Complete vs Base Kit

[smithtlw]

So I thought I was set on a 33HR kit but after our visit this summer I think we are going to order a coupe. I figure if my son looks good in it I should as well...
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I am looking for some input with respect to complete vs. base kit on the coupe. I have looked through several of the discussions relating to the roadster but it seems as the coupe does not use as many parts from the donor. Is this true? Below is my plan for a mostly street and auto-x car:

Shall Have:
- Power Steering
- 5 Lug wheels
- High Back Seats
- 3 Link
- Rear Disc if non-powered brakes
- Dual MC if non-powered brakes

Nice to Have:
- Better Brakes
- Heat & AC


On the fence with the brakes based on the mixed reviews with the non-powered here. I will likely start with non-powered though. Are the Cobra brakes good eough with the right pads? What are the differences between Gordon's Wilwood brake kits and the one offered by FFR, is the FFR $2K significantly better than the stock cobra rotors/calipers with good pads?

I realize there would be an even more significant savings if using the drive train from the donor but I will likely use a non-Ford power plant as I have an engine mostly complete with some sentimental connection. If I go this route I will buy a new TKO.

Please see the attached spreadsheet (image) and let me know if there are any glaring ommissions or poor choices. I also figure that the donor costs will be higher than what I have listed as I would replace wear items such as ball joints, bushings tie rods... Are the differences (approx $4k) I show somewhat accurate with real differences in build costs going donor vs complete with the exception of the engine/transmission? I also realize that the current sale pushes me towards one of the base kit options (maybe).
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Thanks
Todd

[riptide motorsport]

The base Coupe kit uses as much as the donor parts as the Roadster does....it is the cheapest way to go if your giong straight donor route.......if not you need to go the complete kit route because of your choice of drivetrain. Save the powdercoating and POR 15 the chassis........Steven

[bil1024]

If all goes well I will be getting the base kit. Purely due to budget though. If I had the xtra $ I would go the complete kit route, all new parts. It all comes down to you and what you can really afford. Good Luck!

[Russ Thompson]

It also depends on what you want as a finished project. If you have a certain goal in mind there may be lots of part in the complete kit you will not use and yes some of the kit parts you may want to upgrade quaility wise. The base kit offer more flexability in some respects but if you want to build right out of the box the complete kit is great.
As for brakes it depends on use, on my roadster I went the donor route back in 98 and stil run the stock disc fronts and drum rears and have had a ball with it auto crossing. I'm running the Cobra R brakes on the coupe. I did go power and I like them so far but I'm not an expert in this department. :-)

[xlr8or]

As Russ said if you are wanting an out of the box build the complete kit is a great way to go. If you plan to do many performance upgrades on the chassis such as suspension, brakes, steering, shocks etc. you want to consider the basic kit and get the upgraded parts to go with it.
Highly modified builds are usually better off with the basic kit.

Either way the basis for a great car is there. Just base your build plan on what you really want to do with the car.

[Johnny Suede]

I did the base kit on my roadster, but when it came time to putting it together I just could see using parts that had 80,000 or so on them on my "new" car so I ended up buying most everything new. I will say even if I had bought the "complete" kit I would have bought some of the upgrades and not used all of the kit parts.

[John Dol]

I think another thing to take in to account is whether you have a lot of time or not. If you are in a hurry to get done, get the complete kit.
If you enjoy refurbishing parts, and looking for deals because you have the time the base kit is you and it can certainly save you lots of dollars.

John

[Rusty_S85]

I did the base kit on my roadster, but when it came time to putting it together I just could see using parts that had 80,000 or so on them on my "new" car so I ended up buying most everything new. I will say even if I had bought the "complete" kit I would have bought some of the upgrades and not used all of the kit parts.

Thats why its a good thing to plan ahead of time what you are wanting to do then you deside. If I got a coupe kit down the road I would most likely go the basic route to save money considering I would use very little of the parts the complete kit comes with. Be nice if I could drop the wiring harness and get credited the full value of the harness, last time I checked Ron Francis does not make cheap harnesses.

Its also smart to think what you will need instead of what you want, especially if money is a concern. Like do you really need crossdrilled and slotted rotors, sure they look nice but they serve no purpose unless you are running organic brake pads then you should look at these rotors but with ceramic and semi metallic pads all you are doing is grinding your pads down prematurely. I have re-thought this for myself many times and now I have to redo my list to get a more accurate cost I'm looking at.

So to the orignal poster, if you are wanting better brakes I would suggest looking into nicer brake calipers but use oem solid ventilated brake rotors and go with some nice pads. Avoid the organic pads if you want to prolong the life of your rotors go ceramic you will lose alittle bite in braking since it will require more pedal effort (not much more) when using ceramic pads over semi metalic. Also if you are mechanically inclined I would suggest the basic kit if you have the ability or the means of selecting parts to complete the package you are seeking.

[smithtlw]

Its also smart to think what you will need instead of what you want, especially if money is a concern.

This is the difficult part...

I appreciate all of the feedback.

[John Card]

Brakes in a nutshell:

Mostly street use and a rare track day - kit brakes are fine.
Heavy track use - bigger/better brakes are worth it.

Just depends on what you want to do with the car.

[rj35pj]

Brakes in a nutshell:

Mostly street use and a rare track day - kit brakes are fine.
Heavy track use - bigger/better brakes are worth it.

Just depends on what you want to do with the car.

I agree with what John says. Here is my reasoning for going with the big wilwood brakes......because I always wanted a set of Wilwood brakes....how is that for logic. I know it is pretty lame. Now that I have "owned" a set I could have saved some money, but I just got caught up in the moment. Good luck in making your choice. :)

[EBarnes]

I got quite a few options on my kit, but didn't want the restrictions of the complete kit in a few key areas (and I didn't want to sell off the pieces I didn't want, another option for you).

As someone mentioned, shopping around can save you $ too (again, not going the donor route). And, I found FF has decent prices on some pieces I decided not to fab up myself. Example, I bought the Wilwood pedals from Summit, then got the mounting bracket from FF.

As always, time vs. $

[smithtlw]

How much do you figure you saved by sourcing the pedals separate? Did you end up getting the same size master cylinders as provided by FFR? This certainly seems like a place you could save especially if going with different sized MCs and/or hydraulic clutch.