Highland Daytona Racing issues

[downshift1]

A little background on me:
Shop owner, 15 year career mechanic, former SCCA ProRacing Crew Chief, relentless road racer.

I own a shop here in the midwest where one of my customers brings me his HDR Cobra for work and for winter storage.

I recieved this car (4months old and 500 miles on it) in the fall of 04' for some minor complaints such as exhaust leaks and fluid leaks and a repetative dying battery.

After looking over the car I found quite a few things wrong:

Alternator belt was missing due to the fact there was no adjustment capability due to frame design. (total adjustment is less than 1 inch)

Massive fluid leak from rear axle center section

Headers were welded incorrectly at the tube to flange joint causing exhaust leaks and melted spark plug wires. (All 8 cylinders were leaking)

Almost all coating from headers and sidepipes had flaked off

Valve cover leaks (at cork gaskets)

Transmission pops out of reverse due to mis adjusted shifter stops

Rear tires installed at HDR rub at all times except when sitting still.

Steering shaft has excessive flex and freeplay due to it's small diameter and sloppy u-joint installations. (oversized holes drilled in shaft w/ undersized bolts)

Coolant overflow hose breakage at main surge tank (hose made from cheap plastic hose)

I am new to the kit car community, but not in the way of performance vehicles. I felt this information should be shared.

To HDR:

This post is not to knock you or your product, nobody is perfect. I am simply informing people of the things that I found.

-Dylan
DS1 Inc.