Factory Five hot rod

jaybee · September 15, 2011, 09:51:50 PM

Has anyone looked at the Factory Five "33 Hot Rod"? Looks like a well engineered piece, it's gotten some good press, but I'm wondering if anyone thinks it's more kit car than street rod? It'd be cool to own a street rod that turns corners like a sports car, but I remember all the fallout from the Street Beast debacle and how part of the issue was a body that had no interchange with the car it supposedly mimicked.

Old Blue · September 15, 2011, 10:09:42 PM

Quote from: "jaybee"Has anyone looked at the Factory Five "33 Hot Rod"? Looks like a well engineered piece, it's gotten some good press, but I'm wondering if anyone thinks it's more kit car than street rod? It'd be cool to own a street rod that turns corners like a sports car, but I remember all the fallout from the Street Beast debacle and how part of the issue was a body that had no interchange with the car it supposedly mimicked.

I watched the 2 guys garage show where they did a feature where they (The 2 guys) supposedly "built" a factory five hot rod 33.

I was put off by the term "build" they didn't "build " any damned thing at all. What the did was assemble a kit car, a full sized model kit essentially that was delivered in huge boxes.

The idea is unique and Factory Five has taken it to the ultimate level of engineering but it is a kit car in every sense of the term.

It is nothing like a 33 street rod or hot rod except by a sort of family resemblance.
Just barely mind you.

It could be a neat driver, fast and handle like a slot car, but a traditional hot rod ? Far from it.

I think it would be a stretch to have one well accepted at say the NSRA events or the like. I could be wrong

Carnut · September 16, 2011, 01:10:51 AM

Well from the website it does look like a more 'realistic' deal.

A little more 'engineering' involved than the Glassic/Streetbeast thingys.

If you had the gumption and the funds it looks like it would be as nice as a lot of the recent 'Coddington/Foose' style turn keys available.

Appears to be as respectable as a good Cobra Kit Car, but it is a kit car if that doesn't bother you.

BFS57 · September 16, 2011, 06:15:31 AM

Hello;
Looked at it a couple times, I kind of like it! Exchuse me if I am wrong but it looks like the engine selection for this project is limited to Ford products at least thats what I seem to see used in every one I have looked at.
It has a distinct appearance, not much hood clearance and I think it's like having a Ford powered corvette!

Bruce

Bruce Dorsi · September 16, 2011, 10:26:27 AM

Factory Five is one of the more successful and solvent kit car builders. ....They have been around for a number of years, and I have yet to read or hear anything negative about their engineering or products.

For the past 20 years I have heard some street rodders bash "Kit Cars."

In their next breath they talk about the new fiberglass body (already chopped w/windows installed) they just purchased from one vendor along with a new frame w/suspension they purchased from another vendor, a brake kit from another vendor, a new engine from another vendor, a transmission from another vendor, a gas tank from another vendor, a wiring harness from another vendor, wheels & tires from another vendor, etc, etc, etc.

To me, they are assembling, not building, without the convenience of having compatible components that are sourced from one vendor.

Skills, patience, and attention to fit & details are what determines a succesful build, regardless of the source of the components.

Just my 2 cents!

Harry · September 16, 2011, 12:37:35 PM

Every car ever built is a kit car.
"assembled by pieces"

kb426 · September 16, 2011, 06:14:55 PM

IMHO, they don't look right. The one that Dave Perowitz built was at Hooker this past weekend. I'd like to go for a drive and I bet it works well but the whole look isn't right. If cost isn't an object, I think I'd build a Speed 33 with high zoot suspension. I get excited thinking about that. There's one 50 miles from me that is real nice. it doesn't have the ultimate in suspension but it does have about 550 hp. to play with. It looks like an excellent compromise for the guy that wants everything in 2 seats.

jaybee · September 16, 2011, 10:05:05 PM

Great points all. The thing that looks attractive to me is having a street rod that would be at home at the autocross as well. Can it be done in a more conventional build? There are some pretty good components available, maybe with a good, sturdy frame and proper suspension tuning...

taxpyer · September 17, 2011, 01:45:19 AM

I understand everyones sentiment about kit cars and hotrods BUT, a hotrod is a hotrod it enbodies an idividuals creative ideas. A kit car embodies design and engineering, actually one is quite close to the other. The car in question is very imprssive, in many ways not too much different from a high-tech shop built hotrod.

If this company can lure the guys who are into high-tech well built cars into hotrodding then hey, that would be great.
Some of the guys on this forum are so talented that they are basically "high-tech" builders too but are personally creative with their cars..
All of it is great and it is great to see the hobby evolve in a healthy direction. The fact that this company is building this "kit" is basically a tribute to the hobby.
Rat rods, kit cars bring it on,,,, it's all good. It's all activities that have spun off of hotrodding,,, now that's cool.

New ideas and specific engineering for hotrods from companies like this must be good for the hobby.
Anyways just a thought.

idrivejunk · September 17, 2011, 04:19:30 PM

I work at a shop that "builds" these Factory Five cars. There is one in the shop right now that my friend just final primed Friday. Is there any specific question about the bodies? As does anything fiberglass, they need a tremendous amount of work, and some panels even had to be sectioned just to achieve a workable fit. Good gaps don't come easy. Our shop may go a little farther with fit and finish than another though.

Me personally, I don't like driving anything I'm not willing to get sideswiped in.

wayne petty · September 17, 2011, 06:10:44 PM

IDJ just curious..

there no steel tube structure that wraps around inside the cowl??? wraps around behind the door jams... fastened between the door hinges and the bear claw or what ever latches they use....

i guess it would be just as dangerous as riding a motorcycle...

looks like it would be able to steer away from almost anything.. if you saw it coming...

idrivejunk · September 17, 2011, 09:18:30 PM

Wayne, we did add a steel plate inside the cowl, all the way across under the windshield and fiberglassed it in. Just because the area seemed flimsy. One pic shows the crowded square tube "dash member". As you can see, there is not much to stop a tree or pole in a skid and these things must be capable of getting sideways by suprise. Not much structure to the vehicle at all. The doors are suicide type, so no hefty A pillar is needed. However there are like 1" square AL tubing bars that would serve as intrusion beams in the doors. Wouldn't stop a charging bumper, I think you'd be wearing it if you got T-boned. It might bounce really good if you hit it hard! But collision safety is not a primary concern when offering this type of car. The whole body only weighs about like its a steel bumper, heres a better look beneath the skin. By the way, thats a 351 with EFI in a Cobra 427 pelt. The car can probably get outta the way of anything the driver sees coming. Its just the one ya don't see or hear that kills you.

jaybee · September 18, 2011, 12:21:51 AM

Wow, great stuff. Taxpyer, great points about getting people into the hobby and different points of view. Great pics of the car, idrivejunk, thanks for that.

I see your point about side intrusion. The company brags that this car handles better than their Cobra replicas because they were able to build a frame with a lot of stiffness in beam and torsion. That being given, what would it take to build that sort of stiffness into a more "conventional" hot rod build? If you could do that it's really a matter of geometry and tuning to get a car to handle. Some of the frames I've seen look pretty sturdy, they might be up to the challenge or close to it anyway.

BFS57 · September 18, 2011, 08:38:08 AM

Hello;
If you want a hot rod to drive like a sports car then look at the frames that Morrison builds. Their claim is that it can make a "shoe box" handle (tri 5) like a sports car and I have seen a couple but I can't verify this but the frame alone runs 15K!

Bruce

jaybee · September 18, 2011, 08:59:52 AM

Good point on the Morrison frames, BFS. I've seen some videos of their GT55 test car in action and it's amazing. Can't remember who but someone makes a suspension based on MII spindles and the same style of weld in crossmember we're all familiar with but revised geometry. It's also a really good piece. I don't recall who makes it but could probably find it, the unit is something like $300 more than a fat guy unit, money well spent if you like occasionally being pinned against the door panel at on ramps.

Really? the language nanny doesn't like a four letter word starting with "M" representing a pack animal? That's weird, I can't think of a reason not to use that word which is commonly used to represent cars used for R&D. Oh well, you know what I meant.