Hi,

I'm about to buy a 2nd hand locost BEC. It is a track car, and I would like to have your feedback on how to look for possible damage, I am useless at mechanics. For a "car engined car", I've heard it is a good idea to look for white smoke coming out the exhausts, but I don't know if that applies to these Fireblade engines as well. Also, I think it is a good idea to ask the seller to take the car to a "kwik fit" for a wheel alignment test (I would be very happy to pay for that). I guess that any important crash would show up, but the problem is I don't know what "displacement?" figures to expect for a car in good condition.

Your help in making my purchase a success is much appreciated, guys.

Cheers,

Alex

Hi Alez, as you have admitted, you are not too mechanically minded, and if you don't mind me saying, the questions you have asked do indicate this too (no offence meant! ).
A wheel alignment test wont tell you anything significant regarding crash damage because there are no set figures you can accurately compare it against as no two chassis are identical. Likewise, the smoke test. A blade engine will very rarely smoke in the same way that a knackered old crossflow will due to the engine's extremely tight tolerences, yet it could still be knackered.
Also, with something like this, you really are looking for a different set of things when compared to buying a normal road car, you're looking at quality of build, attention to detail, the way the engine has been installed etc, so it helps if you've seen other similar cars to compare it against, and have a knowledgeable opinion on its build quality.
If I were you, I would seriously consider asking a knowledgeable mechanic friend to accompany you to look at the car, or even better, a fellow builder who does understand the mechanicals a bit more. Where abouts is the car you are looking at, if its in the Surrey/Sussex/Hants area then give me a shout and maybe I can help.

cheers

Chris

[Edited on 15/9/03 by ChrisGamlin]

Chris,

Thanks a lot for your offer, it is just too kind of you. Unfortunately, this car is in great Manchester! Still, there is something you could do for me which would actually be very helpful and much in line with your advice. I live in Guildford, so if it's OK with you, I could go to visit you and see your car any of these evenings (actually except for wednesday, since my band has a gig, but that's a different story..) Any time would be just fine with me, and I guess I would learn a lot by taking a good look to your car. I would be sensible not to hold you for long, I promise. And well, if this all goes ahead, we surely will see each other and our cars in the future, and then I shall pay you a couple of pints.

Yes, as we both know, I'm clueless. I really appreciate your feedback, even if you can't show me your car for whatever reason, you have already given me very useful advice.

I'll now send you a U2U with my details, just in case.

Thanks a lot.

Alex

Hi Alez

No probs, you're more than welcome to have a look at mine and maybe I can give you a few pointers on what to look out for, but me and the car are 50 miles apart during the week, Im in Surbiton but the car lives in Midhurst at my mum's, so the weekend would be the earliest I could do, when I'll be down there rebuilding the rear axle and putting on my new shocks.

You could post something on the Yahoo BEC list to see if there is anyone in Manchester that you could contact and maybe have them look at it too in return for a few beer tokens, or even get them to look at it first if making the journey is a problem.

Chris

Alez,

Another Guilfordian! I'm in hindhead and james is in guildford, have you been to any of our newlands corner meets? first sunday of the month, 10am-12(ish)

I'd be happy to help, though am not too knowledgable with bike engines i'm afraid! If you need a hand with anything else, let me know as I'm only 10 mins away...

Ned.

Alex

Not to put a downer on it, but are you sure it's a good move to buy such a vehicle with no mechanical knowledge? If anything does (and it will) go wrong or need renewing/changing you may have trouble getting it fixed unless you have a good local kit car company knows BEC's that will look after it for you, but that may end up quite costly in the long run.

B4 I built mine the only things I had done was oil changes, brakes pads etc, just very basic maintenance. By building one, even a comprehensive kit that just needs bolting together, you will at least know the basics of how it all works and fits together.

Just a thought! Do get one either way though, as you'll never have so much fun on 4 wheels.

read lots of books! if mechanical things interest you (even if you currently have little knowledge) you will pick it up quickly and we are all here to help! I'm not contradicting what Jasper's saying, but someone on here made a simple analagy like if you can change a set of brake pads you can build a locost. can't remember who it was, sorry. its all a leearning curve, thats half the fun!!

good luck, and if i can help out, let me know!

Ned.

I was thinking along similar lines to Jasper earlier actually, but thought I wouldnt post it at the same time as the other stuff.
I'm not sure what you have in mind for looking after the car Alex, and Im sure you have thought it all through, but you need to accept that this kinda car isnt going to run like clockwork every day, it might on occasions be temperamental and will require you to get out the spanners to periodically check bolts, check the oil, make a clutch cable adjustment etc if nothing else. Its what many would call a "tinkerer's car". By that I mean its not your average day to day runabout that goes to the dealers twice a year for servicing and the rest of the year you forget about it and drive it.
You don't need mechanic's qualifications or need to learn it all, but you do need to be prepared to get your hands dirty and wield a spanner if needs be.
Having said that, if you have the money to pay someone else to look after it then you don't need to worry about it so much, but most Locost owners prefer to do it themselves to keeep the costs down.

Chris

Hi chaps,

Thanks a lot for your feedback, useful as always.

Chris, I hope to meet you some other time then. I'm sure your mum is very glad to see you every so often now! Unfortunately, my mum is in Spain (I'm Spanish) so I couldn't possibly do the same

Ned, I'm glad to hear you are around. Would you mind if I go to your place to see your car so I have something to compare to when I see what could become my car this weekend? It would be really useful for me and I promise to steal as less of your time as possible. If it is not too much hassle, I'll send a U2U with my contact details, maybe you can drop me an email.

Jasper, I guess what is really important is to know very well which bit comes from where. Car mechanics will know about the Ford donor parts this car has, bike mechanics will know about the engine, the chassis manufacturer will know about the chassis and panels, and so on. Also, I know a place in Woking (very near home) where kit cars are built and repaired. I hope it's not too bad for me..

Thanks a lot, guys!

Alex

Hi Alex

She's usually happy to see me to start with, but it doesnt always last, it depends on how much the oily bits in the kitchen sink get on her nerves
How are you planning to use the car, for weekend blasts through the lanes, for track day, or for general use day to day? I can see your point about the various parts of the car being knowledgeable to different people, but its better if you can find a company/someone who can support the car as a whole. For example, I doubt you'll get the local bike dealer to service a bike engine in a Locost unless you can persuade a mechanic to do it out of hours, and they wouldnt necessarily have the specialist BEC related knowledge that can be the difference between an engine going bang or not. Im not trying to scare you as this is an extreme scenario, but it needs consideration before you take the plunge and get a car like this.

cheers
Chris

Hi Chris,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, I'm starting to worry a bit I must confess. Still, it looks like I'm not alone in the world, there seem to be other owners of BECs in the area.

I'm planning a mixed road / track use, provided that I can ever make the car road legal. The use would be anyway restricted to weekends (I walk to work), so it would be strictly a fun car, and wouldn't do long mileages at all.

By the way, I've been trying to find that BEC Yahoo group but I've been unccessful. Do you have the link handy, or do you know what the parent categories are for this group? There seem to be hundreds of them at Yahoo Groups (I've been looking the groups at "Top > Recreation & Sports > Automotive > Custom Cars").

Cheers,

Alex

Yep there are plenty of us around here, and Im in Guildford a quite often as my best mate Rhodri lives there (who owns a Westie Megablade), tho his car lives in Midhurst too.
Making a race car SVA compliant could be a pain, things like sharp edges can usually be fettled, but if things such as the lights have been put on the back of the car in positions that dont suit SVA, it means you need to make new holes to fit them. Also (superior) Race spec 6 point harnesses might not be SVA compliant, and the dash etc probably wouldnt have SVA spec switches etc, so if you do definitely want to put it on the road then you need it checked over first, although having said that if you bought a race car now and the worse came to the worse and it wasnt SVA compatible without major work, you could probably sell the car again in the Spring for similar if not better money, and/or still use it on track assuming you have a towcar/trailer to get it there.

Yahoo BEC list can be found here by the way

Chris

Alex

I', 10 miles north of Brighton, your always welcome for a visit here too.

Alez,

I've replied to your u2u, basically you're welcome over, i'm off work next week to work on the car, though its still at the chassis stage and its not got a bike engine! feel free to come and see how it goes together if you like though....

Ned.

not trawled thru all the above, but, if its a BEC u want by mine ??
its a well known car.......

Thought I'd weigh in with some words of encouragement for Alez.
I bought a used BEC in February and, at the time, I was mechanically retarded (still am really!).
However, there is enough books/people/websites out there to thoroughly educate yourself about the car as you go along and, for me at least, it is part of the fun and has definately been a worthwhile experience.
I am starting to gain some knowledge about mechanics (and electrics!) whilst having the pleasure of driving a brilliant car.

Much more fun than messing about with my Ford Escort!!

You will need help though - I have a couple of friends who are involved in motorsport and pretty damn good when it comes to the old spanners, I have struck up a pretty good relationship with The Kit Car Workshop (who I would recommend to anyone) and, of course, there are the good people on here who are a great help.

It isn't rocket science but if you don't want to learn, I wouldn't recommend it. If, however, you are prepared to do a bit of work, you will love it. Go for it.

I went from a scooby to a megablde, and loved every second of it (there have been problems, and ive been pulling my hair out, but with help its very rewarding to fix it yourself)

I was not too clued up mechanically, but enjoyed buying spanners and getting stuck in, as Chris said , the BEC forum is a great place to start.

An enthusiasm to learn is just as useful as knowledge

Guys,

Thanks for the encouragement, it's really nice of you.

Also, thanks uberf1end for the useful info about the Kit Car Workshop.

Jon, I am not quite sure about the meaning of your msg? Sorry my English is not very good, I'm afraid..

Cheers,

Alex

Alez, I think Jon is suggesting that you take a look at his Locoblade, cos he's got it for sale, it would be worth a look in my opinion

Chris

Thanks Chris!

Alex