peter_m7uk

Thanks for the reply, Terry. There is a much cheaper one here: http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.co.uk/V...-1/tools-1.html that I spotted, but it appears that you have to pull the concertina shape right out to pull the rivet. How long is yours fully extended? (Oo-er ) Cheers, Pete

As I have no power at my rented garage, I was going to embark on the Herculean task of building my Lightweight chassis with a hand-operated rivet gun. "What could go wrong?" I thought. Most of the rivets used are 6mm wide and I now discover that finding a hand riveter that does that size is like finding rocking horse s***e! It appears that the riveter in the style of bolt cutters may do it, but there are no small trigger-style riveters for 6mm rivets, for getting into small spaces. Or are there? Anyone have any ideas on this? Ta, Pete

"In another move announced this week, Robin Hood have established a partner company in the South of England, who are an ex-F1 and current multi-million pound race preparation company and they will be developing a race-spec version of the Lightweight. The objective is to build a winning product that can be supplied, fully built or in kit form at a price unheard of in the race/trackday marketplace and the car will debut at Exeter in November." Anyone guess who the "ex-F1 and current multi-million pound race preparation company" in the South of England are??

Thanks for all the info, guys I think I'll just start with some cheap HSS ones, as mentioned, then maybe look to cobalt if I have any bother. No one seems to have mentioned titanium coated bits. Any experience with them? Pete

Guys, I've got a lot of metal drilling coming up and I want drill bits that won't go blunt after a couple of holes. There seems to be a lot of choice and a lot of acronyms like HSS-CNC, HSS-R and so on. What are they on about and what are the best drills that don't cost the Earth, like diamond or something?! Ta, Pete

Just a bit of advice to anyone about to buy a Lightweight kit. Can you point out to Robin Hood that the 2 pieces of 8' by 4' chipboard aren't enough to complete the jig?! You really need another half a piece (4' by 4') if you want to follow their dimensions, then have some scrap left over for offcuts to pack underneath the jig. Pete

I didn't have a name for my, at the moment embryonic, car. Then I told one of my friends' wife about it and she instantly named it "Gary" Well, she is Japanese! It's such a bad name, inappropriate and unexplained, that it has stuck, of course Gary The Lightweight, hmmm?

Try this, Piddy, if you're just interested in new boots: http://www.mytigeravon.co.uk/html/february_2003.html Pete

I am gobsmacked Robin Hood have never SVA'd any of their cars??!!! So, since 1998, they have never actually tested a car on a public road or passed the government test before putting a car on the market! Incredible! I always knew buying a Lightweight was taking a risk, but it is heartening to know that the new owners are at least trying to behave like a 'proper' car manufacturer

I spotted on RH's site yesterday that they described the Lightweight as SVA compatible, when previously they had never claimed such a thing. I just sent them an e-mail to clarify. It turns out that they finally put it through SVA last week and passed So Lightweighters like myself can now breathe a sigh of relief that they aren't building a worthless heap of junk I wonder what the chances are of them passing on info about potential problems, once they've got some mileage on it I can't imagine a brand-new model will be totally bug-free.... Pete

Hmm, the content is identical, just looks tidier

Hi V8, it would be good if you could get the official Robin Hood line on sealant. The build DVDS don't mention the use of an adhesive or sealant at all, but from what the guys on this forum are saying, it could be a big mistake not to use it. :boohoo: I expect some offhand comment like "Well, we haven't used it and the chassis seems fine", but it would be good to hear if they have thought about it... Cheers, Pete

Cheers ECAM, although with aluminium I wouldn't have thought that corrosion was the main problem, but rather joint strength, rattling and leaks. On consideration, I'm definitely going to use some, although I'm in contact with Diyer, who says he's already started the build without sealant. Will be interesting to see how sealed and non-sealed cars compare in future..... Any idea who supplies good sealant cheaply and what I could expect to pay to seal an entire car? Pete

I just had a thought about the organisation of the message boards here and the introduction of the Lightweight. As the Lightweight chassis construction is SO different to any previous Robin Hood, any chance we could have a separate section for that?? I just think that over the coming months, as the new car gets momentum, there will be a lot of people passing comment on it and plenty to learn from other people. I don't want to divide the Hoods by car model, but it would be handy to have one place on the forum where all of the knowledge is pooled on this, rather than trawl through comments on lots of different models. Any comments? Pete

This thread went quiet a while ago, but I wanted to get back to the sealant issue discussed with Battery Bill, ECAM and Chris Brown. Now that I actually have the Lightweight kit sitting in my garage, it all seems more relevant Having watched some of the build DVDs, there is no mention of sealant whatsoever. Surely, with metal-to-metal joints everywhere, eventually things are going to start squeaking and rubbing I half-expected the kit to include some sealant, but nope! Looking at this from the point of aesthetics, I would have thought a clear sealant would be best for the stuff that squeezes out of the joints? Any of you aircraft/sealant experts know of one? Any other Lightweighters on here considering this problem?? Pete

Yeah, it's the 2.0 injected Pinto i'm using. I suppose missing out the carpet and stuff does seem a bit pointless after putting a Pinto boat-anchor in it, but I do intend to go for the stripped look £50 does sound good for a Zetec, thanks for the offer, but after all the time, money and effort I've put into reconditioning the Pinto, I feel that I should use it! Rizla, where did you get the gearbox, bellhousing and so on from to mate your bike engine to a car drivetrain?? Pete

Well, it's a lightweight car, so it needs a lightweight engine, right? So, I'm putting a Pinto in I know, I know, but I want to get on the road cheaply. I would consider a Zetec or bike engine upgrade later, though... Pete

Seems like me, you and diyer are the only Lightweighters so far Have you built the charming chipboard jig yet?! How many build DVDs did you chaps get? I was given eight, with the eighth ending when the chassis is still part-built! Pete

You including EVERYTHING there? So far I've spent £4700 on the Lightweight, including garage rent, floor paint, every last tool, paintbrush, nut and bolt etc. Just need seats, a fuel tank, a propshaft, mirrors, brake and fuel lines, and possibly a wiper system and demister. It's gotta come in at under £6k, surely? Although I have been a bit fortunate to be able to use the works sandblaster, engine hoist, valve spring compressor and other hefty tooling! When people say they can do it for £4k or under, surely they have a garage fully equipped already, or maybe ignoring those "minor items" which add up to several hundred?

I went over to the Hoody section, but I think you'd all gone down to the track as it was fairly deserted. Spotted the Rizla-mobile straight away Nice car, dude I would agree with a couple of points, that the number of trade stands was disappointing and that Robin Hood's no-show was a bit of a blow. I would have liked to have seen the Lightweight on the road, as I'm just starting to build one, but I think Robin Hood are going through a quiet spell after the takeover. Could have done with some more pit-babes, but the few I saw were well up to scratch My ride in a Hayabusa-powered Fisher Fury was also rather "invigorating" I wasn't scared in the slightest Anyone who missed it this time, make it a definite next time Pete

I collected mine the other week, but haven't started building it yet On first seeing the aluminium supplied for the chassis, I did think it looked kind of thin, but having no experience in engineering specification of metal components, I suppose that's just my gut reaction. After watching some of the build DVDs, I did start to warm to the idea of the method of chassis construction and I'm now feeling that it's all gonna be ok They supply you with two pieces of 8' by 4' chip board to build the chassis on. One piece is used whole and the other you cut up and build a bit of a jig. Nothing complicated, but you do have to have a means to get nice straight cuts into an awkwardly large piece of board! I think the components still need work doing on them to tidy up all of the burred edges, but it's all there and no one ever said a building a £2000 car was going to be a piece of cake I don't want to put you off or build your hopes up, V8, but I can see a LOT of hard work ahead and plenty of snags along the way, but then again I don't see why I or anyone can't make a perfectly decent car out of that kit, given the time, space and motivation Feel free to ask me any questions. Pete

I said something like "You ******* *******, I don't ******* believe it!" Could that be "You bloomin' sausage, I don't darning believe it!" ?

I'll try that. Thanks Dave

Collected my Lightweight kit yesterday and, due to very careful packing, I got it home with no scratches or bends at all But, as I was totally knackered when I got back and not thinking straight, I stood the bonnet panel on one end while I was doing something else. Of course, it then fell over onto an axle stand :gdit: So, I now have a nice scratch/gouge in the middle of the bonnet :angry: Just wondering if anyone has any tips on scratch repair on aluminium, or at least lessening the visual effect??? Pete

The day changed to this Wednesday , so still humming and haaring. When I said heater/demister, I really just meant demister to pass the SVA test. I am a Geordie, after all I see that Car Builder Solutions sell them, but for £22 each, rather than £18 or £30 for two at Lolocost. Anyone know if you can get away with one for that purpose, or do you really need two to demist the whole screen?? By the way, is it straightforward to put it through the test without a screen? How does it stand legally if you fit it later and don't bother with demisters..? Thanks for the info guys, Pete