Kit Cars - Whose built one?

[Functional]

Having a project car or joy car has been on my list for a long time. Truck is paid off mid next year and I've started saving to finally take the dive into something in the next 2 maybe 3 years.

 

I've been looking pretty heavily into a Factory Five 65Coupe or their 35 Truck. I'd love to be able to fully build something like that and have it be "my own". My father in law has a Fastback Cobra that I've been able to drive recently and its really kicked this into a new gear for me.

 

Curious if anyone else here has done something similar or has a "pleasure car" of their own. 

[Captain Phil]

I have owned and restored dozens of classic cars in my life.  I have never built a Kit Car as I chose to own the real thing.  It's a great hobby that will teach you many useful skills.  Never go into the hobby thinking you are going to make money.  It costs many times more to restore most cars than they are worth.  The biggest most expensive issue is "rust" and paint.   A good paint job can run $10K these days without major body work.  If you like building and tinkering with things, you will enjoy the hobby.   Most people buy a project that's too far gone and give up before they get done.  If you like driving and going to car shows, buying one already done will save you money.  Have someone knowledgeable inspect it before you buy so you don't buy a basket case.  Never ever leave your car at a restoration shop that charges by the hour.  If you do, I guarantee you will live to regret it.

 

 

[GaryH]

Just do your homework before you jump in. When you are done the feeling is great. Good luck and enjoy the experience. Looking forward to seeing your progress as you go. 👍

[12poundbass]

Do a little big rig! These things are awesome. 😁

 

[KSanford33]

I've helped build one before, but never done one on my own. I helped do a stretched Pontiac Fiero into a Ferrari 355 build. 

 

 As others have said, do your homework. I'd also add, it helps very much if you have other people to bounce questions off of. I'm going off of the assumption that you're pretty capable with auto work and fabrication, because kit car builds can test you occasionally. 

 

 All in all, it's great fun. Just make sure you take your estimated timeline and double it. 🤣

[Functional]

 @Captain Phil that's a beautiful 350! My holy grail of project would be a 67/68 fastback with an Eleanor kit (I know sacrilege to some) or a 1970 Mach 1. The cost of what they go for in not great shape is a killer though. Just to buy the car and then fix rust damage would price me out of building one I believe. Dynacorn makes a full body but I've been seeing quite a few fitment issues needing some fairly heavy work. I have no illusions of making any money off of this nor even recouping money if I ever sold anything I end up with. I know intents can change but its something I want to build with the intent to be able to pass down to my kids when its my time to go.

 

@12poundbass 🤣 that is something I can completely see my father driving around in! I'm going to have to show him those, hes retired with far too much time on his hands.

 

@KSanford33 I've seen those kits, long ago my father wanted to do one with me when I was in my early teens but a big move and starting his company kind of put a big back seat to it. This would kind of serve as a late project together I'm sure hed love to help me on. He used to mod and drag race cars back in his younger days. I've completely torn apart quads, dirbikes, etc. for complete rebuilds and reconditioning but a kit car would be taking it up quite a few notches. Either way I can use a mill/lathe and have fabricated things and living in NC there is an abundance of shops for any specialty thats way out of my league.

 

 

[Eric 26]

@12poundbass I used  to drive a non sleeper cab version of those two beauties with a Cat engine. That truck was as solid as an anvil and even with d**n near a million miles going through rock quarries, cement silos to concrete plants which all 3 are nowhere near smooth that truck would track straight down the highway with zero input through the steering wheel. @KSanford33 Do you have any photos to share? Every once in awhile I see an old Fiero for sale and think d**n that would be fun to drive 😉

[KSanford33]

14 minutes ago, Eric 26 said:

@12poundbass Iused to drive a non sleeper cab version of those two beauties with a Cat engine. That truck was as solid as an anvil and even with d**n near a million miles going through rock quarries, cement silos to concrete plants which all 3 are nowhere near smooth that truck would track straight down the highway with zero input through the steering wheel. @KSanford33 Do you have any photos to share? Every once in awhile I see an old Fiero for sale and think d**n that would be fun to drive 😉

Unfortunately I don't. I only assisted on the build. It wasn't my car and it was ~25 years ago, so any pictures I had have been lost to history.

 

 Most of the kit car builds I've seen where it was built off the existing chassis of a different car haven't been great to drive. I'm sure some are great, but it's mildly disappointing to see a spectacular exterior only to see the interior from an '85 Fiero inside. However, kit cars like Factory Five and other custom cars can be spectacular. I've been fortunate enough to drive a Factory Five GTM and it was on par with any other ultra-high end cars.

[Functional]

2 hours ago, KSanford33 said:

Most of the kit car builds I've seen where it was built off the existing chassis of a different car haven't been great to drive. I'm sure some are great, but it's mildly disappointing to see a spectacular exterior only to see the interior from an '85 Fiero inside. However, kit cars like Factory Five and other custom cars can be spectacular. I've been fortunate enough to drive a Factory Five GTM and it was on par with any other ultra-high end cars.

This is entirely the reason I will either restore a car or go with a full kit like Factory Five instead of the donor chassis way. You basically only get the looks of a fancy car and the performance of its base car, often Fiero or G37 type performance.

[GRiver]

Would love to do Milner's '32 Ford chopped-top Deuce coupe, loved that car since the first time I saw the movie.

[slonezp]

On 12/15/2023 at 11:07 AM, Eric 26 said:

@12poundbass I used  to drive a non sleeper cab version of those two beauties with a Cat engine. That truck was as solid as an anvil and even with d**n near a million miles going through rock quarries, cement silos to concrete plants which all 3 are nowhere near smooth that truck would track straight down the highway with zero input through the steering wheel. @KSanford33 Do you have any photos to share? Every once in awhile I see an old Fiero for sale and think d**n that would be fun to drive 😉

They were junk. My ex father-in-law had a first generation that was a 4 speed. 

Since you're from Chicago, you might appreciate this. My son was born in 1990. My ex wife and I lived in an apartment in Rogers Park. I had a truck that was in the body shop getting the windshield replaced, and was using my FIL's Firebird. Wife had a c section so they were in the hospital for a few days. I left the apartment to pick them up at Columbus Hospital which was in Lincoln Park. As I walk out the door, I see the drivers side door on the Firebird cracked open. I'm thinking "Great, the stereo is gone". I open the door and the steering wheel is laying on the floor mat. Scumbags tried popping the steering column and apparently tried a little too hard. I call my FIL who worked in Niles. He picks me up in the Fiero, I drive him back to work and then head to the hospital. I pick the 2 of them up, no car seat, in the 2 seater. I told my wife we're moving, I'm not going to raise a kid in the city. That was the one and only day my son was in the apartment. We packed up some things and I dropped them off at my mothers where they lived the next 2 months. I drove the Fiero back to my FIL's job, we went and picked up my truck, and I packed up the apartment and rode out the rest of the lease. Found an apartment in River Grove, on Grand Ave, which ended up no better than Chicago. Had a homeless guy that slept in the vestibule and a coked up stripper, her husband and his kid that lived next door to us. Shortly after the stripper threatened to kill my wife and my car got stolen, we bought a house in the residential end of River Grove. The next time I saw the homeless guy, he was a passenger in a car that drove into my house and almost ended up in bed with me and my wife. Fun times

[Mike L]

I’ve owned my 65 for 31yrs.
If you go with an original anything take the time and spend whatever it takes to know what you have before you decide. 
 

A kit is far less expensive and you can make it anything you want. 
 

If you go to a full blown show quality restoration, the time and money you need to do it right is the only limitation but nothing will give you greater satisfaction. 
 

 

 

Mike

 

 

[Eric 26]

@slonezp I’ve often said I like visiting the city I had zero issues working in the city but that was on the far east side in the heart of the loop where I only had to walk from the LaSalle train station and back but I’d never live in the city. I was born and raised in Tinley Park moved to Orland Park with my wife who was born and raised then to Frankfort and finally here in New Lenox. I don’t frequent the city much anymore  other than the last 2 concerts I mentioned and my wife my kids with there friends and myself went to a Christmas event in Daley Plaza. 

[Functional]

@Mike L GTO isn't my particular car style but I can certainly appreciate just how clean that thing is!  You've kept it in excellent condition. Completely agree on research before buying.  With how old the age of the cars are it would be hard to expect everything is original which I personally wouldn't mind but also don't want to get a poor deal. 

[Mike L]

3 hours ago, Functional said:

@Mike L GTO isn't my particular car style but I can certainly appreciate just how clean that thing is!  You've kept it in excellent condition. Completely agree on research before buying.  With how old the age of the cars are it would be hard to expect everything is original which I personally wouldn't mind but also don't want to get a poor deal. 

Thank You

 

Thats where the research comes in. 
A classic or older antique car, is only original once. 
The problem is finding one in a condition that you wouldn’t need a fortune to restore. 

So called “ barn finds” are becoming increasingly rare, but if you’re serious a little investigating and research about what you chose is a must. 
But that is just one way of doing it. 

Finding a car to enjoy, drive and have fun with is a lot easier and cheaper and to some more enjoyable.
Just depends on what you want. 
 

Mine is an all numbers matching Concourse Level frame off restoration which sometimes I wish it wasn’t. 
To me it’s a piece of history which I treat with respect as there aren’t many 58yr old muscle cars left. 

I hope you find what you want and enjoy it. 
Owning a Time Machine is a totally different feeling when you turn the key. 
 

 

 

 

Mike