't like the idea of working a plastic body that if you F it up that you need a entire new body. So I'm not looking for a kit that requires me to fab or do body work. For this reason I think Factory Five may not be an option for me.

I also don't want to spend a year or longer on the build. Again, I think I will lose patience and may lose the interest of my kids at that point. I'm in the Army Reserves so I lose a weekend a month and Saturdays are usually soccer games so I have 3 days a month to give 8-10hrs a day to the build. Again, I think this pushes Factory Five out of my short list.

I expect to have all of December off so hope to use this time to get a jump start on the build. Thus, the kit needs to be ready for me to pick-up the week of Thanksgiving. Thus, I don't have a year to conduct research and learn. In fact, based on some lead times I have been quoted I only weeks to come to a decision on a vendor. I don't plan to pull the trigger unless I'm 100% comfortable with the decision. I hope this forum will help me uncover blinds pots and learn how to set-up the build for as much success as I can.

I have not had a hobby in a long time. I wanted to find a hobby that will keep me at home and hopefully does not take away from family time. Thus, I selected to build a Cobra and the wife agreed with me. If I find this enjoyable then I can see moving on to other potential kits or keep tuning/upgrading the Cobra maybe for racing or to try and win bling at car shows.

I won't go into why a Cobra because I think we all share the same general infatuation of the car and building or purchasing a replica is the only way for us to get our hands on one.

My build Philosophy
I don't plan to build a 100% period correct car. I will choose functionality, fit and $$ over period correctness but if all else is equal then I will go with period correct. However, I do respect that this was a Ford car (even though I grew up on Bow-Ties) that I can not drop a Chevy engine into this car. Additionally, I just think a Coyote type Engine just doesn't look right in the car even though I recognize it may have less issues than the older Carb engines. I go back to my $$ and function for the engine, I big block is not a must have. The engine will be selected based on a 400-450HP/Torque for price and reliability. Currently, I plan to buy a complete motor dyno and tuned.

I'm not building the car to race, though maybe it is something I will try, the car will be driven as little as good weather allows or as much as my kids and wife say "Hey lets go in the Cobra" mid-day in July in Houston.

Like any car I expect that I will not receive 100% ROI but this is just like my pool and my family sure enjoys it. So it is worth it for me.

What I hope to get and provide to the Forum
I hope to get the facts from the wealth of experience here so I can base my decision on. If you want to provide me your opinion on what I should do or select then I will set up a go fund me site for you to send money to with your opinions. Then I will gladly consider your opinion.

I was surprised that there are not sticky post for all the hot topics a nub may have. I have participated in similar forums like this that had sticky's with link to discussions, website etc that a nub could get general basic information quickly without having to search. Searching doesn't always yield best results because great facts/info may be buried a thread in a unrelated topic. So maybe this is something I can help with since I will be looking for and collecting information as a nub.

Closing
This is probably longer than most intro but if I post something and you wonder why I'm going a particular direction the hopefully this post will give you insight as to why.

As I said I do have some questions I need help on from the group and will be posting those soon. Look forward to the discussions during my initiation of building the cobra and becoming a member once I finish and drive it to a coffee/lunch or a show.

Time to Shake.... and Bake

Welcome to the Cobra family! What part of Texas are you in? lots of folks all over the state. You ought to come down to
San Marcos this weekend and check out the Texas Cobra Club Spring Meet. There will be over 100 cars there. Texas Cobra Club Spring Meet You don't have to have a car to join the fun. Lots of empty seats to join the cruises. My daughter Laura runs registration inside the entry. She can find me and I can help you out.

What is your budget?

What are YOUR expectations as to how long this project will take? (Hint, it's multi-year if you have a day job.)

There are MANY topics on this very subject, some of them very recent. You should read all of them.

Tony!!!!!!

Ricky Bobby " Shake and Bake"
and remember drive like the cougar is in the back seat at all times :-)

Rollers, a car that just need engine trans dropped in.
Folks who make rollers
Backdraft start @ $47K, Superformance $65k, Shelby $115k, Kirkham $95k, Other brands can be ordered but are rare and require 1-4 years lead time. Also those are rough barebone numbers from my memory (probably low) and ramp up quick with options.
Add another $20k for the engine and trans. ($15k for the motor and accessories, $5k trans, flywheel, clutch, bellhousing)
I'd advise swinging by Radical Roadsters in Tomball. James Yale has a great reputation and is a Backdraft dealer as well.

Due diligence
 

Welcome to the madness! Take your time and do your homework. You will likely change your mind over the time you are looking, as you discover new ideas and see new things. It seems the color is the hardest part!

Try to narrow down what you want, based on your capabilities. Visit owners and ride in cars. There are differences. If you don't care about a big block, consider the small block cars where the engine is correct for the body and you can save some money.

It's a great project for the family. There is a Unique owner who has built 6 cars with his kids! It has been a great hobby for them.

Rollers are not in play for me. As stated in the intro one of my key drivers is to build it with my kids, thus it needs to be a kit. However, was not aware of Radical Roadster in Tomball. I will go check them out!

My budget is about 40K for the kit.

My intent is to keep the build under a year. I will go and do the research on build time but I have read that Factory five is 300hrs to build and I went to Unique shop this past Saturday and Maurice told me his deluxe kit would be about 100hrs to build. I have all Dec off to get a jump start on the build, then 3 days a month and will have 6 extra, but inexperienced, hands to help.

The issue I have is getting into cars. I live in Texas but in SC until 1 April so I will miss the the Texas show. I think I will need to make a decision on the kit in the next couple of weeks to ensure I can get my kit around Turkey day. So I may not be able to wait until the London Car show thus I reached out to owners in Houston and San Antonio to try and meet up with.

I have just about eliminated Factory Five from my short list; because the build will take to long and I don't want to deal with shaving/cutting the body parts to get the trunk and hood to fit.

I think Ultimate Classic Cars is probably out as well. I visited their new shop a couple of weeks ago and looks like they still have some time to get back fully operational. While Dennis was great to talk to, it is only him and one other guy working on the cars.

So my current short list is Unique, Shell Valley and Hurricane at this point. But still looking to see if I missed any other potential suppliers.

For the engines: I'm thinking a 351w 400-450HP with matching torque. I think That should be enough of a pucker factory when I need it.

I've heard this many, many times before. It almost never works out the way you want it to. It will not be a "bonding experience." It will not bring you closer. And it certainly will not improve the quality of the build. They will lose interest and you'll be building it on your own. Factor that piece of advice in to your decision making, or, disregard it completely. That's up to you.:cool:

Please check out www.hurricane-motorsports.com. There are a few new completed builds in Texas, and a a few being delivered and underway. Hurricane is very very reliable company, with excellent customer service.

Also, just FYI- If you haven't seen a Factory Five body straight out of the mold, they need a LOT of body work. The Hurricane body out of the mold is fantastic. Minimal seam lines. in fact, my cobra is not even painted yet. I just polished up the gelcoat and slapped decals all over it.

I took 6 years to finish my Hurricane build, paying along the way, taking breaks (really 7 years counting a year of finished up and sorting out after it was titled/registered).

You can get a very good 450hp crate 351 small block built by Craft Racing in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Mine is 351w/427cid 600hp/600tq.


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Your budget is $40k and you don't want to do body work. You don't want a roller, you only have 3 weekends a month, you want to do this with your kids, (which means taking your time to explain things and enjoy the process) you want to complete the build in one year? um

You want us to keep it real? or just tell you what you want to hear??

TONY !!!

40K including paint (I see you asking about paint shops in another topic).

Figure another 15K at least for an engine/trans.

That's going to be a stretch.

What are you looking for? If you want a Cobra, then you'll almost certainly overrun your budget or not be satisfied with the result or abandon it in the garage. Cobras have a unique attribute: There isn't a single straight line on one. That makes fabrication all the more complicated and takes a fair amount of skill.

If you're looking to build something - and I totally agree that is an admirable goal - then there are other kits that are (1) lots cheaper and (2) lots easier to build that (3) increase your chances of a successful project.

Ricky Bobby im getting all jacked up on Mountain Dew!!

I would do whatever Tony says if i where you....its that simple

For the price point, you should consider buying used. They are out there and you could start enjoying it with your family right away. Then change things as time and money allow.

-Greg

To be clear, 40K is the budget for the kit with options. I have a separate budget for the paint and engine.

Also I will have the full month of Dec to work on the car, then after that it would be 3 days a month.

So what am I missing when the three kits I'm currently looking at are from 30K-37K and one of the kits should take ~100hrs to complete?

Seems all achievable?

I struggle with the Idea of purchasing a completed Cobra, it just feels like cheating for me. I'm a person that would rather fix something myself (if it is safely in my capacity) then pay someone else to do it. I hope some day this car will be one of my kids and I want them to know that they earned it and it wasn't just given to them.

So tell me the facts of where I'm missing it because so far the numbers I have tell me this is doable. Lets stay away from opinions.

You can take a look at Antiques and Collectibles cobra, it has a high quality gel coat finish that some people do not paint, or paint later. It will be tough to build one in your budget, but if you do not go crazy, who knows and I am not one to rain on somebodies parade.

Just remember, things rarely turn out like we planned. Life takes pride in stepping in saying, "That was going too smoothly, lets see how you adjust to this..."

Good luck.

Jim

I polled my kids as to whether they would rather earn something or have me just give it to them. They all voted for the gift.:cool:

Having never done one I can't say if "100 hours" is reasonable or not. Perhaps if you're experienced at assembly and fabrications and have all the tools. If kits could be completed in 100 hours there wouldn't be a glut of unfinished ones on the market.

I suspect you'll know by Christmas 2022!

Don't forget to budget for the tools you'll use only once. Don't go overboard. Harbor Freight makes tools that are "plenty good" for the one-time use.

The Hurricane does fit your model. Plus it's not donor based. Go for it.

Good luck!

There is much wisdom here. For the price of the kit, power train, paint and wheels/tires (which many don't include) you'll be at 60K more or less. For that you can get an already sorted out car and begin driving.

If the "some assembly required" part is what you want there are others that fit the bill that won't be as complicated.

Good luck.

I just reached out to them to get pricing. The website wasn't completely clear as to their pricing. Looked like their frame and body was only 6K?

Do they live in SF Bay area? I wouldn't trust the voting results, has to be voter fraud.

I raise my kids to pray to baby Jesus and to respect their elders.

From my short research it seems that most of the unfinished kits are Factory Five which I can understand as they state it takes 300 hours to complete and you have to fab.

You do bring up a good point which I have not completely explored which is tools. I'm curious what specific tools would be needed to finished a Hurricane, Shell Valley or Unique kit? I will add this to the list of questions I'm sending the companies and to people I meet that have built these cars.

So I went back to my spreadsheet and I show:

• Hurricane 30K
  Shelly Valley little less than 30K for their complete kit "C"
  Unique 35K for their deluxe kit

All these numbers include upgrades/options that I want. So 40K seems like a good budget for the complete kit. Again what am I missing?