Hello! I'd Like A Kit Car!

[Guest elliot tanner]

Hello to all,

 

Im a bit new at all of this but need a project for the winter months. I want to purchase either an un-started or party started kit for a bit of a project. I just have a couple of questions:

 

1. I have a budget of up to £2000 for a complete kit (there seems to be plenty on ebay for sub 2k where people have bought them and got bored/run out of time/the wife has said get rid of it). Is it a good idea to buy something half completed as long as it has all the bits to finish it? Or is it better just to bite the bullet and save some more for a brand new kit?

 

2. Any body had any bad experiences of buying part build or un-started kits?

 

3. And a bit cheeky I know, but does any body have a part complete kit for sale? Or know someone who does?

 

Thanks

 

Elliot

[Joel]

Buying a part built / unfinished kit certainly makes financial sense, and there's no reason why you shouldn't go that route.

 

What most people find with part built kits is that they invariably end up rebuilding it from scratch anyway - you get a snowball effect: to fix one job means addressing 2 others, and so on.

 

There's nothing wrong with that if you've got the time and the patience, it can just be a bit demoralizing taking two steps back for every one forward. But you get there eventually.

 

The only thing I'd watch out for is issues relating to the finished appearance of the car - i.e. if the previous owner had put dents or drill holes in an external panel. You can't fix those kind of problems, they'll bug you forever, and new body panels are expensive!

 

Also make sure you get the right paperwork from the donor car, and if possible an original kit receipt - it'll all help come registration time.

 

edit: I should also add that you'll want to do a full inspection of all the critical areas when you pick up a part built kit - steering, brakes, etc. Everyone has different standards and abilities, and it's perhaps unfair to be critical of someone else's work when they were just doing their best, but you need to know the brakes aren't going to fail at 70mph!

[Guest WAXOFF]

I bought my 2B part built, it was barely started really but what was done was a mess i had to strip it down and start again.

It was a challenge but 12 months on and with only the wiper motor and front wings to fit it's all been worth it, and stand me at around £3000 for the complete build.

[Guest chris brown]

As Joel says buying a part built is probably the cheapest way to go. You say you have 2k to spend! Is this on the kit in the first place or the completed car? If you mean for the completed car then forget it. You need to budget for around 4 to 5k and when its finished it needs a SVA test which by the time you are ready will cost £450 and the chances are it will fail first time so there will be a retest fee, then DVLA take there bit. This is the main reason there are so many part builds around. People think kit plus donor = kit car. Sorry if I sound rather negative but I think people should know what they are letting them selves into. Having said that there is nothing more satisfying than building then driving your own car I built mine in 2002 and still get a grin on my face every time I drive it.

[Guest bettinson2005]

Hello to all,

 

Im a bit new at all of this but need a project for the winter months. I want to purchase either an un-started or party started kit for a bit of a project. I just have a couple of questions:

 

1. I have a budget of up to £2000 for a complete kit (there seems to be plenty on ebay for sub 2k where people have bought them and got bored/run out of time/the wife has said get rid of it). Is it a good idea to buy something half completed as long as it has all the bits to finish it? Or is it better just to bite the bullet and save some more for a brand new kit?

 

2. Any body had any bad experiences of buying part build or un-started kits?

 

3. And a bit cheeky I know, but does any body have a part complete kit for sale? Or know someone who does?

 

Thanks

 

Elliot

hi elliot i am new to hoods to. but i looked around for about a month and think i fell lucky and got a svad 2007 2b on the road for £2k . was cheap but i have also spent another £800 on exhaust / weather gear/second hand carbs/ wheels ect and still needs a bit more spending? but to you question yes if your lucky you can get one for around £2k+ and all i can say is wow what fun . well worth the money cheers carl

[Guest Stuartl]

Hi Elliot,

 

Welcome to the madhouse, I'm a newbie on here too!

 

I bought an S7, Sierra based that was completed in 1996 so pre SVA days. It was stripped down after the guy cooked the engine and is now just a rolling chassis with dozens of boxes of bits, dials etc.

 

I had a Sylva Striker before that a mate of mine built and what was mentioned earlier about one job leading to another is quite correct. Mine will be further stripped down and put together properly and methodically and then I will just need to get it MOT'd as is is already registered with the age related 'B' Plate from the Sierra. What was also mentioned before which is most important is the correct registration of the car which if you are buying one that has already been registered is very important. In these days of computerised MOT's etc it is no good having an S7 that is still registered as a Dolomite or Sierra.

 

The fact that my car had been registered correctly and would not need an SVA was a major factor in my purchase of it.

 

Good luck with the search for the right car!

[Guest elliot tanner]

Hi Elliot,

 

Welcome to the madhouse, I'm a newbie on here too!

 

I bought an S7, Sierra based that was completed in 1996 so pre SVA days. It was stripped down after the guy cooked the engine and is now just a rolling chassis with dozens of boxes of bits, dials etc.

 

I had a Sylva Striker before that a mate of mine built and what was mentioned earlier about one job leading to another is quite correct. Mine will be further stripped down and put together properly and methodically and then I will just need to get it MOT'd as is is already registered with the age related 'B' Plate from the Sierra. What was also mentioned before which is most important is the correct registration of the car which if you are buying one that has already been registered is very important. In these days of computerised MOT's etc it is no good having an S7 that is still registered as a Dolomite or Sierra.

 

The fact that my car had been registered correctly and would not need an SVA was a major factor in my purchase of it.

 

Good luck with the search for the right car!

 

My initial budget is £2000 but I expect to spend closer to £3000 once its finished and going off for SVA.

 

OK so it seems that the general consensus is that a part build is a good way of getting a kit at a fraction of the price it would be new.

[Guest Stuartl]

My initial budget is £2000 but I expect to spend closer to £3000 once its finished and going off for SVA.

 

OK so it seems that the general consensus is that a part build is a good way of getting a kit at a fraction of the price it would be new.

 

 

It's well known in Classic Car circles that items costing just a few pounds equate to a large proportion of the cost, I would imagine the same is true of a kit car build.

 

I think it would be safe to assume your budget will be blown but you can spread your spend over a period of time then it doesn't seem so bad.

 

The main tip is is something costs £100, as far as the wife is concerned you only paid £50 for it :D

Edited December 4, 2008 by stuartl

[Snapperpaul]

If you get a part built for £2000 make sure it has all you want, wheels, seats and guages as these are the things that cost a lot.

£3000 is a budget build but can be done as long as you build it to the best standard you can, then you can upgrade as you wish when money becomes available.

 

For SVA you need to prove that you built the kit so the part built will need some photos of it in bits and at the earliest opportunity some photos of you bolting things on.

A reciept from the kit car company to the guy you buy it off.

The design weights of the kit, from the manufacturer of the kit.

At the earliest point in your build you need to address the paperwork, lots of people do this very late in the build and have problems getting an SVA followed by greater problems getting the car registered by DVLA

 

VOSA do the SVA and require their own paperwork

DVLA register the vehivle and need a build up inspection and proof that you built it, that all the bits come from known sources and very importantly that if you have a donor that you disposed of the remains properly and have proof.

[Guest osteve123]

Hi Elliot,

 

A part built is prob the best way, although follow all of the advice given so far.

 

I bought a part built S7 Late this year for £1,200 and have since spent about another £650 getting bits/or changing things over. So the total will be £1850 + SVA etc.....which is about what i was budgeting for (although not even done my SVA yet). However.....your tool collection will expand, and i like to have decent tools..i like to invest in tools that will last me a life time. You will also in this prob need a parts washer - great investment and an engine stand (Machine Mart are good for these). I've prob spent between £300-£400 on tools alone(without counting).

 

It can be frustrating though when you see how things have been done...my previous owner had prob never heard of a file & i cut myself a few times on bits!!!! The engine had to come out for the fuel lines top be connected properly...although he had done the brake lines ok????? madness!!!! And the two steps back to get one step done is frustrating!!!

 

So far i've loved it, kicked it, wanted to burn it, kicked it and now back in love with it.....Think most people have had this with their kits!!!!!!

 

It is important to get what you want in the first place though...so don't rush into it. My car came with sweeping wings & i'm now changing it to cycle wings - because thats what i want, although I'm now going to be left with holes down each side. I with either rivit these or back/fill and paint the whole car...a bit of a cost!!! Also my stainless steel is scratched, so do i find and pay a polisher or paint??? An extra £1000 for a paint job?mmm

 

I'm sure you'll find the one for you.

 

Steve

[Knock-on]

My initial budget is £2000 but I expect to spend closer to £3000 once its finished and going off for SVA.

 

OK so it seems that the general consensus is that a part build is a good way of getting a kit at a fraction of the price it would be new.

 

I would echo what everyone else has said.

 

I have had a part built for a couple of years and in that time, have had to take most things back to basics.

 

Just finishing off the last structural bits and bobs now but still have a lot to do.

 

Rule of thumbs I discovered.

 

1. If someone tells you it's 95% built and just needs a good weekend to get it ready for SVA, offer to pay them £100 for a weekends work to finish it. If not, assume it's 5% completed and needs 95% of reverse engineering.

 

2. If someone tells you that all the bits are there to complete it and it looks pretty much together, budget for another £500 for rivets, seals, bolts, plate etc.

 

3. Enjoy it. It's great fun but lobbing one together over the winter may be a little optimistic. I'm looking at 3 years from getting mine to have it through the SVA and that doesn't seem too bad. Some Hoddie builders have been known to go through a marriage or two before completing their project.

 

Good luck. There's plenty of knowledgeable people on here that have a wealth of building experience (of which I am certainly not one )

 

KO

[Guest bettinson2005]

hi this might help theres one on auto trader site today . looks nice £2850 ono you never know could be what your after?

[Guest elliot tanner]

I would echo what everyone else has said.

 

I have had a part built for a couple of years and in that time, have had to take most things back to basics.

 

Just finishing off the last structural bits and bobs now but still have a lot to do.

 

Rule of thumbs I discovered.

 

1. If someone tells you it's 95% built and just needs a good weekend to get it ready for SVA, offer to pay them £100 for a weekends work to finish it. If not, assume it's 5% completed and needs 95% of reverse engineering.

 

2. If someone tells you that all the bits are there to complete it and it looks pretty much together, budget for another £500 for rivets, seals, bolts, plate etc.

 

3. Enjoy it. It's great fun but lobbing one together over the winter may be a little optimistic. I'm looking at 3 years from getting mine to have it through the SVA and that doesn't seem too bad. Some Hoddie builders have been known to go through a marriage or two before completing their project.

 

Good luck. There's plenty of knowledgeable people on here that have a wealth of building experience (of which I am certainly not one )

 

KO

 

Cheers for the advice guys. If any one hears of any part builts then send them my way!

 

As for a winter project and time to complete, ive got 6 weeks off from uni starting 21st September so really want to get something to work on by then. I then have my weekends free with luckily not too many commitments to get in the way!

[ibrooks]

If you can stretch your initial budget a bit you could buy my 2B. It's off the road at the moment but pretty much ready to go back through it's test (I haven't because it's not the season for open top cars). It went through SVA but has been stood pretty much ever since. Most of the re-comissioning work is done but the paintwork has suffered and could do with sorting to make it a nice car again. Give me a PM if you're interested and/or want pictures and more details.

 

Iain

[Guest timswait]

Another thing to consider is getting a fully built but tatty car, maybe that's been stood off the road for a few years. You sometimes see the earlier moncoques in a sorry state for not much money. Provided the paperwork is correct (and that's a big IF, there's lots still on their original donor's registration, which isn't right despite what the seller tells you), then you save yourself the aggro and money of getting it through an SVA. Like buying a part built though you might find yourself doing a major strip down and rebuild to fix less than perfect workmanship in the original build, which is much less satisfying than building something yourself.

As far as money, I do think £2K is just feasible, but you need to find exactly the right project to start with (so spend plenty of time hunting) and every part must be carefully sourced to get the minimum cost, and you'll probably still end up with something a little rough around the edges. £3K is more realistic, especially if you have to SVA.

When trying to economise always think carefully about how difficult it will be to change something in the future, and how much the upgrade will cost. Paying £50 instead of £100 for a part might seem like a good idea now, but it might not seem so smart next year when the 50 quid part has broken, you need to replace it with the 100 quid bit, and spend two weeks taking the car apart to get to it. Things like seats, interior, wheels, etc are very easily upgraded in the future, so good to economise on now. Spending a few quid extra on doing the wiring properly, getting new engine mounts if the old ones look ropey, replacing the clutch while the engine's out, replacing the timing belt if you don't know when it was last changed and suchlike are worth getting right first time. I spent £3200 on building a 2B from a new kit (admittedly this was 6 years ago now, prices have gone up since), and there's still things about the car that I wish I had spent a bit more on at the time (mostly the extra £200 to get a stainless chassis would have been so worth it).