Travelling up the country today I was passing Peterborough so that I would chance a visit to AK Sportscars. They were very welcoming - the customer service was excellent.
I met Wendy, Jon and one of the team (I think they caller him Trigger) - they gave me a tour of the factory, happily answered any questions I had, even offered to customise their tub so that it suited me a little better.
If this is what the whole experience is going to be like building an AK Cobra then they could easily become my choice.... but I have to see Dax and GD yet!
This page has been created to record my research and build of the famous Cobra 427. The manufacturer I have chosen is AK Sportscars
Wednesday 18 September 2013
Do I need a donor
Looking into donor or not it seems the answer is "it depends". For example:
If you buy an AK for instance and you intend to put a new LS engine in it then the donor is not necessary. Getting the axles from a breakers is sufficient. This would mean a new registration through rather than the original number plate.
Getting a donor car and stripping it is a messy job although can be very rewarding. Buying the parts and a V5 from the breakers should cost £350 - £600 which is easier but the DVLA is talking about getting tougher on donor cars. Pictures of the donor car will be necessary. Also remember, if you strip a donor car then you need a way to scrap the rest, when you have no axles/wheels to roll it onto a trailer.
All food for thought
If you buy an AK for instance and you intend to put a new LS engine in it then the donor is not necessary. Getting the axles from a breakers is sufficient. This would mean a new registration through rather than the original number plate.
Getting a donor car and stripping it is a messy job although can be very rewarding. Buying the parts and a V5 from the breakers should cost £350 - £600 which is easier but the DVLA is talking about getting tougher on donor cars. Pictures of the donor car will be necessary. Also remember, if you strip a donor car then you need a way to scrap the rest, when you have no axles/wheels to roll it onto a trailer.
All food for thought
Engine Weights
I was offered a Clarke CES 500A engine stand so I did a little research into engine weights. Someone pointed me at the following table. General opinion says the CES750A is a better stand, not just because of weight limits but because it has 4 legs so is more stable.
Original Link: http://www.gomog.com/allmorgan/engineweights2.html
Original Link: http://www.gomog.com/allmorgan/engineweights2.html
Sunday 8 September 2013
UK Cobra Club Nortern Meet
Today I attended the UK Cobra club northern meet. Around 10 cars came of differing makes (AK/Dax/Pilgrim) and the guys were very welcoming, offering very useful tips. I definitely recommend attending one of these meets if you want to build a Cobra. I have added some photos below.
Si Smiths Cobra is shown here, this is an AK Gen 1 with LS3 engine. I loved this car and intend to copy the colour scheme (maybe not identical but certainly the grey / silver stripe)
This is a 7.5 litre EFI in a DAX - loved this engine.
The car on the right is the interior of Si Smiths AK
I picked up a good tip about the starter "push to start" button and to ensure it is wired to cut out once the engine starts. If this isn't done I'm told you can strip the mechanism which means removing the gearbox to fix.
Also it was good to see that even the 7.5l engine could have EFI and achieve reasonable mpg (quoted at 24mpg on a run) against the LS which should be nearer 30mpg. Not that fuel is a major concern as it wont be a daily driver but given the option I'll take 25-30 mpg over 10-15 anyday.
I picked up a good tip about the starter "push to start" button and to ensure it is wired to cut out once the engine starts. If this isn't done I'm told you can strip the mechanism which means removing the gearbox to fix.
Also it was good to see that even the 7.5l engine could have EFI and achieve reasonable mpg (quoted at 24mpg on a run) against the LS which should be nearer 30mpg. Not that fuel is a major concern as it wont be a daily driver but given the option I'll take 25-30 mpg over 10-15 anyday.
Saturday 7 September 2013
UK Cobra Manufacturers
So who produces the kits to create a Cobra replica? There are a few companies that do this and research shows me some are better at it that others. It's early days yet but a list of a few is below:
AK Sportscars AK 427 - http://www.aksportscars.com/
Crendon Replicas CR 427 - http://www.crendonreplicas.com/
DJ Sportscars Dax Tojeiro - http://www.daxcars.co.uk/en-gb/home/default.aspx
Gardner Douglas GD 427 - http://www.gdcars.com/
Hawk Cars Hawk 289 - http://www.hawkcars.co.uk/
Madgwick Cars SR V8 - http://www.madgwickcars.co.uk/
Pilgrim Cars UK Ltd Sumo - http://www.pilgrimcars.com/
Research to date leads me to believe Pilgrim are the cheapest and are considered good in their own right but Dax, AK and GD are at the better end of the scale (and their costs are more as you would expect). Crendon are also good and are more true to the original design.
Each model is slightly different and the advice is to look at plenty, visit the factories and carefully consider which one is the right one for your needs.
Also whilst searching for kitcar companies I came across this link
http://www.totalkitcar.com/uk/uk-manufacturers/
It has a long list and many dead links but you may find it useful.
AK Sportscars AK 427 - http://www.aksportscars.com/
Crendon Replicas CR 427 - http://www.crendonreplicas.com/
DJ Sportscars Dax Tojeiro - http://www.daxcars.co.uk/en-gb/home/default.aspx
Gardner Douglas GD 427 - http://www.gdcars.com/
Hawk Cars Hawk 289 - http://www.hawkcars.co.uk/
Madgwick Cars SR V8 - http://www.madgwickcars.co.uk/
Pilgrim Cars UK Ltd Sumo - http://www.pilgrimcars.com/
Research to date leads me to believe Pilgrim are the cheapest and are considered good in their own right but Dax, AK and GD are at the better end of the scale (and their costs are more as you would expect). Crendon are also good and are more true to the original design.
Each model is slightly different and the advice is to look at plenty, visit the factories and carefully consider which one is the right one for your needs.
Also whilst searching for kitcar companies I came across this link
http://www.totalkitcar.com/uk/uk-manufacturers/
It has a long list and many dead links but you may find it useful.
Cobra History
The UK Cobra Club forum has a wealth of information and the people are very welcoming.
http://www.cobraclub.com/forum/forum.php
One post which is a great read is the history of the Cobra found below:
http://www.cobraclub.com/forum/general-cobra-discussion/3917-cobra-history-real-replica.html
http://www.cobraclub.com/forum/forum.php
One post which is a great read is the history of the Cobra found below:
http://www.cobraclub.com/forum/general-cobra-discussion/3917-cobra-history-real-replica.html
A long time ago...
In a village far, far away I dreamed of one day building my own kit car. The Cobra (or Cob) was easily the car I wanted. There are many other, cheaper and arguably more fun kit cars our there but this car stood out above all the rest.
I am now at the point in my life where I will be able to afford to do this over the coming years so I have now begun to do more research and this blog was created to record what I find in one place.
Many others blog about their build and although (eventually) I will do the same, I wanted to start the blog by recording the research needed long before a build even starts as I have found that information to be more difficult to source.
For anyone who comes across this blog - I hope it provides you with useful information and if nothing else you might be able to learn from my inevitable mistakes (as you will see I am a complete novice!)
I am now at the point in my life where I will be able to afford to do this over the coming years so I have now begun to do more research and this blog was created to record what I find in one place.
Many others blog about their build and although (eventually) I will do the same, I wanted to start the blog by recording the research needed long before a build even starts as I have found that information to be more difficult to source.
For anyone who comes across this blog - I hope it provides you with useful information and if nothing else you might be able to learn from my inevitable mistakes (as you will see I am a complete novice!)
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