Realm D-Type Jaguars

[Meteor]

I am wondering if anyone has any experience of the Realm range of kit cars ?

My position is as follows. I will shortly have budget to acquire a project with the blessing of my wife. My want list has always featured two very different type of projects. To either build a replica D-Type or restore a WW2 Willy Jeep.

I am wanting to acquire a project that will actually get finished and not become a garage queen hidden under sheets due to me not having the skills to complete it. I would say that my knowledge of cars is basic having only ever done basic servicing at home and tasks like changing brake pads, water pumps etc. I have never built a kit car.

I know the pros and cons of a Jeep project but I can find little info on Realm kits or indeed any build logs.

How hard are they to build ? Is it a realistic kit to cut my teeth on ? Is it more likely to become an unfinished project with my relative lack of experience ?

Any thoughts and comments gratefully received.

Regards

PS Please don't suggest I buy another kit car to learn on. Sadly nothing else on the market floats my boat and that alone would make it become an unfinished kit. Apologies now if that sounds dismissive but I would like to do something I am passionate about.

[Hoonigan]

Can't offer much advice on the Realm except it looks very nice

I was in a similar situation as you earlier in the year when deciding wether building my dream car a GT40 was possible or not, in the end I thought sod it how hard can it be.... Now I have never done anything like this so it was a big undertaking especially as there's not even an instruction manual available but so far so good, measure twice cut once. Best decision I ever made and loving every second I'm allowed in the garage

[KMF]

I would always go for the Jeep. I had a 42 slat grill (The Diabolical Angel pictured in Jeep books) and that was a nice car. A good Jeep will go up in value unfortunatly kits do not usualy as i have owned a pre built Marlin and i also built a Marlin myself.
If you know the Jeeps then you will know that you can get a new chassis and new body from MD Juan in the Philippines and it will still be an origional Jeep.
I love the D Types but not sure i would want to build such a car and i have been working on cars 33 years and love all of them

[jagracer]

A Jeep and a Dtype are so different you can't compare them, both will be as hard as each other, I've done both. With the Dtype I gave up using it as a road car and started racing it as it seemed to become a mission every time I wanted to go out in it. The Jeep will work out cheaper though and probably more user friendly albeit a lot slower. Funnily enough I'd now love another Jeep.

[Meteor]

Many thanks for the comments.

Like Jagracer says I don't think the two can be compared in many respects. They are two very different projects to work on and also to derive pleasure from once road worthy. They are however the two projects I am weighing up and each appeals for very different reasons.

There just seems so little info on building from the Realm kits online or maybe I am looking in the wrong place lol.

[Meteor]

Many thanks for the comments.

Like Jagracer says I don't think the two can be compared in many respects. They are two very different projects to work on and also to derive pleasure from once road worthy. They are however the two projects I am weighing up and each appeals for very different reasons.

There just seems so little info on building from the Realm kits online or maybe I am looking in the wrong place lol.

[jagracer]

Meteor said:

Many thanks for the comments.
There just seems so little info on building from the Realm kits online or maybe I am looking in the wrong place lol.

I don't think there is much info, It's all done by experience and asking other owners. I don't like the word kits for these cars as they aren't, to me a kit is something you buy in a bag of parts and assemble with glue.

[Meteor]

Are there any owners groups for the car or www forums where people meet to discuss there builds ?

Sorry if I've offended with the term "kit" It is the term Realm use in their pricing leaflet and viewed as a kit car though.

[Meteor]

Are there any owners groups for the car or www forums where people meet to discuss there builds ?

Sorry if I've offended with the term "kit" It is the term Realm use in their pricing leaflet and viewed as a kit car though.

[Flatinfourth]

I have some experience working with an original XKSS, and a D Type. Strictly speaking a replica D Type in the true sense should have an aluminium monocoque with a tubular engine frame, not be a full spaceframe as some of the replica kits are,but of course there are huge cost comparisons to be made, also it should have a live axle at the back, not an independent set-up. not sure how realm do theirs. I have however dealt with realm a few time with regard to parts for cars i've had in my workshop, and my experience is that they are a very helpful little operation. in one instance they abslutely insisted on not charging me for a few small components i had ordered. Very nice people

[jagracer]

Flatinfourth said:

I have some experience working with an original XKSS, and a D Type. Strictly speaking a replica D Type in the true sense should have an aluminium monocoque with a tubular engine frame, not be a full spaceframe as some of the replica kits are,but of course there are huge cost comparisons to be made, also it should have a live axle at the back, not an independent set-up. not sure how realm do theirs. I have however dealt with realm a few time with regard to parts for cars i've had in my workshop, and my experience is that they are a very helpful little operation. in one instance they abslutely insisted on not charging me for a few small components i had ordered. Very nice people

Realm use a tubular spaceframe chassis with a grp body sitting on top, you can also have an ally body but for the money they cost you may as well go the true replica route. They use Jaguar IRS, mine is S type and XJ6 front. I'm not sure if they now use the Revival version of the chassis which is basically a "straight" and sorted version of the Realm, you'd need to know what you were looking at to know the difference. Adrian and Chris at Realm are both very very helpful but you need to do your homework first.

Edited by jagracer on Thursday 25th July 15:57

[greenrat]

Meteor - I took a run down to Realm last year to "kick the tyres", and would recommend that you do the same to form your own opinion. I found Adrian very helpful and he did not try to dress things up excessively. On the face of it they seem an honest, competent, no frills operation. Jagracer is right though - it's a bit more than Big Boys Meccano. Having said that, I'm no mechanic but was happy enough with what I saw to commence disembowelling an old XJ6 in preparation. Work commitments and academia have prevented me from ordering the XKSS yet, but that is definitely still Plan A once the "Burke and Hare" phase is over.

Jagracer - I seem to have lost your email address. Can you PM me if you have anymore photos like these? They at least give me a clue as to what bits to keep and which to send to the scrappy.

[jagracer]

Stephen
email sent.

I MOTd a Realm/Ram/LR Cobra yesterday, I was also contemplating buying it if the price is right which I doubt it will be. The driving position was too high for my liking, you sit on the car rather than in the Dtype and apart from the shape of the body and the noise the engine makes It's just as awkward if not worse to drive.

[Meteor]

I'm unable to find the time to travel down to Realm for a few months due to family commitments but its something I aim to do. They are only about an hour from me as well so its not a huge journey.

Jagracer you mention that you used yours as a track car as it was hassle to use on the roads. Can you expand on that a bit more ? Are they a terrible vehicle for road use ?

[Meteor]

I'm unable to find the time to travel down to Realm for a few months due to family commitments but its something I aim to do. They are only about an hour from me as well so its not a huge journey.

Jagracer you mention that you used yours as a track car as it was hassle to use on the roads. Can you expand on that a bit more ? Are they a terrible vehicle for road use ?

[pilbeam_mp62]

Meteor said:

I'm unable to find the time to travel down to Realm for a few months due to family commitments but its something I aim to do. They are only about an hour from me as well so its not a huge journey.

I built an Ultima GTR and it is a BIG commitment.... if you havent got enough time to take 3 hours out of a day to go and look at Realm, you are doomed to failure before you start. Just my opinion...

[Meteor]

pilbeam_mp62 said:

I built an Ultima GTR and it is a BIG commitment.... if you havent got enough time to take 3 hours out of a day to go and look at Realm, you are doomed to failure before you start. Just my opinion...

Please read again my original comment "I'm unable to find the time to travel down to Realm for a FEW MONTHS"

It's literally a few months while a proposed property sale/relocation takes place and my wife finishes a 12 month work related uni degree. It's not ideal but its also not what would be present when the time comes to acquire a project.

Edited by Meteor on Tuesday 30th July 12:10

[pilbeam_mp62]

Meteor said:

pilbeam_mp62 said:

I built an Ultima GTR and it is a BIG commitment.... if you havent got enough time to take 3 hours out of a day to go and look at Realm, you are doomed to failure before you start. Just my opinion...

Please read again my original comment "I'm unable to find the time to travel down to Realm for a FEW MONTHS"

It's literally a few months while a proposed property sale/relocation takes place and my wife finishes a 12 month work related uni degree. It's not ideal but its also not what would be present when the time comes to acquire a project.

Edited by Meteor on Tuesday 30th July 12:10

Yes - I HAVE re-read it.. and I stand by what I say. You are so "passionate" about it that you can't find 3 hours to go and look....I look forward to being proved wrong. Best of luck with whatever you decide though.

Regards

[jagracer]

Meteor said:

Jagracer you mention that you used yours as a track car as it was hassle to use on the roads. Can you expand on that a bit more ? Are they a terrible vehicle for road use ?

I'm probably being a bit unfair I suppose. I just found it to be a mission every time I wanted to go out in it as far as having to get dressed in suitable clothing etc. I think the main problem is the British weather but that's the same with any open car and the year I decided to convert it for racing was just after one or two of those awful summers in the late 90s.

Another problem is lack of room to carry anything, not dissimilar to my MGB though but that just seems easier all round. Thinking back I did use it a fair amount although I'd built it on a really tight budget with lots of begged, borrowed and acquired parts so it was also often troublesome. I remember going to watch some racing in France one weekend, we went out on Saturday morning in brilliant sunshine, blatted down the M20 at a sedate 70mph and had an excellent day finishing with a meal that the circuit owners had laid on and together with temps into the 80s it was fantastic. We woke up the following morning to one of the greyest wettest days you could imagine so we set of home early and the only time I remember being wetter was sitting in the assembly area at Cadwel for an hour during a thunder storm.

You can make them very drivable and they are fun but as long as you are prepared for all weather eventualities and if you accept you can't carry much more than you would on a motorbike then they are fine. I've also driven it on sunny days in mid winter and it's been a real pleasure especially as they do get very warm inside the car. Insurance was always cheap as well, not sure what the situation is now though.
After saying all this I am now a bit bored with racing and I'm thinking of converting it back to a road car or maybe even an XKSS although I think that may be quite expensive.

[greenrat]

So it's a four-wheeled motorbike then....no luggage space, protected from the elements by a good set of leathers?