Best Way to Start

[Fourcandles]

Been quite a while since I have been on the forum as lots of stuff got in the way of the build, blah blah blah.

My original plan was to get the garage (got) welder (got) and a few of the required tools (got). Practice with welder (doing) and then get a pre cut chassis kit and get going.

Due to the huge delay in getting going and my welding skill been ok but not amazing i wondered if anyone could advise me on the below:

Pre Cut Chassis or buy a completed chassis?

If i buy a completed chassis what sort of price would i be looking at?

Anyone know of a completed chassis thats up for sale?

Is it possible to get a deal if you buy the chassis and say the wishbones at the same time?

All advice is appreciated, good or bad.

Back to the money making day to day now.

Cheers,

[ozzy1]

Ok this is easy Time v Money v Ability
I would say this; if you have the money buy a chassis ready made and wishbones,the time ,effort and frustration it will save is immense but if you have the ability then making your own is very satisfying( where did u get that mister? " i made it ") very good feeling.
Also if you get bored easy then i would buy a chassis ready to assemble.The worst part i found is getting the wishbone brackets in the correct place and need to be accurate which is a real shit to do.If you are keen to do some welding then a pre cut chassis would be good,i think HandyAndy still does them on here?maybe message him.
You can get a deal from most suppliers if you buy more you geta better deal.(a chassis is around 600 quid)(bargain i reckon)


NTS(saturn) dunno website but should be easy to search/find also
Talon who has a site and also on Ebay.

[shh120m]

Hi

As ozz says, its really a matter of time vs effort vs skill. Myself and phil at talon are always on the end of the phone if you need advice or to buy anything. Handyandy also still makes flat packs if you wanted to go down that route.

[Talonmotorsport]

The advice I've been giving people of late is buy an MX5, patch the holes up drive it for 6 months to a year and then see how often you take the roof off. If you have knackered the interior through over exposure to our fabulous weather during this time then build a Roadster.

[MarkB]

Originally Posted by Talonmotorsport

The advice I've been giving people of late is buy an MX5, patch the holes up drive it for 6 months to a year and then see how often you take the roof off. If you have knackered the interior through over exposure to our fabulous weather during this time then build a Roadster.

I have to agree, there is a rather neat MX5 with fancy wheels/tyres and pepped suspension near me with a full MOT and Tax for £1500......and it goes round corners and has a rag roof so won't be in the garage when it's pishing down...

[CTWV50]

My advise is buy an mx5 drive it a bit so you know just how slow they are then sell all the parts off of it except what you need and then build a roadster that will/should be twice as fast, oh and buy a wet suit and a helmet!

[HandyAndy]

Originally Posted by ozzy1

i think HandyAndy still does them on here?maybe message him.

Indeed I do

As has already been mentioned....there are various points to consider when deciding on which build route you take....cost...space ....ability etc etc

As the Roadster ( in both sierra & MX5 donor based) has alot of builds currently in progress around the country & international too, there will always be someone fairly close by to offer help/advice along the way.

There are a few suppliers that can practically supply everything needed for the build so again.....help & support is only a phonecall / private message / posting on this forum away.

Whichever route you take, enjoy your build & when completed you will enjoy the moment when someone asks you "where did you buy it from?" & reply " I built it".........even if you buy a fully welded chassis to kickstart your build it is STILL YOU that will build the car, the chassis is a component of the build, YOU are the one making it into a Roadster.

good luck with your build .

cheers
Andy

[HandyAndy]

not sure if you can clearly read the sticker on the back of the car



It reads...." Roadster, BUILT not bought "

but with lots of help from alot of members of the forum who have all become friends.

cheers
andy

[flyerncle]

Could not have been put any better,good luck with IVA.

[Fourcandles]

Cheers guys all v good advice.

Forgot to mention also got donor Sierra stashed with DOHC engine.

Had a Eunos 1.8 import and loved it, but always had an urge to build my own car since i read Alan Staniforth's book years ago.

Anyway taking into consideration time (not as much as i would like) welding ability (same), money (a bit could always be more) i have made the decision.

The final decision was my wife's actually to be fair, she said she thought a chassis was the way to go. She has seen my welding!!!

So will be contacting both Saturn and Talon to chat about prices etc. Im in West Yorkshire which i know is closer to Saturn but have read good things about both.

Would like to get going with the parts i need for a rolling chassis possibly minus the dampers/springs and then concentrate on the running gear/engine from the Sierra.

Anyway cheers for the advice and i love your sticker Andy, will def want one of them.

Bring on the build and a multitude of questions i suspect,

Cheers,

Nik