50....errr...Two Shades of Grey. An Encore Build Thread

BYEPOLR

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Yep! That bumped it up a notch! Can’t wait to hear what he thinks after driving it


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Neither can I. It’s such a tight car. I’m very confident he’ll like it once he gets used to it. Turbo cars are entirely different from blower cars. The thing rode down the highway like a dream though when I took it out for a cruise
 

JCDriller

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Hey guys, I am the lucky owner of the Saleen Joe built. The car just got delivered to me a couple days ago followed by my neighborhood’s roads getting resurfaced so my time driving the Saleen is limited. I would like to do my best to give a good description of not only the car, but the experience. It was a long and drawn out process due to changes I requested and COVID, but in the end, the juice was worth the squeeze.


I had followed the thread on and off since Joe started building the car, at the time he started I had just purchased my Sonic Blue Cobra and buying a second didn’t really cross my mind. When Joe put the Saleen up for sale I couldn’t believe that 1. He wasn’t driving it himself and 2. His pricing was very, very fair. In fact, I don’t think ANYONE else could have used the parts Joe did, the finishes, the attention to detail and still sold the car at a price that benefited the buyer and the seller. But that’s Joe.


After calling Joe and speaking with him on the phone I was taken back by his genuine and clearly present passion for the car and for his customers. He was very clear what my expectations should be with a new build and extremely honest. I believe if I wasn’t a good fit, he would have kindly turned me down and waited for the right buyer, clearly focused on more than just moving a vehicle to the first guy who showed up with cash.


After speaking with Joe for a bit I asked if we could do some additional work before the car shipped, after hearing what I wanted to do he agreed. The work included more body shop work and spending some real time tuning the car on the street and with different fuels. I didn’t want the risk of not finding someone local or someone who wasn’t as invested in the car cutting corners on the tune especially when Joe has a master Holley tuner available to him. Joe seemed to genuinely want to help make my dreams and desires a reality. However, when my ideas got a bit too far out there, he wasn’t afraid to put the car first and reel me back in. He really didn’t want the car to stray too far away from his vision.


The carbon fiber roof and grill were ordered and the car was sent back to the body shop to be 75% re-painted. They deleted the antenna, painted the hood to follow the body lines and installed the carbon fiber grill. The also added a super thick coat of UV protective clear coat over all the carbon fiber work which added a ton of depth to the fiber. The paint and finish on the car really does rival the best of them.


The downfall to this decision was that the car went into the shop just before COVID hit and then with Stretchin’ Gretchen running Michigan the car got locked up in the body shop for an extended period. However, Joe stayed in comms with me and never left me hanging. As soon as the car was done and the shop would release the car, Joe picked up a trailer and brought it to his shop.


For those of you that follow his threads you know that he started building his Fox. That car was very important and special to him. The BiPolar build started while the Saleen was locked up in the body shop. While I’m sure Joe would have put his Fox on hold to finish the Saleen, I encouraged him to take his time with the fox and finish it, then get a little family time in before returning his attention to the Saleen. That was difficult for him to accept at first, it’s just not in his nature to put himself before others who he has an agreement with, but Joe finally did and after some tough times, he finished his beautiful notch back. I only say this for those of you who may think he put me on the back burner to finish his own car, that wasn’t what happened at all.

After the car left the body shop it was absolutely covered in bondo dust. Joe spent days cleaning and polishing it, getting it back to his standard. Keep in mind all the hours he spent doing this was done out of his own intrinsic motivation and his desire to make me happy. I’m not paying him to detail the car, he’s doing it because he knows he would not want to receive a car that was covered in dust.


Finally, after 8 months, the car shipped and was delivered. The body and paint work of the car met every expectation I had. Joe had supplied so many photos and videos that I knew exactly what to expect (near perfection) and that is what I got. The real thing that surprised me came when I got to drive the car. It is unbelievably tight, the suspension and steering are tight, the car has zero squeaks, raddles or noises. It feels like no SN95-04 cobra I’ve ever driven. The engine has a beautiful lope to it, yet still drives very well. The factory Saleen exhaust leaves a bit to be desired, but that will be swapped out with a custom 3” Borla stinger cat back once driving season is over.


Accelerating in the car is also very different than my TVS Sonic Blue car. The TVS car is a 750hp kick in the nuts from 1500 RPM to redline, it burns tires, slides sideways and likes to misbehave. It’s basically a pissed off mustang hopped up on speed. The Saleen even though it has 150+ more horse power displays so much better road manors, the car hooks up unbelievably well and it just pulls and pulls. The engine doesn’t want to stop and it doesn’t complain. The Holley system and the exceptional tune really lets this car go to work.


All in all, I want to thank Joe and Mike for building an amazing car, Greg Powrie for spending hours and hours tuning the car and Precision Autohaus for the beautiful paint work. You guys really brought it all together into an amazing ride I’m very proud to own. I plan on keeping this thread alive with updates as I finish up the minor touches here and there so the car can continue to be documented.

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BYEPOLR

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Established Member
Joined
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Messages
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Detroit
Hey guys, I am the lucky owner of the Saleen Joe built. The car just got delivered to me a couple days ago followed by my neighborhood’s roads getting resurfaced so my time driving the Saleen is limited. I would like to do my best to give a good description of not only the car, but the experience. It was long a drawn out due to changes I requested and COVID, but in the end, the juice was worth the squeeze.


I had followed the thread on and off since Joe started building the car, at the time he started I had just purchased my Sonic Blue Cobra and buying a second didn’t really cross my mind. When Joe put the Saleen up for sale I couldn’t believe that 1. He wasn’t driving it himself and 2. His pricing was very, very fair. In fact, I don’t think ANYONE else could have used the parts Joe did, the finishes, the attention to detail and still sold the car at a price that benefited the buyer and the seller. But that’s Joe.


After calling Joe and speaking with him on the phone I was taken back by his genuine and clearly present passion for the car and for his customers. He was very clear what my expectations should be with a new build and extremely honest. I believe if I wasn’t a good fit, he would have kindly turned me down and waited for the right buyer, clearly focused on more than just moving a vehicle to the first guy who showed up with cash.


After speaking with Joe for a bit I asked if we could do some additional work before the car shipped, after hearing what I wanted to do he agreed. The work included more body shop work and spending some real time tuning the car on the street and with different fuels. I didn’t want the risk of not finding someone local or someone who wasn’t as invested in the car cutting corners on the tune especially when Joe has a master Holley tuner available to him. Joe seemed to genuinely want to help make my dreams and desires a reality. However, when my ideas got a bit too far out there, he wasn’t afraid to put the car first and reel me back in. He really didn’t want the car to stray too far away from his vision.


The carbon fiber roof and grill were ordered and the car was sent back to the body shop to be 75% re-painted. The handled the antenna delete, painting the hood to follow the body lines installing the carbon fiber grill. The also added a super thick coat of UV protective clear coat over all the carbon fiber work which added a ton of depth to the fiber. The paint and finish on the car really does rival the best of them.


The downfall to this decision was that the car went into the shop just before COVID hit and then with Stretchin’ Gretchen running Michigan the car got locked up in the body shop for an extended period. However, Joe stayed in comms with me and never left me hanging. As soon as the car was done and the shop would release the car, Joe picked up a trailer and brought it to his shop.


For those of you that follow his threads you know that he started building his Fox. That car was very important and special to him. The BiPolar build started while the Saleen was locked up in the body shop. While I’m sure Joe would have put his Fox on hold to finish the Saleen, I encouraged him to take his time with the fox and finish it, then get a little family time in before returning his attention to the Saleen. That was difficult for him to accept at first, it’s just not in his nature to put himself before others who he has an agreement with, but Joe finally did and after some tough times, he finished his beautiful notch back. I only say this for those of you who may think he put me on the back burner to finish his own car, that wasn’t what happened at all.

After the car left the body shop it was absolutely covered in bondo dust. Joe spent days cleaning and polishing it, getting it back to his standard. Keep in mind all the hours he spent doing this was done out of his own intrinsic motivation and his desire to make me happy. I’m not paying him to detail the car, he’s doing it because he knows he would not want to receive a car that was covered in dust.


Finally, after 8 months, the car shipped and was delivered. The body and paint work of the car met every expectation I had. Joe had supplied so many photos and videos that I knew exactly what to expect (near perfection) and that is what I got. The real thing that surprised me came when I got to drive the car. It is unbelievably tight, the suspension and steering are tight, the car has zero squeaks, raddles or noises. It feels like no SN95-04 cobra I’ve ever driven. The engine has a beautiful lope to it, yet still drives very well. The factory Saleen exhaust leaves a bit to be desired, but that will be swapped out with a custom 3” Borla stinger cat back once driving season is over.


Accelerating in the car is also very different than my TVS Sonic Blue car. The TVS car is a 750hp kick in the nuts from 1500 RPM to redline, it burns tires, slides sideways and likes to misbehave. It’s basically a pissed off mustang hopped up on speed. The Saleen even though it has 150+ more horse power displays so much better road manors, the car hooks up unbelievably well and it just pulls and pulls. The engine doesn’t want to stop and it doesn’t complain. The Holley system and the exceptional tune really lets this car go to work.


All in all, I want to thank Joe and Mike for building an amazing car, Greg Powrie for spending hours and hours tuning the car and Precision Autohaus for the beautiful paint work. You guys really brought it all together into an amazing ride I’m very proud to own. I plan on keeping this thread alive with updates as I finish up the minor touches here and there so the car can continue to be documented.

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I honestly have no idea how to respond to that other than to sincerely say thank you. You humbled the words right out of me. Feels very good when someone recognizes the amount of effort that goes into treating people how you want to be treated. Just as much effort that went into the car itself. Again, thank you. Jeez
 

JCDriller

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Kansas
The carbon fiber roof and antenna delete add just another level of detail to an already amazing vehicle.

Nate, I couldn't agree more. I love how the carbon fiber starts at the grill and follows the body lines up and over the hood, roof and trunk. I also love that the car starts with paint on the front bumper and ends with paint on the spoiler and back of the trunk and bumper. It's so balanced and beautiful. I'm also a stickler for symmetry, so the antenna had to go.
 

voodooclay

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Joined
Dec 22, 2019
Messages
1
Location
Greenwell Springs
Hey guys, I am the lucky owner of the Saleen Joe built. The car just got delivered to me a couple days ago followed by my neighborhood’s roads getting resurfaced so my time driving the Saleen is limited. I would like to do my best to give a good description of not only the car, but the experience. It was a long and drawn out process due to changes I requested and COVID, but in the end, the juice was worth the squeeze.


I had followed the thread on and off since Joe started building the car, at the time he started I had just purchased my Sonic Blue Cobra and buying a second didn’t really cross my mind. When Joe put the Saleen up for sale I couldn’t believe that 1. He wasn’t driving it himself and 2. His pricing was very, very fair. In fact, I don’t think ANYONE else could have used the parts Joe did, the finishes, the attention to detail and still sold the car at a price that benefited the buyer and the seller. But that’s Joe.


After calling Joe and speaking with him on the phone I was taken back by his genuine and clearly present passion for the car and for his customers. He was very clear what my expectations should be with a new build and extremely honest. I believe if I wasn’t a good fit, he would have kindly turned me down and waited for the right buyer, clearly focused on more than just moving a vehicle to the first guy who showed up with cash.


After speaking with Joe for a bit I asked if we could do some additional work before the car shipped, after hearing what I wanted to do he agreed. The work included more body shop work and spending some real time tuning the car on the street and with different fuels. I didn’t want the risk of not finding someone local or someone who wasn’t as invested in the car cutting corners on the tune especially when Joe has a master Holley tuner available to him. Joe seemed to genuinely want to help make my dreams and desires a reality. However, when my ideas got a bit too far out there, he wasn’t afraid to put the car first and reel me back in. He really didn’t want the car to stray too far away from his vision.


The carbon fiber roof and grill were ordered and the car was sent back to the body shop to be 75% re-painted. They deleted the antenna, painted the hood to follow the body lines and installed the carbon fiber grill. The also added a super thick coat of UV protective clear coat over all the carbon fiber work which added a ton of depth to the fiber. The paint and finish on the car really does rival the best of them.


The downfall to this decision was that the car went into the shop just before COVID hit and then with Stretchin’ Gretchen running Michigan the car got locked up in the body shop for an extended period. However, Joe stayed in comms with me and never left me hanging. As soon as the car was done and the shop would release the car, Joe picked up a trailer and brought it to his shop.


For those of you that follow his threads you know that he started building his Fox. That car was very important and special to him. The BiPolar build started while the Saleen was locked up in the body shop. While I’m sure Joe would have put his Fox on hold to finish the Saleen, I encouraged him to take his time with the fox and finish it, then get a little family time in before returning his attention to the Saleen. That was difficult for him to accept at first, it’s just not in his nature to put himself before others who he has an agreement with, but Joe finally did and after some tough times, he finished his beautiful notch back. I only say this for those of you who may think he put me on the back burner to finish his own car, that wasn’t what happened at all.

After the car left the body shop it was absolutely covered in bondo dust. Joe spent days cleaning and polishing it, getting it back to his standard. Keep in mind all the hours he spent doing this was done out of his own intrinsic motivation and his desire to make me happy. I’m not paying him to detail the car, he’s doing it because he knows he would not want to receive a car that was covered in dust.


Finally, after 8 months, the car shipped and was delivered. The body and paint work of the car met every expectation I had. Joe had supplied so many photos and videos that I knew exactly what to expect (near perfection) and that is what I got. The real thing that surprised me came when I got to drive the car. It is unbelievably tight, the suspension and steering are tight, the car has zero squeaks, raddles or noises. It feels like no SN95-04 cobra I’ve ever driven. The engine has a beautiful lope to it, yet still drives very well. The factory Saleen exhaust leaves a bit to be desired, but that will be swapped out with a custom 3” Borla stinger cat back once driving season is over.


Accelerating in the car is also very different than my TVS Sonic Blue car. The TVS car is a 750hp kick in the nuts from 1500 RPM to redline, it burns tires, slides sideways and likes to misbehave. It’s basically a pissed off mustang hopped up on speed. The Saleen even though it has 150+ more horse power displays so much better road manors, the car hooks up unbelievably well and it just pulls and pulls. The engine doesn’t want to stop and it doesn’t complain. The Holley system and the exceptional tune really lets this car go to work.


All in all, I want to thank Joe and Mike for building an amazing car, Greg Powrie for spending hours and hours tuning the car and Precision Autohaus for the beautiful paint work. You guys really brought it all together into an amazing ride I’m very proud to own. I plan on keeping this thread alive with updates as I finish up the minor touches here and there so the car can continue to be documented.

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Congrats man, I was another guy talking with Joe that was ready to purchase when it became up for grabs but you worked a lil faster than me at the time, haha. This car and the price won't be found anywhere else along with how detailed/meticulous Joe was/is with everything he does. I'm now building a TT GT350 that has busted budget several of your cars ago. Looking forward to seeing more of your car, congrats again.
 

BYEPOLR

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You guys are awesome. You also need to understand how blessed I am that Jarad ended up with the car. Such an awesome experience that allowed me to gain a new friend. Same with the last build and Geoff. Very humbling
 

SADDLE

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Car looks great, congrats! I still contest that it needs the saleen center exhaust and then it'd be perfect.

If you're in the KC Metro area I'll keep an eye out for your mean machines running around town, but my guess is you're maybe in Wichita area from the looks of the homes.
 

JCDriller

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So a small update and my first addition to the build thread. This weekend I got a little time with the Saleen, but not nearly as much as I would have liked.

On Friday I picked up another stable mate, a 1997 Rio Red/black Cobra with 25k on the clock. This was the first car I ever purchased, picking it up was full of emotion and it has brought so many good memories and a lot of nostalgia.

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On Monday I got Ford key fobs programmed and picked up two uncut Ford
keys.

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I replaced the trunk struts, Springs and buffers

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Finally, on the interior I installed all new window and lock buttons.

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Joe didn’t leave me much to do outside the interior and trunk, next big project is to finish the exhaust. I’ve booked an appointment with a local fab shop to take dual 3” stainless back to Borla Stingers and finish with Stainless tips. That should be in late October or early November at the end of driving season.

More photos to come as I continue to make small refinements around the car.
 

blownfox

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Not a huge update but I go the plate today! I would have loved Saleen, but of course it’s taken. SA1EEN will have to work for now.

Your cars look awesome!

I've seen Aaron's car driving around the neighbor and think Joe's car is up and running. We should get together before it gets cold. I think we live within a 2 mile radius.
 

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