[Cobra Jones]

...would use a donor or pallette next time? I've been following the "Donor vs. Pallette" thread and was wondering what the guys who built using new parts think of their build experience.

I am planning my build using new parts. I realize it will cost much more but think that there is enough aftermarket support for the necessary parts now vs 2-3 years ago. Also, I'd like the confidence and peace of mind of using new parts.

Do any of you guys regret using new parts or a no donor approach? If so, why? Was it the cost? The hassle of tracking down parts? The delay while waiting for certain parts? Are certain parts difficult or impossible to find?

If the no donor route didn't work out for most folks, I may consider going the donor pallette route with Breeze or Cypress. Before I decide, I'd like to hear some feedback from people that lived it.

Thanks in advance!

 

[2FAST4U]

Cobra Jones-

I'm building my FFR Cobra without a donor. The only used parts are the front spindles, and the pedal box. If I did it again, I wouldn't change anything.

-Keith

[ April 23, 2002, 05:33 PM: Message edited by: 2FAST4U ]

 

[Cobra Jones]

Cool man, thanks for the post!

 

[oldguy668]

The only used parts I have are the pedals and pedal box. If I do it again (coupe next time!), I won't even use those. New is the way to go, and tracking down parts is half the fun.

 

[2FAST4U]

Oldguy-

Did you buy new spindles? I checked my local dealer and he wanted $872 ea!! I bought a pair of used FOX spindles for $35. I cleaned them, modified them for Wilwood's 13", 6-piston brakes, and painted them flat silver. They look like aluminum spindles.

I, too, was going to build a coupe next, but now that Roaring Forties has an entry level GT40 kit for $10,500, I'm leaning in that direction.

-Keith

[ April 23, 2002, 05:38 PM: Message edited by: 2FAST4U ]

 

[Uraeus]

I am building without a donor and the only used parts will be the engine block, rearend housing, pedal box and driveshaft. There is enough information here to locate the parts that are hard to find like the quad shock bracket. Breeze is a good source for many of these and Teresa at www.oemfordparts.com is another. There are other here on the Forum like Mike Forte and Mike Mack.

I have never purchased a new car and it looks like the only new car I may ever have is the one I am building now. I believe I have all of the parts I need and am looking at $29,000 to complete it, but I'll bet I have a few surprises in store. I am currently painting the frame before I start bolting all of those new parts on.

 

[2FAST4U]

Uraeus-

$29K is about right. But be prepared for those surprises. My estimate has grown from $41K to $45K.

-Keith

 

[Sergio]

I went the donor route on my first CobraBuild and I'm going to go the donor route on the next one. People are afraid to use "used" Mustang Parts, but reality is that most of the parts that come from a donor are very strong, reliable and Can take the abuse that you'll put them thru in your Cobra, the 8.8 rear end for example, can take lots of HP without any problems, and so on...
You could build 2 Cobras instead of just one if you decide to use donors, a lot of people here have built donor-based cars and are happy with it (I know I am), You could find and buy a Donor for less than the actual cost of a New engine, and you'll get All the parts necessary to build it.
But....If you have the money and time...

 

[dbarrym]

I am just three weeks into my 'no-donor' build, and can say that I would recommend it, IF:

1. You can afford the extra $$$ for new hardware;

2. You want a new or internally-moded motor and new trans anyway, or a FR rack, or big brakes;

3 You don't mind the extra time required to chase all the small bits you'll forget about;

4. Breeze stays in business!

The only used parts I have are my SN95 front spindles, rear IRS parts (all rebuilt), gas tank (I had planned on a cell, but got a killer deal on a lightly used race-prepped tank to-to-rails Aeromotive fuel system)and the pedal box.

I spent about $400 for all-new fastners and some surprisingly expensive new "bits" (fuel tank neck, clutch fork cover, etc), which makes chasing nuts and bolts much easier (Thanks to Mark at Breeze!). Some small bits still elude me (brake MC actuating rod) but they can be found or fabricated easily enough.

During my FFR research period, many builders who built a "more than stock" car have told me they only used a minimal number of donor parts, all of which would have been cheaper (and FAR less time consuming) than buying a donor, tearing it down, and getting rid of it (cost issues aside).

Just my $.02....

[ April 23, 2002, 05:59 PM: Message edited by: Barry Mattingly ]

 

[ORANGE CRUSH]

The cost is definitly much higher and tracking down some of the parts has been a real pain. Some other things to consider, 1 If your like me and have limited auto experience it would help allot taking apart the donor and familiarizing your self with the parts 2 there are allot and I mean allot of little things that are not listed in the FFR manual that you will need for the build 3 going the donor route you can still up grade the HP making parts and like most people go through the motor and not have to worry about chasing all the other parts down plus you can sell every thing else that's not need for the build and regain some money. If you don't need the experience taking one apart and have the extra money the palletized donor is a good way to go. Make sure you get the VIN # so you car run a Car Fax on it and keep the vendor honest, I started to go this route and found out that some of the's guy's were advertising lower mile donor kits at a higher price but the miles were not true...not the vendors that are on this site some others. E-mail and I will fill you in. Going the non donor route on less you spend a fortune you will have some parts of your car from the salvage yard. And there are some parts not being made any more by Ford. I went non donor and if were to do it again..which I will I will buy a donor for sure or at the very least a pallet kit and save a lot of money and time. Hope this helps Mike

 

[oldguy668]

I used the Ford Motorsport M2300K brake kit. Includes spindles, hubs, rotors, calipers, lines, misc hardware. You can't use the booster or master cylinder, but the Mustang guys pay big money for them. The kit even has axles that fit the rear ends that Ford sells. Good deal, I think. And the kit sells for the same as those 2 spindles from your dealer.

 

[Gatorac]

I went the non-donor route. I had a guy that was going to put a package together with all the donor parts including some nice upgrades like Cobra r brakes and such, but he crapped out on me before delivering all the goods. I spent a good deal of time searching for the rest of the parts. It seems there is a lot of them. A pick and pull scrap yard is a big help for those suspension bolts and little brakets you might need.

When I build again I'm not going to use a donor. I have an 86 GT sitting here rusting but I can't bear to take it apart for those few items that I won't be getting new.

I think the bottom line is if your going EFI go donor...carb, non donor.

 

[Aaron Silidker]

Carb, no donor, EFI, donor. Simple as that. Keep in mind that donors in wet parts of the country are a B**CH to work with and repair and I would NEVER do it again. It was a total hassle and a royal PITA.
If I was going EFI though, I would not even consider trying to find all the odds and ends.
A good local hardware store should have bolts you need for a non-donor build. Lokar has the E-brake issue covered. All you will need used is the spindles and the pedal box. Most of the other parts I ended up replacing anyway. It gets really expensive really fast if you want the car to be like new.

 

[Ozona]

My .02

No Donor
No Carb

351W EFI with a Vortech V2 Supercharger.

Still need to call Mark @ Breeze for a pile of bolts, but have most of the other stuff.

If you're going to wind up modifying an EFI car you're going to spend the money on parts...ANYWAY. Might as well pony up now.

Lots of people do lots of cool things with everything from a total donor setup with no modifications to a total tilton pedaled weber carbed big block.

The best part of the FFR is it is what YOU want it to be. Decide what your situation is or what you want it to be and jump on in.

I agree, finding parts is fun. Hmm.. got that..need those, etc.

Regards,

Bill (Ozona)

 

[Wes Tausend]

If I had it to do over again, I would use a very cheap 4 cylinder car for the pedal box, gas tank and a few other odds and ends. Then I could get it out of my driveway, pronto. I would like the 13" brake kit, hotter mill and IRS so a lot of stuff would be new or rebuilt anyway rather than straight 5.0. I wouldn't hesitate to roll the chassis on the 4 cylinder spindles and rear during the build. Their eventual changeout would be a minor part of the total work on this car anyway. It's ironic that the wimpy 4 cyl 9" brakes are about the same catagory as some other kits final Pinto suspension anyway.

 

[Cobra7]

I will be going non-donor route. I scored a 1965 289 for free (traded some labor). Have about $600 in it with the machine work and new cam and pistons. Got the complete front K-member and rear end for $200. Paid $50 for the pedal box and got AC pedals for $20. Just need a good tranny and will be on my way. If you collect and line up your drive train before the kit comes, you can blow through the first part of the build fairly quickly. Good luck with your decision. Tim

 

[LuisO]

Hi all,

I opened a new thread about IRS:

http://www.ffcars.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=002075

Barry Mattingly and others that have done it (or plan to) your comments will greatly help.

Luis.

 

[Richard Oben]

Not trying to flame or blame anyone, but about half the guys that responded here have not finished their cars yet. Many also have a lot of experience with cars. I kind of agree with the carb no donor, EFI donor concept. I will go one further, if you have a lot of car experience then the no donor route is OK, if you have little then the donor is a must or you will never find all the parts you need.

If the donor is such a bad idea why do Gordon and I use them? The little stuff will kill you in time and money (for us they are the same thing). We use donors to save money/time. We can have a donor totally stripped in a day or three. We sell all the parts/junk we don't need and usually have all the parts we need reasonably. Sure I have an extra rear end laying around once in a while but I can usually trade it for other parts we need. The knowledge gained by tearing down the donor is invaluable if you are a novice at all.

We have built several cars with donors and several without, by far the donor route is the easiest and cheapest. The last car we did for Paul Rose was a donor (93 convertable auto). We traded some of the parts on the car for the parts we needed like the pedal box. We put in a new trans (Tremec 5sp, donor was an auto) converted to 5 lug and were able to use most of the other parts as is. The donor was very low mile and because it was an auto we already had 3:27 gears. What we ended up with was a car that did not break the bank, looks and runs excellent, very reliable and most of the wear parts replaced. New rotors, axles, drums, upgraded heads, cam, intake, injector and etc. To build this car for the budget it would have been impossible without the donor.

Like I said I don't want to make anyone madd but I feel the donor is the best way to go. Even if you are using SN 95 spindle and IRS. The chances are you can trade some of the donor stuff for the stuff you need.

Hope this helps. Cheers Richard.

 

[2FAST4U]

Richard-

I agree with you. However, in my case I wanted to go extreme in almost every area. Going the donor route wouldn't work for me. I did buy used components that I felt were more economic (spindles and pedal box). But brakes, engine, and IRS are new.

I will have my car up and running by next summer. Total time is estimated to be 18 months. Hell, some of the GT40 guys have been waiting for their exhaust systems for 2 years!!

The nice thing about the FFR Cobra is that you can make it "your way".

-Keith

 

[Olli]

No donor, carb, all new parts (except pedal box and e-brake handle) built 100% by me in my garage, including body and paint in 10 1/2 months.

Olli

P.S. Richard's turn signal kit is a MUST HAVE.