Hi there folks,

I've been eyeing up a kit car for a few months now, and now I've managed to twist the fiancée's arm, I am going to look at a Raw Striker tomorrow. Though I am reasonable experienced with cars as a whole, this is my first foray into kit cars so could do with some insight into what to specifically look for.

For a similar <£6k budget I've seen a lot of Tigers too, but don't know how they compare or where you would put your money. Thoughts?


TIA!
R

Looks a nice car.

The main thing I wanted to check when I brought mine was that it was a RAW and not a Sylia. IIRC when RAW took over there were minor changes, for example the front rockers have roller bearings not bushes.

The 16" wheels are a strange choice. Nothing wrong with them but tyres costs and options may be impact on.

As its a personal build you can tell judge far more on the person than the equipment itself. If the builder is a patient, skilled person that had funds to build on a bigger budget then it should be a good car.

Good luck.

quote:

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Originally posted by bi22le
Looks a nice car.

The main thing I wanted to check when I brought mine was that it was a RAW and not a Sylia. IIRC when RAW took over there were minor changes, for example the front rockers have roller bearings not bushes.

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There are issues with bearings in rockers....

That colour really doesn't do it for me but from the photographs it looks like a lovely build.

Take a little care over the paperwork as with any car then looking over the car is a bit subjective and will depend on what your experience is. The joy of any kit car is that it is easy* to rebuild things as and when you need to but at that kind of money it should be possible to pick up a nice example which doesn't want for much - which that appears to be from the photos.

I wouldn't worry too much, just check the car works as advertised, all the electrics and lights as electrical problems are usually straightforward to fix but can be time consuming to diagnose.

Get him to remove the nose and talk you through his engine installation, look out for cracked engine mounts.

That does look a nice example, though it's always difficult to tell from ads/pictures.

Short of taking someone with more experience along, look for a tidy finish to everthing, check the chassis for any signs of repair/repainting, take a close look at everything and watch for the seller trying to keep your attention from any areas. If he did build it, it'll be difficult to stop him telling you all about it. Check it is registered as a Striker and not Escort/Sierra Dutton/etc.

Strickers are very good and personally would rate them above Tigers.

Thanks for the feedback so far chaps. It's in Leicestershire and i'm going to see it tomorrow morning, so if there are any members in the area, I wouldn't object if you wanted to cast your eye over it...there's a coffee in it for you!

The main thing I want to see if the engine and front-end, as there aren't any photos to accompany it. Having spoken to him, the paperwork (V5) sounds like it is AOK.

Assume the bearings/bushes on rockers are fairly easy to distinguish?

Steve at Fury sports cars told me he scrapped the bearings in the rockers as they keep failing, needle rollers didn't work any better. I Believe Raw acquired the right to the striker in 2002.
16"s seem big, would downsize personally.

All the best though, looks a fair price and a tidy build.

Nice looking car. Couple of bits from the photos - firstly no attempt to cover the wiring which is held together by cable ties - accessible perhaps but not pretty. Secondly there is some pipe connected to the fuel tank that looks as if it would be more at home in a home brew kit than a kit car...

Gives you something to do in the winter....

It would be interesting to ask if it passed SVA with the loom not wrapped, as that should be a fail... neatly done but not right.

Not sure about the fuel hose. Rubber from the tank is perfectly normal as long as it's fuel hose. It's difficult to be sure what that connects to in the pictures; Could be kunifer/copper (OK) or plastic as used on many tin-tops now. The clear pipe appears to be from the breather on the diff' so no issue there.

The 16" wheels would have to go in favour of something smaller for the sake of ride quality (and handling).

So how was the car?

Well, to cut a long story short - I bought it! Uploading photos as we speak. Wiring loom apparently passed SVA as it was, but I'm going to buy some FR wrap/sheathing for it to play it on the safe side. Can anyone recommend me some?
Attention to detail is spot on, it drives beautifully. There's not anything that needs doing, just a few small things I'd like to touch up. If anyone can make recommendations or suggestions on what or where from that'd be top:

* Loom wrap / sheathing as above
* Stone chip guard for rear arches I'm debating
* Doesn't come with any wet weather gear
* Does anyone make kit-car specific car covers? Needed until I can find someone local with a garage I can rent.
* Want to add a removable steering wheel, just as an additional theft deterrent. Are they fairly straightforward to fit?
* Wing mirrors... what / to fit where?
* I'm not a fan of seats without any sort of head restraints; the idea of having whiplash and smashing the back of my skull on the rollbar doesn't appeal to me!
* Longer term, what headlight options are there? We are planning to drive up to Scotland from time to time where the dark roads are very dark!

Oh, and the wheels are 15"s, not 16"s.


Cheers.... R

[Edited on 5/7/15 by DapperRob]

[Edited on 5/7/15 by DapperRob]

[Edited on 5/7/15 by DapperRob]

Interior







Engine Bay







'Boot' with removable bin, and rear end

Loving that colour

I have some round pads which you can have for the price of the postage, they have yellow piping which might not go so well with your mint choc chip colour (which I quite like btw).
They came off my Striker when I fitted Intatrim Oddessy seats (which are really good and fit! and not very expensive). To fit the pads you'd need to get some flat bar welded on to the roll bar or figure something similar out.

I like the storage bin under the dash, I might fit one of those.

Enjoy your car and keep it on the black stuff.

Angus

cracking looking car and I am sure you will be happy with a striker, great chassis and handling,

if you do look to change the seats these are made specifically for the Raw striker and caterham so fit the narrow cot pit space and offer good support,

http://www.kitcardirect.co.uk/fibre-glass-grp-narrow-high-back-seat-shell-caterham-striker-version.html

best of luck with the car

kcd

Great choice of car


* Loom wrap / sheathing as above..... As the loom is already in place and I doubt you want to remove it (if thats even possible) then you are limited to something like this really http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Black-Spiral-Conduit-Split -Non-Split-Tube-Cable-Tidy-/321759273599 anything you have wrap around will also be a pain hence this stuff if possibly your only choice.

* Stone chip guard for rear arches I'm debating.....Raw make these in carbon of gelcoat GRP

* Doesn't come with any wet weather gear....Again talk to RAW

* Does anyone make kit-car specific car covers? Needed until I can find someone local with a garage I can rent....... I got a small cover from Car Builder Solutions, it has only ever been used for a few overnights away from the garage but keeps the water out. I do tend to add a few extra straps though or it will blow away!

* Want to add a removable steering wheel, just as an additional theft deterrent. Are they fairly straightforward to fit? Yes and no. You can kit bolt on kits but that will push the current steering wheel closer to you. To do the job properly then the boss needs to be welded to the steering column. I have sent my columns to www.go-race.co.uk and they did a first class jobs on them.

* Wing mirrors... what / to fit where?......google 'RAW Striker' and look at images. Lots of people do it different ways. They can interfere with the opening of the doors do think about what you want to use it for. Some are happy with it and some not so.

* I'm not a fan of seats without any sort of head restraints; the idea of having whiplash and smashing the back of my skull on the rollbar doesn't appeal to me!......My first Striker was like that and I can confirm when you crack your head on the role bar it hurts (and leaves you with concussion). As has already been suggested you can get pads that bolt to the bar, I am 99.9% certain that RAW can supply them.

* Longer term, what headlight options are there? We are planning to drive up to Scotland from time to time where the dark roads are very dark!....Not a lot, you already have the bigger lights which I think look pants but they do give out the most light! You can go for projector lamps like these but they are not cheap and do look very different http://furoreproducts.co.uk/6-projector-headlights. Before looking at changing them I would give them a good go in the dark, I drove hundreds of miles in the dark with my old Striker with the same lights you have got and they are not great but 'OK' and I never drive fast in the dark anyway.

Finally I hope you have a look at/ join the Jeremy Phillips Sportcar Club www.jpsc.org.uk Lots of like mined Striker owners with plenty of tips and experience.