Colesy21
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| posted on 14/8/08 at 07:30 AM |
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I'm a kit car beginner
I'm thinking of having a go at building a kit car, but quite frankly, I'm pretty lost as to where to start planning. I've got a very
limited budget (and mechanical talent) so want to plan everything well in advance so I don't end up running out of cash half way thourgh the
build. Does anyone have any good websites/books that I could look at to make sure I think of everything well in advance.
Also, does anyone have any suggestions on good kits for a first build?
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Cheffy
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| posted on 14/8/08 at 07:45 AM |
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Hi Colesy,
I would start here:-
Linky
thingy
This is the fore-runner to the book by Ron champion that got many of us started.
Another
link
Mart.
Farts are like Rock'n'Roll. You love your own but you hate everybody else's. Lemmy, Motorhead.
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Humbug
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| posted on 14/8/08 at 07:50 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Cheffy
Hi Colesy,
I would start here:-
Linky
thingy
This is the fore-runner to the book by Ron champion that got many of us started.
Another
link
Mart.
Bloody hell - "6 available used & new from £80"! I'll get my copy out and flog it
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donut
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| posted on 14/8/08 at 07:57 AM |
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Hi and welcome to the forum.
1st thing to do is decide on what type of kit you want to build. As you're on here i would assume you are looking at a seven type roadster. If
that's the case then buy a few kit car magazines and book a trip out in one to see if it's for you. Book the trips out with the
manufacturers and go see them and see how well you get treated as a potential customer.
There are a good selection of manufacturers at the moment who include:
MK
MAC#1
MNR
Stuart Taylor
Westfield*
Caterham*
GTS (eeek )
Plus a fair few others.
All the above are easy to build except Caterham and Westfield which you could build blindfolded with both hands cut off and stuffed up your nose!! Get
yourself to a few shows and meets in your area.
Get the Donor parts either from a donor car, companies who deal in donor parts, the kit manufacturer, salvage yard or ebay.
These kits are pretty easy to build as you build from the inside out and you just need to think logically on what job to do when. For example you
wouldn't leave the brake lines for the last job as access is much more difficult on a near complete car.
It's worth finding a few builders/owners in your area so you can go look at how things are done and you can ask questions to the owner or on
here.
There is always time to find an answer to a problem as someone will have come across the very same problem before and the fix is usually a simple one.
As for cost......well how deep are your pockets? If you go for a 1st budget build then i would suggest a car engined car (CEC) and not a bike engined
car (BEC) just to keep the cost down. I built my 1st MK for £4500 which included all the parts either new or reconditioned including the engine. Even
if you run out of money there are jobs that can be done and money will arrive at some point so you can carry on with the build. I recon you could
build a car on the road for about £3000 if you were careful, lucky and patient. My 2nd MK was an unstarted kit which saved me loads of money and many
parts were bought from ebay. Again the car cost me about £4500 but it was a better car than my 1st one.
Patience is a virtue (something I'm having to learn still !!) but you will get there and we are all here to help.
Above all make friends and enjoy the experience...it really is worth it!
[Edited on 14/8/08 by donut]
Andy
When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andywest1/
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Humbug
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| posted on 14/8/08 at 08:00 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by donut
Hi and welcome to the forum.
1st thing to do is decide on what type of kit you want to build. As you're on here i would assume you are looking at a seven type roadster. If
that's the case then buy a few kit car magazines and book a trip out in one to see if it's for you. Book the trips out with the
manufacturers and go see them and see how well you get treated as a potential customer.
There are a good selection of manufacturers at the moment who include:
MK
MAC#1
MNR
Stuart Taylor
Westfield*
Caterham*
GTS (eeek)
Plus a fair few others.
All the above are easy to build except Caterham and Westfield which you could build blindfolded with both hands cut off and stuffed up your nose!! Get
yourself to a few shows and meets in your area.
Get the Donor parts either from a donor car, companies who deal in donor parts, the kit manufacturer, salvage yard or ebay.
These kits are pretty easy to build as you build from the inside out and you just need to think logically on what job to do when. For example you
wouldn't leave the brake lines for the last job as access is much more difficult on a near complete car.
It's worth finding a few builders/owners in your area so you can go look at how things are done and you can ask questions to the owner or on
here.
There is always time to find an answer to a problem as someone will have come across the very same problem before and the fix is usually a simple one.
As for cost......well how deep are your pockets? If you go for a 1st budget build then i would suggest a car engines car (CEC) and not a bike engined
car (BEC) just to keep the cost down. I built my 1st MK for £4500 which included all the parts either new or reconditioned including the engine. Even
if you run out of money there are jobs that can be done and money will arrive at some point so you can carry on with the build. I recon you could
build a car on the road for about £3000 if you were careful, lucky and patient. My 2nd MK was an unstarted kit which saved me loads of money and many
parts were bought from ebay. Again the car cost me about £4500 but it was a better car than my 1st one.
Patience is a virtue (something I'm having to learn still !!) but you will get there and we are all here to help.
Above all make friends and enjoy the experience...it really is worth it!
[Edited on 14/8/08 by donut]
Talking of which, Andy, what progress are you making? 
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donut
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| posted on 14/8/08 at 08:05 AM |
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Been working so not had much time .... BUT!... took the old engine and gearbox out Tues and i cleaned up the rear axle and gave it a light coat of
acid etch primer ready for my mate to weld some bits to it. I have also got some Capri uprights with are being converted to adjustable coil overs.
I'm on me hols tomoz so work will commence when i get back. I now have the dosh for all the bits i need to get it lowered and converted to take
Mk1/2 escort running gear.
So far so good!!
Before clean up:
Image deleted by owner
After clean up:
Image deleted by owner
[Edited on 14/8/08 by donut]
Andy
When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andywest1/
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richardh
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| posted on 14/8/08 at 08:10 AM |
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Hi and welcome.
Totally agree with the comments above.
Also location might be a consideration (for other builders of same types, the manufacturer, etc) I found Robin Hood cheap as a 1st car but i got it
unstarted from someone on ebay that had no time any more......
Time to build will be more of a factor. set your expectations. some on here have built theirs in 40 days (some less) but many of us have taken over a
year on and off.
either way - welcome and happy hunting
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donut
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| posted on 14/8/08 at 08:17 AM |
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I find with most projects that they take twice as long to do and cost half as much again to build!!
Andy
When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andywest1/
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wilkingj
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| posted on 14/8/08 at 08:20 AM |
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Add your rough location to your profile. Then we can see whereabouts you are. Then people might offer to take you for a ride locally. It also helps
when you post saying "Wanted - Flange Pump Thrasher Unit"
People will respond a lot more. Usual first question is "Where are you!".
If you live around Cambridge, I will do that. But not if you live in Edinburgh!
Take your time, and start slowly. This is a project that will take you a year if you are lucky. No problem, just dont rush it. The end result is worth
it.
ASK questions on here, we have all been there before, and the answers are usually on this forum.
Having said this, use the SEARCH facility, as all the threads are archived on here, and thats a wealth of information which has been discussed to
death before!.
If you cant weld, buy a factory chassis. Not the cheapest way to start, but it will give you something that is well made and above all SAFE.
Th MK Indy is a very good starter kit for the money.
Part built kits are good too. However, you can end up undoing some of the work as its not to your liking / standard etc. A lot depends on why they
are selling it.
Its good fun, you will learn a lot, and above all you will have a car that you built yourself, and will know its every detail. Thus you can maintain,
repair, and modify it yourself.
Its well worth the effort.
Its NOT a 5 minute project, and you WILL get dis-heartened. We have all been there!
Hopefully you have a Garage that you can commandeer for at least 12 months. building outside in the winter is no fun at all (but has been done
before).
So get busy, think, ASK, then act.
Good Luck... You wont regret doing it.
1. The point of a journey is not to arrive.
2. Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
Best Regards
Geoff
http://www.v8viento.co.uk
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myke pocock
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| posted on 14/8/08 at 08:23 AM |
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I would entirely agree with the Robin Hood route especially for someone with not much mechanical experience. Not exactly the most dynamic of vehicles
but they are pretty well sorted, plenty have been built to virtually the same basic spec so there is a wealth of experience out there and they should
get through SVA easily, and they are cheap which is another of your considerations, so you should be able to budget pretty much spot on if you stick
to the basic kit and dont add any fancy bits.
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panichat
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| posted on 14/8/08 at 08:33 AM |
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Have you considered....
Have you considered building from scratch rather than using a kit? It depends what you want out of the experience I suppose - an amazing car at an
affordable price or a car that you have crafted yourself (with all the idiosyncracies that go along with it).
If you go for a scratch build you do have the luxury of paying for it in little bits over a long time but the time commitment is massive. Before you
start I would suggest the best investment is in getting a good work space, doing a welding course and building good relationships with your
neighbours.
Good luck
Dave
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donut
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| posted on 14/8/08 at 08:40 AM |
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quote:
and building good relationships with your neighbours.
Andy
When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andywest1/
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chrisg
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| posted on 14/8/08 at 08:54 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Cheffy
Hi Colesy,
I would start here:-
Linky
thingy
Mart.
Sound Advice (the cheque's in the post!)
Cheers
Chris
Note to all: I really don't know when to leave well alone. I tried to get clever with the mods, then when they gave me a lifeline to see the
error of my ways, I tried to incite more trouble via u2u. So now I'm banned, never to return again. They should have done it years ago!
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Paul TigerB6
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| posted on 14/8/08 at 09:05 AM |
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I you are on a limited budget then you could consider a part built - you may well end up with a lot of kit for your money going that route. With the
current climate, there are plenty of part builts available it seems.
If you consider this route, the biggest consideration you should make is your lack of experience with kits to know what you are buying so if you can
make friends with the local builders and take one or two along with you to look at prospective purchases then you could get a really good kit that you
can complete.
[Edited on 14/8/08 by Paul TigerB6]
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02GF74
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| posted on 14/8/08 at 09:39 AM |
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ooooh, he's gone very quiet......
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mcerd1
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| posted on 14/8/08 at 10:01 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by 02GF74
ooooh, he's gone very quiet......
maybe he just wasn't expecting 14 replys in 2 hours to his first ever post
[Edited on 14/8/08 by mcerd1]
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Colesy21
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| posted on 14/8/08 at 10:31 AM |
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Thanks guys for all your responses (mcerd1 – you were right, I didn’t expect 14 responses in 2 hours!)
From the research that I’ve done so far, the kit that was tempting me was the Robin Hood Zero (mainly due to cost), but if anyone has any other
suggestions I’d greatly appreciate them. At the moment I was going to avoid going down the route of building the kit from scratch as I can’t weld and
I very much does the Mrs would get in a car that I welded. (come to think of it, the thought scares me a bit too.)
I’ve taken note of your advice and will definitely be getting a couple of books to read through and I’ve had a look at those links which look like
they’ll give me a far better idea of what I’m getting into.
Has anyone got a template spreadsheet that they’ve used for budgeting for a cost I could borrow as I’d like to put a budget together, but not having
done it before, I’m very wary of forgetting something that could make me massively overspend.
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jimgiblett
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| posted on 14/8/08 at 02:33 PM |
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Robin Hood...eeeeek. I thought they folded or was that just the ali lightweight version.
Have you considered the Sylva Riot or Raw Striker?
http://www.sylva.co.uk/
http://web.mac.com/rawuk/iWeb/Raw/Home.html
- Jim
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Colesy21
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| posted on 14/8/08 at 03:34 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by jimgiblett
Robin Hood...eeeeek. I thought they folded or was that just the ali lightweight version.
Have you considered the Sylva Riot or Raw Striker?
http://www.sylva.co.uk/
http://web.mac.com/rawuk/iWeb/Raw/Home.html
- Jim
The kits look more expensive.
Robin hoods now look like they're sold by a company called Great British Sports Car Ltd
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Paul TigerB6
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| posted on 14/8/08 at 03:43 PM |
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Whats your total budget then?? Will help with recommendations
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Stott
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| posted on 14/8/08 at 03:53 PM |
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I'm building a robin hood, and eek isn't the word.
You have to make it up as you go along so isn't a kit so to speak as nothing fits or works, mine is a 97 example but it's the same old
company (GBS/Robin Hood/Lolocost) that still make them.
If I had my time again, I'd prob buy a locost chassis and make it up as I go along, or possibly a tiger or a striker, you'll end up with a
better car and not have to spend hours and hours putting right a bad design.
Must point out that this is my opinion and no offence to RH owners blah blah blah
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Colesy21
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| posted on 14/8/08 at 04:01 PM |
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£4-5k, but the cheaper the better
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jimgiblett
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| posted on 18/8/08 at 02:57 PM |
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With that kind of budget in my opinion you'd be better off buying a 2nd hand car and personalising it to your own tastes.
- Jim
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wilkingj
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| posted on 18/8/08 at 03:26 PM |
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Have a look at the MK Indy, its a good little kit, and you should be able to build within your budget.
Whilst a R/Hood kit is OK, it will work, but IMHO from what I have seen, it requires a LOT more fettling to get a really good finish.
Sound Cars... but a lot of work to make them really nice.
Become an Ebay Hound. But dont snap up the first thing you see... unless its really a belting bargain.
Regularly check the for sale and wanted ads on here.
ASK for things in the wanted section. You never know.... Most of us have enough spares to nearly build a second car. Its surprising what you collect
during a build!
Dont worry about the number of replies on here... we are a pretty helpful bunch, and most of us have been in the position where you are now. So make
good use of the expertise available on here.
If you buy a built car, and you could with that budget. Make sure its SVA'd and on the road. You can have my sons Jago Jeep for £450, if you
like WW2 style Jeeps.
http://www.v8viento.co.uk/jago_geep_for_sale.htm
[Edited on 18/8/2008 by wilkingj]
1. The point of a journey is not to arrive.
2. Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
Best Regards
Geoff
http://www.v8viento.co.uk
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bassett
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| posted on 18/8/08 at 09:00 PM |
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Try and find out well in advanced from owners/blogs/shows etc whats needed/involved in building that kit car. Ask questions or search about bits you
dont understand As mentioned above get a haynes build a sports car book as it will help you understand all that could be involved and skills you may
need. Also think about your budget and add on extra as mines run about 10-20% over budget so have some saved up as not having the money to buy bits as
and when you need will really slow you down.
Adam
My MNR Blog Updated Jan 2010 - Track Day Prep Begins!
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