Hey guys and gals

im Russ, i live it Wiltshire and im going to be shortly looking at starting my first kit car build.

I have stripped and rebuild/modified many cars over my 11 years of driving, and i also have 2 jobs, i work for VW during the day and buy and sell cars at the weekends, so this will be a long term project.

The thing is, i was hoping you may be able to shed some light on a few things for me, im looking at purchasing a ready made chassis, then gathering and building the rest on my own.

The problem i am facing is im not sure on what to do about the size of the chassis, the chap i have been chatting to ( im wanting to say Falcon?) says he can add inches to the chassis if i require it as im 6 ft3 and most of that is leg, but im not sure how to know how much extra legnth is needed?

the chassis is build to the heynes build yourself a sports car book measurements, are these ok and correct?

I have ordered the book ,and hoping it will turn up before the weekend.

I am probably going to try to find a Sierra to use as a doner, (as most people) but if i choose to use something else that possibly uses a different rar axle/suspension set up, will it be something i can fabricate to fit, as i believe the Heynes kit is designed around having a live rear axle?


many thanks

Russ

Hello and welcome.

Let me be the first to be boring and request you search first, ask later. Just about
anything has been asked before

Just try searching for size issues ! 6'3" will fit a stock chassis even if you are stocky,
but if you are particularly (ahem) wide +2 may be for you.

Sierra is common now and Haynes chassis available pre built or pre cut tubes. I think
the Haynes is based on independent rear suspension using Sierra diff/hubs etc. The
book is based on the Escort (live) axle.

[Edited on 10/3/10 by NigeEss]

awesomeness
welcome along, i'm sure the extending of the chassis isn't too difficult. someone with knowledge of various manufacturers will be along in a minute to give advice of what chassis will be comfortable for you. i've never even sat in a 7-a-like, so i'm not help on that

Greetings,

Firstly, you will be fine in a normal Haynes Roadster (which is the same size as a Locost but 2" wider).

I'm 6' 2" and made my Locost a fair bit bigger and now regret this. I would have been fine in a standard one.

Secondly, The Roadster is designed around a Sierra donor. You can deviate from this if you want, but it makes it *much* more complex and time consuming and your build will take much longer! I know this from personal experience!


Hope that helps,
James

Well congratulations on having a good name anyway!
Welcome to the nuthouse - you will find the answers to all of your probs (& many more) on here!
Russ!

Hi and welcome, ime 6ft 5 and i built the mcsorley chassis which is 4 inches wider and 4 inches longer, i found it suited me very well, however when me little brother is driving her he looks lost in space!!!

Hi and welcome! I can't help re the book chassis' but i'm 6'1" and have loads of leg room to spare in the MNR Vortx, and it's a really nice round tube chassis. Although you would need to get the body from them the rest could be sourced from anwhere.

Hi Welcome to the Madhouse!

You will find lots of help here, and helpful people as well. I agree about the search facility, and think laterally if you cant find what you want, it is ALL in there somewhere. If not dont be afraid to ask, and expect some humourous answers... we are a fun loving bunch.

My advice would be to take time off and get to the Stoneleigh kit Car show that will be on in a couple of months time.

Then you can sit in LOTS of cars, and try for size.
Do this BEFORE buying any chassis. You will be able to see and talk to the manufacturers. If you come to a decision, then go outside and trawl the Owners stand for that make / model. Talk to people who have built and driven that model. I am sure someone would take you for a quick spin if you aksed them nicely.

Do this BEFORE parting with your money. The owners will tell the the true story about how good the company is to deal with, rather than getting the Sales speil from the company itself.

This will help you make a better and more informed decision.

As for me... Well Check out a Luego Viento. Its what I have and you willeasily fint in with room to spare. Its the biggest of all the Se7en kits. The Luego Owners will be on site to talk to and show you what can be done. You dont have to fit a stinking V8 to start with, that can come later on.. You never finish a kit car, as its so modifyable!


Have fun and visit Stoneleigh before you spend your money.

Its on the 2nd and 3rd May
http://www.grosvenorshows.co.uk/KitCar/KitCar.html

Wow,

All i can say is thank you for the warm welcome!

Its nice to find a forum which you get nice people who simply don't shun you!

Thank you for all your advise, i will be stickwing with a Sierra as a doner vehicle, it does seem to be the easiest way!

One question you may be able to help me with, i sat it a home built Caterham, and although length was ok, the steering wheel was sat on my knees, and i felt very quashed, my left elbow was half was into the passenger space!

The measurements i have so far for the chassis i looked at is 18inches from tranny tunnel to the side, so im guessing thats 18 inches for me to wedge into?

Sorry for sounding a little dumb, i am a complete beginner when it comes to these, so i really want to make sure im going to be not making any 'rookie' mistakes!

Cheers again

you will fit in a haynes chassis fine. my mate is 6.6 and he fits in it just.

the rear suspension is independent in the newer book written by chris gibbs.

the donor for it is 100% sierra other than the steering rack which is from a mk2 escort (very easy to get hold of)

Welcome to the forum. Im sure you will find someone local to you that you can see and maybe test sitting in their car etc...

quote:

---

Originally posted by ashg
you will fit in a haynes chassis fine. my mate is 6.6 and he fits in it just.

the rear suspension is independent in the newer book written by chris gibbs.

the donor for it is 100% sierra other than the steering rack which is from a mk2 escort (very easy to get hold of)

---

Could do with finding a few people around Wiltshire who will let you sit in a few different options. It really is the best way to come to a decision. We all know that we are all a bit different in the way we are put together so the "I'm xx tall and xx wide and fit in a xx" are of limited use. It'll be your car and you'll have to be comfortable.
Might be worth putting a bit of a plea on here to see who is local. If your preference is for the Haynes then I believe that there is a Haynes Roadster specific forum on t'interweb. Might be worth a similar post on there to see if there is a local one that you can have a sit in.
Cheers

My experience (i'm 6'3" is that the seat makes all the difference. I'm building a Ron Champion book original chassis and think i've got an inch or two of room behind me. I'm making my own seat from foam (like race drivers do). This gives me more room. If i bought a seat from one of the big companies i guess i'd lose 3+ inches of leg room.

When you sit in a car look at the seat and how much space it steals. Ask if someone who is building a car and hasn't added a seat will let you sit in the chassis.

Thanks again for all the advise guys

im thinking the Heynes as a base (as its my first build) but i expect i will deviate from the design in places as we all do!

What you fit in depends if you are long in the leg or long in the body.

Best to try a few out for size, as Mike says the seat also makes a big difference.

Welcome btw

hi and welcome.

A wee tip regarding searching the site...

If you are using multiple keywords insert % between the words.

ie gearbox manual speed ...finds nothing
gearbox%manual%speed ....finds lots

Cheers

Steve