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When FFR first appeared they challenged the kit car market and I say they have won.
The cobra was always my dream car but the price of a real one was ridiculous $100,000 plus and the kits at the time were expensive $40-$50,000 and they required the builder to work in fiberglass and welding. That is fine if you owned a body shop and had the skills.
FFR offered a rock solid frame with mounting points for the engine, tranny rear end and suspension points ready to bolt on new or used parts from the 1987-1993 Mustang with a 302.
When I built mine in 98 I used a 1990 LX that I bought at auction for $2000. The interior and trim pieces were stolen and the exterior was beat up but the drive train was solid with only 40,000 miles on it.
I'm no mechanic but I had a friend that was and he helped me strip the Mustang and brought his engine lift over to pull the motor. Together we got the car rolling and then I took over to get it running, install the aluminum panels, do the wiring, get the body on, the interior and the finishing details.
The only things that needed to be sent out was the drive shaft that was cut down and the stripped down steering column that was lengthened. The rest was done in my garage.
The biggest headache for me was trimming down the mustang wiring harness, cutting out the junk like power windows.
Today there are wiring harnesses that you can buy brand new and ready to install.
Most builders today are opting for brand new engines and parts which adds significant costs to the build. If you want big horsepower Ford makes racing engines where right out of the box you can get 400hp.
Today the kits are better than ever and the bodies require less work to finish. When you order your kit you tell FFR what type of rear end you want, solid, 3 link, independent, the type of engine and transmission you will be using and they will weld the mounts were they need to be.
FFR is terrific and I would recommend them to anyone that is considering building their dream car.
I just checked out their MkIV. The total package is $19k and well worth it. Comes with all the harnesses, gas tank, front suspension, gauges, interior, driveshaft, etc. They partnered with an engine builder which warranties the engines up to 50k. Cheapest engine transmission package is about $7k. Still need a rear axle, paint and wheels. So all in about $37-$40k going with all new components.
Or you can buy a turn key Superperformance for about $90k... https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.hem...rmance%3famp=1
A big problem with their original concept is that there's a whole generation of kids who wanted a 5.0 Mustang in high school and now have the means to purchase them. That $2k donor car would probably be over $10k today, which really muddies the waters when considering overall costs against all new parts with a complete kit and crate engine.
That is true today but not 10-20 years ago. There were many 5.0 stangs out there for cheap money and the drive train was a proven winner.
The thing is over the years the 5.0 has been harder and harder to find so FFR moved with the times and engineered their cars to accept different components including the 4.6 that came in later Mustangs.
The early years had guys like me building on a budget but most today are building cars that will win races and shows. It is all about the bragging rights of my car has X horse power. The classic car, hot rod scene is driven by testosterone and in that world money doesn't matter but it is still possible to build a FFR on a budget. It just might take a bit longer to source the parts.
FFR in Wareham Mass. has what they call an Open house homecoming held in June and FFR cars come from all over New England to converge at the factory. One year we even had a guy that drove his car all the way from Oregon and another from Texas. It is amazing to see how different all the cars can be and the skill and talent of these builders is awesome.
<>if i could figure out how to post a photo of mine i would.
There are probably instructions somewhere in a FAQ. Once I had started to respond to your post I clicked on the paperclip and followed my nose from there to upload the picture while the cursor was where I wanted the picture. Pure blind luck?
Hit preview before you post.
Has anybody on here built their own custom build using Factory Five? A co-worker of mine told me about this site and I went to it yesterday. You can build replicas of Roadsters, Hot Rods, Type 65 Coupes, etc...
The cost isn't very expensive. I think the base kit one some of these start around $12k. From there, you can add whatever you want on the car. For those who have used this site and built one of these fine machines, how was the build quality? Do you still have the car?
I haven't built one myself but know some people that have, and I know they are one of the biggest/most well known and respected vendors for sports replicas.
A bunch of these are running around my town - they come to a lot of our classic car shows and Cars and Coffee events, and the FF cars I've seen are always pretty impressive in fit/finish. That being said the only ones I have seen close up are cars owned by real car guys so as you know they're way more picky and fastidiousness about everything, and I don't know if they did anything special for the build to make it that way or not.
As I'm myself keen to get a Cobra, I have looked into various kit vendors and have heard and read some nice things about Backdraft Racing, which is down in Texas. You might check them out as well if you are looking for the Cobra - I believe they are a "premium" shop for that - but I do not think that they build any other car types.
During my search for a Cobra I have come to the conclusion that buying from the order sheet is the most expensive option, buying from new inventory the next least costly, and buying used the cheapest way to get one. There's also DIY but I haven't seriously looked into that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by City Guy997S
Kit doesn't include paint/motor/trans/wheels/tires.......don't expect to be doing any burnouts for just 12K.
My buddy has one, he bought it finished from a guy that was strapped for cash. My buddy has built pro-street cars from the frame up so while he is more than capable he simply bought a finished one instead.
The biggest obstacle to me is selling one......lots of copies out there at all price points and many are super low mile examples. I know of a guy with a Shelby CSX continuation car but I don't know where that fits in regarding the replicas. I have heard the factory five cars are usually the highest quality.
The CSX cars are the most expensive option....and they currently go for 120K used to up to 300K new depending on the variant....but they are not really replicas - they are authentic Shelby cars, just modern productions.
This is particularly amazing because it wasn't all that long ago that genuine original Cobras could be had in that price range. Maybe 15 years? That being said the CSX cars had some improvements over the original, while still being collectible and rare.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cape Cod Todd
That is true today but not 10-20 years ago. There were many 5.0 stangs out there for cheap money and the drive train was a proven winner.
The thing is over the years the 5.0 has been harder and harder to find so FFR moved with the times and engineered their cars to accept different components including the 4.6 that came in later Mustangs.
The early years had guys like me building on a budget but most today are building cars that will win races and shows. It is all about the bragging rights of my car has X horse power. The classic car, hot rod scene is driven by testosterone and in that world money doesn't matter but it is still possible to build a FFR on a budget. It just might take a bit longer to source the parts.
You talking just about a used motor from a donor car? I wouldn't recommend that unless you know the history. Because they tend to have been thrashed. When I was looking for a swap for my 85 notch, I was appalled to see that compared to what was out there my car had been babied...I had driven it pretty hard for eight years.
It would have been nice to be able to spend the money on a nice brand new blueprinted/balanced crate motor with 300hp but iirc it was about 3K for a drop-in which was what the whole car was worth at the time (mid 90s)...plus labor. I just couldn't justify it. (20/20 hindsight I should have and kept that car!)
I raced a Super 7 in the Seventies. I find nothing on your 'Lotus 5 kit car'. Do you have a site?
was a lotus 7, my mistake. Great car, light weight, Miata drive train. I owned a miata for years, and loved it. The lotus brought up the fun level to 10! Very popular in the UK. If I ever move to the Caribbean, I will have one to get around.
was a lotus 7, my mistake. Great car, light weight, Miata drive train. I owned a miata for years, and loved it. The lotus brought up the fun level to 10! Very popular in the UK. If I ever move to the Caribbean, I will have one to get around.
I have heard of that kit set up for Miata; maybe it was a conversion?
The Stock version for SCCA was a Ford 1498 CC I-4 with single weber. SCCA took away the Lotus dual Weber carb to put the car in D Production. Otherwise we would have raced against the smaller Cobras and Corvettes which is a scary environment. I could pick up the back by myself to center it on the trailer. Right at 1000 lbs in race trim. Some later Caterhams and other copies used the crossflow block.
Great fun car on the track. I sold out because there was no way to drive it on the street. Other drivers couldn't see you sitting low. The top of the roll bar came up to my hip.
A big problem with their original concept is that there's a whole generation of kids who wanted a 5.0 Mustang in high school and now have the means to purchase them. That $2k donor car would probably be over $10k today, which really muddies the waters when considering overall costs against all new parts with a complete kit and crate engine.
Very true point to make. I've seen absolutely junk fox body 5.0's selling for $3-4K. Your quality of parts will be low. If you want a low mileage drivetrain, you might spend $6-10K or so. Find a convertible. Nobody seems to want those.
However you can also use a 94-04 Mustang as your donor, which are now the cheap $2K throwaway cars fox bodies used to be.
Of course, many guys who have the means to throw $20K at a hobby car also have the means to spring for brand new crate motors, transmissions and custom wiring harnesses
Quote:
Originally Posted by phantompilot
My guess is the cost/electronics are a problem. But yah, that would be something real unique to have.
People are doing it though. I've seen 3.5TT, 2.3T and even 2.0T swapped fox bodies.
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