honestly, the guy at the bodyshop over the road asked me why I'd bought a welder so i explained quickly about the locost/roadster books and that I've got a few mates who are building... He was hiding a rye smile and giving me that look of "you'll never do it"

Some of the lads I work with occaisionally still give me it when henever the build is mentioned (asside from one lad who sat there and said "You'll never f*cking do, you're crap at everything", the father in law does the same and starts talking about cricket. I'm a bit of a whiz with computers and very technically minded with gadgets etc, but not so much with engines/mechanical bits.

Am I just being paranoid or did you get the same doubtful look from various people when you talked about your plans to start a build?

Welder has arrived today btw

Building your own car????? Are you MAD?

I get it all the time from everyone

then you get the standard question "Whay don't you just buy a new car ?"

Usually all I get is with my cars is the - IS THAT LEGAL TO BE ON THE ROAD?!?!? well technically no but...

That look (and we've all had it BTW) is not what it seems

People are actually thinking...

"shoot - I always knew this guy was a winner and now he's going to prove it big time. I know, I'll fake a look of utter contempt to hide and protect me inner feelings of total inadequacy and lack of vision"

That's my take on it anyway

The best bit is when you've finished and you rock up outside their house/work in the car and have every right to flash the...

"HaHa I told you what I was going to do and look, I've done it"

..look at them

Before scaring the crap out of them in it

HAHA! It's true. Last night my wife looked visably worried when I mentioned taking our little lad out in it.

She asked - "is it safe? what if you roll it?"

quote:

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Originally posted by Dangle_kt
HAHA! It's true. Last night my wife looked visably worried when I mentioned taking our little lad out in it.

She asked - "is it safe? what if you roll it?"

---

The question I get asked more than any other is "so, when will it be finished?"

Why can't anyone ask anything interesting?

The doubters are usually people who's lack of faith in themselves is the main issue.

By 'you'll never do it' they probably mean 'I could never do it'

Not everyone who starts, particularly from scratch rather than buying a kit of parts, will make it - but the fact you are questioning yourself now indicates that you will make decisions after careful thought, which is always the best way round!

Do it, best of luck, and, like me, use this site to help along the way.

When I built my first Locost I had my father-in-law telling me about how you couldn't use an engine from one car in a different one.

When I explained how it was possible,techniocally, he told me it was illegal!

Ignore the doubters, it's mostly jealosy

Cheers

Chris

Thanks for all the replies guys - I'm by no means doubting myself or thinking twice about starting this.

I know there will be times where I'll question whether it's worth it or struggle trying to make things work, but I wondered if it was only me who received this look or whether it was a recurring thing amongts outsiders looking in.

Yes it is massive job and takes a lot of time/passion/determination/swearing (from me anyway) but I have read the champion book over and over for about 3 years running and the gibbs book for about a year. I'm well aware of what each stage of the build will entail, but for those looking in without any prior knowledge of what it takes, it may well seem impossible.

If anything, it really does make me think "fair enough, but you'll really want to have a thrash when it's on the road"

The only thing I have seriously been pondering is:

Should I sell my 2005 suzuki sv650 sport in order to help finance the project?

It's an absolutely pristine machine with 5k miles on the clock & tonnes of bits already done to it. I've also got a 2005 gsxr 1000 shock to go on the back and some custom made maxton springs for the front but with it being winter I've not had chance to ride it, let alone think about modding it further.

The lack of 2 wheel action on the road has led me to think that it's a waste of money and an expensive toy which could be better used by someone else and to help pay for a donor/tools as I go along.

the only thing is i know i WILL miss it when summer turns up for 3 weeks in april and all the weekend warriors turn up

quote:

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Originally posted by Benzine
The question I get asked more than any other is "so, when will it be finished?"

Why can't anyone ask anything interesting?

---

I wouldn't worry. I was building one, until the missus told me I had to stop. But then she gave me £5K to go buy one! And now the bug has bitten, most of mates get bored now and then with what the next plan is. And they've all promised to help build my Epona. If they're really lucky, or I'm drunk, I may even let them drive it too!
Just got to put the engine back together and make it run, then mate it to a gearbox, then build the car around it, then (I)SVA it, then argue with the DVLA.............

Only from lazy bar stoods who don't have hobbies. When it's done, and they ask if they can have a ride, I'll have to say "nah, you wouldn't fit".

I'd been planning to build a car fro scratch since the early '80s but I didn't tell anyone as I knew what their reaction would be.
Then I saw some program on Sky showing how people were building sevens from plans in a book.
I realised I had been overtaken, but at least I wasn't the only one who wanted to build a car from scratch.
Now that I have told everyone, they think "I always knew he was a bit strange an deluded"

quote:

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Originally posted by RK
Only from lazy bar stoods who don't have hobbies. When it's done, and they ask if they can have a ride, I'll have to say "nah, you wouldn't fit".

---

i find everyone i know thinks things are much easier than they are. they all expect to see a massive difference every time they see the car (every few days) and are dissapointed when they see it and not much has changed visually, but the few people that have helped me with various jobs i think have realised how time consuming etc the job really is!! and yes i get 'that look' all the time but i just think itll be soooooo good when i roll up outside various peoples houses etc in it!!!!

You want to try working in the Industry then...blimey folk think i'm barking and I get fed up explaining that "yes you can make your own car".
Lost count on the amount of times I have tried to explain how and why but hey they obviously can't do it so y advice is get in the garage and "just do it"

Oh and keep the bike as you will need it for your sanity when the build gets a bit "heavy".
I'm building a mad streetfighter to keep me sane....

Cheers,
Mark

I always tend to get funny looks from folk when they see my desk which usually is covered in doodles... few seem to understand the concept of building a car far less one that looks like and antique

who can deny the huge grin you get though when driving a self built car through town, I know I do. The buggy made me laugh at the comments it got or people almost crashing when they see it. Once had a heap of girls moon me from the back window of a bus when driving the falcon!! LOL

the most satisfaction I get though is from my r/c planes, when I design one from scratch and then finally get it flying perfectly, its a black art to many, sole destroying if it ends up getting crashed

Image deleted by owner



[Edited on 10/12/08 by Mr Whippy]

quote:

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Originally posted by paul the 6th
I know there will be times where I'll question whether it's worth it or struggle trying to make things work,

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I always get asked "when will it be done?" Like every sodding day from one lad I work with just to wind me up I also carry pictures of it on my phone then I don't have to be forever explaining what it is. People just can't get their heads around a car that has no windscreeon or roof let alone one that you build yourself, from metal and spare parts

quote:

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Originally posted by mcerd1
I get it all the time from everyone

then you get the standard question "Whay don't you just buy a new car ?"

---

I didn't mind people asking questions. What I got sick of was the STUPID questions.

"Is it a car?"
"Will you drive it when its finished?"
...and my personal favorite. Stood in front of a bright orange body shell...
"What colour will it be?"

I had to smile when a little girl had listened to her brother asking dozens of "How fast will it be?" type questions, was prompted by her Dad to ask me something, said "Why isn't it pink?"

adrian

as well as all the above - every now and then I meet someone who 'gets it'
(often they are building/moding there own car of some kind - sometimes there on here)

they normally ask about the spec, then how much I've left to do, then how long its taken - then for some reson with out fail they tell me to 'hurry up' or 'just get on and build the thing'

-Robert (3.5 years and counting......)


[Edited on 10/12/08 by mcerd1]

hmm , did people give me that look when i told them what i had planned .

ABSO**CKINGLUTELY .

still , ive taken a couple out in it on a track day unfinished , their opinion was somewhat different .

quote:

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Originally posted by mcerd1
I get it all the time from everyone

then you get the standard question "Whay don't you just buy a new car ?"

---

quote:

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Originally posted by 02GF74

Is it worth it? I am not sure it is but it is the challenge. It is like climbing Everest or taking the escalator.

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In the words of wriggly pig last night

"So you're doing what? Building your own car?

So what about the engine? A FORD SIERRA?! What the feck are you using a nackered old sierra for?"

i was a a local scrappy toaday asking for a escort to get a edis out of it when the guy asked me what year i told him i wasnt sure as i was building a kit car and wanted to look about

his reply to this was

"you want to get a fu**ing life"

i walked away ( im nursing a broken nose and didnt fancy making it worse) but i will not be going back there

Davie

quote:

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Originally posted by davie h
i was a a local scrappy toaday asking for a escort to get a edis out of it when the guy asked me what year i told him i wasnt sure as i was building a kit car and wanted to look about

his reply to this was

"you want to get a fu**ing life"

i walked away ( im nursing a broken nose and didnt fancy making it worse) but i will not be going back there

Davie

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by DIY Si

quote:

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Originally posted by davie h
i was a a local scrappy toaday asking for a escort to get a edis out of it when the guy asked me what year i told him i wasnt sure as i was building a kit car and wanted to look about

his reply to this was

"you want to get a fu**ing life"

i walked away ( im nursing a broken nose and didnt fancy making it worse) but i will not be going back there

Davie

---

That's a bit rich coming from a bloke whose job is to watch a big pile of broken cars and make sure they don't wander off on their own!

---

I was looking for a diff, so I went to a small scrapie just up the road

I asked if he had and sierra's or granada's to get the diff from (I could see 4 from the entrence)

he asks for a year, model, spec....."

I say "I don't care anything will do, what about that one over there"

he says "they are all differnet and it won't fit"

I say "they arn't that different and it will fit, its going in a kitcar anyway"

he says "piss off and come back when you know the exact age and model"



as for the other srapies, motorfactors and main dealers round here - I've beaten them into submission
one of them is even quite happy to deal with my strange mix-and-match lists of bit, but he wants a ride in it when its finished


[Edited on 11/12/08 by mcerd1]

aye, there's some miserable f*ckers about in't there.

The guy over the road who owns the bodyshop is helpful at times but is a bit of a bell end (and he rides a zx12r ninja - nuff said). He asked why the hell I'd want to build a car for a hobby. I guess if you spend all day rebuilding cars and putting them back together, then it's not going to be any fun on a weekend...

Anywho, it's not put me off lol I just wondered if it was a common thing or if people were especially sceptical of my abilities....

I've got a full day arsing about in the garage with the welder tomorrow

wrigglypig and richardk have both given me a load of scrap to practice on (and wriggly gave me 2 x 3m lengths of box which'll do nicely for some uprights & the front frame)...

First things first though, practice practice on the welding

Imagine peoples reactions when I made the mistake of telling a few people I wanted to build a car.....and race it! (me being female)....just made me more determined to do as good as job of it as possible, within a shortish time frame........those same people where strangely quiet when she was finished!

Fozzie

aye well done fozzie - I read your article in ckc this month

I guess you would probably have seen "that look" more often than most of the male builder's because it seems to be a hobby/interest dominated by blokes, and the idea of a lady building her own car probably sounds odd to some people....

Well, I've got my welder, have practised like mad all day yesterday and then made a frame for a play bunny house (for our rabbit). I want to do a few more little projects before I undertake the chassis, then my welding abilities will be upto scratch

I guess those who doubt others, really are only projecting their own lack of confidence in themselves...