Hi all.
im in the early stages of planning for a haynes roadster build
any hints, tips, or advice would be v.helpful. that includes getting round the missus!!!!

Welcome to the forum. Have you got the book?

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John

Getting round the missus is the most difficult bit, cost me an eternity ring and a very expensive shopping trip!!

If your missus is anything like mine, she'll get on board if she can be involved somehow.

My wife considered being invovled as doing things such as choosing the colour and looking at it every now and then.

thanks
i bought the book a couple of weeks ago and read it from cover to cover at least 4 times. plenty of info, just thought id get on a forum an speak to some experts!!!
im still clearing the garage out at the moment

ive already been given a decorating programme just from buying the book!! i see hard times comin!

I expect the bloke what wrote it might be around here too.

**waves**

Cheers

Chris

mr gibbs i presume?!

Yes

As John said joining the Haynes forum would be a good idea - link in my sig

Cheers

Chris

registering as we speak.
cheers john
cheers chris

Honestly plan to spend significantly more than you have budgeted (whatever that may be.)

Honestly get herself involved. Missy got to choose the bugs colours, paint and interior which I think she see’s as being more important than all the hard work I did welding it back together , only prob is she has horrific taste in colours so this might come back to haunt me but she is certainly interested in the car

Depending on ypur domestic situation (kids?) first prize is if your other half can get interested in a hobby or other activity that keeps her busy while you are in the garage.

Shopping doesn't count

Cheers

Fred W B

be reasonable with the time in the Garage, but similarly, persuade her that its something that you really want to do.

I have to "Earn" a day in the garage. Other than that its the odd hour here and there at the moment. We work shifts, so i sneak the odd extra when she is at work then rush around in the last 10 minutes getting stuff done before she comes home!!

I've only just started mine on the 19th december and haven't had chance to do much with it since (partly due to being so busy with family etc, but also struggling with the front frame (ff1, ff2, ff3 and ff4).

Hopefully going to sort it out on tuesday night with another builder from on here who's a a fair bit ahead of me.

On to the tips:

Have a search around on here, to find out who's near to you. Invariably, fellow builders can't bend over backward far enough to help eachother out You can pop around and see what they're upto with their build and it's also handy having some contacts in your area...

Consider whether you're going to buy the steel in lengths from a supplier or a flatpack kit from someone like armoto - they supply all the metal you need cut to length with the appropriate angles. It works out a bit more expensive than buying & cutting yourself, but will save you so much time during the start of the build.

If you've got to clear the space you need in a cluttered garage, if you've not got ample lighting, maybe fit some extra fluorescent lighting & paint the walls a light colour maybe? (That's what I did & it makes it a nicer place to work )

Another builder on here donated some shelves to me (cheers rich!) which have made the garage a bit more organised - try maybe sorting all your tools out so they're quick and easy to work with.

In terms of the other half, I've gone on about the kitcar for long enough to the point where she's realised I'm properly serious about it. Tuesday and Thursday evenings are kitcar night, and I can earn extra garage points by offering to do more housework (such as cleaning the rabbit out etc). I soon realised that "nipping out to the garage for 20 mins" doesn't work at all because you end up either:

a) rushing and making a pigs ear of it
or
b) 'accidentally' losing track of time and with her in a mood cos you were gone for an hour...

Sometimes it takes 20 mins just to get organised and ready to start doing any work at all

Hope this helps - and if you have any other questions just post on here (or send me a u2u). Oh and if you're local, you can pop around and have a look at what I've done so far...

http://picasaweb.google.com/paul.wilson.uk