How to Build Cobra Kit Cars + Buying Used

Hi folks-I have never written a review before, so please bear with me. I bought this book, because I hope to someday build myself a Factory Five Roadster replica. I already have the build manual from Factory Five, but I bought this book to see what I could learn. Frankly, I was pleasantly surprised at the wealth of information, great details, tips, and techniques. There are a large number of photos to supplement the advice, and each picture complements the dialog nicely.I would best describe this book almost like a couple of car guys sitting in the mancave drinking a few cold beverages, talking about how to build their cars, while passing around pictures of how their car came together. I keep my copy next to my chair and look at it often. It is a wonderful resource, and I am using it as I put my own build plan together.I highly recommend it for anyone on the fence about building one of these amazing cars, or who is already thinking about building one of these cars. I learned that it is truly possible to make yourself a beautiful machine with a reasonable amount of talent, a good plan, and a modest amount of tools. Mr. Smith and his father did an amazing job building a stunning car, and were kind enough to document it for us!Congratulations to both Mr. Smiths on their fine book. I wish you much success!!Regards,Steve

I bought this book because I was thinking of building a cobra kit car and was curious. I've rebuilt a few motorcycles and have done a fair bit of work on cars but I'm by no means an expert. The book doesn't seem like it was very well written. There were several sections that were confusing and I just wasn't sure what the author was trying to say. It also seemed like there was a lot of "filler" with not much content.Overall the book is ok if you are looking to build a Factory Five Racing brand kit but if you are looking at other kits I wouldn't really bother with this. Also, as others have noted, he didn't do his own body work or electrical work but he did do a pretty decent job explaining the process and including pictures. Overall I don't regret the purchase but I wish the book provided more information and was a little bit clearer on some points.

I heard about this book (and met the author) while attending a car show at the Huntington Beach Pier in April 2012, came home and placed an order before it was released. Waiting was hard, but worth it. While the book focuses on the authors build of a Factory Five Roadster, the information it contains easily translates to other builds. If you are looking for a "basic how to bend fuel/brake lines etc. book" this isn't the book for you. However, if you are looking at building a replica of an American classic automobile and already have basic mechanical skills, this book will be a great reference. We have already built our Roadster, but I enjoyed the book and glad that we have it in our library.Ray

Very thorough and well produced showing a lot of detail and giving tips along the way. I marked it down a little for repetition of brand names that looked as if they were paid advertorials.Some of the tables of kit contents from several different manufacturers were spread across too many column inches and looked as if they were produced that way to make the book look voluminous.Apart from these criticisms I was entertained and enlightened and can happily recommend this book to anyone thinking of building a Cobra replica, and especially an FFR kit.

Not exactly what I’d thought it was supposed to be. It’s a bit light on the technical info, it basically follows a Factory Five build at a very high level; therefore pretty useless to other kits. The source data for available kits was lacking. The 'Complete Guide' to Cobra Kit Car Companies was quite abbreviated, at best. I have no problem with FF Cars, I just have a problem with this book's title and the reason I purchased it.

You can get the build manuals on CD from Factory Five for $10. This is a nice supplement but comes across as quite promotional. When they had a build problem they tended to gloss over it instead of digging into it and telling why it was a problem and how to handle it. Some good tips - like dis-assembly of the sheet metal panels. Vendor information was pretty good. Didn't care much for the writing style.

Although I will start by saying that this book is a nice, colorful production that is definately informative, it should have been titled: how to build a Factory Five Cobra kit car. The vast majority of this book is a build guide for such FFR cobra kit. There really isn't much else in the book except some descriptions and photo's of other kits.I was hoping for more than just FFR build information. I have a different kit and would have been helped more by 'build from scratch' kind of info about brake systems, electrical and such; the FFR kits are pretty much idiot proof and come with everything you need. Since FFR supllies you with a build instruction book, why would you need this book? Other kits aren't as complete, yet may be just as much fun and challanging to build. This book doesn't help much for those builders. Too bad.

I am currently building my 4th Factory Five Racing "Roadster" and bought this book on a whim. The authors know what they are doing and show it with great instructions and illustrations. Even though I am on my 4th, I still learned from this book - just wish it was around for number 1. Highly recommend this book if you are contemplating building one.

Good info with lots of pictures, has some good pointers that will save time. The book uses a FF5 car as there build.

The book is well illustrated, clearly written, and gives you a good idea as to what is involved with building a Cobra kit car.