Messages

Larry,

Thanks for those links.  No I didn't know any of that information about the frames.  It makes me feel a lot more conformatable with it now.

It's also nice to know the Hurricane is closer to the original design, although I have to admit I'm still learning the differences myself and can't really tell yet.  Do you have any pictures of both your Hurricane and your brothers FFR side by side?

Since you've built and driven both and would still pick the Hurricane for your next project that's great to hear.  Which rearend did you go with?  I'm wanting the IRS but have not spoken to anyone who's used it.

Jim,

Where did you get those much lighter weights from?  They do sound much better.  When I was at the Good Guys car show in Kansas City I found the Hurricane booth which is what got me all excited about building a Cobra replica.  Of course that was my first taste of them, I didn't know what to look for or what questions to ask.  The person who helped me out at the show was very helpful and seemed to know a lot about the cars.  I asked about the weight, twice actually, and he pointed to one of the cars and told me it was 2700 lbs and that black one you see with the number 98 on it (on the home page) he said was 3000 lbs because of the big block.  Was he mis-informed?

Thanks
Malcolm

Dan,

Thanks for the reply.  Nice to hear some positive stuff about the Hurricane.  While I will probably never meet its limits on a track I would want it to perform very well as I sure like to drive em hard.

It's great to hear you've driven both and thought they were on par with each other.  Is there a big weight difference though?  I see the Hurricane's are between 2700 and 3000 lbs which seems very heavy to me.  Heck my 03 Cobra came in at 3662 lbs.  The FFRs are said to be 2100 to 2200 lbs but I don't know if that includes the motor or not?  It doesn't say.  I'm looking for an excellent power to weight ratio for maximum fun.
It's nice to hear the Hurricane has more interior space... also kinda scary because I sat in one at the Good Guys car show and thought "man this is TINY inside".  If the FFRs are even smaller inside that might be to tight.

What you say about the body is consistant with what I've been hearing.  In addition to the Hurricane having a more authentic look (which I really like) I hear it also has rolled edges which I've heard the FFR guys saying they wish they had it... well some of them.  Others say it would just make an already small interior be even tighter.

Take care
Malcolm

Hi there.  New guy here.  I've never build a Cobra kit car but I'm no stranger to turning wrenches. You can take a look at my web site and see. I tore a smashed up 92 Ford Ranger down to a bare frame and built it up as a hot rod v8 powered Ranger. A 5 year project, which I will be selling to fund the Cobra kit car project.

I also turned my daily driver 94 Ranger into a V8 powered all wheel drive truck. Both trucks are EFI and great fun to drive.

So anyhow I'm trying to make a choice which Cobra replica to purchase. FFR by far seems to be the largest company moving the largest volume which makes me want to stick with them for quality reasons.

However my original first choice and the company that got me all pumped to build one is Hurricane Motorsports.  I'd always wanted one and then after seening them in person at the Kansas City Good Guys show it's got me pumped.
The huge attraction with Hurricane is for $15990 you get absolutely EVERYTHING you need. No donor car required. That's pretty cool. All you supply is engine, wheels & tires, and paint. It's a really attractive looking deal.

Of course I don't want to blow my money on a lemon either. That's why I'm here looking for people with real knowlege and know how.  A lot of you on this site have probably built a Hurricane and can offer me first hand experience.

I found this page that outlines the donor parts required for the FFR kit
http://www.factoryfive.com/table/ffrkits/roadster/donorlist.html
Well the Hurricane kit only costs about $3000 more and includes everything I need. There's no way I could purchase all that stuff on that page new for $3000.

However the frame concerns me.  I'm not bashing it but the Hurricane frame looks closer to something I could build myself in my garage where as the FFR frame looks like a work of art.  Their tube chassis design looks very riged and I'm sure a great deal lighter.

Another concern with the Hurricane is the ride height.  In all the pics I've seen they seem to sit quite a bit high.  Is this adjustable?

Also I've noticed the FFR's come with a nice aluminum construction for the firewall and inner cabin where you sit where as the Hurricane is a fiberglass tub.  I assume the fiberglass for the cabin is pretty thick and possibly has layers of plywood in it for strenth?  Combined with the heavy looking frame I'm afraid it's going to be very heavy by Cobra standards and loose some of that fun power to weight ratio.

What do you guys think? I'm building this a fun car to play with on the street. It's not for racing and will probably never see a race track. Not that I want to sacrifice performance or handling, just letting you know what I plan on using it for.

I had originally intended on putting in an 03 Cobra motor and tranny into the Cobra replica as I absolutly LOVE the power of my 03 Cobra. Not to mention the motor is so smooth and loves to rev. Power is insane from idle to red line. Very nice to drive. However after looking at prices ($12k just for the motor) I may have to settle for a blown 351 or something... that's a secondary concern. First issue is picking the car that's right for me and my budget.

So I guess what I'm asking here, is there anything special about the Hurricane that makes it the right choice?  Why should I pick it over the FFR despite the square tubing frame, fiberglass tub cabin, and possibly higher than normal ride height?

Thanks so much for helping out a newbie. I've ordered some Shelby Cobra books from Amazon.com to brush up on the history and authenticity of these wonderful vehicles.

Take care
Malcolm

Manual steering sounds fine for me.  Was just checking what everyone else was using.  Iv'e had a pick up truck with fat tires with manual steering and it wasn't to bad, parking was a little tough but that's just half the fun of a hot rod  

Jim, not sure where you are in the country but heated seats alone in kansas city won't make it.  We winter as cold as -20 but the common is around the teens, 20s, and 30.  Heck even when it's just below 50 I think it will be very cold.  So my thought was to have a soft top and heat for the winter.  It sucks because our weather has a very short term in the year where you can enjoy a drive with no heat or a/c.  The other 9 ~ 10 months you need something.  I'm probably not going to mess with A/C because I want to keep it as clean and complication free as I can.  Heat though I'll do.

What's the size on the tires you guys are running?  I'm wanting something that looks original.  Seems like it's a 15" rim with a 60 profile, uhhh 295/60/15 or so?  I'd like to get the diameter so I can compare to what's on my v8 Ranger.  It has a 302 and a T5 and based on how it runs with the 3:27s I can try and gauge what ratio I want for my Cobra.

Thanks guys
Malcolm

Hey,

Still researching things and realized I have a few more questions.

Now I imagine the original Shelby Cobra's where manual steering, is that how a lot of you guys are running them or are you using power steering?  I read that the Hurricane uses a Mustang II steering rack but I don't know if those are power or manual?  Or do you pick either or?

Also what rearend gears are most guys on the street using?  I know when I first built my v8 Ranger I went with 3.73s only to find it was way to much gear for my setup.  I'd be in 5th gear around 45mph and driving on the highway at 70 sucked, the engine was revving way to high.  I switched to 3.27s and it's about perfect.  I had to rebuild the rearend twice, don't want to repeat that mistake if I can avoid it.

Oh and something else comes to mind... do these cars have heat in them?  Probably sounds silly but I'm thinking in KC winters most of the days are snow free, just cold, but a great day to go for a ride as long as you don't freeze to death.  Some heat would be nice and I imagine not very hard to do.
A/C on the other hand would be a bit more of a challenge, do any of you run A/C?  Is it even an option?

Also why does it look like there are three brake fluid reservoirs under the hood?  Is that just to replicate the racing days?  One for each front wheel and one for the rear?