Klayfish wrote: ..FFRs have "perky" butts.
You are one of the few people I've run across that notice that difference. That's always bugged me, enough that I wouldn't buy a FFR. But the new version they just came out with seems to correct that issue nicely.
bravenrace wrote:Klayfish wrote: ..FFRs have "perky" butts.You are one of the few people I've run across that notice that difference. That's always bugged me, enough that I wouldn't buy a FFR. But the new version they just came out with seems to correct that issue nicely.
That's my understanding as well, they've taken care of the trunk lid hump on their current model.
Spinout007 wrote:
I was at the same track day as Spinout and got to see/poke around this car too. It's one of the coolest Cobra's I've seen. It is the 3rd Cobra this guy (a GRMer) has built and was built to be a track car. He does track days all the time, auto-x's it regularly, etc. It has a 4.6 mod motor that's been stroked to 5.0. The sound it makes under full throttle is spine tingling. 
dyintorace wrote:Spinout007 wrote:I was at the same track day as Spinout and got to see/poke around this car too. It's one of the coolest Cobra's I've seen. It is the 3rd Cobra this guy (a GRMer) has built and was built to be a track car. He does track days all the time, auto-x's it regularly, etc. It has a 4.6 mod motor that's been stroked to 5.0. The sound it makes under full throttle is spine tingling.
You gotta find out the paint code for us.
plance1 wrote: You gotta find out the paint code for us.
Easy. It's a factory Honda color from the S2000. That much I know. I believe it is Suzuka/Nurbergring Blue Metallic.. B-513M.
Interestingly, it looks significantly better on the Cobra than it does on an S2000.
pres589 wrote: In reply to wearymicrobe: I don't know about the SBC but Convo-Pro's are cool. No side pipes is cooler yet. Commendable.
They were the only rims available where you could get in a 3/4 inch lug and that width. I have pictures from the back somewhere the tires were huge like 435-475 huge.
I use to go down and get the castoffs from the circle track guys to get tires.
In reply to plance1:
Thanks everyone for all the positive comments about my FFR Roadster, the light blue #52 above. It's a Mark III FFR, so has the traditional FFR body shape (which I really like). The Mark IV, recently introduced, has a slightly different body shape, noteably a lower rear fender body line and smooth trunk lid. The FFR's are great cars to build and play with, regardless of which vintage you build or buy.
This one was built from a standard FFR kit with a few options (IRS, dual roll hoops, Kirkey racing seats). I used many parts from a wrecked 1998 Mustang Cobra "donor" car: Engine, tranny, spindles, brakes, steering rack, radiator, gas tank, wiring harness, computer, etc. I sold everything left from the Mustang, which almost recouped the cost of my wrecked donor car. The build went smoothly, in my home garage with regular- guy tools. I've proved anyone can build one if they want it! This one is good for the street or track, although I've mostly used it as a track car the past 2 years.
I ran it temporarily in blue primer with flames painted on the nose, blew the engine first time out at a Sebring open track day, and had to spend my paint budget building a new engine...so it stayed in primer another year or two until I got this adult paint job 2 years ago. For sure I love the way this DOHC 5.0 mod-motor sounds and goes.
PAINT CODE: Honda Suzuka Blue Metallic, as guessed already. It DOES look better on the FFR than on the S2000. My take is that the Cobra-esque body which is all voluptuous curves allows the sun to "pop" the metallic in the paint beautifully, which never happens on the S2000 with all flat planes and surfaces.
Feel free to contact me with any questions about building an FFR Roadster, I've done a few and have helped friends around here with their FFR's. Here's a link to all my build photos, for an idea of what's involved in putting together an FFR, if you're interested: FFR Build
Thanks again, I am humbled by your comments. Please come say HI if you see us at Gainesville, Sebring, Homestead, or PBIR where I usually play. John Phillips
FFRs are the way to go if you're looking for a great value in a kit Cobra. Great kits, great company, and great community. An FFR Roadster is on my bucket list, and I still haven't forgotten the ride I took in a 331ci FFR with a KB blower and AFR heads on it. That car ripped!
I've been to the Open House at Factory Five several times, and it's always a blast. The http://www.ffcobra.com forum is one of the best forums I've found, period.
Right now the best deals seem to be the ones that are either already finished or are in various stages of completion. From what I was seeing on the forums, guys seemed to be lucky to sell their cars for what they had in parts. Paying nothing for the labor involved in the build can be a big plus, especially if you have little to no time to build one like me!
Another FFR Mk III owner here. I was able to purchase the donor parts ('93 Mustang GT, which turned out to have an '86 motor) from a salvage yard in Oakland, CA who specializes in such things.
I think I was most attracted to FFR becuase it represents (by far) the best engineering/dollar ratio. That is, I found no other kit - at any price - that offered such solid engineering, for such a reasonable price.
Speaking of engineering, Cobra's, and Kirkham. Have you guys seen Larry Ellison's Kirkham? Check it out here.
Like John did, I'm running in DP90 - for this summer at least:
John covered a lot of the points I thought of while reading these pages. And, oh yes, it's easy to get sucked into spending more money (which I guess isn't unique to building a FFR, is it?).
Joe
How's Shell Valley? My brother-in-law's father has got one and I've never really gotten the chance to poke around underneath, just the interior and under the hood.
JeepinMatt wrote: How's Shell Valley?
Depends on your expected use of the car. I've seen a couple of nicely-done Shell Valley cars, street or show use only. Never seen one at autocross or track days. I don't know much about their design. Some companies use a platform frame with fiberglass body and interior tub sitting on top of the frame. I believe generally it's heavier and less stiff than designs like Factory Five. Their frame is more like the original Cobra with 4" round steel main tubes, a network of smaller tubes coming off that for the suspension and body mounts, and aluminum sheet panels defining the engine, cockpit, and trunk areas. The body then is just a fiberglass shape installed over the completed car...you can drive the FFR without a body (we call it "go carting"). This is standard racecar design practice, very light and strong, and can really be played-with hard, if you are so inclined. Lots of guys build FFR's as show cars and beautiful street machines too. My preference has just been a little more toward hard driving and no show.
Long answer to short question, sorry! Basically, I think if you want a street driver you can build any of a number of Cobra replicas and be really happy. If you're planning to do track or autocross stuff, be very selective, crawl around under any proposed build or purchase, and be sure it's robust and well-engineered enough for your intended use. HTH
Looking around just reminded me that FFR discontinued the one i wanted the most, the Spyder
Zombie thread!
These guys are just starting production on a very reasonably priced Cobra skin.
http://www.unijig.com/cobra.html
It's also hand-layed rather than chopper-gun and comes in at 120 lbs. Do the math: LSX-powered Stalker v8 = 1500 lbs. plus 120 lb. Cobra body = DAMN!
JeepinMatt wrote: How's Shell Valley? My brother-in-law's father has got one and I've never really gotten the chance to poke around underneath, just the interior and under the hood.
Depends on the year it was made and who built it. Mine as a absolute tank of a car, looked like a cut down legends car underneath then a cobra. Some not so much. At one point they made a body to fit on a spitfire and a few of those bodies have ended up on some really interesting builds.
Modern day there is no reason not to look at the FFR first and maybe backdraft if you really want too.
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