Hello. I'm pretty new to all this. Basically can people give me a list of companys that make good budget kits. I want to vist a few to make an informed decision without missing anyone out.

at the moment I have on the list
MK
Stuart Taylor
Tiger
Robin Hood

Anyone else got anthing to add. website links too if poss.

Thanks in advance.

MK http://www.mksportscars.co.uk
Stuart Taylor http://www.stuart-taylor.co.uk
Tiger http://www.tigerracing.com
Robin Hood http://www.robinhoodsportscars.co.uk
MNR http://www.mnrltd.co.uk
MAC#1 http://www.mac1motorsports.co.uk

Where abouts are you from?

Are you going to Newark Kit Car show this weekend, there is a good range of manufacturers go to this show.

Obviously biased to MK, why not pop down on a saturday morning there is normally a good turn out.

Mike

[Edited on 15/6/07 by mike smith1]

The STuart Taylor Locost is now made by Aries Motorsport rather than ST themselves: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/renbo1/Aries/

You should add the following at least to your list for consideration:

Mac#1 http://www.mac1motorsports.co.uk/
MNR http://www.mnrltd.co.uk/index2.html

Search around here and you will find opinions on all of these and more.

[IMHO General consensus seems to be that MNR, Mac#1 and MK have pretty good products; Tiger can be patchy (Avon, anyway) and Robin Hood leaves something to be desired /IMHO]

Personally I have a Stuart Taylor bought as a part-built rolling chassis, which is OK though the standard bodywork is very low which can cause some engine clearance issues and some people have reported problems with the bodywork fit.

I have used Mac#1 for various parts and advice and have always found them very helpful, happy to give advice and with good prices for the things I have bought

RAW Engineering ( http://www.rawengineering.co.uk )

Tiger ( http://www.tigersportscars.co.uk/ ) or ( http://www.chestersportscars.co.uk/ )

Personally i'd put MNR, MK and RAW at the top of my shopping list (no offense to the others - including Tiger which i'm building), and cross off Robbing Hoodies or whatever they are called these days (is it GB Sportscars?).

[Edited on 15/6/07 by Paul TigerB6]

[Edited on 15/6/07 by Paul TigerB6]

[Edited on 15/6/07 by Paul TigerB6]

[Edited on 15/6/07 by Paul TigerB6]

Its quite a personal thing building a car and they all turn out different. most people who have only built one will be biassed to their own choice of manufacturer.

It is a mine field at first so best advice is take your time. When costing up the first stages it is difficult to compare like for like. I found Mac#1 were perhaps higher on the initial costs but all in i ended up with a quality car for a comparable cost.

First up - decide what you want the car for. if like me you will have a budget in mind that wont be realistic. Mine was 3.5 - 4K at first and ended up around 6K ready for SVA but i was tempted by flashy extras.

Enjoy looking and talking to manufacturers and owners. Get a short list and try and visit them at their factories.

And above all dont be afraid to ask - even if you think the Q might be a bit basic. Worst case you will get conflicting views but most of the time the advice from fellow builders is priceless.

Well i'm glad I posted now. Thanks for the information.

I know people will be biased but i'm just gathering a list to go make some factory visits. I guess i'm more looking to build the car for the actual satisfaction of building it. I doubt very much I will keep it too long after completion but who knows.

I'm from Lancs so not too far from the show really but have other plans I can't really get out of. I think visiting the factories and having one on one chats is my best bet.

Thanks again. All input is very welcomed!

If you're on a budget you could do a lot worse than giving Chris Gibb's Roadster book by Haynes a look.

My budget didn't allow me to go mainstream, but I'm really enjoying doing the bits and pieces I have so far - and it's going to allow me to be very creative and use certain bits that would have been out of my reach had I gone the off the shelf route...

HTH

What is the difference between the Chris Gibbs book and the Ron Champion one?

Better and more detailed drawings, for a start! Also good backup, with Chris running a supporting website.

When you look around for a kit you'll probably find a couple or three that take your fancy. At this point you should take the feedback for customer service into account - this can make car building easy, or a nightmare, depending on what you get.

MK, MNR and Mac#1 have a very good name for this - can't speak for the others.

David

quote:

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Originally posted by SyKaTurbo
What is the difference between the Chris Gibbs book and the Ron Champion one?

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From a personal point of view I have built an MK and found the quality, value and service to have all been excellent. I have also had parts from Mac1 and MNR and found them equally good to deal with. Based on your location if you got an early start you could visit all 3 in a good day. MK and Mac1 in particular only being about 30mins from each other.

Thanks for the info everyone. I'll pick up a copy of the Chris Gibbs book and head out to the factorys to take some tests and have a chat. Hopefully will be making another post soon with "look what i have bought" or "look what i'm building"