breezy
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| posted on 3/7/10 at 10:05 AM |
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Which Way to turn
Ok....seeing as some of you guys...and gals seem to have a wealth of buidling knowledge behind you. Can you tell me from your own expereinces what you
think would be an ideal first kit to build and on what donor to use. Originally I was going to use Ford Sierra based as easy to work on, now im not
sure about Mazda MX5 as newer and maybe more reliable on the spares front 
I dont want to throw fortunes at my first attempt as its going to be a fun thing for me and my 3 young boys to get involved in rather than sitting in
front of a computer palying games. Its something that I want to evolve after time. Any guidance appreciated as im sitting on the fence here.
You've turned into your dad the day you put aside a thin piece of
wood specifically to stir paint with.
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jollygreengiant
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| posted on 3/7/10 at 10:29 AM |
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Welcome.
At the end of the day which ever way you go has got to be your decision.
However there are several factors to consider.
Sierra - it will be much cheaper to obtain and will contain virtually all the mechanicals you will need to complete your kit and is a well tried and
tested route. A Sierra based kit will mean that you should have no trouble getting an age related plate and will not require a catalytic converter so
no special emissions requirements at time of MOT testing. A pinto engined Kit will be quite quick enough as a starter kit, especially if you have not
driven powerfull rear wheel drive before, or were not brought up on rear wheel drive vehicles. Once you have some experience driving the kit with more
confidence then upgrading would be your best route and it will keep interest in the project going for longer.
I am sure that others will be along soon to chip in their two-penth worth.
Edit bit.
As for which kit, I would suggest that you get along to some of your local kit car meets and talk to some of the owners and try some of the cars for
size as that alone will answer a lot of your questions. Don't rush your decision, take care nad time on the build and you will find the results
worth it.
[Edited on 3/7/10 by jollygreengiant]
Beware of the Goldfish in the tulip mines. The ONLY defence against them is smoking peanut butter sandwiches.
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BenB
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| posted on 3/7/10 at 10:55 AM |
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Sierras are pretty ubiquitous, I suspect even in a few years time spares will not be a problem.......
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breezy
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| posted on 3/7/10 at 11:03 AM |
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Thanks Jollygreengiant.
And a Sierra based kit was my first choice as basicaly ease of assembly, and a Pinto lump can be tuned quite well, even on a budget.
And don't worry I was brought up on rear wheel drive motors, although I must admit the last RWD i had to drive was my company Lotus Carlton 
so its been a while 
You've turned into your dad the day you put aside a thin piece of
wood specifically to stir paint with.
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907
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| posted on 3/7/10 at 11:10 AM |
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Hi Craig,
Assuming you can pick up a suitable donor at an affordable price then the MX5 wins every time. (IMHO)
There will always be aspects of any first build that you may not be familiar with but that is half the fun of it.
Your first build will be a learning curve but no problem is insurmountable, especially with the help available on here.
My son's g/f runs an MX5 and in three years the only problem it's had is a rad leak.
Straight through 3 Mot's (with no cat) isn't bad for an old car.
Sorry you couldn't make the BBQ but if you fancy a chat pop over some time.
Cheers
Paul G
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pdm
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| posted on 3/7/10 at 11:16 AM |
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Hi
I've had a change of plans from BMW to MX5 for following reasons:
There are shedloads of spares
They are really tunable - just look at flyinmiatas and performance5.
You've got a choice of 3 very high quality kits - MNR, Roadrunner and Westfield - there may be more. Non are exactly locost and at the moment I
am leaning towards MNR purely because they are a great bunch to talk to.
But they are expensive - most donors seem to be around the £1000 mark for an MOT'd one you can run about in but you can reuse loads of it and I
reckon if you can get one with a nice interior you're gonna get back £300-400 in parts. If you get one with nice wheels you can use on your
kit you could argue you've saved £600-700 on a set of the Team Dynamics wheels which all main MX5 based manufacturers seem to offer. -
it's worked on my missus !!
When I sold my BMW donor parts I was broken even before the axles and engine - after that it was straight profit towards the MX5.
I've never built a car before but having stripped one, the mechnical "fitter" type tasks don't hold any fear for me now so I
am HOPING that electrics, timing of engine and other such complicated things go the same way.
Whenever I've been stuck I've always got help here - don't think I've ever had a question ignored (or riduculed even though I
took the earth for my fuel pump off the donor and then wondered why it wouldnt start).
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leepo
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 posted on 3/7/10 at 02:30 PM |
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Hi Go for the MX5, bits are easy to get hold of and the engine is bullit proof, it has forged pistons and rods and a steel crank, you would have to
spend a fortune on a pinto to get this. the donor bits are a lot better as well
With a bolt on turbo you can easily get 200bhp on standard internals.
Take a look at www.roadrunnerracing.net
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franky
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| posted on 3/7/10 at 04:10 PM |
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BMW 316/8 are cheap to buy, cheaper than a sierra or mx5! Reliable/easily upgraded too. Parts are dirt cheap. A Gkd legend 4 is cheap to buy too
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RK
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| posted on 4/7/10 at 03:30 PM |
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I think it comes down to how avant garde you want to be. Sierra is tried and true, whilst BMW and Mazda are more "modern". I have MX5
running gear and a Nissan engine. The mx5 stuff caused no problems at all, and my car handles like it's on rails. The brakes are fantastic too,
and the handbrake worked perfectly first time. I have had a TON of other problems/frustrations, as a lot of people here can attest , but NONE were
due to the Mazda parts.
[Edited on 4/7/10 by RK]
[Edited on 4/7/10 by RK]
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Steve Hignett
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| posted on 4/7/10 at 03:33 PM |
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Road Runner Racing SR2 would DEF be top of my list!!!
http://www.roadrunnerracing.net/the-roadrunner-sr2.html
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