Alumicraft.. what’s the story and the kinds?

HP.Habits

Active member
Joined
Jul 16, 2021
Messages
193
Reaction score
184
I know Alumicraft is synonymous with desert racing and there’s a lot of history there. Interested in the Sand Dune side of the Alumicraft story. What’s the history, the different models, certain chassis that stand out and out perform? I know the Funco cars really took shape in their 3rd generation and have been perfected since. I want to understand Alumicraft.
 
John Cooleys background explains why his cars are the way they are. He started at Jimco racing. He was building race cars, racing his own car, he also was taught shocks by John Marking, who also started at Jimco before going to Fox and making Fox what it is today. Cooley was tuning shocks for Jimco after Marking. Then when Jack from Jacks Aluminum who worked in house at Jimco building all the Jimco bodies was retiring. John decided to take over for Jack and started Alumicraft, thus the name. Cooley was to take over and build aluminum race car body’s for Jimco & other side projects.. Then John built himself a play sand buggy built with racing engineering, and race car customers liked it and wanted it. So he started building them along with doing aluminum work. Then came the Luxury class 1 buggy style prerunners. Craig Stewart was doing the Luxury prerun trucks, and Cooley started doing the buggys. Originally he had a hand shake agreement to not build race cars as that was Jimco’s territory. John built his own class 10 race car and over time customers wanted John’s designs and so he went race car building too.

Bottom line is John Cooley understands the whole design & suspension concept, right down to shocks & shock design. His first single shock internal bypass Fox shocks were amazing and that was John’s tune built in the Fox shock. When John ordered a shock it was the Alumicraft ports and valving.

I saved this quick write up off this site years ago
 
Who's had an Alumicraft built since Cooley sold? I vetted them but opted to go with Funco and couldn't be happier. And I intended to go with AC when I started the process. I'm not at all suggesting AC doesn't build great cars. I just couldn't get comfortable with them. Cost for AC was much higher. Lead time was much longer and some other issues. And you just can't beat the service and process @Grant@Funco provides. Yes, I'm bias. But Funco has earned the bias I have.
 
They say... "those that know, know!" lol

I am an alumicraft fan boy, and will own one someday!
 
John Cooleys background explains why his cars are the way they are. He started at Jimco racing. He was building race cars, racing his own car, he also was taught shocks by John Marking, who also started at Jimco before going to Fox and making Fox what it is today. Cooley was tuning shocks for Jimco after Marking. Then when Jack from Jacks Aluminum who worked in house at Jimco building all the Jimco bodies was retiring. John decided to take over for Jack and started Alumicraft, thus the name. Cooley was to take over and build aluminum race car body’s for Jimco & other side projects.. Then John built himself a play sand buggy built with racing engineering, and race car customers liked it and wanted it. So he started building them along with doing aluminum work. Then came the Luxury class 1 buggy style prerunners. Craig Stewart was doing the Luxury prerun trucks, and Cooley started doing the buggys. Originally he had a hand shake agreement to not build race cars as that was Jimco’s territory. John built his own class 10 race car and over time customers wanted John’s designs and so he went race car building too.

Bottom line is John Cooley understands the whole design & suspension concept, right down to shocks & shock design. His first single shock internal bypass Fox shocks were amazing and that was John’s tune built in the Fox shock. When John ordered a shock it was the Alumicraft ports and valving.

I saved this quick write up off this site years ago
Your welcome! I started reading this, and though, wow this guy knows every detail I know. Then realized this was my old post. 😂
 
Matt Major is the new owner of Alumicraft. Super good dude. I've been transporting his cars for a couple of years now. Very nice builds. This reminds me I need to invoice them for the last two car transports, and two Redline engines.

This car was built for a Buffalo Bills player. I'm 6' and the seat/pedals were too far forward for me.

20250908_112028.jpg
 
Back
Top