Discussion
Hi,
I need a bit of help/guidance with potentially building myself a kit car of some sort and maybe being introduced to models I have not yet been aware of. You all seem like fairly knowledgable people
. Basically I would want to build something fairly sporty with a budget of up to £6k at a push (nearer 5k would be better). The car would be used mainly for the odd weekend b-road blast on nice days.
So far cars that intrest me include the Sylva Mojo/Riot (possibly not possible under this budget?), Onyx Mongoose (looks seriously promising and like the idea of using a k-series but are any finished yet and does anyone have any decent images?) and various locost models such as the MK Indy.
Thanks in advance,
Mark
I need a bit of help/guidance with potentially building myself a kit car of some sort and maybe being introduced to models I have not yet been aware of. You all seem like fairly knowledgable people
. Basically I would want to build something fairly sporty with a budget of up to £6k at a push (nearer 5k would be better). The car would be used mainly for the odd weekend b-road blast on nice days. So far cars that intrest me include the Sylva Mojo/Riot (possibly not possible under this budget?), Onyx Mongoose (looks seriously promising and like the idea of using a k-series but are any finished yet and does anyone have any decent images?) and various locost models such as the MK Indy.
Thanks in advance,
Mark
If you are looking for weekend blats then any of the Seven variants would suit.
I would not advise a Robin Hood as they are heavier than most and of questionable performance ability.
From the others there are some very good ones but most will fit your needs. I would suggest trying a few and going for one of the builders who is not too far from you.
You will also at some stage get caught up in the BEC (bike engined car) or CEC (car engined car) debate.
www.locostbuilders.co.uk is a hive of useful kitcar info. Ask for an opinion there and what the lively debate
I drive a Formula27 which is one of the lesser known seven variants and am very happy with the handling and quality.
Don't just go with the volume sellers as some of the smaller ones are as good or better.
I would not advise a Robin Hood as they are heavier than most and of questionable performance ability.
From the others there are some very good ones but most will fit your needs. I would suggest trying a few and going for one of the builders who is not too far from you.
You will also at some stage get caught up in the BEC (bike engined car) or CEC (car engined car) debate.
www.locostbuilders.co.uk is a hive of useful kitcar info. Ask for an opinion there and what the lively debate
I drive a Formula27 which is one of the lesser known seven variants and am very happy with the handling and quality.
Don't just go with the volume sellers as some of the smaller ones are as good or better.
I've been building a riot for the last 12 months or so www.r1ot.com
If you are interested in building a MOJO visit this build diary www.avpj18.dsl.pipex.com/index.htm neil everitt's build diary is very good
It all depends on what you are looking for and to do. If you want a kit that'll bolt together buy a westfield. The riot is a fantastic kit but my build manual consisted of a magazine article. I got a steel tube chassis a box of suspension components, the fibre glass panels and 5 8' x 4' sheets of aluminium everything had to be cut out and formed. You may also want to find a kit in a relative locale to where you live as you will be spending a lot of time up there. Also the riot is made up from many different parts form different ford models some of which are getting quite hard to find, although Jeremy Philips who owns Sylva is trying to make them easier to find parts for.
Single donor cars are easier to build as you will spend less time clambering around breaker yards, Marlin make a BMW 3 series based roadster which is on the future build list.
One more thing about budgets if you've got a figure half it and add that figure to the original number, which is what I found out to be the case. Especially when you realise you don't have enough tools!!
Basically go to a kit car show or visit as many manufacturers as you can and have a look at everything. Which is how I ended up with the riot.
If you are interested in building a MOJO visit this build diary www.avpj18.dsl.pipex.com/index.htm neil everitt's build diary is very good
It all depends on what you are looking for and to do. If you want a kit that'll bolt together buy a westfield. The riot is a fantastic kit but my build manual consisted of a magazine article. I got a steel tube chassis a box of suspension components, the fibre glass panels and 5 8' x 4' sheets of aluminium everything had to be cut out and formed. You may also want to find a kit in a relative locale to where you live as you will be spending a lot of time up there. Also the riot is made up from many different parts form different ford models some of which are getting quite hard to find, although Jeremy Philips who owns Sylva is trying to make them easier to find parts for.
Single donor cars are easier to build as you will spend less time clambering around breaker yards, Marlin make a BMW 3 series based roadster which is on the future build list.
One more thing about budgets if you've got a figure half it and add that figure to the original number, which is what I found out to be the case. Especially when you realise you don't have enough tools!!
Basically go to a kit car show or visit as many manufacturers as you can and have a look at everything. Which is how I ended up with the riot.
Edited by r1ot on Friday 2nd February 21:29
Edited by r1ot on Friday 2nd February 21:36
The Striker is a top car 
I'm not sure about building one for £6k though... Maybe if you already had a reasonably kitted out workshop and the willpower to forego shiny bits you might get close. I think you're looking at £8k as a more realistic budget for one though.
One more thing about budgets if you've got a figure half it and add that figure to the original number, which is what I found out to be the case. Especially when you realise you don't have enough tools!!
That pretty much tallies with what I've found on my first build too, I'm not quite 50% over budget yet but then the car isn't quite finished either
I'm not sure about building one for £6k though... Maybe if you already had a reasonably kitted out workshop and the willpower to forego shiny bits you might get close. I think you're looking at £8k as a more realistic budget for one though. r1ot said:
One more thing about budgets if you've got a figure half it and add that figure to the original number, which is what I found out to be the case. Especially when you realise you don't have enough tools!!
That pretty much tallies with what I've found on my first build too, I'm not quite 50% over budget yet but then the car isn't quite finished either
don't let the money aspect put you off. you can build a kit car on a tight budget but you've just to be careful about what you buy and make sure that anything you need but don't really know what it costs yet lay down a sensible amount ie £750 to £1000 for an ecu for example.
Credit cards are a good thing to have or stopping your build for a month or two until you can build up the funds again, there's no time limit on building a kit car.
Buying a second hand kit car cheaply can be a nightmare and may end up costing you a fortune getting it up to the standard you would like. Alternately keep an eye on the ads in the kit car press for part built kits some are not bad and the owners may have lost interest or run out of cash which is where you step in.
Credit cards are a good thing to have or stopping your build for a month or two until you can build up the funds again, there's no time limit on building a kit car.
Buying a second hand kit car cheaply can be a nightmare and may end up costing you a fortune getting it up to the standard you would like. Alternately keep an eye on the ads in the kit car press for part built kits some are not bad and the owners may have lost interest or run out of cash which is where you step in.
gefopsman said:
If you are looking for weekend blats then any of the Seven variants would suit.
I would not advise a Robin Hood as they are heavier than most and of questionable performance ability.
I would not advise a Robin Hood as they are heavier than most and of questionable performance ability.
Agreed!
I looked long and hard for a Seven and ended up getting the Tiger Cat E1, this was for many reason. Budget, looks, engine, extras etc. I choose not to build but buy built as often it can be cheaper. The problem buying used is knowing its history but with this type of car you can tell within about 2 mins whether it is a good one or not. Look in my profile for a pic.
D
Live on beans and pasta for 5 years and buy an Ultima 
Out of interest, what are your mechanical skills like? And how prepared for a build are you, ie time, tools, space?
The reason for asking is that i've worked with engineers that would struggle to change a wheel, let alone build a kit car.
I've been to a few kit car shows and you can get good deals on part/full kits. It may be worth finding out when the next kit car show is. Obviously you'd get to see (and sit in) every kit car.
Out of interest, what are your mechanical skills like? And how prepared for a build are you, ie time, tools, space?
The reason for asking is that i've worked with engineers that would struggle to change a wheel, let alone build a kit car.
I've been to a few kit car shows and you can get good deals on part/full kits. It may be worth finding out when the next kit car show is. Obviously you'd get to see (and sit in) every kit car.
M400 NBL said:
Live on beans and pasta for 5 years and buy an Ultima
Out of interest, what are your mechanical skills like? And how prepared for a build are you, ie time, tools, space?
The reason for asking is that i've worked with engineers that would struggle to change a wheel, let alone build a kit car.
I've been to a few kit car shows and you can get good deals on part/full kits. It may be worth finding out when the next kit car show is. Obviously you'd get to see (and sit in) every kit car.
Out of interest, what are your mechanical skills like? And how prepared for a build are you, ie time, tools, space?
The reason for asking is that i've worked with engineers that would struggle to change a wheel, let alone build a kit car.
I've been to a few kit car shows and you can get good deals on part/full kits. It may be worth finding out when the next kit car show is. Obviously you'd get to see (and sit in) every kit car.
Space would be garage (live with parents, double garage - one empty) with parts ideally from the scrappy literally walking distance or I could store a donor at my uncles farm in some old shed... Time wise I have till I finish university ideally i.e. nights, holidays, summer, etc. Tools wise I admit I may have to buy some tools but am pretty sure I could obtain many fairly easy from friends/relatives so wouldn't have to buy them all. Plenty in the shed too! In terms of experience this would be a fairly steep learning curve but I feel I am fairly knowledgable on the subject certainly at book/internet level! Thus I would like something that is more of a kit than not to keep things fairly simple - the Striker seems to come with a far more detailed build manual than most...
Edited by smerko on Sunday 4th February 19:16
Not that I would be a single minded as to just suggest a car because I own one, BUT go for a Mojo they’re great 
What type of engine would you want to fit? If you went with for a Mojo and bought a complete Fiesta XR2 as a donor and refurbished parts I believe you could probably build one for roughly 6k. But to some people the CVH isn’t the greatest of engines.
The build manual isn't that great for the Mojo but as pointed out there is plenty of resource on the net and also speaking to Sylva direct have been very helpful in solving problems, so I wouldn’t let the build manual put you off.
But I cant say anything against getting a Striker either as that was the other car I thought about getting to. Best thing to do is to go and speak to Sylva and Raw and decide which one you prefer
Andy
What type of engine would you want to fit? If you went with for a Mojo and bought a complete Fiesta XR2 as a donor and refurbished parts I believe you could probably build one for roughly 6k. But to some people the CVH isn’t the greatest of engines.
The build manual isn't that great for the Mojo but as pointed out there is plenty of resource on the net and also speaking to Sylva direct have been very helpful in solving problems, so I wouldn’t let the build manual put you off.
But I cant say anything against getting a Striker either as that was the other car I thought about getting to. Best thing to do is to go and speak to Sylva and Raw and decide which one you prefer
Andy
Edited by lost my mojo on Monday 5th February 19:26
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