http://www.allwayshotrods.com/fgallery/19 I posted this long ago, it belongs to a friend, and we are trying to get going on it
I built an FFR Replica in '97. I was one of the first two hundred they sold. It was the easiest car I have ever done. The kit was very complete, all you needed was a Mustang for the balance of the parts.
A freind of my father-in-law has an Avenger, late 60's car...pretty damn cool lookin'. Mid-engine car with a hot 327.... There was one on the local CL as well, VW powered...cheap too....
Hope this wasn't brought up, but the thing that kills most kit cars is wheels/tires and stance. Most you see have BFG radial T/As with the white letters showing (especially on Cobras, I never understood that!), and really cheapo, trendy wheels that looked dated about 15 mins after they were bolted on. And with all the hand fabrication and set-up, there is usually about a 3 inch gap between said BFGs and the wheel lip. Then bolt on the cheapest Pep Boys Grant steering wheel, a lame personalized licence plate and you've got about 95% of the kit cars I have ever seen. I saw a Cobra once that was in black primer, had real Halibrand wheels, blackwall tires and sat really low - I told the owner it was the baddest ass Cobra I had ever seen. He sheepishly told me he couldn't wait to paint it blue with white stripes, and it sat "way too low" - he was going to raise it up next weekend........
Fuck that.....if you've got the $$$ to own an OG, you've got the $$ to fix it... ANYTHING can be repaired....
BruceG, I built one of those with my father 20 years ago. He still has it and it is a blast to drive. The wiring can get a little dicey. I would say the first thing you need to do is re-establish all of the grounds in the car. Grounding a fiberglass car can play hell with it running. The key switch never did work. We turn the key on and fire it up with a push button bump starter. Yes, for the last 20 years! Second, the gas tank came from a chevette if I remember correctly, get it boiled and sealed. We eventually went to a fuel cell. good luck and cool MX.
Some interesting things done here. Some things I like, some things I dont, some I would have don differently, but he is doing what he wants, the way he wants, and I can respect that. Got some ideas that I will use.
Ah but once it's crashed, it can never be original again. There really are certain cars that are too valuable to drive. Not in my world of course, but there are some.
Many aren't original in the first place....they've been restored and/or repaired/updated....even maintainence. No.....there isn't. As far as the FF Cobra's...I really dig 'em....and have the brochure/DVD as I was looking into one. Someday, someday.....painted metalflake of course...haha!
Your friend "Rick Murphy"??? He had the "Trylon Viper" 3 wheel kit car. Heres a link to some info... http://www.3wheelers.com/trylon.html
Never tackled one myself and even if I did unless it was someone elses car it certainly wouldn't have looked that nice after paint. I applaud you. I don't know about the newer ones but one of the big beefs I used to hear was how much prep was invloved to get them ready for paint. That's a shame because I know that Fiberglass can be laid up to need very little prep whatsoever. Anyway I've wanted a cobra for a very long time and if I ever get one I'm sure that it will have to be a kit car. I'll never have the near millions that it take to buy an original.
Pete, I missed this the first time around. Yea, it would have run pretty well with a SBF stroker motor in it. Did ok with the 260! They're not easy cars to work on though. Larry T
Interesting thread. I've had first hand experience with a handfull of "kit" cars. I've learned that they rarely go as easily as advertised. Without naming names, I'll say also that I have a new respect for building a glass roadster and it is in no way a "kit" car. Up close and personal with several glass cars lately, mostly Dueces of various flavors, I have figured out what really matters in these cars is the fit and finish of the body. Not at all unlike a steel car, you can pay for that on the front end or do it yourself on the back end. This last build I helped out with was every bit as challenging as any steel car I've ever worked on. There was no shortcut about it. Next time you see a glass hotrod, slow down and look closely. You'll see the same attention or inattention to details, fit and finish, style elements and modifications that you will find on any steel car. Just because it's glass doeasn't mean anyone took an easy way out. It might have actually been a lot harder. (for reference, my first hand expsure has included too many T-buckets to care, 4 or 5 coupes, 3 or 4 roadsters, one sedan, two 356 speedsters, a couple of cobras, blah blah)
I have a friend who built a FF roadster several years ago, but with a twist: he used the drivetrain out of his '95 Z28 convertible! A fully built, 355 cid LT1 with a Vortech S-Trim, air to air intercooler, and a T56 6 speed. I think the rearend was the MkVIII Lincoln IRS. My fiancee has been wanting me to build her a FF roadster, but now she wants the 33. I'd be ok with either! Maybe in a year or so.
I just picked up another Jamaican. I really like these but the front clip just seems lazy after all the sculpting to the back of the body. Its on a 59 Healey chassis but I'm thinking about making a call for some moly tube.
I had a kit car once. Took it in trade for something I couldn't sell and eventually swapped it for my Harley. I'm happy
The first car project I did was build a Factory Five roadster. I didn't have squat for tools and knew almost nothing about cars. After taking a bunch of time to learn about what I was doing and buying tools along the way, I got it done and had a blast with it. In retrospect, it was a lot easier than doing the engine swap I'm working on now. I wound up selling it when I lived in Florida to get a car with room for the family (68 Camaro)...but I wish I never got rid of it. It would be a blast to drive up here in NC. I don't think I'll ever own a faster car. I had a KenneBell supercharged 306cu.in engine in it build up by a local race shop (after I blew the bone stock 302 with a bit too much boost and a chip failure). It would do 0-60 in 3.9sec (had to run drag radials to get any traction). I kept up a build site while doing it. http://bellsouthpwp.net/f/u/funbnme/
I noticed a couple of Fiberfab Valkyres in this thread. I got this one as an ex-racecar and re-did it for the street. It had a 68 Z28 302, Corvette underpinnings, 65 Mustang windshield, a back yard paint job (one's are easy to mask - lol) and, the weak link... a Corvair transaxle. This was one scary-fast MF!! -Dave
Crappy rodders give all rodding a crappy image just like crappy kit cars give all kit cars a crappy image. I've had a couple over the years, replicas of very rare cars that were waaayyy out of my league price wise but that I thought would be neat to emulate. The first was a Beck 550 Spyder. I was Chuck's second paying customer, with SN 6, for a car that has gone on to become very popular in the ensuing 30 years. I would bet most of the one's sold made it to the road because they were good to start with. One day I met a guy who owned a real one (his father had been a Porsche dealer and owned it since new), and he was as excited to go over mine as I was to examine his. He wanted the replica as well because the orignial was too valuable (and radical) to drive on the street. The other was a 289 FIA replica. I like that style over the 427 because it's muscular looking without being cartoonish.......and it made more sense with a SBF under the hood. Also handled better, though that's relative with a light weight, 90" wheel base, big horse power package.
The Jalopy Journal
