Well...maybe they would you never know
I am hopefully going to be getting my chassis and first few modules of my Mac#1 Worx in the next few weeks and am doing more bits of preparation
homework before it arrives so I can hit the ground running, and was just trying to find peoples tips on drilling and cutting bodywork, when I wondered
what people best tips were in general for a build.
So what are your best tips / snippets of advice / nuggets of wisdom, for when building a kit?
don't forget/neglect the wife (or girlfriend etc) they won't appreciate you vanishing for hours on end
Well...maybe they would you never know
Have a bank account twice as big as you thought it needed to be.
Measure twice, cut once.......
Phil
Use lots of cardboard templates. Don't toss all those cardboard boxes the missus is on your case about getting rid of. You'll need the stuff.
If in doubt, you probably need more tools.
Have lots of pencils. It doesn't matter how organised you are, you will put one down, and it will be lost in seconds and you loose hours looking
for it.
Put body panels on after you wired and pumbed stuff makes it easier to get at things
The tool gremlins will move your tools around while you are asleep, but if every tool is placed back in its respective place
at bedtime/close of play, it seems the gremlins dont go there
Measure twice, cut once....... is by far the most important rule!
A tidy, clean, bright, workshop, makes for a pleasent build
You can never have enough power points or extension leads
Being organised with the spare parts, keep them in labeled boxs, (i use those foldaway stackers)
At close of play for the day, jot a couple of things down that you wanted to do, but ran out of time, as the following day while trying to find your
favorite 10mm spanner, you will of forgotten what was the next job
making a to do list and scribbling the item off, is soooooooooooo satisfying !
must be more,
steve
before you shut the garage door at night make sure everything is switched off
I was very lucky, I shut the door and as I walked away heard a faint whirring noise, turned out as I left the hot air gun had fallen over, switched on
and was blowing against some news paper!
oh and have plenty of fire extinguishers, 3 times I’ve had to use them
Take your budget and add 1/3 to 1/2 again
Take lots of photos (for IVA and for potential buyers in the future)
Take every opportunity to sit in it and think how great it will be when finished
Be prepared to have to explain to people what you're doing
Bit hard to explain, but when buying components/parts if you are torn between buying cheaper and more expensive/better, bite the bullet and buy the
more expensive firsttime round, it works out cheaper in the end and you end up with superior bit's.
I didn't do this and ended up doing several jobs 2 or 3 times over.
Fire extinguisher a must as previously stated.
All of the above, plus lots, and lots, and lots, and lots of patience!
You will be tested to the max many times, you will feel like setting fire to the whole damn thing!! But when those times hit, take a step back, grab a
few beers (or spirits if that's your bag) and get yourself on here for some divine intervention.
You will find many many moments of desperation on here (me included) where it seems like it's never going to happen. The collective will pull you
through, and you WILL finish it 
Now I've filled you with doubt and gloom, just enjoy the experience. I always wanted to build a kit but ended up doing a complete scratch-build
Locost, and am so glad I did, it's another tick on my bucket list and the best feeling in the world (well almost 
)
Good luck, lots of pictures, and remember, the keyboard is never very far away......
JB
Don't build your project in a lock-up, without light, power, warmth or a loo!!
Make sure all the factors above are there, even if you have to park yer missus' motor on the drive.
Working in the aforementioned lock-up ain't no fun - which is why I'm here at home, and not sorting out the re-rest items!!
quote:
Originally posted by Daddylonglegs
plus lots, and lots, and lots, and lots of patience!
as above - proper big fire extinguishers of a suitable type
chances are you'll not need it, but sods law says: "if you don't have one, then you'll need it" and you don't want to be
in that situation 
it happened to one of the dax builders a few years back - a little fuel leaked onto a hot exhaust manifold and the little in car extinguisher
didn't work (one of the ones favoured by the Max Power lot) - he lost the car, the garage and nearly the whole house with it
also be very careful if your using hole saws in metal !
(search the old posts on this site and you'll see what I mean )
on a more positive note:
these are great when your fitting panels:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=cleco+&_sacat=0&_odkw=cleco+pins&_osacat=0
quote:and post them up here too so we can see how your getting on
Originally posted by nick205
take lots of photos (for IVA and for potential buyers in the future)
one last thing form me - there is a disease called 'upgraditus', I'm speaking here as a chronic sufferer...
it affects you brain and makes you swap all the donor bits and standard parts of the kit for shinny aftermarket ones made from aluminium, titanium,
carbon fibre or in my case bits with 'cosworth' written on them
this disease can set your IVA date back by years and will have a devastating impact on you bank balance
watch out for the early signs and seek treatment if you think its starting
(treatment will normally involve a much more sensible builder telling you: "you don't need that, just get it on the road first ! " )
quote:
Originally posted by mcerd1
one last thing form me - there is a disease called 'upgraditus', I'm speaking here as a chronic sufferer...
it affects you brain and makes you swap all the donor bits and standard parts of the kit for shinny aftermarket ones made from aluminium, titanium, carbon fibre or in my case bits with 'cosworth' written on them
this disease can set your IVA date back by years and will have a devastating impact on you bank balance
watch out for the early signs and seek treatment if you think its starting
(treatment will normally involve a much more sensible builder telling you: "you don't need that, just get it on the road first ! " )
yeah try and stick to the Philosophy of the old book, there was a time when these cars actually were locost but most seem to have lost sight of that
Don't be disheartened if you're a year in and still have only a bare chassis to look at. When I joined this forum I laughed at how long
these guys were taking to build a car. 6 months from start to finish I told myself but I am still looking at an incomplete chassis. I'm now
distracted by additional projects and work so time for my Haynes is minimal but I have promised myself I'll resume it after Christmas. I just
need to decide which year
Hi
If you intend to use it on the road , before you start assembly
Get the latest IVA manual, and make sure you adhere to it at
Every stage of the build , will save you a heap of time & money.
Much better to build it right the first time.
Having given you these words of wisdom , still failed the IVA first time.
Good luck
Rene.
Get some insurance for whilst you are building it - it costs next to nothing, (£60 a year for me) and if things get nicked or burnt you'll at least have some compensation.
Fix a large whiteboard to your garage wall. You'll find it invaluable.........
Phil
Start and finish each session in the garage with a couple of simple, easy things to do - you'll get an immediate sense of achievement to drive
you through the rest of the day and finish on a little high, so you're happy to go back for more at the next opportunity.
And if, like I did, you have a new born baby, have a decent stock of paper overalls and latex gloves - I found that I was missing our on garage time
because of the amount of time I was getting shouted back into the house to assist with various things. Once I cottoned on to having the paper
overalls and gloves, I could be in the house, with non oily hands and clothes in seconds on demand.
Three tips for you -
If its not right, dont bodge it or try to find a work around. take it apart and do it right otherwise it will become a problem later.
Keep it simple for the IVA, stick to basic specs to avoid load of grief with emmissions and noise. You can can upgrade to your hearts content later
but just start simple.
Always found a magnet on a telescopic stick was handy for the bits (or tools) that got dropped - they always roll just out of reach! And if they are
not magnetic, just add a dod of blue tack
Never give up, just walk away for a day or so, then come back refreshed. Don't forget it's supposed to be fun. You'll get there in the
end and the big grin on your face will wipe away all of the misery getting there.
Keep it simple, keep it locost and remember if it's stupid and it works, it's not stupid.
Don't get too precious about that shiny new powder coated chassis. At some point your going to have to start driling holes in it, filing it, maybe welding it & patching it up with paint. I spent a lot of wasted time at the beginning prevaricating over what to do when I probably should have just got stuck into it. You'll make mistakes, put things in the wrong place, it's all part of the learning process & most things are fixable. And if you can't figure something out, sleep on it, you wake up the next day, take another look & it seems obvious. Don't know how it happens but it's usually the case.
quote:
Originally posted by Hellfire
Fix a large whiteboard to your garage wall. You'll find it invaluable.........
Phil
it WILL take a while. i'm 9 years in now.... erm, yeah...
and it will cost more than expected, i had a budget of £3000 when i started. didn't ever think the axle alone would take up nearly half of
that
certain milestones will make you very happy though, and thats what help keep you going
quote:
Originally posted by jonabonospen
quote:
Originally posted by Hellfire
Fix a large whiteboard to your garage wall. You'll find it invaluable.........
Phil
That idea I like. .......... searching for whiteboards on ebay now
quote:
Originally posted by mcerd1
quote:
Originally posted by jonabonospen
quote:
Originally posted by Hellfire
Fix a large whiteboard to your garage wall. You'll find it invaluable.........
Phil
That idea I like. .......... searching for whiteboards on ebay now
the roof / bonnet off the donor car in a nice locost alternative (obviously helps if it not too dark a colour...)
And lastly, remember it will only cost you £250............
.......or so
Get familiar with The Rules
quote:
Originally posted by jonabonospen
quote:
Originally posted by mcerd1
quote:
Originally posted by jonabonospen
quote:
Originally posted by Hellfire
Fix a large whiteboard to your garage wall. You'll find it invaluable.........
Phil
That idea I like. .......... searching for whiteboards on ebay now
the roof / bonnet off the donor car in a nice locost alternative (obviously helps if it not too dark a colour...)
Unfortunately for me, Kawasaki ZX10R's don't have a bonnet or a roof
Buy shite buy twice.
Plan ahead for fixing bolts nuts rivets( nowt worse than ordering parts and having no bolts ) oh and stainless of course
Leave the body work till last
First job spin the chassis and rivet the floor
If you think it should be powder coated or anodized GET IT DONE!
If you wouldnt be happy with the outcome if you had paid
someone to do it , rethink because its a long time built
Ask marc or colin about ocd involved on my brown and creme mk gave me great satisfaction, getting customers coming up to me that were impressed with
the detail and finish, mark and colin also said best mk build they'd ever seen.
Good luck! Oh and you will blow your budget
[Edited on 30/11/12 by GOJO]
Use normal nuts and switch to nylocs at the end.
Cheers
R
Write a realistic project plan and try to stick to it. This helped me with motivation and helps get the build finished quicker.
Write two budget plans. The first is to share with your wife / girlfriend and the second is what you actually spend!
Stu
After Hellfire's great suggestion of a whiteboard, I went and got one...... well it's actually a none working SmartBoard, from a IT
recycling place in Leeds for the grand sum of £13.49, which I think for a 50" board is pretty good. And here it is installed in the garage:
Lots of 'top tips' so far on planning and budgeting, but what actual physical elements of the work? Things like; best tip for drilling bodywork (just what I was thinking before), or best tip for type of grease to use for certain element, best tip for fitting seats...... etc etc etc
You need room, light and warmth.
If things aren't going well and its freezing in the garage you're not going to go there.
Take your time. I'm in year [cough]. Friends stopped counting the years and counted the g/f as the number was lower.
Do things once. Don't upgrade till later (says the man on his second engine (3rd and 4th are behind the garage), second gearbox, third axle,
second rear end design...... you get the idea. Now i've got two kids under 2 years old I dont get the chance to go in the garage and it
frustrates me.
Make time for your misses, make sure she supports you and is happy for you to disappear (lost one g/f that way when i decided to do a push on the
car).
Remember this is fun.
As for actual hints and tips. Get good tools like drill bits. cheap ones go blunt and make life very difficult. Get the car in the air so you're
not bending over - but get a way to get it down (i bought an engine crane but it was still difficult).
remember, this is fun
this tip is second-hand: use good cobalt drill bits for the rivet holes - they last ages before going blunt compared to HSS ones
quote:
Originally posted by mcerd1
this tip is second-hand: use good cobalt drill bits for the rivet holes - they last ages before going blunt compared to HSS ones
Loving the Smartboard and a great price too!
On the subject of drills, buy a small bench grinder and learn how to sharpen drill bits. (If you don't know already) It'll save you a small
fortune on drill bits and will come in handy for other things too. An essential piece of equipment IMHO
Phil
[Edited on 30-11-12 by Hellfire]
Ignore all the above and learn the hard way :-)
Just double your budget and don't ever ever ever visit the for sale section on here lol
quote:
Originally posted by jonabonospen
Lots of 'top tips' so far on planning and budgeting, but what actual physical elements of the work? Things like; best tip for drilling bodywork (just what I was thinking before), or best tip for type of grease to use for certain element, best tip for fitting seats...... etc etc etc
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Hard wire a extension cord into wall with an appropriately switched socket. If the extension cannot be removed it can't be lost.
Don't neglect the other half, they will be there for you when it goes wrong.
If you have a problem some one here has probably solved it.
Don't mention bec vs cec.
quote:
Originally posted by Irony
Don't mention bec vs cec.
A4 hardback ringbinder books for notes/jottings - I have about 5 on the go, in the garage, next to the bed, workbag etc.
Full of measurements, ideas / thoughts, and countless lists of things to buy.
Budgets - I started with a spreadsheet , recording costs.... I got scared when it went over £12k and stopped counting about 2 years ago, also
everyone asks when you plan to finish it, I stopped worrying about that 2 years ago too, who cares ! leave deadlines at work.
Buy your bodywork in flat pack form. Saves loads of storage space.
Mine was only 10.5 mm thick.
Paul G
Just a little spot of advice for anyone else wanting to put up a whiteboard in the garage; DONT buy a SmartBoard as the whiteboard pens are difficult
to rub off and leave marks. Good news though was that I complained to the seller who told me that it could be used as a whiteboard, and got a partial
refund of £8, which I then spent £8 on some self-adhesive whiteboard sheet and stuck that to the board. Made it easier than removing the board, buying
another, then drilling more holes in the garage wall. Bit of blue tape over the joint down the middle and to split the board up and hey presto......
all that was left was for me to test the pens out
I'll never make it as a graffiti artist that's for sure
quote:
Originally posted by jonabonospen
quote:
Originally posted by Hellfire
Fix a large whiteboard to your garage wall. You'll find it invaluable.........
Phil
That idea I like. .......... searching for whiteboards on ebay now
) 