Complete kit versus base kit

[auburn2]

Why is the complete kit so much more than the base kit? It seems like you could purchase the base kit and all of the extras that come on the complete kit and still come up about $1000 less than the complete kit. Other than the extra parts you get is there a difference?

[michael everson]

Just the extras. The complete kit is a pretty good deal. All those nuts and bolts, fuel tank parts, brake parts, hood hinge etc. really add up. I prefer the base kit because I enjoy the hunt of the needed parts.
Mike

[carlewms]

When I purchased my kit, I decided on the base then went for the options I wanted. I also purchased the kit during a sale on the options which allowed me to get all the options I wanted (IRS, Wilwood Brakes/Pedal Box, Leather Seats).

If I had it to do over again, I would do the same thing. As you go through the build you will probably find areas that you want to modify or upgrade to different vendor components. Buying the base gives you the savings for these upgrades.

Carl

[riptide motorsport]

I prefer the base kit unless you really do not want to do any parts work.

[edwardb]

This point has been discussed quite a lot in this forum and the other. From reading those threads and my own experience, there may be some money to save by going with the base kit, but that isn't the main point. Most go with the base kit because then they have the freedom to pick their own parts, upgrading and changing as desired. Including using a donor if desired. But don't underestimate the work and knowledge/experience required to make the right selections. The complete kit from FFR is well thought out and works.

Both my Mk3 and Mk4 started life as base kits, and are non-donor builds with new parts. I've enjoyed the process, and very happy with the outcomes. But I wouldn't say I saved any money because many of the parts selected were upgrades.

[carlewms]

EdwardB has a very good point...buying the base kit has not really saved me money overall but instead has allowed me to purchase upgrades I otherwise would not have afforded if I had purchased the complete kit.

In my case the options plus base kit was just about equal to the cost of the complete kit cost taking into account the sale. If the sale had not been in effect I would have spent considerably more than the complete kit.

You will also find yourself upgrading items that come with the base kit as well. For example, I wanted a better set of louvers for the side vents, so I purchased a set from one of the forum vendors. Ditto for the battery box...I moved mine to the engine compartment.

Another consideration is your own skill levels; there are plenty of build sites where the builder is a skilled machinist and made some of their own parts.

I can say that I am having a blast building the car! It is extremely gratifying to see the fruits of your labor slowly coming together before your very eyes.

Carl

[CraigS]

One thing the complete kit give you is the FFR spindles. These are the culmination of all the front suspension upgrades that have come along since the MkI. You can get the same geometry w/ SN95 spindles and the SAI mod kit from Whitbys but the FFR spindle is a much nicer piece.

[auburn2]

One thing the complete kit give you is the FFR spindles. These are the culmination of all the front suspension upgrades that have come along since the MkI. You can get the same geometry w/ SN95 spindles and the SAI mod kit from Whitbys but the FFR spindle is a much nicer piece.



Well I considered that. The front spindels are $699 from FF.

I went to the webapge "what you get" for the base kit and "what you get" for the complete kit. Using the FFR parts catalog I added up the prices for everything on the complete kit which is not included on the base kit. I came up with $5600 plus mustang 11" front brakes and 3/8 in fuel lines which I could not find in the FFR catalog. I I figure $1000 fro those things and I am still about $500 below the cost of the complete kit. What am I missing?

[snakebit31]

I think what you may be missing is with the complete kit, someone else is putting all the parts together and saves you the time in sourcing them. For some, this is an attractive option. I went with the base kit on my roadster and my coupe.

[skullandbones]

If you build exactly to the manual and use every fastener and component in the complete kit, you probably will save a modest amount. As an example: the fasteners are usually marked up in a hardware store quite a bit more than FFR offers the same thing in a kit (you could save buying boxes). However, that is where the rub may be with some people. I have not used many fasteners and small components that were included in the base kit. I think this would be the case for the complete kit, too. The greatest benefit from the complete kit is the organization it gives a builder to follow a step by step process with the components on site and inventoried for you. Your most important resource, "time" is saved. I, for one, have sourced my own components and fasteners to my liking, especially in the engine bay. That's why the base kit is a better deal in my estimate. I think using the provided fasteners and other components is great for the suspension and such things. When you start getting to the detail and stuff that shows more, I would want to deviate from the "kit". Good luck, WEK.

[DaleG]

Back at the first of the year, I made a spreadsheet of "what you get" vs "what you get" and added the difference to the base kit cost. The advantage was in favor of the complete kit by a little less than $2k; so when they say "save thousands", they are pretty right on. This all goes away when they have sales; you can really get a great bang for your buck with either kit. But as all builders know, there are other parts you must have and complete kit parts you will never use. My first build was a base kit with a donor. This time around, I opted for the complete kit for the ease of the build; just wanted to build, not shop around for the parts...in other word, I wanted the easy way this time. It's up to you and your budget; either way will be a challenge, and hopefully a fun experience.

[Raceral]

The complete kit is appealing to me because everything is new. But, the hunt is fun also.. you can't loose either way you go.

[mikiec]

If I were to do it again. I would go with the complete kit. All new parts, and no sourcing or additional cleaning.
Would have loved that when I built 2290.
Mike

[Jeff Kleiner]

I've built both. It really comes down to how closely you plan to stick to the "recipe". If you don't stray too far into upgrade land the complete makes a lot of sense. With the complete all of the parts WILL work together right out of the box. When they say "complete" they really mean it; all the way down to some of the small and simple stuff such as horns, starter solenoid, hoses & clamps. As Al says sometimes the hunt is part of the fun but just to keep apples to apples remember, when you're looking at sourcing parts and components elsewhere be sure to factor in shipping charges &/or the cost of your fuel to chase around town getting them. The time involved to do so is a non-issue when building for yourself but is something I have had to consider when I'm building for a customer and in that situation the scales definitely tip in favor of the complete kit. When you take it all in the cost differential is pretty minimal. Now, if you want to talk base kit + donor we're into an entirely different conversation...

Cheers.
Jeff

[CraigS]

I helped Bill3422 w/ his complete kit build and have to say I was impressed. 95% of the stuff we had to find or figure out was from things he had decided he wanted to do differently. Among these were MassFlow efi, hydraulic clutch via internal slave cylinder, hydroboost brakes and PS. Otherwise the car just went together and we had VERY close to everything we needed.

[auburn2]

Back at the first of the year, I made a spreadsheet of "what you get" vs "what you get" and added the difference to the base kit cost. The advantage was in favor of the complete kit by a little less than $2k; .

Thanks. I believe you although "my math" worked out to be the different with an advantage to the base kit pluse all the extras and then a reasoable amount for the things not in the catalog (mustang brakes, fuel lines). It is not an inventory sheet so it is a difficult comparison and I probably missed a few things "you get" with the complete kit. In any case I think the base kit will be right for me, with a lot of extras I want a la cart (pedals) but without the things I don't (3-link, headers, gagues). Got about $3k to go until my daughter and I start building our FFR!

PS - just on a personal note I did not go looking for a cobra replica, I went looking for a homebuilt roadster/convertible with good performance, that also looked pretty. You can't beat FFR for that. I don't know whether to blame Shelby for such a great looking car or the Smith borthers for such a great performer but I am looking forward to building it. I am probably going t make it as non-cobra as I can (buick engine ... shifter where it should be ... stereo ...) but it should be great fun!

[auburn2]

repeat

[howff]

I went with base kit bought parts as I went along I would do it the same way again you will change ideas along the way

[QSL]

I think what FFR documents is a little confusing to what does and does not come with the kit.

We purchased a complete kit MK4 and then purchased a Base kit Coupe really just to see the difference. Besides we are doing some things to the coupe that wont need some of the parts included with the complete kit. Anyhow, this is what i can think off the top of my head.

Base kit does NOT include these items that are included in the complete kit.

-powder coating
-Base kit comes stadard with 4 link. Complete comes standard with 3 link (huge difference!!!)
-Spindles / hubs
-clutch cable components
-Lower front arms
-steering rack
-wire kit
-ignition switch
-headlight switch
-pedal box
-brake masters
-drive shaft
-gas tank and components
-front brakes
-motor and trans mounts
-E brake

I was suprised to see the base kit coupe came with radiator and fan. Not sure if thats the case on the base kit roadster.

If i was asked today which way i would go, it would depend on the sale. We enjoyed the convienence of the complete kit. We used most of the parts and were very pleased with it. However when we purchased our base kit coupe, we got the 50% off options which included a lot of items included in the complete kit. For instance we got the following at 50% off...

Irs
spindles
wheels
wire kit
high back seats
AC heater
floor mats

We purchased levy billet arms so did not need the lowers. We also did not need the front brakes because we purchased levy wilwood brakes all around. we did not want powdercoat because we want to add some bars and do something other then black.


Either complete or base kit is a good route. As for parts you wont use in the complete kit?! well, the value of them are not much. Our final build cost on our roadster was about 60k the best we can figure and we did not use about $200 worth of parts that came with the complete kit. We sold the headers for about full price and took a small loss on the rollbar since we decided to change to breeze ones.

Hope this helps!