newbie ?????'s on kits

[Temptation]

Originally Posted by Three Peaks

Of the two you first mentioned, I believe Everett Morrison has moved to Texas and is having some growing pains. Do a search on this site and I think you'll find some problems with customer service with the new owners.
Premier Cobras makes a fine Cobra from all apearances, but they are relatively low volume and may be on the ropes right now due to the economy.

For your purposes and budget, it would be difficult to go wrong with FF5 or Unique. Both have great reputations for customer service and quality kits and the builds are well documented in case you run into a problem with either of them.
If you are interested in a 289 FIA over the 427, that narrows it down to the Unique roadster.

Good luck in your research, I believe that is half the fun of this hobby.....

Bob

appreciate the feedback... I am finding I have a tremendous amount of knowledge to acquire before putting this build together. everyone has been helpful thus far.

I noticed in your signature you chose to use the T-bird IRS... would you mind sharing your experience? Anything you would do differently? PM if you prefer.

Michael

[Three Peaks]

Using the Tbird IRS for my build saves me a substantial amount of cash as I can use the Ford uprights, CV joints/axles, and the 8.8 IRS differential, of course. The cost difference, considering what Shelby, Kirkham, and others want for the original style parts is substantial and my budget is tight.
Of course, it meant a quite a bit of design and fabrication on my part, but the material was cheap and work is slow, so I have time on my hands right now.

Besides, the 8.8 is a very strong differential and is perfectly suited for the uses I plan for the Cobra- street and open track days. The 8.8 differentials are relatively cheap and easy to find, and parts are pretty easy to come by. Not so much with the Jag rears.

When I have additional cash I may change over to the original style parts, but it depends on how well my suspension pieces work out I guess..... I already have the original style rear uprights thanks to Mickmate, but the rest of things I would need is a very long list (and expensive).

Bob

[Tony Radford]

Temptation, I've been driving my Unique for over 7 years. Unique is one (if not THE) oldest replica builders having started in the 70s. Family owned and operated, Maurice and Alan have an excellent reputation for customer service and passion about the trade in general. Sitting down with either of them would be a great learning experience. And no, I'm not biased.

[landerson]

I don't post here often because my budget forced me to go another route (Porsche Speedster) instead of a Cobra, but one of the best pieces of advice would be to wait a bit and go to next year's Carlisle kit car show in May. Most of the larger (and a few smaller) manufacturers will be there and you can compare cars side by side and ask questions. That was invaluable in my research, both on Cobras and Speedsters. If you don't want to wait that long you should attend as many club gatherings as you can, even if it means a plane trip. There's no substitute for seeing them in the flesh and besides, it'll be a LOT of fun.

[Clois Harlan]

Or, you can come to this years Run N Gun in St. Louis October 7-9, 2009 and compare them side by side and on the track if you choose. Manufacturers are permitted to give free rides during the noon break and after the track goes cold. You can actually talk to the owners of the different manufacturers and get their honest opinion. I wish this venue had been available when I bought my Cobra. Not that I am unhappy with my Cobra I would have liked to have been able to not only sit in the cars but also take a ride. We spend a lot of money on these things and I think we need to be completely satisfied with our decision when we take the leap.

Come and see us at Run N Gun and you will find an offering of virtually every manufacturer still actively building Cobras', Coupes, GT 40's, Corvettes, Ultralites, GT Renditions and some others you may not be aware of at this point in your search.

www.runngun.net

Clois Harlan
Exec Director of Run N Gun Nationals 2009