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View Full Version : Time I built one from scratch!


mr henderson
3rd July 2010, 05:51 PM
As some of you may know, I make my living helping other people finish off their kit cars, or repairing/modifying kits already on the road.

Sometimes things go a bit quiet, especially when I am waiting for parts, or for people to pay for work I've already done (suprising how often that crops up :) ) etc, and I've wanted to do one on my own account for a while now, so my personal project starts here.

Another reason for wanting to do one is that although I know it's virtually impossible to build a car and sell it at a profit, I'm going to try to do that anyway!. I'm in a better position to do this than most because when I sell it I can sell it as a professional build and offer a guarantee (which as I am in this business I would have to do anyway) and can and will ask more money.

The best way to do this, I've decided, is to make it as high a specification as possible, even though that will mean more outlay on parts. I'll be doing my own bodywork and will sell it under a name of my own choosing too (again I would have to do that anyway, need to put a maker's plate on etc).

I've ordered a slightly modified chassis from Talon, and I bought the donor today

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd158/springlakekitchens/HBCS%20Aylesbury/thedonor.jpg

it's a 2000E and has the twim cam engine (not that I will be using that) but more importantly the MT75 gearbox, rear discs and Lobro driveshafts. I'll get the guy who does my collections to pick it up shortly, and get ready to get my hands dirty (that doesn't happen often to me, cleaning work has been done by the time I see the customers' cars.)

twinturbo
3rd July 2010, 06:27 PM
Keep quiet about building it to sell as that would make you a manufacturer rather than a self builder and then subject to differing regs.


Th 2KE Looks clean, does it have the trip computer? Looking for the wiring for my TRIP.

Should yeild some good parts for the sierra boys too.

TT

Eternal
3rd July 2010, 06:30 PM
yeah got to keep hush hush :D Think there was a page in CKC last month about different classes for iva

mr henderson
3rd July 2010, 07:01 PM
Keep quiet about building it to sell as that would make you a manufacturer rather than a self builder and then subject to differing regs.





It's OK, becoming a manufacturer is my fondest dream, almost. I believe the test is cheaper too, although supposed to be tougher. Does anyone know what the actual differences are? When last at an IVA I asked the tester but although he pretended he was going to keep quiet about it, I figured he didn't really know.

As I am in the business of building kit cars, I can hardly claim to be an amateur builder anyway.

RAYLEE29
5th July 2010, 11:39 PM
buying a chassis is hardly building from scratch is it?
but who cares eh get on and build one you may enjoy yourself :)

mr henderson
6th July 2010, 08:36 AM
buying a chassis is hardly building from scratch is it?



Yes, poor choice of words I agree. It's just that I spend virtually all of my time working on cars that are already built to the point of being on wheels with all the drivetrain installed, before I even see them, so to me it seems like building from scratch!


Speaking of the above, I think people are surprised when they realise that a car built to the above level is just the start, similar to when the shell of a new house is built, it looks like it's nearly finished but it's barely started :eek:

twinturbo
6th July 2010, 09:12 AM
buying a chassis is hardly building from scratch is it?
but who cares eh get on and build one you may enjoy yourself :)


Come on then, lets see you block castings, head castings, lamp bowl pressings............ :D :D

TT

RAYLEE29
11th July 2010, 07:00 PM
LOL
TT when you show me the chassis you built Ill happily show you my casting skills (did some casting stuff 30 years ago).
my comment was meant lightheartedly as mr h seems to have taken it
Ray:)

twinturbo
11th July 2010, 07:08 PM
:p

It's like the slogan " Made from all natural ingridients " , everythign we have in the world is made up of natural ingridients, just very very very small ones :)

TT