SABRE QUESTIONS

HOWDY GANG! I NEVER GOT A CHANCE TO ASK JOHN THIS BUT WOULD REALLY LIKE TO KNOW HOW MANY KITS WERE SOLD AND WHO IF ANYONE HAS BUILT TO COMPLETION? ANY INPUT HERE WOULD BE APPRECIATED [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

WHILE WE ARE AT IT, HOW ABOUT AN UPDATE FROM THE OTHER SABRE BUILDERS ON THEIR STATUS? [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

JAY

[Robert Logan]

Jay,
This is a question to ask before you buy !!!!
The manufacturer should be able to produce lists of people who are building or built cars. I have been told that your car is progressing well with little help and that the quality of your work is excellent.
I wish you well with your quest for like positioned soles. I also look forward to selling you a GT40 one day soon.
Best wishes, Robert

[John Schneider]

Robert,
Just out of curiousity, how many of us RF GT 40 owners are out they?

Robert

You are right about asking a manufacturer
questions about shipped kits/satisfied customers. However that doesn't work well
when there is NO COMPETITION! Up until recently, there really wasn't much choice
if you wanted a GT40 replica in the US.
Either you went with ERA ($$$) or you chose
a kit with few (if any) references to check.

Things are different now (thank God!)
and look to get even brighter in the future.
Capitalism is a wonderful thing.

MikeD

I don't know exactly how many kits John sold. Mine was not really a kit: just the body, frame, suspension links. I did by the tanks, my redesign of the A/C air handler, some other sundrie parts from John. I am guessing that there are 5-6 kits out there from John.

I am very near completion. The chassis is complete except for rear sway bar which I am getting through John Hester. I am doing final body stuff although, I am still waiting for the windshield and lexan kits to come from John. He has assured me that he will get them. I even have the A/C charged. I am waiting to get my muffler back from George (he had to reposition the O2 sensor bungs) so that I can start it. Minor things to conclude like the covers for the back of the headlights, final body fitting. (It is still on the dolly until I start it and I can't do final fitting until the car is supporting its own weight.) I would have to conclude that I am at about the 80-90% point.

LYNN, GOOD FOR YOU! LIKE YOU THE SUSPENSION IS COMPLETE EXCEPT FOR THE SWAY BAR SET UP TO FINISH THE REAR. KNOWING WHAT WE KNOW NOW, WE COULD HAVE PUT A 427 IN BUT I'LL BE DANGED IF WE CHANGE IT NOW. THE MOTOR IS WIRED IN AND PLUMBING IS ALMOST FINISHED. DOING SOME CUSTOM GLASS WORK TODAY. WAITING FOR SOME CUSTOM DESIGNED PARTS FROM MY PARTNER KEITHW BUT IT IS PROGRESSING WELL. DASH GOES TO THE UPHOLSTERY MAN IN A DAY OR TWO.

ROBERT LOGAN, I POSTED THIS MORE FOR AN AID TO OTHERS THAT MAY NOT BE AS FAR ALONG AS LYNN AND I ARE. KEITHW HAS GIVEN ME THE USE OF HIS ENGINEERS AND MANUFACTURING SHOP TO DESIGN AND MAKE SOME CUSTOM PARTS THAT OTHERS MAY NEED SUCH AS A CONNECTOR FROM THE RACK TO THE TIE ROD ENDS (STANDARD TO METRIC), AC MOUNTING BRACKETS, OIL COOLER MOUNT, EXTENSION ON THE PEDAL BOX TO ACCOMODATE A LARGER CLUTCH MASTER, STRONGER CLIP HINGES, MAMMOTH SUSPENSION CLEVIS TO THE REAR SUSPENSION (DON'T WANT NO WEAK POINTS HERE) ETC.

AS FOR HELP, I ACTUALLY HAVE PLENTY. ROBERT LAWRENCE COMES BY ABOUT ONCE A WEEK AND HELPS ME DRINK BEER. CLAY FUGATE COMES BY ABOUT EVERY OTHER WEEK AND HELPS ME DRINK BEER. KEITHW COMES BY ALMOST EVERY DAY AND HELPS ME DRINK BEER. KEITHS ENGINEERS COME BY WHEN NEEDED AND ONLY AFTER THEY DO THEIR WORK DO THEY GET A BEER. MOST OF THE TEXAS COBRA CLUB HAVE BEEN BY FOR A BEER. GEORGE COCHRAN IS DRIVING ME TO DRINK OCCASIONALLY (KIDDING GEORGE) AND MY GIRLFRIEND IS LEAVING ME ALONE QUITE A LOT NOW SO EVERYTHING IS PROGRESSING WELL WITH THE HELP.

AS FOR BUYING ONE OF YOUR RF CARS, MAYBE, BUT THEN ROBERT LAWRENCE AND I ARE GOING TO BE COMPETING ENOUGH AS IT IS AND AT MIDPOINT IN THIS BUILD, IT WILL PROBABLY BE THE ONLY JAYSCOBRAS GT40 IN HISTORY.

JEES THIS IS LONG, IT MUST BE THE FIBERGLASS FUMES.

JAY

PS. THANKS FOR THE KIND WORD ON MY WORK ROBERT. IT HAS BEEN A CHALLENGE BUT THEN AGAIN, IF IT WAS EASY EVERYONE WOULD DO IT. ALL IT TAKES IS ONE LOOK AT THIS MASSIVE ENGINE AND YOU NEED TO HAVE A CIGARRETTE.

[ December 13, 2001: Message edited by: jayscobras ]

my sabre is not very far along but i have many components to work with. i didn't buy my car as a kit neither. it was a chassis with a body and a few parts here and there. i've had to manufacture a whole bunch of things and its been crazy. when i'm done with it i'm sure it will be a better car than what it started as. i've improved on many many things so i think this car will be a great machine when its done. i also don't have sway bars yet. how important are they? i think i'll do a post on this later.

cheers

luis

Boys

We could ask John how many he sold...but I'm
not sure he'd volunteer that information.

When I spoke to him he referenced turn-key
cars of his kit sold under the name of
American GT. Does anyone know whether any
of these were built? Has anyone seen one?

MikeD

[Bill D]

When I spoke with John via e-mail around June of this year, I asked him how many kits had he sold. He told me 15.

Bill D
Los Angeles, CA

As near as I can tell there were 2.? cars built for American GT. The last car was delivered quite a bit short of complete because, as I have been told, they were quite a bit short on the money. I have heard one side of this and others have implied that there is another. Although, those that implied it never elaborated.

Am a little curious about the statement that the tie rod ends were metric to standard. If you got the Mustang II rack spec'ed, it shouldn't be metric. Mine are Corvette ends helicoiled to 9/16" (as I recall, it has been around 2 years since I had them done.)

I am envious of the cast that has been helping you. I have a retired NASCAR fabricator who comes by for 30 minutes once a month and a current NASCAR builder who helped some in the early chassis stage. Other than that is has been me, myself and my two ton come-along on a 24"x4" lam beam ;-)

OK

I'll bite...what's the come-along used for?

MikeD

MSUTANG II RACK FROM FLAMING RIVER IS STANDARD. TIE ROD ENDS WERE METRIC. I DIDN'T LIKE THE DRILL AND HELICOIL IDEA. AT HIGH SPEED I WANT ALL THE METAL THICKNESS I CAN GET AND DON'T WANT SPEC PARTS ANY THINNER THEY THEY ALREADY ARE.

JAY

The main use was installing the engine/transaxle. But, I have also used it to install/deinstall the front and rear clips (several times each.) I will also use it and an engine hoist to take the car down off of the dolly. The point was that, since I am not Superman and (as mentioned in the discussion on gas struts in another thread) have back issues, the come-along has done the heavy lifting that a couple of guys might have done.