This is directed at those who have completed / built / driven their locost / kit type 7.

What one bit of advice would you pass on to a newbie, based on your experience!



Mike

remember your sump is a lot lower than you think, and it can ground out easily!

oh and the car is for driving not cleaning and making pretty (mine is filthy right now)!

[Edited on 27/3/08 by nib1980]

Based on my experience...save up and buy a built car if you have loads of other outstanding projects

With every part of the car, no matter how small take pride, time and care in its construction and finish, you will regret it if you dont!

Whatever your carefully costed budget is, double it. At least.

Do everything properly the first time, even if it might cost a bit more / take more time / involve waiting for a part etc. Those little shortcuts you take will come back to bite you in the first few hundred / thousand miles when the car will break down at the most inconvenient time or place!

1) Don't faff around for years deciding whether to build one or not. Get it started- you'll never look back

2) B.....E.....C......

3) Years of building makes you a rivetting god not a driving god....

4) Work out how much it's going to cost and how long it's going to take. Double the cost, double the price... and double the fun when it's finished....

quote:

---

Originally posted by matt_claydon
Do everything properly the first time, even if it might cost a bit more / take more time / involve waiting for a part etc. Those little shortcuts you take will come back to bite you in the first few hundred / thousand miles when the car will break down at the most inconvenient time or place!

---

Keep it simple, stupid.

I had a heater and a lockable boot and a fully trimmed interior and It's all just extra weight.

If you're thinking of fitting something - don't

The fact that you're thinking about means you don't need it.

Remember you're building the car for YOU, not the people who might look at in a show!

cheers

Chris

Think and plan everything through before you do it. If you dont you'll have to do again and again.

Fit a bike engine.

Phil

quote:

---

Originally posted by Hellfire
Fit a bike engine.

Phil

---

Take

Your

Time


The quality of a well finished job is always remembered long after the memory of how long it took to do has faded. A rushed job always looks just like that.

Always think carefully after you've designed something, then sleep on it, ask advice on here, come back to it again, redesign it, repeat a couple more times ..... then build it the way you first designed it, come back and eat humble pie on here, then go away and do it how you should have done it in the first place!

Worked for me

p.s. Learn to weld properly

[Edited on 27-3-08 by RazMan]

finishing the build is just the start of getting the thing to behave and go round corners properly i do a track day once a month to try different suspension setups as you cant really do much testing on the road

Do it right first time, will save time and money later on

Ray

Have a really good think about what you are going to use it for and build accordingly

Mainly road use - car engine

Mainly track days - Bike engine

Competition use - do your research and be prepared to spend lots of money

Mark

Act in haste, repent at leisure. Amen.

ie Take your time, plan ahead, measure twice cut once, make a small hole bigger etc etc.

Great post BTW

Accept it will never be finished.

Takes lots of photos as you go, write it all up and post it on here for others to learn from...

Take some photo's of yourself and hand them out to your close family

Make sure you have an understanding wife/girlfriend as you will be spending alot of time in the garage and not with her which normally causes arguments...

Know when to walk away and leave it for a while. Sometimes you need a break to refresh on enthusiasm, cash, parts, patience, ideas and knowledge.

'Having the most complex multi adjustable high tech suspension you can think off and 30 million horsepowers hardly ever means you have the best/fastest kit car it just means you probably have the most expensive.........'

Oh and 'K.I.S.S. applies to you as well you know.......'

'newbies' rarely listen/believe you though - I know I didn't - so all this type of advice usually gets you is a flaming

Never answer a request for one piece of advice when 3 or 4 can be squeezed in

Not that i'm anywhere near finishing, but use a donor vehicle and make as much of the suspension etc yourself otherwise you'll spend far more time sourcing parts than actually building. Also beware of having a mismatch of parts that need a load of hassle to get to fit. Also keep it all metric as much as possible. If money is short just go and buy one that's already on the road although that is rather missing the point.

Heed the advice above re budget - maybe not double but it's never what you want it to be!

Plan your time carefully - not so much in a calender format, but set aside certain time in your week/month/life to get jobs done.

Try and complete sections of the car building in as short a period of time as possible (ie - wiring, try and do it in one go, whether that be in a weekend or week etc//riveting, get prepared and just crack on)

Cheers!
Steve

How ever long you might think the build will take - double it.

When the car first sits on its own four wheels, you'll think you're nearly finished, but you're only half way there.

Let everyone you meet know what you're building. It's surprising the parts that will come out of the woodwork. Even from the people you would least expect.

Studying the SVA manual before you start into the bodywork will save you a lot of grief later on.

It doesnt matter who you talk to when speccing up - they will tell you something different. Decide what you want from the car first then go for it.

Do it right first time. No bodging.

My friens build consisted of...
Chassis + pile of donor bits = simple build with no frills or upgrades, finished in a year.
My build, still on going was... chassis + pile of donor bits + change diff twice + plus change engines x 3 + re engineer complete powertrain to accept V6 gearbox, then re fit complete pedalbox twice then complete steering system then throw it away and install adjustable steering and so it goes on.
4 years so far.

My advise, get all your bits together then build it with what you have, if in the meantime you find other bits you want to put on the car, buy them and put them to one side for AFTER SVA.

Don't say "it'll be done in X months and to an exact budget of £xxxx".

It won't

Take a leaf from the pro hotrod/custom bike builders (Orange Country Choppers etc.)...

Fabricate all that needs fabricating. Make sure it all fits BEFORE getting things painted/powder coated/chromed etc.

Get it painted/powder coated/chromed. Lots of bits will be cheaper than dribs and drabs.

Do the "final assembly" and watch it grow into a real car.

Smile lots at what you've achieved. Didn't you do well?

Make sure what you build when the car is bare can be removed when it is fully built. You will have to repair / replace at least some parts.

Put a big clock in your garage. Don't just wait unitl it gets dark outside to remind you that you've been out there too long.

Buy some clecos!
Don't buy cheap tools.
Enjoy it - if you're not, give it a break for a bit.

Chris

DON'T buy a half finished projects unless you:

a) know what you are doing.

b) are prepared to take it apart and rebuild it.

Otherwise you'll never be happy with what someone else has done and will never trust it.

I speak from experience.

Make use of all the build diaries and pictures. Thaye saved me making a lot of errors.

quadrupple the time you think its going to take.

Understand the implication of integrating different parts before you buy.

Ask lots of questions

finally enjoy it because if you dont it wont get finished.

One practical hint:

Put your petrol filler cap on the top of your boot cover, not in the rear panel.

I wish I had - I get fed up in petrol stations, doing the 'squeeze-click-squeeze' routine...

As many have said...keep it simple and do it right...so you can finish it....learn from the first and make number two the fancy one...

Only 1 piece of advice,

Stop thinking and start doing - was ages pondering a Locost - should have started waaay earlier!!

my advice would be, this car will kill you if you take the piss.

Rush the first one, get it on the road quick and see if you like it....

Sell that one (or crash it and get the insurance £££) then build a proper one once you've decided what you REALLY want... and you've practised on the first one....

Well, that's what I did anyway, ditched the BEC for a CEC, fit and windscreen, doors and heater, carpets etc etc ....

Well - might not be the best way, but that's what I did