Other areas of the chassis are reinforced with steel plate, such as the rear seating section (it adds structural rigidity to the frame as well as another point of safety). Jim does most of his work (chiefly all of the parts and chassis welding) off-site at a 4,200-square-foot shop located near the DKW location, and it's where the assembly of the vehicles takes place, too. And if you think these guys would let someone else design and build a Cobra body for the cars they sell, then you haven't been paying attention! The Cutting Edge replicar is a hand-laid 427 roadster and comes from their own molds with gel-coated inner door and trunk panels as well as a rolled edge around the cockpit.
Based at $27,950, the vehicle you get from Cutting Edge includes a chassis set up on a 90-inch wheelbase and made from 1020 steel tubing that was jig-welded before their indy suspension parts are attached. The front suspension is a double A-arm setup and fully adjustable for camber, castor, toe, ride height, and even spring rate. Out back, an 8.8-inch Ford rear center section is used with another set of inboard coilovers actuated via pushrods and rocker arms.
The Woodward rack and pinion steering system is new (not used) and Borgeson steering shafts and U-joints are used throughout. CER makes their own steering column, but likes to top it with a Moto-Lita wood-trimmed steering wheel. Each corner of the chassis features Wilwood disc brakes (13-inch up front, 11.5-inch out back). Inside, the cockpit comes with Auto Meter gauges (including a reverse-sweep speedo) as well as leather-covered bucket seats.
What you need to finish the car is the complete drivetrain including ignition, headers, transmission, rear gear section, wheels and tires, fuel system (though the chassis does come with a custom aluminum gas tank) and, of course, body and paintwork. What you won't get from Cutting Edge Replicas is a big run-around. The lead time for a chassis and body combo from CER is about two months and, unlike some manufacturers, they won't take a deposit until they're ready to build your chassis and body for you (and they don't ship partial or incomplete kits).
Though Cutting Edge Replicas has only been on the replicar map for a couple of years, it's easy to see when visiting the shop (which will be expanded by 7,400 square feet about the time you read this) or talking to these guys on the phone that they know what they're doing. They're committed to selling the best product they can make, and their enthusiasm is from knowing what is going to happen when you drive one of their cars, because they know once you drive one, you'll be hooked!