Future RCR GT40 wrencher here

[beekeeper]

Hello,

New here but not new to loving cool cars. I've had the bug to build a car for quite a long time. I've homed in on an RCR Gt40 as my next obsession. I'm excited about the thought of taking on a project like this and hope to get started in a year or so.

Right now I'm doing research on the legal aspects of getting the SB100. As far as I understand this, there are 500 permits issued per year. In order to apply, you have to have purchased a kit. Assuming that these permits are issued as fast I think they do, that leaves a really narrow opportunity to register a car. If you are not one of the fortunate 500 then you have to try annually until you succeed.

It have no doubt this has been discussed in detail but it seems to me that this is a really big leap of faith financially. The thought of plunking down $50K for a kit, build it and keep applying until it happens puts a big red flag on doing this.

Knowing that a project of this magnuitude will take me a couple of years, I'll have a couple of chances before I'm finished with the build. Once that happens and I don't get the SB100 permit what's next? Store the car until I can register it? Get 60 day TOPs until I get the SB100?

Has this happend to any of you or am I worrying about it too much?

A second question I have is about the definition of the way the car is registerd. You have a choice of registering it against the engine block casting year or the rear that the kit car represents. If you go with the year of the car then that means you are allowed to build an engine from new parts ie: block without worrying about it passing the BAR smog test?

The reason I'm asking is because I spoke to a guy at a local car show about 5 years ago. He had just completed a beautiful FFR Cobra build and was telling me that he had to build a replacement engine from an old block because the Crate motor he had originally installed was too new and the BAR had failed him due to emmissions standards of the new engine. He had a replacement engine made from a pre'72 block and was then allowed to register it.

If that was true then I don't see anywhere in the SB100 description he went wrong. My guess was that he tried to register the car after teh 500 permits were handed out and they made him comform to the build year which would be 2004 not 1965. It still doesn't make sense because he would still have to make it emmissions legal for 2004 unless he evntually got a SB100 and smogged it against the block date code.

I've got tons of research to do to get this stuff clear before I commit but I would appreciate anyones comments. I live in Santa Barbara California and would love to get together with anyone who's in the area.

If anyone would like to chat offline, please PM me.

thanks,

Jeff Honeyman

[Got the Bug]

Welcome Jeff!

You have to jump through a few hoops to register your car under SB100, but don't lose any sleep over it. The process is fairly standardized and there's a ton of resources and well documented threads on Club Cobra that walk you through the process.

This year, the 500 SB100 sequence numbers were not all issued on January 2nd. As of a couple of weeks ago, a number (35+) of SB100 sequence numbers were still available.

Once you get your car and have an MSO from the manufacturer, you can apply for an SB100 sequence number (provided they are available). Your car doesn't have to be completed and all you have to do is estimate the cost of the engine and transmission.

You can ignore everything you've heard about registering or passing smog against the year of the block. All new SPCN (Special Construction Vehicles) in CA are registered under SB100. You can build the engine exactly how you want it and it will be smog exempt for life under SB100.

Good luck on your build.

P.S. Here's an excellent thread regarding SB100. Also, use the search function and soak it all in.

SB100 newbie question

[Xavier]

Ditto on what Doug said, I was just as paranoid about it, but learned that all the horrific stories were from people who did not have some simple paperwork in-line and were less than diplomatic at the DMV. I recieved my sequence number 2 years prior to the completion of my car. They could care less if you have a car or not, they need the MSO and a few pieces of paperwork. It could have been for an Army Tank and they would not have cared....

Plenty of people do it, you can too. Use common sense; don't treat people like dirt at the DMV, get all of your paper work in order and go to a "recommended" DMV from one of these posts and you will get it. Its that simple...

[beekeeper]

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I've taken baby steps along the way that have been leading up to building a kit. In the last 25 or so years I've had MGs, Fiats, a couple of Alphas, BMW 2000. Back in 2000 I modded a '94 Mustang GT with a pro-built 331 stroker topped off with a Kenne bell screw blower mated to a T-56 trans. My part aside from writing checks was to go through the suspension and brakes. The end result was a feature car in 5.0 Mustangs and fast Fords magazine. The hassle with that car was that everything I did was CARB legal with the exception of the 30lb injectors and the ECU custom program. It was fast in a straight line but pretty heavy.

I left it for an '03 Mini "S" which I preowned for my son.

He's now driving the Mini and I went on to a Lotus Elise for ~2 1/2 years. That thing was damn quick and left me for a taste for a mid engined chassis. I learned a lot about adjustable suspensions and the importance of balance. Fast is not all about big horse power #s. The construction was similar of a kit car only with a warranty. Very raw and simple. I traded it in on something my and I both now enjoy. A Lexus IS F. Total opposite of the Elise which is a welcome change in some regard but I miss the raw driving experience it gave.

The RCR GT 40 kit looks very well engineered and also in a resonable price range relativly speaking. I hope to join the ranks of wrenchers in a year or so so I'll lurk, learn and probably chime in on occassion until then.

[RedBarchetta]

Jeff,

I would recommend that you surf the GT40 build log section of this forum and reach out to the following people:

Bill D.
Dean Lampe
Brent Mills

Bill is in CA and built an incredible RCR. I just noticed yesterday that his web site is now down, but it was a great way to school yourself on the RIGHT WAY to build an RCR. No slight on Dean, as he had many other hands involved in his. But it also utilized the best of best for parts and workmanship and was outstanding. Brent is still pulling together his MKIV and there is a lot to learn from that build, too.

The resources are here...you just have to reach out and start asking the questions.

Good luck with your project,

-The other Dean (last name not Lampe )

[Jac Mac]

There is an RCR MK1 deluxe kit for sale in this site for $38.500.00 down on about p4 of private sales. No waiting 16 weeks for that one!