Factory Five Roadster Build Part 1: Project Snake Charmer

A car from which legends-as well as songs and even comedy routines-have been made, the big-block-powered, aluminum-bodied car simply called the "427" was, and still is, a sight to behold. With its long-hood, short-deck look (sound familiar?) and the brutish torque of Ford's FE engine, the 427 became a hit on racetracks everywhere.

Street versions were not so revered at the time, however, with their lack of creature comforts, hot driver compartments, high price tag, and other attributes that kept their street numbers at just 260 units built. The 427-powered Cobra-with its unique shape, power, and sound-has been lusted after by many gearheads, no matter their corporate affiliation. As years go by, the car's ultra-low numbers have done one thing-kept the ability to actually own one out of reach of so many people who hold the car close to their collective automotive hearts.

Something happened, though, in the decades after the original car was built. It was the kit-car market. Seemingly overnight, companies were popping up and offering fiberglass bodies of classic car shapes for people to purchase and fit to another chassis-usually that of a Volkswagen Beetle. Workmanship was poor, customer service was insufficient (if the company was even able to stay in business), and the "rebodies," as they were called, certainly didn't have the power or sound of the original car the body was molded after. Can you say 45hp Ferrari? The bodies often looked contorted because they were reconfigured to fit the VW wheelbase. All this did nothing for the replica car movement but give it a black eye. Sales fell, companies failed or reorganized under another name, and whenever a car enthusiast heard the term kit car, they shied away. But change was coming.

Enter Mark and David Smith-two brothers who were fans of the original 427 but not fans of the kit car market. In 1995, they started Factory Five Racing (FFR) with their small team of engineers in a shop in Wareham, Massachusetts. Their concept was to build a steel-tube frame akin to the original-only better-that used the suspension and drivetrain of the popular Fox-body 5.0 Mustang ('79-'93), and top it off with a true-to-scale body.

Why a 5.0 Mustang? As David puts it, "Why reengineer what the factory spent millions perfecting?" If the 5.0 Mustang, with its 225 hp, 300 lb-ft of torque roller cam 5.0 ('87-'91 numbers) was the fastest and best-handling domestic car of the era save for the Corvette, imagine what that drivetrain would do in a car weighing 1,000 pounds less, with a lower center of gravity. Besides, in 1995, a 3- or 4-year-old 5.0 Mustang was just another used car. You could buy them at a cheap price, and even cheaper wrecked. For around $15,000, you could build a nice, small-block-powered replica of the 427.

Today, Factory Five Racing (whose name comes from using the factory five-liter Mustang parts) has delivered over 5,000 kits to customers across the United States and abroad-more than all other Cobra replica manufacturers combined. Customers build everything from exact 427 replicas to wild supercharged and fuel-injected stroker small-blocks with custom interiors and body modifications.

You may wonder how FFR can manufacture and sell a replica of a real car that existed nearly 40 years ago. Many people don't realize the overall design and shape of the Roadster has been in the public domain for decades. What's protected is the name "Cobra," which is still owned by Ford. FFR has spent many years and thousands of dollars in the court systems proving these facts, which allows them to continue to manufacture and sell its Roadster today, albeit without the use of the Cobra name and without any Cobra-specific badging on the car. This certainly hasn't had much of an effect on FFR's sales, as the company ships a mind-boggling 15-20 kits out of its warehouse each week.

We're excited to bring you this new project car, and we have some great ideas for our readers. We're planning monthly editorial on the build itself, along with weekly updates on our Web site and even online video of key build points. While we're still working out the details, we're also looking into using Web cams to bring you instant access to our build process throughout the whole project.

It will be built right in Yours Truly's own garage, just as you would do. No high-end hot rod shops, no 10,000-square-foot workspace-just a typical two-car garage and a decent toolbox full of typical socket sets and handtools. You'll be amazed by how little room and what few tools you'll need to put one of FFR's '65 Roadsters together.

We recently visited FFR to tour the plant and see how the crew produces their '65 Roadster as well as their other vehicles. So follow along to see how they do it.

What Does "Donor Built" Mean Anyway?
When the Smith brothers decided to use donor parts from a single vehicle for their Roadster replica, they were simply looking for an economical way to allow a customer to build a replica with proven parts that would give the car decent performance. There have been thousands of builds in which a customer buys a wrecked 5.0 Mustang, strips it of the necessary parts, resells the parts not needed for the build-often recouping their full purchase price of the donor-and has all of the donor parts cleaned, painted, and ready to go when their kit arrives. These cars are all over the country and can be found road racing, hitting cruise nights, and even winning show trophies. Building with donor parts is often the only way a Roadster will fit into a family's budget. Remember, just like any other classic Ford you'd build, it's your car, and you should build it your way.

Within the last five years, more FFR owners are moving away from the typical donor build, FFR's Mark Dougherty tells us. They're seeing more owners using crate engines, stronger transmissions, aftermarket brakes, and so on. There are a few Mustang-specific parts you'll still need to complete the build, but these are often acquired from the local Ford dealer or from a cottage industry of FFR parts suppliers. Whichever direction you plan to take with your FFR Roadster, start with a build plan and a realistic budget. Then, pick up the phone and talk to FFR about making your dream come true.

21st-Century Assistance
FFR has a great customer service crew and will do all they can to help you successfully build your own Roadster. But if you're like me and enjoy talking to other owners for different ideas, or understand an assembly step better by seeing photos or having it explained by someone who has experience, you don't have to look any further than FFR's customer-based Web forum at www.ffcobra.com.

Run by Bill Pierce, this nearly 10,000-member strong forum is a great place to ask questions pre- and post-purchase, and to look for ideas ranging from paint and stripe colors to dash layouts to braking performance.

Many people peruse the forum and read posts for several months before actually purchasing their Roadster kit. Answering all their questions, seeing the other owners' builds, and so forth gives them a sense of comfort, which in turn gives them the confidence to call FFR and order a Roadster. Check out the site, and you'll be looking at your budget and contemplating picking up the phone, too.

Counting Your Presidents
Building an FFR Roadster can be an exercise in strict budgeting or a financial black hole. Don't get caught up in having every conceivable option and an 800hp engine with every bell and whistle. Build what you can afford. You can always go back and upgrade later. The Mk III Roadster kit is complete at just $12,990. With the options we chose (powdercoated frame, body cutouts, chrome rollbar, heater, and so on) our order totaled $15,700. That's a lot of new parts ready to bolt on. Sure, we still need an engine, transmission, rearend, and brakes, but we suspect even with all those parts and a paint job, we should be around $30,000, maybe less.

If that sounds like a lot of money, think back to the last project you built: $3,000-$5,000, maybe more, for a rusty car. Throw in an engine rebuild or a crate engine, transmission swap, built rearend, four-wheel discs, paint and body repairs, and interior, and you probably spent somewhere in the mid-$20,000 range. So you can see that in the grand scheme of project car costs, the FFR Roadster is quite achievable, and when you're done, you'll be getting all the looks at the next show or cruise night.

Do yourself a favor and at least call Factory Five and order the free informational DVD. It will answer many questions, and the action on film and the responses from the owner interviews will make you take a hard look at your savings account balance, just as it did for us.