David S

I was talking to Keith about colours at the show and he said it tends to go in cylces and often follows the colours of the demonstrators. There were a lot of orange cars after the orange demonstrator, then a lot of black and now a lot of red. Personally I liked the look of the white car they had on the stand until I saw the Oxford Blue one, now I can't decide which I like the most.

I can only agree with all the sentiments above. I was only there on Sunday but it was nice to put some faces to names. I hope that next year my car will be on the road and I can add it to the stand and stay for the weekend, it sounds like a real blast!

I had the same issue with my diff. Ended up having to take it back out and to a local garage. Even they couldn't shift it with all the tricks they knew and ended up cracking the back plate. I had to have a new back plate and filler plug. On the plus side this meant they inspected the internals and bearings etc, replaced the seals at the same time so I know it is a good diff.

Another small contribution to help an really worthwhile cause. Good luck tomorrow.

Turnipfarmer is right. If you get all new parts from GBS or even other new sources, with 2.0lt Zetec etc, you will spend £12K and as soon as you start on the "oh I'll just upgrade that bit it as is only another £20 or £50 etc" route, I could see a fully finished car costing nearer £13k or even £14k. The point is that whether you build economically for £4500 (which is amazing), spend £7000/£8000 which is probably a fair average for a Zero, or build with all new parts for £12K, you will still have an amazing car that will bring you hours and hours of enjoyment that you can't put a price on! Spend time doing your research and ask loads of questions on the forum or use the search facility. There is an enourmous amount of knowledge here that people are only too happy to share with you. Decide on the type of budget you have as that will determine the route you go, but most importantly of all, enjoy the whole experience.

The 2468 kit was so called as it was the price including the VAT at 17.5%. With the VAT going up to 20% it is possibe that they just can't afford to still supply the same kit of parts for that price. The 2530 kit, or whatever the right rate with 20% VAT just doesn't have the same marketing ring to it. Anyway, as suggested by John, Richard or Keith are the best ones to speak to. I am sure they will do the same package, it might just cost a little bit more.

Kev I have a CD that was given to me by GBS but to be honest you can do better looking at the various build blogs and photobucket accounts, I think the picture are more up to date and a lot more thorough. I you still want the CD, I would be happy to send it to you. Here are some links: http://s575.photobucket.com/home/shaft_Zero http://picasaweb.google.com/muddyquads http://s775.photobucket.com/albums/yy38/gixerboy600/Kawasaki%20Green%20Zero%20Build%20Pictures/ http://s866.photobucket.com/albums/ab227/gncgray/Zero%20biuld/?start=all http://www.photoshop.com/users/JamieZero/albums/bf1690e48856488c94cca49627beac87/slideshow

You will be very welcome, just give me a shout.

The rules, as they were explained to me, is that you can have 1 re-conditioned part and in your case (and mine and Jon's) this is what they refer to as the drive train. This includes the gearbox, diff and drive shafts. This is how GBS build their cars, as their demonstrator has a new reg number. If in any doubt, give Richard at GBS a call or talk to him at Stoneleigh.

It is interesting you should say that Graham. When I was at the factory last, I was shown a scuttle that had been built using a combination of bonding and counter sunk rivets which would end up being hidden by trim on one edge and the bonnet on the other. I have ended up just bonding mine and I have looked at it a few times wondering if I should add some countersunk rivets for some extra security, but I think I am going to stick with the boding process only. As well as bonding the tabs, I have added a bead of sikaflex around the join. I don't think it is going anywhere and seems really solid.

I can't add much to what has been said above except to keep the spray square to the surface and spray past the end of the surface you are painting. Don't spray in an arc.

Thanks Nick and yes, it helps. I am going to have one of your teas breaks before taking it any further, just to make sure I have it straight in my head before moving on with it. (Mmmmmmm .... tea!)

I just wondered what other Zero builders had done with this process. I know the factory have a nice former that they use to get the shape and to hold it all together whilst they bond/rivet it all together, but we home builders don't have that luxury. Anyway, I was looking at it in 2 steps. The first was to match up the top 5 tabs from the firewall and the scuttle and drill those to join them using screws. I also have the back dash panel where I have bent all the tabs ready and was going to line up all the 15 tabs along the front edge of the scuttle. I was then going to put the scuttle on its back and bond all that in place without trying to bend the sides of the scuttle round so there is no pressure on it and leave it all to cure over night before tackling the final bend and fixing of the sides. Does this seem right or am I over complicating the issue? Should I try and put the shape in the scutlle without the other panels and just work it in one? Any advice would be welcome.

It might sound like a good starting price but if you compare it to what you get in the GBS 2468 kit, it is not even close. I looked at Westfield when I was looking at kits last year, as I had part built one before, but they were just too expensive. The sales guy I spoke too at Exeter only seemed to want to push me down the component route which would have cost me around £14K and he wanted about £7500 up front for the first 2 packages, which I just didn't have. There was no sign of this offer at Exeter last year, or if there was, they weren't pushing it.

Simon. Welcome aboard. I can only mirror what has been said above. The first bit of advice I was given (by Simon at the factory) was to put the diff in first before you add the rear panel to the chassis as it gives you better access to fit the various nuts and bolts. After that, follow some of the blogs to see what others have done. There is no definitve build order as there is no build manual (there is one in the pipeline ... well I hope it is still in the pipeline!!). If you are close enough, go to the factory and talk to Simon or Ben, they build the cars and are more than happy to spend a bit of time with you to discuss the build. There are little things that you wouldn't think of, such as putting IVA trim pieces on the front suspension as you build it up, instead of trying to add it later. I know that sounds logical, but it is not something you would think about. On the subject of the IVA, a lot of the car has been designed to pass the IVA, but do the rest of the build with that 100% in the forefront of your mind, it will save a lot of time later.

In the downloads section on the GBS website, there is a PDF document that tells you what tools you do, and do not, need. You won't need a welder and you can get away without air powered tools, although these will make it easier. I have used a hand held rivet gun and although it makes your arm ache, it does the job perfectly well. Same with the rivnut tool. You can also use the supplied screws instead of skin pins if you want. The thing is you can spend the extra if you want, but you don't have to. It is amazing how quickly the costs associated with these things can add up. Garage lighting, shelving, new tool box, new tools work stands, axle stands and so on. Before you know, you have spent £500 or more!!!

Firstly, congrats on the win. Second, I agree totally with your sentments. No 2 Zeros will look the same, they may be similar, but not the same.

Wow. That could be a very good starting point for someone.

This is only my understanding. I am sure someone else may have more accurate figures. In standard form, the 2.0 litre Zetec is about 135BHP. If you add the GBS built plennum chamber this takes you to about 155/160BHP and if you add throttle bodies it goes to about 175bhp. I am pretty sure you could spend a lot more and get it up to 200BHP and maybe more. Depending on what car you have the power to weight ratio (BHP per tonne) will be considerable more than these figures. The grin factor will be priceless!!!

The new business premiums are always cheaper as they are looking to attract new customers. I had a bust up with the RAC earlier this year as I had cover with them and then got another policy free when I took out boiler cover with Eon. I tried to cancel the first policy and was told that after the policy had been in force for 2 weeks, there is no refund. They wouldn't even give me a credit towards my next renewal. Best thing I could think to do is to swap each year between the AA and the RAC and benefit from the new business or internet rates each time. Play the buggers at their own game. They will not be loyal to you, so why be loyal to them. I did the same with my home insurance. My renewal was £330, I got it through an online aggregator for £130!!!

I looked in to moving abroad many years ago. My then wife was half French so we used to go over on a regular basis and I got to love France and the French (and still do), but it was 'holiday' France. Actually selling up and moving over there permanently required more of a reality check. We made a list of all the positives and all the negatives for her, me and the 2 kids and , at the time we did it, there were too many negatives, but it is something that has always been at the back of my mind. Whether it is something I could do now, I don't know. I don't have the half French wife anymore (long story) so it would be harder for me on my own and I am not sure I could leave my kids and grand kids behind, even though they would only be a short hop away over 'La Manche'. Perhaps one day I will grow the requisite pair of kahunas and take the plunge, but not at the moment.

I can see a new thread starting soon ..... Hi, I'm new here and have just bought what I thought was Zero but it turns out to be ..... well, not a Zero!! Either that or a new e-bay listing "Robin Hood Zero - Relisted due to time waster" when the buyer pulls out after reading this thread

It was nice to meet some fellow RhoCar members and put faces to names. Richard, Keith and the team should be congratulated on a great day.

Can you give us the context? There are 'ports' on a pooter into which you plug things like USB cable etc

It is just like the PC vs Mac debate ... both are great at what they do ... some will like one some will like the other, but there is a place for both and equally there is a place for for all the various models in the club, whether RHSC or GBS. I am building a Zero and I have never felt anything but welcome in the club and I have had lots of good and invaluable advice either directly from members or indirectly from threads or blogs. Everyone has been kind and courteous and any banter I have seen has always been lighthearted.