Following on from this page I created to cover the rules of building a kit car (as I saw them), I've added five more. The new five are below.

Any suggestions for extra rules are well received and I'll credit you of course.


Rule 16: Don’t de-glove yourself.

For your fingers, think carefully about wearing a ring in the workshop. If you get it caught and you de-glove your finger, there’s nothing they can do but amputate it. It’s not as if the NHS will then supply you with a perspex setting kit for putting the bones on display. If you’re up to anything more than building your masterpiece, then see Rule 4.


Rule 17: Use the right gloves

Oil is cancerous. Most of the crap that drips off your engine is bad for you. You should only protect your hands with nitrile gloves. Latex gloves are no use. So remember: latex is only for the bedroom.


Rule 18: Design for minimalism but compromise

Let’s face it, you’re building a racing car but compromising for the road. Your car needs to be the minimal expression of the racing car for the road. However, you are allowed to add dashboard bits if you have an engineering and/or scientific explanation for what you’re adding to the car. If for instance you have two fuel tanks, then yes you can have two fuel gauges. If you have a mainly production car and you add a boost gauge when there’s a perfectly good engine management system doing the work for you and it already knows the boost thankyouverymuch, that’s not in the true essence of the rules.

Whatever you do, don’t make your car look like you’ve covered it in glue and simultaneously ram-raided halfords and the ikea lighting department.


Rule 19: Dress appropriately for the road

Yes, you can wear a helmet for the road. None of this is a problem. Equally if you don’t wear a helmet for the road, it is appropriate to wear ear-defenders. After all, if you can hear all the bangs and rattles as you drive, that’s a second a lap lost. If you don’t need ear protection, you are violating rule 20.


Rule 20: There is no such thing as too much power

If you feel this rule needs elucidation, you need to start again at the beginning of the rules.


Rule 21: Spend your money wisely – observe the law of diminishing returns

Just as Rule 18 tells you to not cover your car in adhesive and crash it through Halfords, and rule 20 tells you to get all the power you can, rule 21 tells you that you can get faster without throwing loads of money at the wrong problem. For instance: a days tuition will cost you £200 and a dry-sump kit will cost you £1000 (minimum). Which will make you faster and more confident? That’s right – 5 days of track time with a tutor rather than some nice alloy fittings. Of course, if you have a BEC and need a dry sump, this comes under the rule of "required shiny".

I would suggest the rule of non builders perceived costs. This will defend the amount of time spent in the workshop. My rule was nothing on the car costs more than £10, the actual cost may be more than this, only you will know. To non builders every part only cost £10 be it a washer or an engine. Then when non builders take to total the cost of build you can advise that the new sum total is extravagantly high and this will justify your time and blood spent on the build. 50 purchases of £10 equal a £10 grand car.

Thanks Pif. great idea. I'll work something up around that. My wife just walks away groaning (reminds me of lurch from the addams family - the way he mutters) whenever a courier turns up.

she looks nothing like lurch, i ought to add.

I like the list, I may send it to my girlfriend.

If I was to add anything it may be something like.

Rule:

All nuts, bolts, fixures, fittings, nipples, washers, flanges, brackets, clamps, spacers, pop-rivets, rivnuts, connectors are incredibly important to The Build. The quantity of items purchased is not to be huffed at, frowned at, moaned at, tutted at, nagged at, scowled at or any other negative word, expression or emotion emitted at all. The Build needs them, all should be happy about it.


Rule:

Time in a build sanctum/garage is not to repriorotised to other less important things. Peoples weddings, anniversaries, birthdays or other pointless celebrations a far less important than garage time. Same same applies for decorating, renovating, days out with family, dog walking and other non-build activities. The only exceptions are

:Visitations by other like minded persons
:Barbecue cheffing
:Lawn Mowing (Petrol mowers/ride on only)
ub time

Irony - you're a star. I only had one rule about the laws of time and space not applying. I think you've really got more going on there. I'll update and credit.

thanks
Mark

Expect the question from family, friends, the postman, couriers, random strangers. Print out a box of 500 business cards with your selection of answers to the most annoying question of all: "when is it going to be finished?" This way you can simply throw a card at them without having to explain.

Benzine

Or, have a recursive set of rules to refer them to

this is another good one.

Mark

love it some good work there. may want to run a spell checker over it

ashg - I'll run the website through word tonight - it gets a little tricky - the wordpress editor is only US english I think.