My ERA visit

[WarrenG]

Monthly is probably a little too often if you want to see progress on the car. I visited about every other month prior to paint and about every 6 weeks for the next 6 months. The last 2-3 months that it was up there I was at the shop about every 3 weeks. When it was about ready to ship, I went up 3 weeks in a row just to verify that everything we had agreed on was completed prior to shipment. Total time from start to finish was about 16 months. BTW-I was driving from Largo, MD about a 6.5 hour drive, up and back in one long day.

[patrickt]

... you're going to have to decide between Tony's and Connecticut Custom Car.

[RAO-3]

Originally Posted by patrickt

... you're going to have to decide between Tony's and Connecticut Custom Car.

Patrickt who did your car? It looks great in pictures!

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by RAO-3

Patrickt who did your car? It looks great in pictures!

Connecticut Custom Car, and like everything else, you can have "extras" performed, like rolling the edges, etc. Getting an ERA (or any glass body) in shape for painting is very labor intensive. I can't imagine actually doing it myself.

[RAO-3]

Originally Posted by patrickt

Connecticut Custom Car, and like everything else, you can have "extras" performed, like rolling the edges, etc. Getting an ERA (or any glass body) in shape for painting is very labor intensive. I can't imagine actually doing it myself.

See, now this is why I ask questions, as it seems that one question leads to more questions. Can you explain "rolling the edges"? What other options are you referring to and what should I consider?

I do appreciate the tips - I'm already going thru my old tools to see what I kept and what I need to get.

Ray

[cobraviper_99]

As the original owner of jagxjr5012's ERA#208, I can also vouch for the entire buying experience at ERA. I got to know Peter quite well during the time my car was being constructed and when I was producing the show Wild About Wheels for the Discovery Channel in 1992, we shot a feature at ERA which helped spread the word about them. jagxjr5012 and I have exchanged emails and he's told me how well the car has held up after over 20 years of use. I'm not surprised. I love my CSX car that I have now but if I were to go back to a non-Shelby car, ERA would definitely be my first choice. In fact, I priced a new ERA with Peter in 2001, shortly before deciding to bite the bullet and go with an aluminum-bodied Shelby.

One other quick note: About a year after driving ERA#208, the engine began acting very strange. Loss of power, rough idle, etc. A friend of mine ran a compression test and found I had some severe irregularities. I had the engine taken apart and a motor which was supposed to have been balanced and blueprinted was neither. I won't name the shop which built the engine for ERA, but when I called Peter and told him about the problem, he said to bring the crankshaft down to him so he could see the lack of any proper balancing on it. I did, and when he saw how botched the job had been done, he told me to have any engine builder of my choice go through the motor, make the needed repairs and he would cover it. The tab came to over $2000.00 and Peter was true to his word. You'll probably hear similar stories from other ERA customers and I've been a big fan of Peter, Phil, and Bob ever since.

I just wish Peter wouldn't jab me about CSX cars not being "real Cobras".