From where did you get inspiration to start your own build?

[mopple]

Hi to all. Being a bit curious here. Would like to know how you found your way to building your own roadster?
I personally got the nudge from my coworker, who started to build a Cobra replica. Some pictures of his build are here (http://rexer.ee/gb/re/rex.htm). Then I started to look also for various kit cars and found Chris's book. It looked perfect as already had two Sierras laying around. But how have you found your way to this magnificent hobby?

[twinturbo]

Always wanted a Robinhood as the kit price was very good when I was 16 20 years ago..

Then saw the ron champion book..

Then the roadster book.

And since I had lots of sierra experience the roadster made a lot of sense...

I had the book two years before we sat down one night with the kids, and the BBC had changed their childrens bed time schedule.. After a few days of trying to understand the program "weybalooo" we were all fed up..

I flicked for the first time to channel 38 "Quest" which was showing "A Chopper is born" where commedian Mark Evans built a helicopter. we watched that for a few days. Then it went on to "A racing car is born" where he built a Westfield.

I got out my Roadster book and my 5.5yr old and myself decided to crack on and build...



So my inspiration was a Robin hood, and the driver was a Dreadful American Re-regionalised crap kids TV show about some Monkey like floating freeaks that must be partaking in the smoking of some of Jamaicas finest herbal remedy.


TT

[locostkiwi]

i got my inspiration from this web site !!! was looking at building a hotrod but way TOO expensive!!
Just want a project that my son (14) and I can potter around with at nights and weekends.
Im a welder by trade so should be easy regarding welding ( I hope )
My son bought me the book for my birthday with the hint that when its finshed he will be able to drive it around, he still got to get his learners license yet.:rolleyes:

[davidimurray]

Always had an interest in engineering things from my dad - used to do the headgasket by myself regulalrly on my sisters 1300 Skoda at the age of 12. Dad would never get a 'tradesman' to do anything so learnt lots from bodging back together various crappy cars on the drive (always remember using my skateboard to get the gearbox out of a Lada!)

Went on to work as a volunteer/staff on a steam railway for years. Also started doing my own model engineering and built my CNC machines up.

At uni I was heavily invovled in uni race team, which was great as you got to spend lots of someone elses money. I stayed on in uni doing my doctorate and acted as an advisor to the team. Soon realised that the way we had been going about things was wrong - it's no about high tech and fancy, it's about simple and lightweight. It was then that I decided that I would build my own car - do it my way, the way I want. I'd had the tiger and locost book sat on the shelf for a few years.

Then at the beginning of last year I found myself working away from home for 3 months (not a million miles from Saturn before they started up!). You can guess how it goes, browse the net, found the roadster book, pop down to borders to buy a copy. Before you knew it I was hooked - a car you could build everything yourself (I really wanted to build my own chassis) and I could make it mine. A quick look around on the net and found a big garage for rent - phone call to a mate who has an MGB and the deal was done. Also discovered that Armoto was on my drive home so picked the chassis kit up in my company car. So everything really fell into the right place at the right time!

[flyerncle]

Fancied a Westfield but never got one and got the book for Xmass one year and thats what started it,had the basic chassis built in a few hours and been at it for past 2 years.:cool:

[DStanley1809]

I was bored at work one night and picked the book up off the shelf and had a flick through. Started talking about it with a colleague and some silly suggestions for donor cars came up (V8 engines, Evo based 4x4, Supra twin turbo etc).

I ended up buying the book and then towards the end of my time at uni I realised I was really bored with everything and had no sense of achievement from anything I had done and had no proper job lined up for when I finished. I thought it would be great to have something I could look at and say "I did THAT!"

So just before my final exams I bought a Sierra and decided to build the car while I worked part time and looked for a decent job. Doing it now kind of makes sense to me. Still living with parents so bills are minimal and I have no serious work commitments. The only downside is a lack of money from working part time :(

[Davey]

Been fiddling and faffing with cars since I was three years old, taught loads by my Dad who is the world's greatest engineer, no really he is;) . Qualified as a light vehicle mechanic in '81 and have always fancied building a car. Fast forward to last April and I spotted a ratty Locust in my local breakers (150 Yds from my workshop:D ) and after a bit of badgering bought it for £150 then my son bought me the book. So I'm building the bastard spawn of the devil using the bible for inspiration:D .

D.

[RAYLEE29]

David where do you work to have the book on the shelf?
we have the book on the shelf where i currently work lol
OP my inspiration was ive always wanted to build a seven and i had loads of stuff waiting to go on a car
so i found the book then found half the stuff i had wouldnt be of use lol
2 years in and its sat on the floor looking 75% complete and nearly driveable
Ray:)

[spud69]

I always had a love for the cars but being 6'7" new i could never fit my lanky legs in one and be able to drive one. About 7 years ago i bought a Mazda Rx-8 because i thought the styling was very similar, in a kind of way, to a roadster - moreso in the way the front wings where sculpted around the front wheels. And the drive and handling was very similar, a very nice car.

THEN, on May bank holiday in 2008 was walking past WHSmiths and saw the book for half price, bought it and read it over the weekend - misses weren't to happy. Realised, due to the chassis being larger, could possibly fit in and drive the extended version at a reasonable build cost. Got stuck into building one and fell in love with the concept and build. First car on the road 7 months later, January 2009, and the rest is history. Plus it never really appealed to me to buy a kit and bolt it together, the confidence Chris's book gave me to build a car that i made myself cannot be underestimated - single seater too i'm sure.

Now just picked up the new donor car today, a mazda Rx-8, and about to combine the 2 loves into 1.....:D

Good luck new builders (it ain't hard).....AndyH

[DStanley1809]

RAYLEE29, I work in Halfords (cue laughter and ridiculing :p )

As much as I know Halfords get a lot of stick for employing lots of youngsters who don't know much about anything there are some of us who know a fair bit. I'm not claiming to be an amazing mechanic or anything (I'm certainly not as knowledgeable as you guys here!) but I get quite a few customers coming back to see me specifically because they are fed up with the staff in other stores.

[RAYLEE29]

David, me too 765 poole, parts desk/fitter, very over qualified for my part time job but it fits in with my current situation
Ray:D
p.s dont tell anyone lol

[londonsean69]

I used to do a lot of SCUBA (fully paid up resort instructor) and then had a pretty bad bend (decompression sickness).
Basically, I was not going to be able to dive again, which was the only hobby I had had for about 8 years, so was looking for something else, equally as expensive, to fill the void.

Saw the book, bought it on impulse, and thought it looked a jolly good wheeze, so ordered some steel and got cracking. Spent plenty of money on nice toys, Myford lathe, portamig etc. and have learnt loads.

Problem is, I've now since been signed off fit to dive again, so the car is taking longer than planned, as diving does swallow money, especially when you take a housed Nikon D90 camera with you:) and always planning the next holiday

[DStanley1809]

You have the exact same job as me :D

Although for the last four weeks I have been a temporary duty manager/key holder with the promise of a permanent job when one opens up. I'm on loan to the second Coventry store. At the end of the week this role disappears as the person I was covering is coming back.

This means that although I am employed by Halfords I actually have no where to go as my original store has no hours to give me anymore and this store has all the people it needs :eek: . I hope to rectify this in the next few days lol

I'm normally in 762 Coventry but in 425 at the moment. I think I was on the phone to Poole the other day, we may have spoken to each other :p

[HandyAndy]

I first thought "wow gotta have one of those" :cool: when I was at a test day at Mallory Park, I used to race bikes & on the test days ( not a track day) the cars had the track till 1pm then it was the bikes turn, so whilst in the paddock waiting for bike track time I used to wander around & look at all the cars & watch them on track etc.

I carried on racing bikes for 8 yrs, a costly hobby so all funds went into the racing, eventually retired from racing.....getting old & bones weren,t healing so quickly as they used to ( racing a bike will guarentee you will crash) :eek: :D

Long story short, I missed the rush of the bikes so thought about having a 7 style car that I could use on the road & do the odd track day, mentioned it in a "pipe dream " sort of way to my wife, a few weeks later my birthday = a prezzie from the Mrs was the "book" , that was November 08, enrolled at night school at the local tech college, started course Jan 09, joined this forum , finished the welding course & bought the steel & started cutting it 2nd April 09.....& now the car is almost finished .

I must say, choosing to build a Roadster has been one of the most satisfying & enjoyable things I,ve ever done, learnt lots of new skills & the big plus point.......have met lots of like minded builders during the build, even some that I,ve not even met , only through this forum but all are regarded as friends, without them my build wouldn,t have been as much fun as it has been.

After that first read of the book, I,ve never looked back........bring on the Single Seater Book :)

cheers
andy

[tkpm]

I was riding sports bikes up until September last year, the speeds and the death of a couple of mates, made me think about the future for me with bikes.

Had always wanted to build a kit car, but had only heard of the Cobra look a likes and Duttons, and bolt together Caterhams / Westfields.

Whilst saying my good byes on a bike forum, i had mentioned that i was going to build some sort of kit car, one of the guys tells me about the Ron Chapman and the newer Chris Gibbs book, so i go and buys it from Amazon.
Read the book over a few days and decide thats the way i would go eventually.
I was at my sister for a B&Q a few weeks later telling my brother inlaw i was giving up with bikes, he ask me what i was going to instaed of bikes, i told one day i would build a kitcar, he ask what i would use as the donor, my answer was a 2L sierra.

A couple of weeks later my brother inlaw phones me and say's i got your donor, it will be deliver Wednesday night, and my answer to that was oh bugger looks like i'm building my kitcar.

And have love ever minute of it so far.

[ozzy1]

I built a Formula 27 KR roadster in the uk:D with a bike engine in it and loved it.Had to sell it when i moved to Oz and then found Westfield had a supplier near to me so went for a look.$35k for basic model or $40k for irs model :eek: .Bull#$@& to that i thought.Subscribed to CKC and just pipe dreamed for a while then saw the Haynes book and thought maybe i could.Found a local car building club and joined.Went for 6 months before deciding to start the build.So far chassis nearly finished although i have been collecting parts along the way.

[Talonmotorsport]

My uncle now departed built a westie in 1988 , my dad decided to build a ron champion locost in 1998. I was tought how to weld at the age of 12 building a large drip tray frame for a plastic company. Finished school went to collage for industrial model making droped out after 14 months as had trouble with the written part of the course. Worked for a company that made school furniture as a welder for 8 weeks. Started racing in NASA autograss after seeing a poster in the chip shop thought that looks like fun, got a cheap 150amp mig and built my first of 4 xr2 stockhatch on the drive. Upset all the neibours and had to look for a workshop. Built lots of cars for other people mostly rollcages and body work.
Started at a local sheet metal shop and was there for 5 yrs, firstly as a general production welder making fork lift stillages for a batch run of 4500, which gave me the nice mottle effect on my fore arms. Got moved up to fabricator, welding every thing from 1mm sheet up to 15mm steel plate. Decided that I'd had enough of working round CNC punch machines all day, as I watched my coffee walking along the bench as the octo put more 25mm holes in 5mm sheet.
Wanted a change so became a postie for 5 yrs, payed better, working out side,got to see more people, get to drive round the local area for free and lose some weight. Get to finish early and get in the workshop to play with more cars. That is untill I found I had artha in both legs,elbows and wrists, so that was the end of that.
Came across chris's book in the local car spares shop, thought that'll keep me out of trouble while I look for another job. Wife said either the workshop and race cars will have to go or you make it work for you, taking her point of view on board I borrowed £200 from the house keeping and brought the steel for the first chassis.

[alga]

I read an article about Caterham in a weekend edition of Financial Times when I was a 2nd year student. The idea of assembling your own hardcore two seater open sports car really appealed to me, but the price made it seem like a nice fantasy.

Ten years on I bumped into the notion of Locost, found Ron's and Chris' books on Amazon. Spent a day or two following Keith Tanner's build diary (http://cheapsportscar.net/diary.php), got really convinced I need to give a shot. Bought the Roadster book during the 2008 Christmas hols, bought a welder in July, and started cracking.