My first time . . . .
 

Hello to all my new club members here in Tri State.

Special thanks to Klayfish for letting me swing by his house on Sunday to see a real live Cobra in person and ask many many questions that he answered for me.

"Respect the Klayfish"

Well, on to me and my thoughts now. I have been thinking of putting a Cobra together for a few years now, but never had the room to do it.

But, as my new house nears completion in June, I have a very nice two car garage to myself (wife afraid to pull suv in) and my Cobra. I hopefully plan to start assembling her sometime starting in the early fall and hopefully have her roadworthy by summer of '05.

So, now onto my questions that need answers....

- Living in NJ, how hard is it to find insurance for her (limited use)?

- Any ideas where to find a block built pre 1976?

- Anyone know a good paint guy to speak to for prices?

Being 6'1" and 240lbs, I was a tight fit into the 90" wheelbase Klayfish Cobra. He suggested a company that sells 96" wheelbase Cobras for us big people. He told me of "Lonestar" at http://www.kitcar.com/lonestar and I found another company Hunters which sells them at http://www.hunterscobrakits.com

Anyone have any knowledge of either company? I spoke to Hunters today on the phone with the owner for about an hour or so. He really impressed me with being honest and knowledgeable about the cars and products, so I am looking for any thoughts here?

I also tried to call Lonestar a few times today, but got hungup in endless voicemail.......scary?

Anyway, any thoughts or ideas would be greatly appreciated.



Steve Beaudry

(beginner)

Lonestar is closed on Monday's so that they can be open on Sat. There are many LSC's around the Dallas area because they are in Ft Worth. Their comp version is very good and the in house build is a very cool program.

If I wanted a larger Cobra I would go with Classic Roadsters. They been around a LONG time and Ed Combs and Don Scott are both active members of Club Cobra.

Don Scott
http://www.classicroadsters.com/classic/docs/home.cfm

Ed Combs (Founder of the famous "Spring Fling", and builder of the Double Venom). Viper V-10 in a Cobra.
http://www.cobras.com/elite/docs/home.cfm

I'm 6'1" & have no problems getting in/out of or fitting comfortably into my 90" wheelbase ERA. I have tried to sit in a few replicas that were very tight. Superformance was also a good roomy fit.:cool: Good luck!

Steve,

You are a tiny. Depending on how authentic you want your Cobra to be you can probably stick to a 90" wheel base and discuss fit option with almost any manufacturer.

I am 6' 3" and I will leave it that I am over 240 and have fit well into an ERA, Superformance, Unique and SAI. If you want a comfortable big ride their is also West Coast Cobras. They make what I would call the Cadillac of Cobras with plenty of foot room and seat room. They are slightly larger than than other Cobras.


Talk to companies about the foot box size, pedal placement, dropped floors, different seating options, seats without seat tracks. Any others guys??


Good luck.

The most important thing mentioned in this thread is to have a garage that your wife has no business being in. You can always find a Cobra to fit your body. You want a space you can just work on your Cobra.

I just got mine insured thru Met Life. For paint called the Restoration Doctor in Dover. Classic Roadsters is the way to go.
Excellent kit and actually pretty easy to put together. Don Scott is aces to deal with. See pics of mine in my gallery.

Doctors Auto Restoration, corner of rt 46 & North Morris Ave, Dover, NJ 973-328-4920. Speak with Anthony (tell him that Bill S. told you to call him anal about his paint jobs)........

Bill S.

Steve,
Welcome to the club. Glad you could come out on Sunday, sorry the weather sucked. Of course...the roads dried about 30 minutes after you left.

I'm so sorry I forgot to mention Classic Roadsters (DV, please forgive me :D). DV (aka Ed Combs) and Don are absolute first class top to bottom. I've had the please of meeting DV on several occasions, and wouldn't hesitate to have him build me a car. He'll probably build it to whatever point you want. As we discussed, you'll probably fit just fine in the FFR car, or any other 90" wheelbase if you use upright seats. Mine are leaned back some, so it robs a few inches of room. Plus, my steering column was low. If you do tilt wheel, or raise it an inch, you'll be golden.

Roscoe, you out there? Still got that 351W block sitting around?

Steve

P.S. If you liked Lonestar, there is a completed one for sale here on the forum. Check the Cobras for Sale section. Looks like it is in Baltimore. It's got a 460, but maybe worth a look. Remember, with the market the way it is now, a used Cobra is a heck of a value.

Steve....and Steve...,

Yes! I still have the 74 351W block, crank, timing cover, etc sitting in my garage. If you are interested you may come and look at it. I'm in Fairfield, NJ

Roscoe

Roscoe,
Send an e-mail to Steve. When he was at the house, he stated he was looking for an early block, and I told him all about the one you had. Sounds like it may fit his needs well.

Steve

Yes, 1974 was a very good year (pre-emission year)

Roscoe, yes I would be interested in it, I will email you tonight when I get home.

Steve,

I live in NJ and used Condon Skelly.

http://www.condonskelly.net/

You'll need photos of engine bay, interior, and exterior shots of all four sides.

I have a 427 Venom with a 92 wheel base - I'm 511 and have legroom to spare. But I wouldnt go on wheelbase alone if legroom is a critical design element. I would check the actual interior legroom dimensions. Furthermore, if the wheelbase is too long it may actually affect the overall proportions.

Good Luck

Jong

I agree with Jong. Try Condon & Skelly in Mapleshade, NJ. THey have been a pleasure to deal with and their rates very good. I believe they insure thru MetLife Classic Car Division.

Jim

S_Beaudry Welcome to the club Steve. Ir you have not got your car yet, Kit Car show is coming up in May 21-23 at Carlisle Pa. You will see every cobra manufactor there. Bring a camera and good set of walking shoes. Insurance companys are there too. Swap meet, car show, plenty of food to eat. I think all your questions will be answered there. Pen and paper bring also with the question you want to ask. After A day full of info, narrow done your choise of cars then you make the manufactor visits. Take your time, There is alot more than just droping an engine,trans, and rearend in the car unless you buy a assemblied one. I go Sat, go early and spend the day. This is the start of a fun adventure:rolleyes: :D :D Rick Lake

Steve,I have a Hunter(90 inch) and am very pleased with the car.Randy is very good to deal with and will build it to your needs and wishes.Hard to go wrong there.He also uses IRS susp.,a big improvement over a straight axel car.Most important to me is that the car looks right.It sits low on the suspension and has dropped floor pan for comfort. chuck

Hi Steve,
Welcome to the forum. We have a local guy that deals in Cobra's in the So Jersey area, Paul Andrews. He is a SAI dealer and Cobra collector/seller. Bought my ride from him. Drop me a line if you need his number, Sal.

Steve - I'm in Sewell (actually Washingon Twp near the High School). I'd be happy to let you try on ERA 601 and share some of my 12 months research with you. Drop me an email......:) :)

Very nice offer from you......

I sent you a PM with my home #, hopefully we can hook up.