Ready to place my order

[Papa]

Well, I sold my 1970 El Camino and FF is having another sale right now. I'm ready to pull the trigger and plan to order the following:

MK4 Complete kit
- Body cutouts
- Power steering rack
- Wilwood front disc brake setup
- Powder coated chassis
- Polished stainless pipes
- Chrome driver roll bar
- Chrome passenger roll bar
- Leather roadster seats
- Stewart Transportation delivery

Follow-on order at a later date:
- Coated headers
- 17" wheels/tires
- Roll bar grommets (x2)
- Side wings
- Sun visors
- Vintage wiper kit

The only reason I'm splitting the order is to try to offset the cost and it seems that the items I've listed in the follow-up order don't reap any significant cost savings by buying at the time of the initial order. Please let me know if this isn't true.

Thanks,
Dave

[MPTech]

Sounds like a good plan for ordering, I know it's hard to pull the trigger, but waiting for the delivery is harder.

Just my 2 cents: I have a set of the Gas'N SS pipes and REALLY like them (I never had the FFR SS, but I heard the Gas'Ns were better), regardless, also pickup some DrummerMike Heatshields to avoid Snake Bites.
Also, I recommend the Breeze SS Rollbars, little more work (and welding) to install, but worth the effort and better looking (again, my opinion). You can keep them machine finished or have them polished (mine are polished.
And finally, if you want to install the gauges with the design / location of your choice, FFR will swap the pre-cut-out dash with a blank one.
Speaking of gauges, I bought mine directly from Speedhut and had a snake logo on the Speedo & Tach. Also got the GPS Speedo and Tach with programmable light.

Good Luck, they are a lot of fun to design and build, but even more fun to DRIVE!

[GoDadGo]

Hey Papa,

I see no reason why you need to order those additional items until you really need them.
The wiper kit I might include; however, if there is no discount in play, then order them at a later date.
Also, check out some of the senior guys builds because the fellows who have done several pretty much have it figure out.
Good Luck & Welcome To The Madness!

Steve

[CDXXVII]

Gas'N Pipes

All I can say is that Georgie from Gas-N has a great product.

Made in the USA and the craftsmanship is top notch.

If you were getting the FF SS pipes during their half price deals I would say go for it. Otherwise, Gas-N all the way.

[steno]

Gas'N Pipes

All I can say is that Georgie from Gas-N has a great product.

Made in the USA and the craftsmanship is top notch.

If you were getting the FF SS pipes during their half price deals I would say go for it. Otherwise, Gas-N all the way.

When you blow out the stainless pipes, stick on the Flowmaster Slimlines. You'll love them!

[CraigS]

I recommend that you also do a Wilwood REAR brake upgrade. These cars are generally lacking rear brake capacity so making the fronts larger and leaving the rears the same is not a good idea.

[Jeff Kleiner]

...The only reason I'm splitting the order is to try to offset the cost and it seems that the items I've listed in the follow-up order don't reap any significant cost savings by buying at the time of the initial order. Please let me know if this isn't true.

Thanks,
Dave

You're dealing with a double edged sword Dave. When you order items later YOU pay shipping. On large items such as wheels or headers it will be more than just a few bucks. On the other hand if you order with the kit they'll simply go on the Stewart Transport truck along with everything else. Anything that is backordered and not shipped with the kit is sent to you on FFR's dime. The other side of the coin is that when you go to title and register you will pay sales tax on the entire invoice amount which would include all of the options that were placed with the order. You'll need to check into FedEx rates (FFR's exclusive shipper) and do a little math applying your state's sales tax rate on the items you are considering delaying to determine which route is less expensive. In the end I bet you find it's pretty much a wash either way.

Good luck with the build!

Jeff

[Courtnie Provencher]

Good Morning! If you have questions regarding an order you'd like to place, you can give me a call or shoot me an email at [email protected]. I do agree with Jeff, not ordering at the time of your order means you will be paying additional costs in shipping. Also, you are going to want to have the wiper kit before you do the paint on the body.. you don't want to be cutting holes once your body work is finished. Just my two cents If you have more questions though, I would be happy to help!

[Papa]

Thanks for the comments. I hadn't looked at the other pipes, but just knew I wanted polished. Looks like the pricing is comparable when you bundle the headers and pipes. I won't need them for a loooong time, so I may go that way. I also found some shields I like from another source -- fully polished stainless with some cool designs available for Cobras. On the roll bars, I plan to use the blind bolt system and since I'm opting for body cutouts, I plan to stick with the FFR roll bars.

Gas'N Pipes

All I can say is that Georgie from Gas-N has a great product.

Made in the USA and the craftsmanship is top notch.

If you were getting the FF SS pipes during their half price deals I would say go for it. Otherwise, Gas-N all the way.

Sounds like a good plan for ordering, I know it's hard to pull the trigger, but waiting for the delivery is harder.

Just my 2 cents: I have a set of the Gas'N SS pipes and REALLY like them (I never had the FFR SS, but I heard the Gas'Ns were better), regardless, also pickup some DrummerMike Heatshields to avoid Snake Bites.
Also, I recommend the Breeze SS Rollbars, little more work (and welding) to install, but worth the effort and better looking (again, my opinion). You can keep them machine finished or have them polished (mine are polished.
And finally, if you want to install the gauges with the design / location of your choice, FFR will swap the pre-cut-out dash with a blank one.
Speaking of gauges, I bought mine directly from Speedhut and had a snake logo on the Speedo & Tach. Also got the GPS Speedo and Tach with programmable light.

Good Luck, they are a lot of fun to design and build, but even more fun to DRIVE!

[Papa]

I was planning on ordering the Wilwoods for the rear with the rear end. I'm waiting for a quote from Gordon Levy on the full setup.

I recommend that you also do a Wilwood REAR brake upgrade. These cars are generally lacking rear brake capacity so making the fronts larger and leaving the rears the same is not a good idea.

[Papa]

Hi Courtnie. I was assuming that the bulk of the items I pulled out to order later already had a separate S&H charge associated with them. At least it looked that way to me on the on-line order form. I'll give you a shout when I'm ready to order.

Good Morning! If you have questions regarding an order you'd like to place, you can give me a call or shoot me an email at [email protected]. I do agree with Jeff, not ordering at the time of your order means you will be paying additional costs in shipping. Also, you are going to want to have the wiper kit before you do the paint on the body.. you don't want to be cutting holes once your body work is finished. Just my two cents If you have more questions though, I would be happy to help!

[Papa]

I joined a local Cobra club and have been reading up on "How to register your Cobra" here in Colorado. It seems I will need to provide a full set of receipts with a "perjury statement" on each and every one to the state at the time of the application for VIN and inspection by the Colorado State Highway Patrol. I even ordered an ink stamp with the required statement to save me the hassle of needing to write it out a hundred times. My tax rate is low (unincorporated area) compared with the cities. In fact, I often opt to pay for delivery on big-ticket items and actually come out ahead when the sales tax is factored in.

You're dealing with a double edged sword Dave. When you order items later YOU pay shipping. On large items such as wheels or headers it will be more than just a few bucks. On the other hand if you order with the kit they'll simply go on the Stewart Transport truck along with everything else. Anything that is backordered and not shipped with the kit is sent to you on FFR's dime. The other side of the coin is that when you go to title and register you will pay sales tax on the entire invoice amount which would include all of the options that were placed with the order. You'll need to check into FedEx rates (FFR's exclusive shipper) and do a little math applying your state's sales tax rate on the items you are considering delaying to determine which route is less expensive. In the end I bet you find it's pretty much a wash either way.

Good luck with the build!

Jeff

[Jazzman]

Sounds like a good plan for ordering, I know it's hard to pull the trigger, but waiting for the delivery is harder.

Just my 2 cents: I have a set of the Gas'N SS pipes and REALLY like them (I never had the FFR SS, but I heard the Gas'Ns were better), regardless, also pickup some DrummerMike Heatshields to avoid Snake Bites.
Also, I recommend the Breeze SS Rollbars, little more work (and welding) to install, but worth the effort and better looking (again, my opinion). You can keep them machine finished or have them polished (mine are polished.
And finally, if you want to install the gauges with the design / location of your choice, FFR will swap the pre-cut-out dash with a blank one.
Speaking of gauges, I bought mine directly from Speedhut and had a snake logo on the Speedo & Tach. Also got the GPS Speedo and Tach with programmable light.

Good Luck, they are a lot of fun to design and build, but even more fun to DRIVE!

What he said. X2! I have the FFR SS side pipes and they sound nice with my Coyote engine, but they cannot be considered quiet! I have heard the Gas'n pipes are a bit easier on the ears. They don't come in SS however. Since you want coated pipes, I agree with MPTech's assessment. I have two sets of Breeze 1.75" SS rollbars, they are beautiful.

Enjoy the madness. Don't fight it. Resistance is futile!!

[edwardb]

I have heard the Gas'n pipes are a bit easier on the ears. They don't come in SS however...

Just saw this post. Just to be clear, in case anyone else comes across this thread, GasN pipes are stainless steel. http://www.gas-n.com/home.html. I've used them on each of my builds. Quality doesn't get any better than this. They also sound amazing. Not any quieter than stock pipes, but a deeper mellower tone. Everyone comments about how great they sound. Plus with the tips pointed down, they are slightly quieter in the cockpit. Doesn't seem like much, but makes a difference.

[MPTech]

x2 what edward said, they are DEFINATELY SS, they are Highly Polished and look terrific.
The Gas'n pipes sound and look better and I'm told you won't blow them out! They have a different baffling and the pipes are just a little longer and angle down just a bit, all of this combines to make a quieter ride for the passenger/driver and they do have a deeper tone. (Also, the Passenger sidepipe is STRAIGHT. If you are OCD, the FFR pipes will bug you)

As to the Taxes when registering it. I brought every receipt I had, but ONLY gave them what they asked for. My taxes were a couple hundred dollars less than I was expecting to pay them. They asked for the Kit, engine, and transmission (if I remember correctly).

Also, if you are getting your wheels from FFR, they had a special sale when I ordered my kit, so you might want them with the initial order.
And the Breeze Rollbars go in the original holes, no modification necessary. I liked them because they were a little larger than stock (1 3/4"), a little shorter, had no bolt or even a gap on the 3rd leg, and had a slight angle to them. Then I had them polished and liked them even more!

So........what are your plans? Cruiser? Track? Show? traditional? contemporary? engine? rear-end? trans? custom touches?

[Avalanche325]

Order all at once. It will be cheaper in the long run. I had a change of plans and cost myself $300 in shipping. Your stuff is not as big as what I did on my 2nd order. But, when it comes to money, long term is what matters.

Wilwoods. I would suggest that you do front and rear and have a properly designed and balanced system. They are awesome brakes. If there is one thing you want done right it is the brakes.

Here is my real deal take on pipes:
1. If going stainless, I hope you like various shades of gold and brown. That is what they do, and they do it quickly. They don't really go blue like you would think.
2. FFR pipes are LOUD. That sounds like fun....bit it really isn't after about the first month. I have a 347 - 500hp with an aggressive cam and had to wear earplugs even for a five minute drive.
3. Flowmasters fix issue #2. They knock the volume down by 50% (that is still not quiet, just bearable), take the harsh bite out, and you GAIN a few HP. They also eliminate the need for heat shields, which I don't personally like the look of. You do have to build your own. That is a hard combination to beat.
4. Gas-n pipes are beautiful, they sound good, no assembly required. They are technically not quieter, but they take the harsh "bite" out of the sound.
5. If you want silver, and don't want to polish them all the time, ceramic coating is the way to go. You can even coat stainless pipes.

[Papa]

Thanks everyone for the great advice. If you saw my "I pulled the trigger" thread, you know I already ordered my kit! I heeded the advice on the pipes and left that out of my order from FF. I'll get the raw steel pipes and may try ceramic coating those before spending the cash on the Gas'n pipes, but the Gas'n pipes definitely look awesome. I also ended up ordering the Mosier 8.8 3-link rear with the kit as well as front and rear Wilwood brakes. I also bought the 17" Halibrand replicas with the tires mounted -- seemed like a decent price for the full set. I also ended up upgrading to the GPS gauge set as I wasn't convinced that I'd be happy with the Auotlite gauges. I plan to use the car for street and show with the occasional trip into the Rocky's for a day in Breckenridge or Estes Park. We have a lot of local car shows and cruise-ins in the Denver area that I enjoy going to during those hot summer nights. Some of the planned modifications are the blind roll-bar system (that bolt in the rear bar is not doing for me). I also have the fan shroud and top filler plate, battery relocation, double brake reservoir, and wheel well liners on my must-do list. I'm pretty well set up with tools, but ordered a pneumatic riveter already. There are a few more tools on my list, such as flare wrenches, nutsert, Cleco set, a set of wheel dollies, and a right-angle air drill with a pile of #10 and #30 bits. I can't wait to get going!

[Avalanche325]

Awesome. Congrats on the order.