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New To The Kit Car Scene


Guest C4rd0

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Guest C4rd0

Hi all,

 

Ive just joing RHOCard after deciding i want to take on a KIT car but. ive been playign about with cars for about 10 years modifying and repairing cars engine swaps and other general repairs but i've always wanted to build a kit car and i've finally talked my Boss (other half) to letting me build one.

 

The car ive been looking at is the GBS Zero, i read loads of review and other forums both possitiv and negative and decied i think this is the kit for me.

 

Im going to go down to the factory and have a look about and a chat with them all as everyon says there so helpful and happy to help.

 

im a total beginner to all of this and TBH Im looking at any help i can get

 

Thanks in advance

 

Rich

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Hi Rich, welcome aboard.

 

The guys at the factory are very friendly and will look after you. The Zero is a great car and you will enjoy the build process as well as the driving afterwards.

 

Don't get held up on the fact that GBS can't give you a build manual, just have a look at some of the build blogs as that will give you a good idea what is involved and how the car goes together.

 

There are lots of very knowledgeable people on here and we are always happy to help.

 

 

Edit - Memo to self - must type faster than Mark B :)

Edited by David S
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David S's (one post up) blog was one of my go-to references on my build.

 

That is kind of you to say Richard. This is the link https://gbszerobuild.blogspot.com

 

You will also do well to look at Richard's blog as well. There are a couple of inspirational trips in there as well!

Edited by David S
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Guest C4rd0

Wow thanks for all the kind replys im a bit unsure of its worth pushing for the new plate or using a donor car for old plate for my first and then start agen with a brand new build whild enjoying the zero. Really like the idea of having a new plate and new parts but with it been my first i think ill take the route of the donor car :) what would people advice the ford kit or the mx5 kit?

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Guest C4rd0

Just to check if i wanted to go for the new plate everything minus one item has to be brand new? I really do love the odea of having a new plate and the more i think its gonna be a 2-3 year project on weekends the more i think go for the new plate cos tbh there isnt much id not buy new anyway. Ive seen you can get a 2.0 zetec for just over 1k which would be do able and from what j read people tend to use re con gear boxes. My confusion ia with the diff the hudz do i just sorce off the shelf as rhe must be brand new?

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Guest C4rd0

I think the new option is going to be the best option. Where would i get an idea of the parts i need to buy and where would i get them. I understand that i may sound very stupid but ive gone from the idea of getting an mx5 mk1 woth all the parts i need and stripping it apart to starting from scratch. As far as i can work out the only parts u need from the donor car is the engine, gear box diff, hubs and the stearing colum(this has me stumped where to buy new tbh) the rack i was goijg to buynew and the loom too so id buy buying the engine, hubs( proberly going the ford way so i gues it would be the focus hubs id need) and the prob shaft but gbs dont have all the part to buy from now.

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The 1 refurbished part is a bit misleading. The drive train can be considered 1 item. I had the gearbox, diff, driveshafts and uprights as part of my donor kit from GBS and they were refurbished. Certainly the gearbox, diff and driveshafts were considered as 1 item and maybe I was lucky with the front uprights being painted to look new. I then had a new Zetec crate engine and everything else new to get a new registration.

 

Talk to GBS, they will be up to date with the IVA rules. It may also help to have them put the car through IVA for you. Just a thought.

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IVA rules have nothing to do with it.

 

People do sometimes get away with more than one reconditioned part, but they shouldn't. Also drive train should not count as one part, but many, but again, people get away with it because the person processing the application either doesn't know any better or simply doesn't care.

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Guest C4rd0

I think a trip to gbs is deffo on the book in the next few weeks but im just trying to get as much info as i can before. David in your blog you used a second hand stearing colum is this something that can be done or would i have to buy new if new where whould i even atart to get anew one as im not sure there made anymore. I want to get the new plate ive finally decided not just comes to take of working out a list of all the parts ill need im going to get the kit from gbs ans the new 2.0 zetec to start with any then the suspension too and then start to sorce the hibs and stuff os it focus hubz it uses ? Just so i can get a ball part idea of cost and if any of you lovley people have one of those spread sheet i can look of that would be amazing. Im based in knaresborough are they any of you guys around here?

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My honest advice....New plate will cost more and you have to meet a lot more criteria for that fabled new reg, which of course GBS can help with but as many find, this comes at a cost.
Using a donor vehicle you get pretty much all the major parts you need, can break even/make profit selling unneeded bits and by getting a donor you can verify everything works already by ragging an MX5 through some country lanes for a month or two beforehand. You equally get to know the parts well by cleaning them up and giving them a refresh with a lick of paint. Plus, none of this grey area with a refurbished part (not collection of). Any refurb then is done at your own desire and if needed (hint, MX5 engines are bulletproof, mine had 120k on it and still took a thrashing and wanted more) Plus, MX5 and parts are generally cheaper/easier to find than Ford nowadays. (Felt there was a lack of support for the donor route in this thread :p lol)

To summarise, new will be more expensive but reduces elbow grease, donor will be cheaper but requires more of your time. And the cost difference is well into 4 figures. Don't think that means less quality though, that's down to you ;) lol

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What if you build it and can't get on with it for some reason. You see a lot up for sale that have done virtually no miles under their current ownership. There's one on ebay at the moment for 5995 or nearest offer with only 100 miles since sva. I bet it cost more to build than that even with used components. It is easy to add up the cost of all the major components but all the little things add up like clips,pipework,nuts,bolts,screws,brake hoses and so on. I would like to know the price of a new build, someone on here must have done it.

At the end of the day if you want to do it that way good luck just make sure it isn't going to end up on ebay as an abandoned project. Actually you could buy somebody else's abandoned project that would be a good way to save some cash.

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Guest C4rd0

They say it cost between 14-16 to get a new plate which i imagine it might even cost mkre dipending what parts you put on it. Ive thought of buying a lre owned on but then i soon shut that idea down as its thw achevmwnt of building one that i want ive always wanted to build one and build it how i want with the help of my little lad farther and son project so to speak ive put proce in my ead and thats 10k after the original kit proce and engine so all in all ablut 15k and they tbey skys the limit to the mods once it been build ive love racing about in little hot hatches and ive spend 1000's on them to make the how i want them and jts always been worth it. Im not flash for cash but if it done over a few yes i can just buy parts as there needed :) as i dont intend to be killing myself working on it all the time :)

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