Robin Hood and IVA

[gog440]

Hi
I am new to this bit of the forum and need some advice, I have been offered a robin hood 2b(i think) that is 99% finished but my mate has lost interest. It starts/runs /drives, the body is fitted, elctrics are 99% there brakes etc are all done.
AFAIK it needs a session on the rolling road to get the engine set up properly, the fibreglass part behind the cockpit needs spraying to match the other paint and a couple of minor electrical things done. If I buy the car it will be going for its test without a screen (so I dont have to worry about demister/wipers/washers)
Are there any things I should be looking at that will cause it to fail?

[Sssline]

Hi,
I expect your best bet would be to post this on the owners forum, someone of there is bound to have recent information on 2B's and the IVA test Link

Cheers
Tony.R

[stevetvrs]

Hi,

Get familiar with the latest IVA Manual M1, which can be downloaded from here...

http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail...

It can be open to interpretation at times, and success will depend on how well you follow this document and how friendly your examiner is!

My advice is get the car right prior to the IVA test, fully considering M1's requirements, as the test and any retest/s are very expensive.

IVA is a bit of a mine field, but a little bit of common sense will get you through.

By the way, 99% complete, isn't usually 99% complete IYKWIM

Good luck

[roger_spitfire]

gog440 said:

Hi
If I buy the car it will be going for its test without a screen (so I dont have to worry about demister/wipers/washers)
Are there any things I should be looking at that will cause it to fail?

Just to repeat something I said re another query, for the IVA test the car needs to be or look complete & presenting it with no screen at all will probably be a fail; fitting aero screens would be OK.

[singlecoil]

If you are not sure which model it is, post a picture. Plenty of cars pass IVA with no windscreen and no aero screen, I took one through myself last summer, so don't worry about that too much (unless there are holes for fitting one etc).

[gog440]

Thanks for the help guys, I didnt think to take a photo when I was looking at it (stupidly) but I have had a look some images and I am 99%sure it is a 2b.
I hadnt found that forum before so thanks for the link.
I`m not sure I will get the car, I like the idea, but I am torn between a 7 type car or a TVR wedge and to be honest a wedge is slightly more practical (than a robin hood at least) and has a v8 engine so I am leaning slightly more that way but I havent ruled the robin hood out.

Edited by gog440 on Monday 14th February 16:18

[singlecoil]

I really can't recommend the RH, especially if it is a 2B or any other of the older ones. Maybe if it was already on the road, you had driven it and liked it, and it was cheap, then yes, but as you descibe it, I would leave it alone. Go for the Wedge.

[gog440]

thanks for the heads up, What`s wrong with the older RH cars?
The car is the right price ( he is willing to do a swap for a car I have and no longer need)

[singlecoil]

gog440 said:

What`s wrong with the older RH cars?

I can't answer that without knowing what it is you hope to get from it. I would say, in general, that whatever it is that people hope to get from building, owning or driving a 7 you will get less of from an RH than any other make I am aware of. Apparently the new one (the Zero) is much better, but quite frankly any difference at all from the previous models was always going to be better.

[Steffan]

I agree with Singlecoil the OLD Robin Hood is not the most rewarding car to build and drive. This does not reflect on current RH output.

I have been building Kit Cars since the Fairthorpe days in the 1960's.

A TVR would give you a much better package.

I have built three Robin Hoods and the kit was not the most organised or researched projects.

The Silva, MEV, Vindictor and other are better more usable and much less tricky. A lot of factory support and advice.

The older RH cars can have chassis which are very very variable in quality and a great deal depends on the quality of the actual build. I have`seen cases pre IVA which really were not suitable for Road use. Unsafe at any speed.

Getting an old kit car through IVA could be a nightmare. My contacts in the Kit Build regularly advise potential builders NOT to buy semi complete cars because so often so much of the work has to be undone and redone.

At some cost!!

I would stick to the TVR.

[Steve_D]

All the right reasons have already been given so I will just add my agreement....don't touch the RH.

Steve

[one eyed mick]

It all depends on 2 main issues 1 how much you want to or ,can afford to spend 2 what sort of perf and image do you expect ?.I have been running an early RH stainless mono car for the last 7 years have had only minor probs [which have all been easily rectified ] covered approx 30 k miles inc 3 LE MANS trips,it has cost me in that time around 10/12 k inc puchase , all service,repairs etc I'm happy at that,it does all I want ,it has been widely admired ,but it is no Caterham etc but it cost far less,it is no track day car but is quick enough to get the juioes flowing, it is not a concours/trailer queen and gets used at every oportunity .To get sensible comment about RH /GBS cars go to rohcar and browse the forums .RH cars do require more owner input and dedication to build than a caterham modular kit but can and do give as much or more satisfaction .Please don't knock the budget end of the alternative car experience we are doing what we can afford OEM waiting for incoming!!!!

[thescamper]

I had an monocoque RH too, crashed it and wrote it off but I still enjoyed using it every single day rain or shine, hindsight is wonderful and knowing what I know now i would not have built it.

The OP hasn't given enough information on what he wants the car for for anyone to make an un-biased judgement.

The car may be very cheap and the OP just wants something different to hack around in in which case then I wouldn't say its a bad choice.

If he wants a trackday tool then its obviously not going to be the right choice.

Its the old mini and Rolls Royce argument they all get from A to B but its how they do it that matters.

[Paul.B]

Give this thread a read - http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[Frankthered]

Steffan said:

Getting an old kit car through IVA could be a nightmare. My contacts in the Kit Build regularly advise potential builders NOT to buy semi complete cars because so often so much of the work has to be undone and redone.

At some cost!!

This.^

Are you aware that the IVA test itself costs almost £500? And that could reveal a whole bundle of issues that need major rework to resolve before you could get it road legal.

It may cost more than the car is worth to get it through.

(This could be why the seller wants to sell ... )

[S47]

I built a 2B in fact I beleiev it to be the first 2B to pass SVA and be registered - And in no way can I recommend that model. It's potentially lethal, be very careful indeed. Better still buy any other 7 copy kit - it WILL be better than 99.9% of 2B's

[Comadis]

http://nw.rhocar.org/identification.htm


can you tell us wich front suspension it has? please refer to the above link.

if it has the sliding pillar suspension...its a driect walk-away..unless you get the car free of charge.

a kit which was not constructed for IVA, especially as it is a RH, will fail in certain criteria.

if its worth doing all the necessary modifications to a RH, you have to decide yourselves.

[one eyed mick]

As much as I'm a RH owner I must agree with Comadis re slimy pillock front susp it is awfull I'm told it can be made to work but most [a lot any way ] are converted to wish bone either by home engineering or a dedicated kit [GBS] I run an early monocoque car with inboard spring damper units , rocking top wishbones ,Sierra TCA's positioned by custom tie bars giving castor adj and no anti rollbar ,it works for me and many others ,the 2b i don't have much experience of, but it may well need some redesign/engineering but there are many owners who seem to be happy with the std set up.The new GBS Zero is reputably very good and well engineered .Older RH can be succsessfly put through IVA but it certainly requires a lot of input regards OEM

[CorseChris]

Having helped someone fit an engine into a Zero recently....I can't say I'd recomend one of those either I'm afraid

Nor would he.

[Mr2Mike]

CorseChris said:

Having helped someone fit an engine into a Zero recently....I can't say I'd recomend one of those either I'm afraid

Nor would he.

Care to explain why?