Warning: New Guy Content

[66gtk]

If I was on a slim budget I'd get the standard IRS - it's pretty darn nice. 5 PIN wheels with adapters, too. You can also save money with vinyl seats. Get the fluted knobs and other details that make the car look authentic. SW gauges are fine, too. Definitely get the powder coated chassis and have them bond and paint with their vendor. I've had the front and rear sway bars on both my cars, so I don't know what it's like without them. The nice thing about adding parts at this point is that the cost is no worse than you can do on your own sourcing and you can negotiate easily to have them installed for you at the shop before you take delivery.

[willtwallace]

Originally Posted by 66gtk

If I was on a slim budget I'd get the standard IRS - it's pretty darn nice. 5 PIN wheels with adapters, too. You can also save money with vinyl seats. Get the fluted knobs and other details that make the car look authentic. SW gauges are fine, too. Definitely get the powder coated chassis and have them bond and paint with their vendor. I've had the front and rear sway bars on both my cars, so I don't know what it's like without them. The nice thing about adding parts at this point is that the cost is no worse than you can do on your own sourcing and you can negotiate easily to have them installed for you at the shop before you take delivery.

you bring up some good points. For me the savings is easy, i don't desire the bling, i.e the leather, the top notch gauges, etc. I want the functionality and quality. Im sort of a minimalist, sort of. In my current toy (95M3), it has no carpet, no leather, no radio, no heat, no air, etc. I would prefer to spend the money in the frame, suspension, motor, tarnny, and company history and service after the sale.

I think ERA will be a great fit, they seem to be able to cater to any person.

[patrickt]

My leather is nice -- mostly for the smell. My top and side curtains get used once a year, if that, same with the heater. You can only tell I have six pin drives if I remove my wheels. You can only tell I have the ERA rear if you really know what to look for (performance wise, I don't think there's a whole lot of difference between the two). You can't tell I have the QR steering hub, unless I show it off. If I really think about it, I bet a good third of the cost of the car is something you can't see, doesn't really affect performance, and that you probably wouldn't miss anyway if it wasn't there. After ten years, I'm at the point now where I get really excited about just being able to put a new shift knob on it.

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by willtwallace

I think ERA will be a great fit, they seem to be able to cater to any person.

Yes, they will be a great fit and they will cater to any customer. They've been around for 30+ years and their record of customer service is unsurpassed in the replica industry.

$50,000, excluding engine & trans, is a very good budget. If it were me, then I'd have the ERA (their sub) handle the painting too. Saves having to find a good local painter and I haven't heard of many, if any, complaints about the paint work coming out of the ERA's shop.

[DanEC]

If you have ERA paint the car you may have to have them bond it for you also and buying it that way will greatly speed up your build.

For $2,800 I would (and did) bond the body myself since I also painted it. Very little work involved and pretty simple to bond. However, the 600 or 700 or 1000 rivets (? lost count) do take a while. A air operated riveter is a good idea. Just depends how deeply you want to get into the build. With a FFR that you were originally scoping out - factory paint was not an option to consider.

66gtx list of cost-effective options is right on.

Depending on your location and ability to pick it up yourself, shipping could be $1,000 to $1,500 also.

Overall if you can manage the engine and trans outside of your budget, I think you could manage OK.

[willtwallace]

Originally Posted by patrickt

I see a thousand things that are left off that list, but I don't know if Peter just "throws them in." You gotta go up there and sit down with him -- but if you've got $50k, not including drive train, then I think you'll definitely be able to do it.

well yes, thats just a rough list. i KNOW there are countless little things. My grandfather used to say, "Boy, you dont even know what you dont know." This applies now

Originally Posted by LMH

Original S/C Cobras had vinyl seats too. So you're replicating well!
Larry

Originally Posted by patrickt

I'd forgotten what stuff costs. Here's the PDF price list from 2012, which is probably still pretty close: http://www.erareplicas.com/427/427options.pdf That stupid little expansion tank is almost six hundred clams, the three little Girling cans is another four hundred, a knob for this, a wire for that, a gizmo here, and *poof* you're dropping a half million....

Awesome Thanks. they have a plethora of information on their web page.

Originally Posted by RodKnock

Yes, they will be a great fit and they will cater to any customer. They've been around for 30+ years and their record of customer service is unsurpassed in the replica industry.

$50,000, excluding engine & trans, is a very good budget. If it were me, then I'd have the ERA (their sub) handle the painting too. Saves having to find a good local painter and I haven't heard of many, if any, complaints about the paint work coming out of the ERA's shop.

yup, agreed.

You guys are great, you make the internet feel good again.