idl1975
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| posted on 30/3/09 at 01:47 PM |
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The Dax Rush guide looks pretty damn good to me, but then I haven't tried to build a car with it, and their kit costs more than the equivalent
MK (IIRC).
quote:
Originally posted by mr henderson
I've been involved with many different makes over the years, and my opinion is that yes, they do!
Probably the worst area is that of instructions. These are usually brief, vague and quite often downright wrong. Changes are made to specifications
but the instructions are quite often not updated. Far too little attention is paid to the ORDER in which the assembly should be undertaken, leading to
awkward jobs later which would have been so much easier earlier.
Fit and finish of the component parts is often less than it could be, too much fettling is required.
I'd be interested to know what others think about this.
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bob
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| posted on 30/3/09 at 02:09 PM |
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I must have missunderstood this website, i have always thought locostbuilders was the actual build guide.
You ask a question regarding your problem and you get an answer, or even a list of options to choose from.
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mr henderson
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| posted on 30/3/09 at 02:18 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by bob
I must have missunderstood this website, i have always thought locostbuilders was the actual build guide.
I think most, if not all the guys and gals here are OK, and don't need too much in the way of instructions. Suggestions and advice from other
forum members, yes.
But is it only LCB readers that buy kits?
John
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bob
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| posted on 30/3/09 at 02:53 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by mr henderson
quote:
Originally posted by bob
I must have missunderstood this website, i have always thought locostbuilders was the actual build guide.
I think most, if not all the guys and gals here are OK, and don't need too much in the way of instructions. Suggestions and advice from other
forum members, yes.
But is it only LCB readers that buy kits?
John
I've met plenty of other kit builders other than 7 styled who use this site for guidance rather than the specific forum for the chosen car they
have purchased, probably because they can get a answer within minutes if not hours the same day.
I do though agree that the suppliers of complete kit form cars ie pilgrim tiger and the others who can supply every single last nut and bolt could do
better.
Maybe the customer is the problem here, might just be a case of the manufacturer vetting the purchaser to find out what level of confidence they have
in a complete build.
Hawk cars have a reasonable build manual for there cars, they also sell kits in different stages.A good point hawk make is selling body tubs with
doors boot and bonnet pre fitted.
I might ask the question at stoneleigh and see if i can browse any build manuals of random cars.
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cd.thomson
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| posted on 30/3/09 at 03:06 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by idl1975
The Dax Rush guide looks pretty damn good to me, but then I haven't tried to build a car with it, and their kit costs more than the equivalent
MK (IIRC).
quote:
Originally posted by mr henderson
I've been involved with many different makes over the years, and my opinion is that yes, they do!
Probably the worst area is that of instructions. These are usually brief, vague and quite often downright wrong. Changes are made to specifications
but the instructions are quite often not updated. Far too little attention is paid to the ORDER in which the assembly should be undertaken, leading to
awkward jobs later which would have been so much easier earlier.
Fit and finish of the component parts is often less than it could be, too much fettling is required.
I'd be interested to know what others think about this.
I would disagree with this statement  .
It isnt unusable, and has some nice exploded diagrams but the order it suggests is completely back to front and upside down.
I once rang Dax to question whether to fit the engine or pedalbox/brakes first and I heard the guy on the phone exclaim that I should just follow the
guide. Once I clarified on the phone he told me to do the exact opposite... I first realised this issue when I finished securing my rear tub in place,
then had to fit the fuel tank and fuel lines  .
Now I dont use the guide, only this forum and google.
Craig
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Hellfire
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| posted on 30/3/09 at 04:49 PM |
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Personally I don't think that the lack of a comprehensive instruction/build manual would deter anyone who has/had considered building a kit car
of their own.
What I would say makes people sell up part way through, is the cold reality that they've underestimated the length of time required to actually
build it and the amount of self motivation and dedication required to see it through til completion.
I don't know of anyone who's chucked the towel in part way through building a kit car because they haven't got a comprehensive
instruction/build manual and can't proceed any further.
I think a lot of appeal to building a kit car is to own a vehicle that is unique and individual. Something that the owner has put some thought into
and not just built by following a rigid set of instructions.
That's just my take on it though. No doubt some people will have built Caterhams (I use the word built loosely in this context )
because they have a more concise manual but no, I don't think manufacturers ask too much of their customers. Probably the opposite.
Phil
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DIY Si
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| posted on 30/3/09 at 06:01 PM |
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One thing that does seem to come up quite often on here is things like how to make wishbones fit properly, and how to get an MK Indy to self centre.
If you are thinking of building a car, then some instructions on how to make these things work can come in handy. Not everyone with the ambition to
build a car knows how to start off, or what order these things should be done in. Ok, some things will always be up to the builder, such as the fit
and finish of the fibre glass parts, but equally things like the wishbones should fit correctly all the time.
I can see how people get hacked off with things not fitting. Many will underestimate just how long it can take to build a car, after all, it's
just an engine in the front, box in the middle, wheel at each corner right? How hard can it be?  It's probably the combination of excess time
and all the little things that can and often do go wrong/don't quite fit/require a special tool and so on that make people give up. That or
underestimating the total cost, and running out of funds.
[Edited on 30/3/09 by DIY Si]
“Let your plans be dark and as impenetratable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.”
Sun Tzu, The Art of War
My new blog: http://spritecave.blogspot.co.uk/
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Richard Quinn
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| posted on 31/3/09 at 07:14 PM |
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How many people on here would build / have built their own house? Surely it can't be that difficult, it's only stacking bricks on top of
each other and leaving the appropriate gaps so you can get in and out and there generally isn't an instruction manual. You can even get those
timber frame kits that probably come with a manual but that's the easy bit really. The plumbing, wiring, skirting, door frames etc are the
challenge and sort of the equivalent of the labour intensive, expensive fiddly bits on a kit car that can kill a build.
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