Thought I had seen it all

[Ric S.]

Hey Gang,

I have 40 miles on the break in of the car. Been working on ride height and the 18's have been a challenge to get the oil pan up and the stance looking "mean" on the car. I have 26 3/8 inches from the ground to the lip of the fenders. Sound right? The front of the oil pan is 3 1/4 inches and the rear 3 inches off the ground. Close??

Now the life's lesson on people I learned today. I went on a shake down cruise today to seat the brakes and working on ride height adjustment. I really did not expect the attention the car gets in traffic. 99% is positive with a wave, horn blow or even an engine rev in respect. And then, at a light a guy pulls up and politely ask "is that a replica?" I proudly say yes and you would have thought he missed a 2 foot putt. He shook his head in disappointment and drive on as if I insulted him. I wanted to retort with what's in your garage but that would make me just like him. Well not everyone is a replica fan.

I wish him a Merry Christmas as do to you all.

Ric

[TurnpikeBoy]

It takes all kinds, Ric. Puzzling how they take disappointment at something beautiful - even prints of a Van Gogh or a Rembrandt are enjoyable while not original.

Oh, well. As you've witnessed first-hand, his contempt isn't shared by the overwhelming majority. In the end, what he thinks and $1.50 will still get you a fine cup of coffee. Enjoy it the way the understanding ones do.


-Roger

[ralphscott]

Don't dispair jealousy takes many forms, a common one is to disparage anothers achievements or possessions as of little value. I'm sure the guy is green with envy!

Ralph

[pgermond]

It used to be $0.10 would get you a cup of coffee

[terryk]

I don't think you should consider that question an insult. Most folks don't really understand the quality of our "replicas". Let alone the cost. They probably think it's a reasonable inquiry.

I was very impresses a couple of weeks ago when a guy at a traffic light asked me if I had built it or bought it. I thought that was a more well-intentioned and respectful question.

[Aggressor]

Don't you just love it. You're at a real nice car show and a woman walks up and asks if it's real. Then she yells back at her husband who is quite a distance away "Oh ...It's only a replica".(really emphasizing the word only for some malicious reason) You are then left with the task of maintaining your composure and not following this lovely couple back to the parking area to ask similar questions about their ride. Such as: "Is that a REAL Civic", "That's not a genuine plastic interior is it","Did you build this all by yourselves or did you have help from a great big factory to do it for you", "What kind of planning, physical effort, and monetary sacrifices have you endured in aquiring your dead common cookiecutter run-of-the-mill POS".

Sometimes ya just gotta ignore the jerks and smile. I guess you have to give stupid people a little grace from time to time. Blessed are the peacemakers ............

-Geary

[Naumoff]

26 3/8" is in the ballpark. 3" is OK. 3.5" is about what most will get with a Canton Pan and still have a nice look.

This is my new favorite decal.

[Master]

Just think, all that time and money spent laboring over nothing other than a replica of one of the most awesome production cars built. You should be ashamed of your craftsmanship and your originality to seek something that does not come off of a production line of "Ford" "Chrysler" "GM". My hats off to all of you that wanted something different and "UNIQUE".

[JeepSnake]

Oh, c'mon Geary - the proper response to the woman at the car show would have been to stare intently at her chest, then ask her: "Are those real, replicas, or did you restore them?"

I don't know, I think the proper response to the question, "Is it a replica?" might actually be "NO."

Juan's thread about his new engine made me think about this (again). How much are we really "replicating" with our Uniques? General body shape is about it. Forget all the apocryphal stories (mostly fibs or twisted memories) that people tell about the "original Cobras," and let's look at some objective facts... (note, this mostly references the FIA cars, since I am more knowledgeable about them; 427 guys can add to this)

CHASSIS: Advantage - UNIQUE
Unique's 289 chassis is certainly an order of magnitude better than the original leaf-sprung 289's. 427 chassis analysis might be more involved, but I think we can generally say Unique's chassis is more torsionally rigid, etc. than the original semi-space frame design. Shelby himself commented on numerous occasions about the flexibility of the originals.

BODY: Advantage - UNIQUE
Multi-layered hand-laid fiberglass that has been proven to take some serious abuse in the Unique product. Aluminum only 40-thousandths thick in the originals, that was prone to wrinkle if someone leaned against it.

WEIGHT: Advantage - EQUAL
Sure, you'll see magazine's publish the curb weight of original 289 cars at 2100 pounds. Read the rest of the old road test articles, and you'll see "weight as tested" was typically ~2500 pounds. Our car weighed in at 2550 pounds when the previous owned had it on the scales. (Oh, and that's with an iron-head 351W, not a short deck 289.)

POWER: Advantage - UNIQUE
Let's see, an original 289 car typically ran a rather high-strung, small-valved, iron-headed 289 making anywhere from 271 hp to 306 hp in street trim (oh, when you weren't adjusting the solid lifters). Sure, the FIA, USRRC, and other pure racing Cobras made much more power, but how many of them were taken on 100-mile street cruises for breakfast or lunch?

Now, the typical 289 Unique is running what? 331 - 408 stroker with aluminum heads? I'm willing to bet that the 351W with iron heads (and larger Chevy valves) in our car is the bottom of the curve when it comes to Unique powerplants. It dynoed out at only ~325 hp at the flywheel. I'm sure it's making a little less than that now, as I've got nothing but a plain jane used Holley with a $30 rebuild kit in it feeding the fuel. It's got a hydraulic cam, hypereutectic pistons, iron crank, etc. - rather homely next to 98% of Unique engines, but it's still more powerful and much more torquey than the top-rated Shelby street smallblock was.

PEOPLE: Advantage - UNIQUE
Unique has the Weavers and their crew.

The originals have, well, Shelby. Say good morning to the man, and his lawyer will be calling before lunch to tell you that he owns the rights to "Good morning," "good," "morning," etc.

CONCLUSION???
Now, what were we "replicating" again??? Looks like we have all original Uniques to me...

[will butterworth]

these cars a while now and I would be pressed to spot an original myself after all the combinations you can come up with.Yep, mine is original--it,s unique.Merry christmas, all, from Alabama, our house to your house.Will-alabama

[ralphscott]

Nice job Zach. It is hard not to let your pride shine through when people ask you, as the car is so much better than the originals which are 40+ year old cars. Then I show them why it is so much better. I think the biggest shock I had was when I saw a bunch of the "originals" in Nashville a few years ago. What a bunch of overpriced relics/museum pieces. I would rather have fun with the car than visit it at a museum. Life is about living.

Ralph

[RJacobsen]

Nicely said Zach, I will admit that when I first got my car, the urge to duplicate the originals was strong. It has now swung more towards the "build it my way and have fun with it" side.

[gasman]

Rick, The next time someone asks you if it is a replica...try saying "Well, do really think Carol Shelby would paint one of these orange?"

Merry Christmas and congratulations on getting the car together.

[Aggressor]

We should resurrect the term "Genuine Unique" when asked what we drive.

"Is that a replica?" - Answer: "No Ma'am this is a "Genuine Unique".(Spoken with Great Authority and Pride) These hand-built beauties are specialty cars with rich history and neo-classic tradition. Southern artisan carriage builders using primative hand tools skillfully work raw materials into the rolling sculpture you see before you. These are limited-production pieces of art that only a few wealthy and famous individuals drive. (Don't you just enjoy being us. Part of that noble few.)

- Geary

Hey - That's some really good free-form BS

[Naumoff]

Just drive it.

[diegokid]

I knew we really saw eye to eye. Why use stuff of lesser quality when we can build these "Unique" cars to be better that the originals. We have better brakes, frames, and the list goes on.

Thanks, You wise ones have helped the gears in my balding head spin a little faster. Maybe my brother can finally climb the wall.