Chassis Kit

[MikeB]

Can't believe I'm going to start another build.
After spending hours cuttting my first chassis with an angle grinder and a rage saw I'm not doing that again and want a nice pre cut chassis pack.

I'll end up buying saturns body work etc so what the best source, saturn, handy andy (same thing??) ebay, 3GE???

Oh and if someone can convince me not to start a second build do it now but I could be popping down to b&Q to buy my build bench (what wood did people go with MDF or Ply and what. i made a whole table last time but think it will take a lot less time this time so do I need a full table or just the board on the floor (prefer welding standing upt though).

Does anyone sell the suspsension jig blocks anymore, I'm more than happy to do my own welding just not so great at jig making!

[twinturbo]

Handy's The Man.

TT

[Bonzo]

Personaly I would send HandyAndy a pm if you wish to go the flat pack chassis route :cool:

He has many,many satisfied customers & knows the Roadster chassis inside out ;)

I for one would not even contemplate cutting the chassis tubes for a second time.
When I started my build, there was no flatpack option & to be honest, I soon got bored cutting up all of that steel :eek:

Build yourself a nice elevated table, tis a real pain in the butt crawling around the floor.

Here's hoping you enjoy your new build :)

[mr henderson]

Only fair to point out that Talon Motorsports (a member here) does chassis kits as well. A lot will depend on the distance, and as the OP hasn't put his location in the profile we will have to leave it to him to work out whether any of the suppliers are within travelling distance.

Also, check the exact contents of the kit to ensure that what is supplied meets your needs.

[flyerncle]

Handy Andy everytime for my money !:D

[HandyAndy]

Can't believe I'm going to start another build.
After spending hours cuttting my first chassis with an angle grinder and a rage saw I'm not doing that again and want a nice pre cut chassis pack.

I'll end up buying saturns body work etc so what the best source, saturn, handy andy (same thing??) ebay, 3GE???


Does anyone sell the suspsension jig blocks anymore, I'm more than happy to do my own welding just not so great at jig making!

Hi Mike,

You did say way back when that you,ll be back & build again :D :cool:

Thanks to all that have given me the "thumbs up" :)

I,m here if you decide to purchase a flat pack kit from me, would just need to know if you intend to use the GRP tub or Ali tub & either the type 9 or MT 75 box.

all the best with your forthcoming build....enjoy the B&Q shopping trip :D

cheers
andy

[MikeB]

Thanks all for the information.

I have unfinished roadster business, i did look at a couple of part finished kits but none were what they claimed to be. One was a leugo velocity xt loads of parts etc, if there welding was as bad as this I'd be very supprised, think it was actually a locost with a velocity body kit.

Build bench BUILT and looking good, there goes my first 4 hours!
I'm near northampton btw and have been on this and locostbuilders for a few years now!

Mike

[grumpy locost]

A friend is looking to build a roadster on a budget,and has looked at the talon flat pack for 200 pounds whitch has the square tube cut and the rear mounting plates an also suspension brackets and diff mount plates Can andy please tell me wot extra he would get for 50 pounds more .

[flyerncle]

I have no conection with any party supplying chassis packs but have had first hand dealings with Handy and his attention to detail is worth £50 any day of the week and nothing is meant detrimental to any other party involved.

[Bonzo]

Hi Mike

Pleased to see that you have decided to complete your unfinished Roadster buisiness :cool:

I remember that you were on the forum when I first joined the affray way back in 2007
Pleased to see you back at the building stage & I look forward to following your progess .... One thing for sure, you'll probably still complete your build ahead of me :o


Grumpy locost

I notice you are located in Essex, looking at your public profile I see that you list your occupation as a " Chassis Builder "

May I as what type of chassis do you build for living & are you affiliated to Tallon Motorsport :confused:

Is the fishing any good in Essex :D


Thanks all for the information.

I have unfinished roadster business, i did look at a couple of part finished kits but none were what they claimed to be. One was a leugo velocity xt loads of parts etc, if there welding was as bad as this I'd be very supprised, think it was actually a locost with a velocity body kit.

Build bench BUILT and looking good, there goes my first 4 hours!
I'm near northampton btw and have been on this and locostbuilders for a few years now!

Mike

[antonia800]

For what its worth i brought a nice new bandsaw and a linisher cut the tubes as i went with the angles and then finished them of on the linisher for the perfect angle and fit. I quite enjoyed this bit to be honnest !!!

[londonsean69]

Grumpy locost

I notice you are located in Essex, looking at your public profile I see that you list your occupation as a " Chassis Builder "

May I as what type of chassis do you build for living & are you affiliated to Tallon Motorsport :confused:

Is the fishing any good in Essex :D

This could get interesting.

Grumpy Locost, drop a private message to both Andy and Talon, let them tell you what you get/what is included, then make your own mind up.

[JHewitt]

I would have to put another notch in for handy's kit, I didn't buy mine from him, but off another builder who had given up before he got going. Thing is Handy even mailed me to offer the same warranty and the offer of recutting any lengths that had previously been welded. That is what the extra £50 gets you, I had looked at the £200 kit, and just thought it sounded a wrong'un, or too cheap maybe?? I haven't heard a bad thing about Handy.....yet.:)

[Bonzo]

This could get interesting.

Grumpy Locost, drop a private message to both Andy and Talon, let them tell you what you get/what is included, then make your own mind up.

That is some sound advice there Sean ;) :)

I would just like to re-assure Grumpy locost that there is no malice intended in my question.

Just sort of intrigued as to the nature of the post from a new member, bearing in mind that the request was being made on behalf of a friend :confused:

[mr henderson]

It's entirely fair that everybody who has had dealings with Handy should speak in support of his stuff, as I am sure I would too if I had done so.

However I wanted a complete chassis, and being in Aylesbury I was within reasonable travelling distance of Talon, and I I knew I wanted to collect rather than risk a carrier (at some expense to) I ordered from Talon.

When I went to collect I saw one of their chassis kits laid out, and it looked perfect to me, and the quality of their service was way beyond what anybody could reasonably expect (they even loaded it on to my car while I stood and watched, and cut lengths of decent timber so as not to scratch the paintwork (it's a Volvo estate by the way, an old 960, so well up to the job).

So, what I am saying is that from my experience, Talon's service is as good as anyone's, and I expect if they had more customers on this forum then they would get more people speaking for them.

I've no connection with them apart from being a very satisfied customer.

[les g]

i wouldn,t bother to build a chassis myself again.
its far too time consuming and frankly quite boring.
once you,ve done some of it.
if you cant commit lots of time and want to crack on with building your car
PLEASE buy a chassis ready built
the choice of supplier is yours
Saturn -Talon -3ge - will all do chassis,s and have a good reputation.
i have not seen Talons kit but he also gets good reviews
and if you want to see Andy,s kit we posted a few pictures of one that he
displayed at Stoneleigh show you,ll have to do a search as i,m crap on a puta and cant work out how to post a link.
cheers les g

[AshG]

these days we really are very fortunate to have a choice of suppliers. when i started building my roadster there was one supplier and the price was a lot higher, i got their chassis pack and a month later they went out of business with no backup or anything.

lets just all be happy that there are nice people like andy and talon to pick from.

[grumpy locost]

yes i do build chassis for transit and hgv it was not a pop at andy, but i just wonted to no beside the square tubing wot more u got .

[Enoch]

I bought a chassis kit from Andy / Saturn, glad I did. I can't comment on anybody else's product from a first hand point of view but all those previously mentioned have consistently good reviews. I have a soft spot for Spud and Handy as I like the way they conduct their business and themselves. I didn't bother looking for cheaper once I was happy with what I was getting.
Enoch.
PS you can see it going together at my web site - www.deepfolly.co.uk. The chassis pack is one of Handy's the side panels and nosecone are the Saturn ones. I think they are somewhat spendid:)

[Talonmotorsport]

I have put off replying to this post as I promised my family I would'nt get involved in forum politics and petty arguements on line. I run a business which I started with nothing, no financial backing no bank loan, just buying equipment as I earn it from sales. I am not a charity this business is to pay my bills, feed my kids and allow me to stay in the workshop. The customer has a choice he can buy from any company, it's just that I use the correct tools for the job through using my experience in the most efficient way. I have 10yrs experiance working in fabricating work shops, I know that using the right machinery will make production quick and easy and means you only have to make a cut once and have it come out correct. Our flat packs take 8 hrs to produce start to finish and for this we charge £80 for a days work.
I have been self employed for a year just producing roadster parts, by the end of this year I hope be producing the Ron Champion Locost, the McSorley 440 with DeDion axle, fibre glass body work for both in association with a local laminating company and have moved to in to my new workshop.
I have had 3 independant companies approch me regarding building chassis and components for a single seat bike powered super trike,a bike powered exo skelatal car and a modded roadster chassis for use with hotrods.
If my products where crap I would have a list of forum members posting as such, I have had one return in a year of trading which got refunded.
As of today this will be my last post on this forum, I have tried to offer numberous group buys to keep costs down to a group of interested builders but nobody seens interested.
With this I bid you farewell and good luck with all of your builds.
Regards Phil Eagle Talon Motorsport soon to be Talon Fabrications

[flyerncle]

It is a bad day when somebody has to post something like the above,no-one has questioned the quality of any persons products and the word crap has never been used.
The unfortunate thing about forums and the human race in general is that you have choice and opinions and people voice these as they are free to do so.

I wish you all the best in your endeavours.

[HandyAndy]

A friend is looking to build a roadster on a budget,and has looked at the talon flat pack for 200 pounds whitch has the square tube cut and the rear mounting plates an also suspension brackets and diff mount plates Can andy please tell me wot extra he would get for 50 pounds more .

Sorry for late reply, I did log on earlier but got a call from my elderly mother saying both smoke alarms were going off in her house :eek: hot footed over there ...false alarm.... the low battery bleepers were sounding...phew :rolleyes: bless her.

This thread seems to have developed during today...

Grumpy Locost....

I,ll try to give an answer to your question.

The kits that I offer at the price that they are , are I trust a fair price for the work involved to supply a kit, alot of it is down to the price of the steel that I buy at, sadly I,m not a large purchaser of steel & this sort of dictates the total cost of my kits, but I do try to offer advantages to justify the kit price, for instance, the kits come with the front frame fully welded which I hope is seen as an aid to the builder having no need to make up a jig etc, I have also offered the kits with a build table template if the purchaser wishes to have, this is a template that goes onto the build table which helps the accurate positioning of the bottom rails, which is the foundation of the chassis.

With regard kits available at another purchase price, its not for me to know why or even question how a price is decided upon, I wish any supplier the very best in their venture in these difficult economic times,

on a personal note ,

as Ash has touched upon, its great that the Roadster "Marque" has various suppliers investing time , equipment, effort & expense to help any builders of the car, & yes its the customers choice of where they purchase parts that they wish to "buy in" for their own builds.


cheers
andy

[londonsean69]

Talon

Nobody is questioning your work. The OP asked a simple question, what do the kits include.
I told him the best people to ask were the people offering the kits.

If it were me, and someone in the same county was offering a kit/chassis, it would be a no-brainer. I'm not sure why the question got asked, especially when said person was "a chassis builder from Essex".

People have backed up both yours, Handys, and 3GEs work. It would seem the reason for a lot of people on here saying good things about Handy's work is just that more people have had kits from him.

If I had had the chance to buy even a precut kit when I started, knowing what I do know (compound angles grrrr), I would just buy one. Especially when, to be fair, the price of both kits is low compared to the price of steel for the average person. Obviously some of this is down to bulk purchasing power, it is also down to people having the right tools, jigs and experience to do a fast, neat and accurate job.

As with most things in life, there are options;
People can buy a car, or build one
They can buy the chassis, or weld it
You can go, or you can stay, but if you do go it will be a loss. You obviously have a lot of experience in fabrication and welding, and have provided plenty of help to people on here, it would be a shame to lose that sort of experience.

I'll second what others have said as well. when I started my build, there was only 3GE. Then people like Dave @ Rogue engineering popped up on EBay, and now there is also yourself and Saturn (inc. Handy). In theory, it is now pretty much possible to build a roadster from kit parts, with no welding required (or very little), this wasn't really an option when I started my build. It's a meteoric rise for the Haynes roadster, to go from hardly anything available (apart from MK bits) to having several suppliers/manfacturers.

Anyhow, it's early at work on a Friday morning, so I really should do some proper work.

[JHewitt]

Surely this forum is just about people asking for help or advice and to give their personal opinions from their own experiences. Looking back at my post it might look like I was saying Talon were crap, but its not what meant, I just saw there was a big difference in price and what was offered betwen the 2 and thought it seemed odd, and having only heard good things about Handy's kit I felt more confident getting one of his. If I had heard more good things about Talons gear on here I may have had a different opinion?

Now Come on Phil, you have made over 300 posts on here and have a lot of happy customers, and a lot of helpful advice for clueless people like me, so don't dissapear as I am sure no one meant to piss you off.

[mr henderson]

, I just saw there was a big difference in price and what was offered betwen the 2 and thought it seemed odd,


It's worth pointing something out here- I've been a manufacturer of various things in the past, and I can say a lot depends on how people are set up.

When a manufacturer sets a price for something he will be bearing in mind the cost of the raw materials, the running costs of the business, and much time it takes to carry out the work, and how much money he wants/needs for that time.

So if 2 products from different manufacturers are the same (as far as the customer in concerned) but the prices are different, it may well be that there is a difference in one of the factors above. For instance it may be that one of them has a quicker machine, or lower rent, or is able to get the material cheaper, or has had a lot of practice (this can make a huge difference).

My point is that you can't judge the quality of something by the price, there's more to it than that.

[twinturbo]

My point is that you can't judge the quality of something by the price, there's more to it than that.

A university lecture once aske us the question, name a "high quality watch"

A few students rolled of "Rolex, Tag, Omega"....

Meanwhile the lecturere was tapping his whrist, on which was a simple "Casio"...

TT

[flyerncle]

Somtimes expensive is not better,my watch went back to the makers on numerous ocassions and even after the warranty ran out they replaced it for a new one and even this one has the same problem and neither were cheap watches.

[monsterob]

whats a watch ?

is it like a bracelet for men?

:)

[HandyAndy]

It's worth pointing something out here- I've been a manufacturer of various things in the past, and I can say a lot depends on how people are set up.

When a manufacturer sets a price for something he will be bearing in mind the cost of the raw materials, the running costs of the business, and much time it takes to carry out the work, and how much money he wants/needs for that time.

So if 2 products from different manufacturers are the same (as far as the customer in concerned) but the prices are different, it may well be that there is a difference in one of the factors above. For instance it may be that one of them has a quicker machine, or lower rent, or is able to get the material cheaper, or has had a lot of practice (this can make a huge difference).

My point is that you can't judge the quality of something by the price, there's more to it than that.

I,d like to say that the above is a fair assessment ( apart from the quote of the 2 products being the same, in relation to the flat packs kits) of any manufactured product in any "walk of life".

I,d also like to add the following, but please be assured it is said with all good intentions & in no way intended to cause upset or frustration in any form what so ever to any person at all.

The kits that I supply are intended to help any future builder in their quest to build a Roadster, when I first offered the kits I did research by asking the forum membership questions such " what should the kit include, to what level of completion" etc, I took onboard the very good response from all the members that replied, & so that then became the kits that I started to supply.
I only started offering the kits when it became apparent that a previous supplier of flat pack kits ( Armoto ) had for no known reason stopped supplying them, so when I suggested about possibly offering to supply them, the idea was warmly welcomed, & so it is purely down to the length of time ( & hopefully satisfied purchasers ) that my kits had become popular, & hope they continue to do so.

I have never questioned any supplier about what products they supply or the prices they charge, that in all honesty is non of my business ( said politely ),

But as has been mentioned on this thread ( make sure what is included in the kit is what you require etc), the 2 suppliers of flat pack chassis kits offer 2 very different kits, they are not the same in what they include, they are not the same price, so as has also been said, its a customer choice of where they wish to purchase from once they have researched which kit suits their needs etc for whatever criteria the customer expects from a kit & its supplier.

This is also said with all due respect,
It is a shame that Phil ( Talon motor sport ) has taken the decision that he has, as others have said, we are all able to give help from experience gained in various ways to others that may not have that experience etc etc , for example.... I personally know nothing about electrics , I wouldn,t comment or give a reply to someone asking about an electrical situation, but I read the posts & enjoy learning from others that are confident in that subject....

I wish Phil & Talon as a business all the very best,
yes we offer similar products but that doesn,t mean there is a conflict of interests, in fact I have in the past ( around when I started making kits) made contact with Phil & tried to pass on a possible customer, as at the time the "customer" wished to purchase a flat pack kit from me but for personal reasons about the customer ( less abled bodied ) I felt it may be better for him to purchase a fully welded chassis & suggested he contact Phil at Talon, & even gave him the contact number.

My point being, yes we offer similar products but would like to think that this fact doesn,t create a "divide" on a personal level.

This is all said with total respect to all.

cheers
andy

[spud69]

You're right in all that you say Andy, but don't get too stressed about recent events. I even said that following the recent kit car article that the feature was good for all haynes roadster suppliers and we should all be in the business for the benefit of the Haynes Roadster brand as it is now and going forward - for whatever we may gain from it and yes some of us are a business and need to make a living but we are in this business because we love the concept and the car itself. At the end of the day it is upto the builders themselves to make their own minds up and we shouldn't need to justify ourselves over who goes where and how much they pay for whatever service they may offer.

We are supplying a service to the industry so lets just enjoy doing that. I do not get involved in politics but recent posts seem to be undermining the nature of the haynes build philosophy. Sorry if some of this doesn't make sense but i've had a drink and i know what i mean.

All the Breast....AndyH

[flyerncle]

No Monster thats bling you narna.:p

Nobody should have to apolagise for their products or give reasons why they do what they do and as I said previously the choice is the person/person's own and if they choose one over the other then so be it.
I have commented on what I have recieved first hand and it was first class, I cannot and will not comment on others goods or parts.

I agree with comments about the forum being for the good and support of all the builders and for those supplying parts etc but what it should not be is a place to get into arguments otherwise we may end up like others.

At the end of the day its your Roadster (thanks to CG/MK)build it as you see fit with your choice of parts.

Dinner time,could do with monkey burger but its too far.:rolleyes:

Cheers.

[spud69]

Sorry Paul, nobody turned up today so have just had a large big mac 'cardboard' burger meal.....;)

AndyH

[twinturbo]

UUUURGGG... Cack Mac...

Not a patch on a Burger King, which is not a patch on a "Harraby Inn" Burger or a Monkey Burger...

Mmmmmm.... Hungry.

TT

[flyerncle]

A mixed gorrila from that pub just outside Brampton on the way to Carlisle !
Must be the aftershave Spud :p .

Mc Donalds, I'd rather die.....!:eek:

And on a lighter/brighter note I got loads done to the car today and the rear suspension is nearly sorted plus other bits and pieces. Yes !!!

[twinturbo]

Depending on which road.. Either the Lane Ends , or the Golden Fleece..


I had the Mixed Grill From the Lane ends a couple of months back for the wifes grandas 90'th...

Not the bigest I have had but rather big... They used to do a super Lamb in orange sauce but it seems to have been droped now :( ... It's one of my favourite pubs for grub.

TT

[flyerncle]

The one in the large lay-by,probably the Lane ends.

[vtecmike]

hi, ive just started, building my chassis from a kit a bought from talon,
the chassis is already all spot welded the kit was great.
As for customer service , well you couldnt get better , even when i was asking all sorts of questions!
by the way, i live in france and i recieved my kit in 4 days for 50quid, now thats what i call service!
I thought i would just give my feedback on this company.

thanks mike

[flyerncle]

Welcome Mike and good luck with your build.

[flyerncle]

A few pics as promised Andy.
http://s1188.photobucket.com/albums/z417/flyerncle/?action=view&current=28082010234-1.jpg
http://s1188.photobucket.com/albums/z417/flyerncle/?action=view&current=27032010182.jpg :cool:

[MikeB]

Wow only just read the rest of this thread after my holiday.
Didn't realise it set everyone going.
The bit I like about these forums (and locostbuilders) is you can ask questions and get opinions you then do your research a bit more informed.
As I've been out of the game for two years I'd lost track to who was supplying what, so a quick, who is supplying what in flat pack is exactly what these forums are for.

I enjoyed building my chassis last time even though it took months at the end I was so proud (wish I hadn't sold it for absolute peanuts!!!), I don't think I'd have that with a pre built one and now my welding skills are well up to the job I hope it can be put together pretty quickly.

I moved from engineering to business development and marketing and I'd just like to say there are a lot of factors to purchasing decisions, it's a complex subject but there's lots of books on the topic. If i had a good product at a competitive price I'd be doing my research if it wasn't selling as well as the competition a couple of tweaks to strategy could work wonders.I'm available freelance BTW ;)

Happy Building everyone.

M